Hey Florida Guys, can you tell me what this is?

I've seen them, think its part of well

You want to live in city, suburbs, or the Sticks ?

 

Dave,

Welcome to Florida. I think that device must have something to do with the irrigation system, as William says, probably part of the pump/well. Is there a lake or pond nearby? If so that's probably the pump that draws the water onto the property.

I've been in Ft Lauderdale for >50 years but don't know much about the west coast. There are a lot of bargains over in that area because there were a lot of foreclosures and failed developments, so proceed with caution. Personally, I would avoid any sort of gated communities, PUDs, etc., but that's just me....too many rules and regulations for my taste.

The best thing you can do is come down and spend some time in each area that interests you, then get a reputable broker to show you everything within your wish list and price range. We are experiencing a strong recovery in residential real estate in Ft Lauderdale.

We're actually selling our historic home and moving to a small village in northwest Florida. If you can get by with 1600sf ours is a great house in the best 'hood in town!

Happy humting.

Jack

 

Cape Coral is basically a "planned" community built on/with landfill where nothing existed before.

My family has had a place over on sanibel for decades. Myself/wife and her parents just bought a place in North Naples.

There are still some really good values down there right now, but the best thing you could evere do is rent a place for a month and really spend some time in the area to see where you would like to be. Traffic in season can be a huge issue. Do you want to go boating, beach, golf, etc? Tons of options and lots of places with great prices, but a lot of drawbacks with location and such.

 

As for what that thing is.... Cape coral is its own city therefore city water so no well for domestic water.

Incoming city water supply/shutoffs are above grade down there but usually on the street side of the house.

So it's either incoming city water or a shallow well tapping into non potable water for irrigation.

The place we just bought into is a gated community with a country club, but you don't have to join the club. A lot of places also have a seperate resort style pool and fitness center for all property owners to use which is a nice touch too.

 

I live in Florida

 

i love Florida (Tampa area anyway) and love the weather, BUT would statement against avoiding gated communities. There are a lot of desperate people in Florida and it helps cut down on B.S.
My association can be a pain with the rules but it beats your neighbor having his old sink
in front using it as a planter (yes i have seen that!). My association dues are $350 bucks a year.

 

Dave,

Flood insurance is relatively cheap and you'll need it almost anywhere in Florida if you have a mortgage. The killer premium is for windstorm insurance, so by all means get an idea what your hurricane insurance premium would be. I "go bare" because my house has withstood every cane to come through Ft Lauderdale since 1925 and it's free and clear so there's no lender to keep happy. We're east of I-95 so the premiums would be extraordinarily high.

 

If you buy a ground level home, like most if the ones in Cape Coral, you will need an elevation certificate to see where your house fits in on the FEMA flood maps. Very important. Personally, I would just go bare if I could. Flood and wind is expensive. The government used to subsidize the flood, but they are getting out of that business.

What is your budget?

I disagree on the no gated communities thing. Cape Coral has poverty and blight in spots. You don't want it moving in next door.

Sandoval is a gated community that is nice in the Cape. The Tarpon Point area is very nice too, but more expensive.

If you can afford Sanibel, I would definitely look here. I love it. Totally safe, zero crime, six dollar toll keeps out the riff raff (residents can buy an annual bridge pass). Tons to do. Beach , boat, golf, tennis, lots of cultural stuff. You can buy a small ground level home on Sanibel for around 500k. Small condos are 250-350k. For 500k, you could also buy a palace in Cape Coral.

Port Charlotte is pretty quiet. It is the oldest county in the US, demographically speaking.

Good luck

Scott

 

Hey Dave
I'm in philly with you...and trust me I can certainly understand after this winter.
I'm down here right now. Just spent the day on 5th ave which makes our car meets look like child's play!
We've had a condo in Naples for almost 10 years and love it here.
I'd highly recommend the area or close by. Plenty to do and
Tons of great restuarants.

 

I grew up in Port Charlotte. You would be bored off your rocker. Check Venice, Naples, and Sarasota. Fort Myers and Cape Coral are nice but just feel much more crowded.

 

Yes, wind insurance is much more expensive than flood. It's probably not as expensive in SW Florida as it is here in the SE.

My suggestion would be to consider older, more established areas rather than newly-developed.

 

Shallow well for irrigation. Look for rust stains on the house.

 

It all depends on when your house was built. If 2001 or later, you should be fine. If before, a lot of your premium depends on whether you have a new roof that is up to the latest code. I live east of US 1 - only 9 blocks from the ocean. My wind storm premium is about the same as when I lived way inland. My current house was built in the 1970s but I have an up to code roof and impact glass. People around me who don't have those things pay more than triple what I do.

Scott

 

That is a well for a sprinkler system. Go gated unless you want crack heads knocking on your door every day to wash your roof. Insurance can be more than your taxes so be careful what you buy ( roof up to current code, storm shutters, impact glass, location etc) I was amazed at the differences between Florida and Md. I would go Ft. Myers over Cape Coral though.

 

I live in Cape Coral SE side by the bridge. It is hard to tell ... but cape coral has two different water systems. One is for drinking/washing/cooking etc and the other is for outdoor usage (sprinklers) ... non drinkable (pink lines). Some people connect inline filters to the outdoor water to prevent sprinklers from clogging with crap ... to me that is what you have there.

In the SW cape a lot of people still have well water ... so that could be part of a well and be a filter for that system.

 

BTW in the SW cape they may or may not be connect to city sewer ... so some house have a drainage field. I live on the water (200' canal) within eyesight of the river. My backyard has my 27' cabin cruiser on a lift ... drop and go. I pay $3200 for all my insurance on a 3400sqft two story home built in 2007 ... with a house vale of around 800K (not so bad). My property taxes are a bit steep at $10k /year

I agree that the toll bridge keeps some of the riff/raf out of Cape ... but we do have some areas that i would avoid.

 

Looks like the sprinklers are on city water and that is the electric valve that operates it. Kinda tough ough to see on my phone.

 

We just moved to Sarasota from Boston. Talk about picking the right time to get out if Dodge. Having gone through the same process you're thinking of I may have some advice PM if you think I can help.

That fitting is connected to the water main. Every house has one. Some sort of back flow preventer.

We lived in a gated community while waiting for our place to be finished. It can provide a false sense of security. Not one of our service people or guests needed to be approved by us. They all were just passed through.

BTW The Ferrari community here is large and friendly.

 

Dave,

Flood insurance is relatively cheap and you'll need it almost anywhere in Florida if you have a mortgage. The killer premium is for windstorm insurance, so by all means get an idea what your hurricane insurance premium would be. I "go bare" because my house has withstood every cane to come through Ft Lauderdale since 1925 and it's free and clear so there's no lender to keep happy. We're east of I-95 so the premiums would be extraordinarily high.

_____________

This is great advice. Check all the insurance, including health if your move will necessitate a change.

You cannot imagine how high wind insurance premiums can be east of I95. Like, $15k, $20k. People pay off their mortgages to avoid having to carry it.

 

Flood insurance rates are up in the air at the moment. There's a move in the legislature for a more gradual increase in the rates.