Insurance on a 2500sf, canal front pool home in Port Charlotte less than 10 yrs old was $2700, no bond or other fees. Lots of first rate builders in the area and a few I would not consider. A seasoned agent will help.

I know a couple who moved from the Village of Tamarind Grove to Bradenton, which is next to Sarasota, last March. They came here in 2011 from Long Island, NY. He worked part-time at Walmart and I played softball with him for a couple of years.

They were not your typical villager. Bob still smoked, and as an ex-smoker I noticed that. It didn't hinder him, he was a great ball player. He would hit a home run and then go over and have a smoke. Him and his wife both had tattooes and rode a pair of Harleys they owned. They would take day trips to the beach quite often.

So last March when I found out their home was for sale, I was a little surprised they were leaving TV. However, after thinking about it, they were probably the people I could imagine doing that. They said they spent so much time at the beach, they figured they might as well move there.

We spent over a decade living in Clearwater. We too loved living near the water even though we were not on the water. The love affair soured after the hurricanes of 2004 and 2005 destroyed the homeowners insurance marketplace. If you live in a coastal county and/or live in a home constructed before the construction codes changed (around 2005 ish), be prepared for homeowners insurance sticker shock. And don't forget to check the flood zone for the property. Many locations have been rezoned in the past few years. Our homeowners premium was based on home replacement cost (not purchase price of your house minus land), and when we left in 2012, our HO renewal premium was $14,000 per year. This makes a huge difference in your monthly out of pocket expenses.

We own a home on the water in Port Richey about 30 - 40 minutes north of Clearwater (depending on traffic). The Gulview Square mall is less than 10 minutes & highway 19 less than 5 minutes. Anclote Island, Fred Howard beach &Huson beach are close. It is a boating community with an average of 40-50. Homeowners insurance is $2900 per year & flood insurance is inexpensive because the home is built above the flood plain. We will be putting our home up for sale soon to move to TV. Do you own a home in TV? Let me know if you might be interested in our home. Less expensive than Sarasota area.

We lived in St Pete Beach for 25 years prior to moving here 2 years ago. It was beautiful but we grew tired of the traffic, threat of hurricanes and the fact that the boat, sea wall, dock, pool, and lanai were not covered by insurance. We had to carry federal wind and flood.
You may want to look at a hurricane map to see the evacuation zones. Flood zones are important to consider when buying near the beach. South Pasadena which is only a couple of minutes from St Pete Beach and Treasure Island is very nice and affordable.

In 1969 there was a new franchise fast food restaurant called 'Wagon Ho'. They were headquartered in St. Pete and had plans to open 200 locations in Florida. The first one in Florida was on Pasadena Ave on the left side headed toward the beach.

I was going to St. Pete JC studying Hotel-Restaurant Mgmt and worked at the Wagon Ho in '69 for about 5 months. They were trying to combine an Arbys thin sliced roast beef style sandwiches and flame broiled Burger King style hamburgers, and McDonalds thin style french fries. We wore jeans, western shirts and cowboys hats. We greeted the customer with 'Howdy Partner, can I take your order?' This is all true.

In May of '69 I took the summer off and headed to Ocean City, Maryland to work at my cousins sub shop on the boardwalk. When I returned in August and went by Wagon Ho, the place had completely changed. The very nice couple who bought the franchise were gone, replaced by a manager who worked for the company. Half the employees were gone and business was very little. I actually went back to work for about a month and the location and the company went out of business. It looked like this, with a 15' high wagon master on top with a real canvas cover.

http://americangiants.files.wordpres...pg?w=225&h=300

I remember that place. My mom moved to St Pete in 1966. I was a teenager and went to Bogie for high school. I think my sister may have worked there during the summer when she was home from college. I met my husband in New York and lived on the island for about 20 years. We moved to St Pete Beach in 1988.

OP, real estate on the coast (east or west) seem to rise and fall with the latest "bad" hurricane. It's been a few years since the last one---are we due. Who knows?

In addition to a home in TV, we recently had a condo on Cocoa Beach. Enjoyed it and Sold it. The HOA had no flood insurance---too high according to the Board. Yeah, I was worried about a hurricane and the damage it could cause. The assessment to each condo owner would be very high. A neighbor complex similar to ours just had a $35,000 assessment to repair balconies.

However, many still prefer the coast. It's is beautiful. Buyer beware and be sure to look carefully at the HOA financials before signing a contract.

Small world. My parents moved to St. Pete in '59, I graduated from St. Pete High '68. That place was neat to work at, although I wasn't too crazy about the cowboy hat. I believe only 5 stores ever opened and they all closed by the next year. I had a good time there, but in the end, I decided I didn't want to smell like food when I went home. I would of missed your sister since I was gone all summer working in the north.

Did you look in Bradenton?

? Didn't you just want to move to Ohio an hour ago?

You picked up on that also! Old people get confused easily. ::jester::

NOT confused....they did post another thread re: Ohio!! Maybe they're the ones who are confused!!!:throwtomatoes: :mornincoffee:

Or maybe their plans have changed since this thread was started on June 18 :shrug:

Always beware the dead thread awakened :D

When looking at beach area...
 

be sure to consider home insurance. From what I understand the closer to
beach the higher the insurance and in some cases NO insurance.