matlacha florida real estate

3 Amazing Hidden Beach Cities in Florida

If you are a fellow Floridian you are probably familiar with the saying “we live where you vacation” and there is a good reason for it. Florida has a vast array of vacation spots which is great if you are a local looking for a “staycation”. The glorious 3 day weekends where you don’t have enough time to jump on a plane and fly to another state or don’t really care to spend the money for a family of 5 to travel across the country. There are a ton of hidden gems in Florida that are perfect for a weekend staycation or a full blown vacation for Floridians or those from other states as well!

First on the list, located just west of Ft. Myers, is the tiny town of Matlacha. A perfect island getaway for rest and vacation houses in pine island floridarelaxation. Maltacha, FL is known as being a quiet fishing town with art galleries, shops and excellent eateries. The city is tethered to the mainland by the “Fishingest Bridge in the U.S.A” over the Matlacha Pass.The area is surrounded by dozens of mostly empty islands ideal for anglers, kayakers and of course island drinks.

Just adjacent and almost one in the same is Pine Island which offers a peaceful stay with waterside accommodations in historic hotels with fun for everyone. The land on this 17-mile-long slice of Old Florida is largely home to plantations replete with palm, citrus, avocado and mango trees. With very sparse traffic this island is ideal for cycling on its bike and running path from one end to the other.

Next stop is Florida’s Cabbage Key and Cayo Costa. This area is a perfect island for nature lovers, with more than floridas best vacations spotssix miles of white sand, shells and Gulf-tossed driftwood. The most well-known place to stay is the Cabbage Key Inn and has 6 rooms in the main building which was a house built in 1928 and converted with the addition of seven additional cottages. If you are looking to sample the surf you can rent a kayak or motorized skiff to check out the nearby Cayo Costa state park which you can also get to by ferry. There is also a rumor that a patron by the name of Jimmy Buffett was actually inspired to write his song “Cheeseburger in Paradise” here.

The last stop is a little bit north of Tampa known as Cedar Key. This quaint, old-fashioned, Old Florida vacation spot offers lovely beaches, exceptional fishing opportunities and lush natural preserves. The houses and stores sit on stilts to stay above sea level. The Island city offers excellent food and a vast array of all different kinds of clam chowder from both wild and fresh farm-raised clams from the USA’s top clam producing community.

The truth is, all of these destinations have their own unique characteristics that will surely offer a great time for all.

I must warn you, once you arrive to any of these destinations you are automatically inducted into “island time”. The question is how will YOU spend it? If you are looking to extend your stay and buy a vacation property in Florida make sure to use the real estate research tools on www.MoversAtlas.com.

homes for sale in sarasota fl

Sarasota Area Ranked Highest Well-Being Level in U.S.

Sure you have heard things such as “decrease your morning commute and increase your health” or “lower your stress and live a longer happier life” these are things along with the occasional gym session that can give you a better quality of life. But what about where you live?!

It seems crazy but where you live correlates back to level of stress relief and level of happiness. There is a recent study that indicates that if you live in a prosperous location with good financial standing, sense of purpose, and community that can play a big role in all your happiness. Taking all of this into account the Gallup’s annual Well-being Index ranked the North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton metropolitan area as the location with the highest well-being in the United States. Gallup conducted 176,000 interviews with residents of ALL 50 states on topics including physical health, financial stability, community activity, and supportive relationships.

Sarasota, Florida is known for its incredible beaches and some of the best sunsets you have ever seen. The city has a population of around 53,000 people and a land area of 26 square miles with about 40% of that being shoreline and water. The economy is nothing but thriving with an unemployment rate of 5% which is almost 1.5% lower than the rest of the US along with recent job growth of 5% compared to the US overall at 1.1%. Of course Florida doesn’t have an income tax and the household average income is right at $41K which seems low but isn’t that a good thing when you don’t have to make a ton of money to get by? When things are affordable for the working class including homes and overall cost of living I see this as a huge plus.

There are all kinds of jobs available here from all different disciplines with the highest percentage being “Sales, office, administration support” at 25% followed by “Management, business and finance” at 13%. Of course there is a niche for anything from engineering to education and food prep and serving. This area like the rest of the US was hit by the recession and home prices that were drastically “adjusted” which may have drove a lot of the super wealthy to other places which just makes it even more affordable.

