NEW FLORIDA RESIDENT BLOG

My first car was a Plymouth Duster with no air conditioning, seatbelts or radio but it was my pride and joy.  The car itself was nothing to look at but to a 17 year old boy it was freedom and the fact that I paid for it myself gave me a sense of pride and accomplishment that few of my peers could even fathom. I think it's the same with your boat dock.  It doesn't matter what it looks like or what year it was constructed because for a boater there is no better answer to the question; " Where do you keep your boat?" than... "Behind my house." Great Dock Home

Welcome to Florida. Before I moved to paradise, I thought that canals were the ocean equivalent of alleys in the city.  Functional and super convenient but, something you would not want to stare out your window at. I was wrong. I've seen manatees, dolphins even an errent alligator making canal life exciting!  I enjoy being on a canal at night and watching boats creep by with an experienced, or not, captain and sunset on an ocean access point is not to be missed.  Ocassionally you will see a boring canal with a lame view and no action.  But that's only occasionally........     Great Canal Home

Welcome to Florida. When I first met my wife, she lived on a huge chain of lakes that were (for alligator purposes) all connected.  The biggest gator was 16 feet and had a couple of 8 foot sentries that hung out with him.  He ate deer.  That's Florida nature at it's best.  However, if you have a dog, child or realize you can no longer run as fast as you could at 18, the giant gator might be a tad more scary than fun. In fact, it makes life on a pond more appealing because, although there will still be gators, they will be little and "cute-ish".  Plus, you can trick out your lanai and occasionally let a child play in the backyard. Home with "Tricked Out" Lanai

Welcome to Florida. The street I grew up on was Penn's Hill, the actual hill that Abigail Adams climbed to watch the British bombard Boston from the harbor.  The Adams still have two houses at the base of the hill, both managed by the Federal Government and both are popular tourist attractions for history geeks (like me). As a kid, these houses were red.  Then some scientist came along and proved they weren't red during the Adams lifetime.  It seemed weird to me that these houses became other colors because red was my reference point.  But, now that they are yellow - I'm a fan.  In fact, even though a good paint job in an appropriate color for the neighborhood is solid rule -  I suddenly think yellow is the way to go..... Great Yellow House For Sale

When I was fresh out of college and working on my graduate degree, my employer (Bank of Boston) insisted that I take their distressed (translation: foreclosed and unwanted) properties north of the city and find buyers for them. Naturally, it was about price and being a bank we could finance a variety of different ways.  I sold everything from multi family apartment buildings, to dry cleaners, to a lobster farm (to this day I cannot eat crustaceans).  But in my whole career - I have never tried to sell anything that din't exist. Until now. My favorite branded condominium is about to be built on top of a maintenance shed (seriously) in downtown Sarasota and I can't stop talking about it.  There is something about a rooftop pool that provides views of the bay, barrier islands and Gulf of Mexico.  There just is. So if you are interested in the best view, from the best property on the Suncoast we should talk.  Because even though it doesn't exist yet, you don...

Maybe it's because I'm getting older that I'm starting to believe some of the safety advice, I would ignore in pursuit of fun, when I was younger.  For example, I know the odds of getting bitten by a shark, struck by lighting or being attacked by a bear are all about the same - but why risk it?  Especially, if you've heard that sharks like to look for food at sunset.  Maybe the best thing to do is just go for a walk and enjoy the sky changing colors. It's just that sometimes, that's hard to explain that to a two year old.... My Website

Occasionally, I tire of seeing block, tan homes in Sarasota.  The irony, of course, is that describes perfectly were our family lives.  We'd do anything to have the place a different color but the color is prescribed by the neighborhood association. That being said - I'd love to live in a brick house. My Website