Suncoasteam Blog

If you are in the market for vacant land in Rotonda West (not to be confused with Rotonda Lakes, Meadows, Sands or Villas), this is an excellent time to buy.

There are currently 414 standard building lots available for sale in Rotonda West. The lowest asking price is $49,000 for a lot in Oakland Hills section. In the newer sections the asking price is higher… up to $250,000. The mendian price for all of Rotonda West is now $104,000.

In the past 90 days only 14 sales of vacant land in Rotonda West have been registered in the Englewood Area MLS. The low sale price was $80,000 with a high of $132,000. The median was $92,000.

Sales are slow and many sellers are willing to negotiate. If you are interested in purchasing land in Rotonda, please call Andy (941-662-0033) or Jim (941-456-3034) for a personal consultation.

Selling homes and land in Rotonda (Rotunda), your Suncoasteam, Andy Leonard and Jim Mulligan

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In a move sure to increase property value in Charlotte County, The Tampa Bay Devil Rays have struck a deal with county officials to bring their team to the Charlotte Sports Park for spring training beginning in 2009.

This deal removes a huge burden from property tax payers because the stadium is in desperate need of tens of millions of dollars of repair and upgrading. Now the county can apply to the state for $15 million grant. In addition, the Devil Rays will contribute $10 million over 20 years.

Furthermore, the Rays will provide free advertising for our area in their team magazine given away fans at Tropicana Field. They will play a video before each game at Tropicana Field touting the beauty of Charlotte County and encouraging Rays fans to visit, not just for spring training games, but all year!

The Rays have also agreed to share the stadium with the county, enabling the use of the stadium and park for other purposes such as concerts and fairs. The former tenant, The Texas Rangers insisted on exclusive use of the facilities.

The combination of the state grant, Devil Rays rental fees and various other uses for the facilities will make the park a center of interest. Its proximity to the new Murdock Village development will also add to interest in our area. When teams such as the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins visit our town each spring, reports in those cities newspapers and TV stations will mention Port Charlotte. Baseball fans around the nation will once again be hearing about Charlotte County and Port Charlotte. This will spill over to Rotonda, Englewood, Northport and other areas. It will be one more reason for people to choose Charlotte County when they think Florida.

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This report shows the median asking price for standard (STD) homes in Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda during August 2006. (Number of homes in that category)

All Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte: P-Sections 101 – P 124

August 2006
All Active S/F/H Listings – 2951
All Active S/F/H Listings 3 bed/2 bath only – 1647
Active Median List Price. 3/2/2, 1500 – 2000 s/f, w/pool $269,000 (171),
n/pool, $249,000 (246)

Standard Homes Closed Sales July 1 – 31, 2006, in same area as above
3/2/2, 1500 – 2000 s/f, w/pool $255,000 (14)

no/pool, $210,000 (11)

Comparing this to the previous few months, prices have held somewhat steady while the number of sales remains very weak. Buyers are still paying in the mid 200 thousand range for pool homes and just above 200 for non-pool homes. Keep in mind, this is a standardized model to represent an average home. Age of a home and features can greatly affect the value an individual home. Please call Andy or Jim for an evaluation of your property.

Below are statistics of homes sold in Port Charlotte / Punta Gorda between January 1, 2004 and June 30, 2006. This is a standard 3/2/2 (see note below for full description).

First column is the total number of 3/2 homes sold in the month, regardless of size.

Columns two and three are standardized homes (see below for description) with and without pools. Price is median price, bracketed numbers are number of standard homes sold.

3/2 SFH Sold/month: $-STD/with pool $STD/no pool

6/2006 – 52 $245,000 (17) $220,000 (16)

5/2006 - 97 $255,000 (14) 220,000 (12)

4/2006 – 81 $245,000 (15) 219,900 (19)

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Electric generators that run on propane or natural gas are very popular options for new homes. In some situations diesel or gasoline powered units are also installed. A generator is placed on a concrete pad beside the home and it is wired into the home’s circuit using a “transfer switch€. A transfer switch can be automatic or manual.

An automatic transfer switch senses the loss of power and flips to generator power, automatically starting the generator and feeding electricity to the home. Most installations partially energize a home, that is, only selected circuits have electricity. In doing this a homeowner can purchase a smaller, less expensive electric generator.

The use of a “Load Bank” would help to determine the size generator needed for a specific installation. The load bank measures constant and peak start up electric demand for appliances to be powered. Adding these individual loads together will determine the total demand placed on an electric generator.

A minimum installation would cost between $2,500 and $5,000. To completely energize a 2,000 square foot home, a generator costing over $10,000 would be required. In addition to the cost of the generator, installation, permits and inspection fees should considered. Your Suncoasteam owns a load bank and would be happy to assist you in determining the proper generator for your needs.

If you have questions about electric generators you can contact Jim Mulligan at your Suncoasteam. His telephone number is 941-456-3034 or email him at jim@suncoasteam.com

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The following is an excerpt from a letter to the editor of our local newspaper. The writer expressed interesting ideas for addressing insurance problems in our state (and can be applied nationwide). We need more innovative ideas like these, especially from those elected to address them.

The writer makes the point that insurance companies often choose only to write auto polices and neglect homeowner insurance. Insurance companies should be encouraged to write policies for all types of coverage offered anywhere in the nation. If XYZ Insurance Company writes automobile and homeowner insurance in Kansas, they should not be permitted to write only automobile in Florida. Write all or write none€¦
***

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Reader suggests cure for insurance woes

Editor:
Our current state-run dwelling insurance program should be turned over to the insurance companies selling property and/or casualty business in Florida. The state would still provide underwriting guidelines to protect those people that are underinsured or unable to obtain insurance.
The insurance companies would participate in the pool based (percentage-wise) on their annual earned property and/or casualty premium sold in the state of Florida. That way those companies that sell auto-only coverage must still participate in the pool. Too many companies have taken the gravy (auto premiums) and said “no thanks€ to helping solve the dwelling insurance problem.
A second idea would be for the insurance pool to cover wind only and for all dwelling policies sold by insurance companies would be sold x-wind (without wind coverage). This should bring more companies back into the marketplace because their biggest concern has been wind losses. More competition means lower rates!
The insurance companies would participate in the wind pool under the same percentage guidelines that I previously discussed. Either way we get the state out of the insurance business which should be positive for the state and its citizens. Time to stop talkin’ and start doin’.
Name Withheld

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