Interesting People are everywhere in Venice Fl

I could tell you dozens of stories about people I have met living in Florida. It is one of the things I love about living here. I met a gentleman one time in Ft. Myers that as a boy played outside Thomas Edison's lab and Mrs. Edison gave him cookies. Today I was at the dog park and met a gentleman who was working in the missile silos during the Cuban missile crisis. It was a great story and you could tell it was a life changing experience. He explained how they were just waiting for the missiles to launch. He said "most people think that you are waiting on a signal or something. It's not like that, you are waiting for lack of signal. There is a constant sound coming from the command center. If it stops. We were suppose to launch." He went on to tell me he had top level clearance and that while he was waiting a team came in to reprogram the missiles for another location , Havannah. He said "they used cardboard cards to program them back then." It was a great story and a reminder of how fortunate I am to live here. It is not uncommon to come across people with stories relevant to history. Just last year the daughter of the real "James bond" the books were written about had an article in the paper here. She owns a ranch on the outside of town.

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Tips on shopping for new construction.

 I worked in New Home construction for 10 years. I am now a buyer’s agent in general Real Estate. 

1) Have an experienced Agent represent you - Someone who knows how the process is supposed to work. 

2) You can always negotiate better deals on the specs. The longer it has been sitting the more they will do whether they admit it or not. 

3) With National Builders who trade on the stock market find out when their physical year ends. 

4) Shop Financing. Even though most builders will offer incentives for using their in house lenders sometimes you can do better outside. 

5) Do the basic upgrades when in construction and leave yourself time for other upgrades after you close. Example. - Choose, Tile, Cabinets, and Counters. These are the most important. You can save a lot of money doing the other upgrades with an outside contractor after the fact. Crown Molding, Paint, Faucets ...Etc.

6) Check the builder out. Is he financially secure

7) Go in to the community after 5 or 6 when the sales office is closed and go for a walk. Talk to the residents and see what their experience was. 

8) Ask about community Fees. Dramatically and/or . They will vary quite a bit. 

9) Ask about future areas of development and make sure the location you choose won’t be changed dramatically after. 

10) Always assume that protected areas could change in time, 

11) If it is a new community with a lake or pond ask where the littoral shelf is located. All new manmade lakes and ponds have to have them and your water view could go to weeds in a couple of years and there is nothing you could do about it, 

12) This is worth saying twice. Use an agent like myself that knows the process. It doesn’t cost you as the buyer any more to have or not have representation. The experienced eye and ear will come in handy when things get a little stressful and they always will at some point.  

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How to drive a car in Sarasota County

The first thing you will notice when driving down any road in Sarasota County, in this time of year, is the different license plates all over the road. Sometimes I wonder how some of those cars made it that far. None the less, driving on these roads is very simple and will be a lot more pleasant for all of us if you just follow a few suggestions. Always be checking the rear view mirror. People aren’t paying attention to the road. They are looking at and taking pictures of the palm trees.Sterotype drivers all the time. You can kind of tell what to expect from a driver by where they are from. If you are offended by this idea, get over it, it's true. New Jersey drivers are going to be aggressive. People from Iowa are going to be very passive. Neither of these is less safe than the other but the two styles on the road together can be challenging. Don’t blow your horn at elderly drivers. You will just make it worse. Give them a break and the rest of us. We are all going to get older and you proving you are tougher than them is never going to help us get anywhere.Dont try and convince everyone in the left lane they should be in the right. It is obvious to me after living in Florida all my life that the idea that left lane is for passing traffic is not followed in other parts of the country. Expect traffic back up along the beaches. If you don’t like backups don’t go to the beach on beautiful sunny days. Don’t cross lanes to make a turn you forget about? Just simply go up one more intersection and turn around. On that same note if you see an elderly driver doing this, please simply slow down and be understanding that every minute counts to them. Again, do not blow your horn for long periods of time calling people names. This is not good for you and whether you believe it or not we need visitors down here. We want people to like to come down here. You get to live in heaven year round. You will have plenty of time in the summer to not get upset at northern drivers. In a nut shell practice being passively aggressive. Be cautious but don’t follow the herd. There is no herd. It just looks that way. Drive Safe. If you are looking for a home check out the best property search website in Sarasota County. http://www.sarasearch.com 

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Buying Waterfront Homes in Sarasota County