So the location is affordable, heavily visited by tourists, which helps maintain the great economy and has a ton of things to do on the weekends. Also, Siesta Key Beach (in Sarasota) has been rated the number ONE beach in the NATION several times by many different people. The sand is described as white powder like sugar, super soft and super fine. They have a multitude of intercostal waterways, land or pier fishing spots that can be tapped anytime. Another huge plus that many people don’t know is that Florida is actually the number one state with the most golf course in the US at 1,261 and over 30 of them are in Sarasota alone!

Taking all this information into account it is no wonder why Sarasota, Florida was ranked as the city with the highest level of well-being in the United States. If you are thinking about moving to Sarasota or another great area in Florida make sure you use the tools on MoversAtlas.com to research your new potential neighborhood and community.

 

reasons to move to lake nona fl

Lake Nona – Florida’s Up and Coming “Medical City”

Just outside of Orlando, Florida lies a new town that has recently grown leaps and bounds due to the addition of several medical facilities. Lake Nona is a small (yet growing larger by the minute) town that is South East of Orlando and just outside of the Orlando international airport. The, used to be rural, area has been developed with a mixed plan for its future. Lake Nona seems to have been put on the map almost overnight due to the establishment of the so called “Medical City”.

The city is around 7,000 acres of what used to be a mix of wooded and open grassy fields. The developer, Lake Nona Property Holdings owned by Tavistock Group, had a good outlook for the development of this area. Keeping in mind that many of the properties in Lake Nona are brand new or almost brand new, the prices reflect that but show to have great appreciation after the purchase.

The area has a range of real estate such as brand new townhomes reasonably priced that start around 150K many lake nona real estate for saleof them in gated communities with granite counters, community pools and other excellent facilities. The single family homes in Lake Nona range from mid-level $200K and increase to the several million dollar range thanks to the beautiful Lake Nona Golf and Country Club community. Whether the apartment or home is reasonably priced the community and surrounding area has been known to keep a luxury spin on it. No matter if you are looking for an upscale apartment or a 10,000 square foot, 5 car garage, 8 bedroom house you will be able to find one in Lake Nona.

Medical city has received the largest amount of popularity and for good reason to. Picture an area with supporting “entry level” jobs of restaurants, hospitality and country clubs mixed with a HUGE number of upper income possibilities for nurses, doctors, long term care providers, professors, engineers and everything in between.

Lake Nona has very notable schools and hospitals to include the University Of Central Florida College Of Medicine lake nona homes for saleand Health Sciences Campus, Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, University of Florida Research and Academic Center and Nemours Children’s Hospital. As you could imagine these places have many opportunities for a solid career and depending on your field of choice a great place for higher education.

One of the more well-known places thanks to some (negative) media coverage is the Lake Nona Veterans Hospital. Despite what the media says this hospital is worth taking a look at. The campus is 65 acres located in the heart of medical city with 1.2 million square feet of cutting edge care. The campus houses many buildings to include a 60-bed domiciliary, 120 bed community living center (long term care) along with 134-inpatient beds a free standing chapel and veteran’s memorial. The state-of-the-art facility will be serving central Florida’s 400,000 veterans.

Scholastics are also important when ranking an area and Lake Nona doesn’t fall short here either, being zoned as Orange County; Lake Nona high school, Lake Nona Middle school and Northlake Park Community School are all rated very good. The community school covers grades K-5 with the other schools covering through grade 12.

Lake Nona is very up-and-coming, the location is fairly close to downtown Orlando and just minutes from the airport. Lake Nona is known for its great golf course and country club, other parks and plazas. Plazas are filled with new shops, bakeries, delis, restaurants with live music, a wine and tap room along with everyone’s favorite grocery store where shopping is a pleasure, Publix. If you are looking for a newer community with a great range of career growth and appreciating property values Lake Nona maybe your new home.

If you are considering moving to Lake Nona  you can research real estate, neighborhoods, and communities using the MoveMap on MoversAtlas.com!