Price can vary from the millions to the low 100 thousands for Gulf Access. You need to be aware of bridges and water depth. In the winter the tides are lower and if you are looking at a property that is further inland you can sometimes have trouble with water depth as the tides are more drastic. I would encourage checking the tide charts when looking at properties so you can know where you are in the cycle at the time of your visit. I also recommend going back at a different time to see.  Keep in mind that sand bars will shift and change over time. If you are shopping for a home on the water, you want an agent is familiar with the water on a personal level. They fish or boat themselves. The closer you get to Sarasota city the more expensive. Also the closer you get to the beach and still have access on your property the higher the price. There are exceptions. Englewood has some of the most affordable water front in Sarasota County. Venice and Nokomis are also more affordable. Sea walls may or may not be allowed. In most areas they have been outlawed. Also if you need to add or replace a dock make sure you are prepared for some paperwork. I highly recommend you hire a company that has been here a while and specializes in dock building. Even if they cost more up front it will cost you less in the long haul. 

I'd love to help you. 

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Sarasota Florida Vs Naples Florida

Let me start off by saying that more than any other reason Sarasota is a better choice is the water. Sarasota’s intercostal waters are hands down more beautiful. My best friend of 40 years Chris came to visit me recently. He had never been to Sarasota and we grew up together in Naples until we were in our 20’s. His family owned the largest Marina in Naples so we spent a lot of time on the water. The first thing he said was …..”Wow …the water here is so much clearer than Naples and has a turquoise tinged to it like the islands” He went on and on and I have to say I was right there with him. The intercostal water way in Naples does not have a flow to it. It has a dead end so it goes out and comes back in with the tide. The water is dark and murky. Marco gets a little better but still not like Sarasota. The culture Sarasota offers is far superior. The roads are laid out much better to handle traffic in the season.  Most of the people are so much nicer and down to earth. Naples has arrogance about it. It didn’t use to be like that. It’s like a town full of “New Money”. Everyone is always trying to “out do” the other. Status is very important.  People aren’t like that here in Sarasota. Frankly I think we think it’s so “80’s” I don’t know if it is because of the Art culture or what but no one cares. They are more interested in what they can learn from you as a person than what car you drive. And we all know we drive some nice cars in Sarasota. I am so glad I made the decision to move here 20 years ago. Naples is still a nice place to visit but if you want a place to call home or second home Sarasota is it.

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Venice Florida Vs. Naples FL

Venice is like Naples but affordable and quiet. I grew up in Naples in the 1970's and 80's. Naples was a quiet and beautiful town that hugged the coast. People were proud to live there. Now, it's crowded and arrogant. It's over priced and in my opinion has become the opposite of what made it such a draw for people wanting to live on the gulf coast. Venice still is quiet, quaint, and the residents are not arrogant but proud to live here. The people are friendly and interesting. Like Naples you are close to the beach anywhere in town. The only difference is it doesn't take 25 minutes to go 5 miles. See Collier county and Sarasota county developed at the same time. The difference was Collier county, where Naples is, kicked the door open and said if you want to build and can, you can build it here. "We'll figure out everything else later" Including the roads. Now they are trying to add roads as much as possible to tame the traffic. Venice, being part of Sarasota County was planned and development was forced to take a more steady pace in Sarasota County. The results is a much better traffic system in or out of season. A much more pleasant driving experience and happier visitors and residents. The downtown has a main street. Just like Naples. If you haven't had a chance to check out Venice Florida and are thinking of having a home here, I highly recommend you put it on your list.

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Season is starting to come to an end in Venice Florida

The weather was fantastic today. Down in the high 60's tonight and most of the day was in the 70's with blue skies. This is the time of season. when some people head back. Season is almost officially over by Easter. It is like the mark of the end of season for a lot of snowbirds on the Gulf Coast. More and more people are wanting to move here full time. I heard a lot of that this season. It's not usually the case. Most seasons they just plan to buy and do half and half. I am not sure what it means but it's always no surprise when people finally realize living in this area full time is a no brainer. Yeah the summers are warm but last year it was hotter up north. I remember seeing the news last year and people in NY and New Jersey were in the 90's and we would be in the 80's. The pace of life is what is the most appealing I think. It is so easy to live here. We dont shovel driveways unless we are building one. Let me know if you are looking for a home. I'll be happy to help.

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