About to begin search for land in Rotonda-Port Charlotte area (Oakland: 2015, HOA fees)

[jcswoop]

I am planning on purchasing a lot in the Rotonda-Port Charlotte area for under $15000, with the goal of building on it in 3-5 years. I just started researching potential Realtors. Do you know if any builders could be hired to get their opinion on the lots or would a good Realtor be suffice?
Since I live in NH, I am doing my best to study up on elevations, flood zones and the pro's and con's of HOA's etc. Thanks!

[mr&mrssunshine]

on that budget forget Rotonda... there is currently one SFH lot at $15000...do NOT buy it.

there are lots in the outer sub divisions at that price BUT you will be paying for a stem wall and mini sewer so add up to 10k to the cost.

Port Charlotte is a different area , its like chalk and cheese. what's your house budget ?

any decent builder should offer help on lots but not all, I have sat on a lot at sunset just to photograph the view for a potential client ,I have also had two 'clients 'have me run around offering opinions on lots and then go elsewhere (one because the other builder took them to his church !! ).

Do your due diligence on flood zones, utilities and power availability, that can be costly.

HOAs, you love them or hate them...the Rotonda ones are ,in my opinion, good.

[SoFLGal]

You're talking the the builder who I would recommend ^. Other then the chalk and cheese comment. Never heard that one before. Lol

[03bluecoupe]

Not sure about the "chalk and cheese" thing either.

But... we just bought a home in Rotonda West (the east side of it) and I was opposed to HOA's, but theirs really isn't bad. The highlights are: Bring your garbage cans in, mow your lawn, no trailers boats junk etc in the driveway or yards.

Really, pretty much common sense kind of stuff. $115ish a year per lot.

Good luck.

[TamRE]

Several builders will do a feasibility study for you for free. But most prefer that you have a floor plan selected and then they will determine the feasibility of building that plan on that lot and give you the figures for building on it. As far as the elevation, with a new build they have to comply with the current standards at the time the home is built. So what is current code now in 2015 may not be the same in 3-5 years. A Realtor cannot do a feasibility study, but they can provide available county records, taxes, comps, zoning, etc. on the property. Charlotte County Zoning and Building Departments can also assist in answering any questions you have about the lot.

You should also check if the lot is in a scrub jay area. There are extra fees to build on a scrub jay lot. Here is the scrub jay search site: https://www.charlottecountyfl.gov/se...s/default.aspx

Living in a deed restricted community with HOA rules and regulations is something you have to determine if you want. Rotonda West Homeowner Association has their Bylaws, Rules and Regs, etc. on their web site which is: Rotonda West Association, Inc.: Home Page. I recommend reading them before you make a decision to buy or for any deed restricted community. Rotonda West has very low HOA fees compared to most communities. They are comparable to Deep Creek and some of the Burnt Store communities.

The lot prices in Rotonda West start at $12,500 and go up from there. The lower priced ones are mainly in Oakland Hills. Rotonda West has several different area names if you are not familiar with it. Broadmoor, Long Meadow, Oakland Hills, Pebble Beach, Pine Valley, Pinehurst and White Marsh.

With help in determining where to purchase a lot, I would recommend visiting the areas. Drive around at different times of the day. Determine what other things are important to you. What do you want to live near - fishing, boating, shopping, sports, beach, etc? How far of a drive do you want to be away from those amenities that you are looking for?

[mr&mrssunshine]

LOl, its an old English expression (believed to date back to the 1300s) kind of like apples and oranges.............just means two things are very different.............

I would not be buying any of the lots under 15 in Rotonda, they are either multi family or in an area too old to be building new.

BTW HOA in RW is $160pa so wayyyy over budget 03BC

[jcswoop]

Thank you all for the great info. We are planning on having a small floor plan, under 2000 square feet including garage and lanai. Our budget is in the 200 k range, not including the lot. My wife loves the beaches so we would like to be in the Gulf Cove area or closer. I'm still on the fence about HOA's. In some of the small towns in NH, the HOA's are out of control. On the other hand, I do appreciate a well kept neighborhood. I'll never understand the junk cars on the front long thing!

[SoFLGal]

I was on my phone posting before and now I'm back in front of a computer. I've sold thousands of lots locally and at one point that's all I sold.

Here are the things to watch out for when looking at land. First is how high the lot is. Stand at the road and look at the lot. If it dips down, that's a problem. It would take a lot of fill dirt to bring the home up to grade. Next is the trees. How heavily treed is the lot. If you have to bring down a bunch of trees to build the home, that's going to cost you. Then you have a big issue with gopher tortoises around here. Even more so then Scrub Jays. Basically they both require a study/survey to see if they are on your lot. Scrub Jay are very friendly and social birds. Often if they are on your lot they will actually come right up to you and land on your head/arm/etc. Not always, but frequently. With the tortoises, you can usually see their burrows on the land. So, it's really important to walk the land that you are buying.

There are several other things--survey, elevation, etc that you cant just visually see.

Mr Sunshine is right, most lots in the $15K range, you probably would not want. You also need to not only take into account the price of the lot but the location and how much it would take in prep to make it buildable.

[03bluecoupe]

Originally Posted by mr&mrssunshine

LOl, its an old English expression (believed to date back to the 1300s) kind of like apples and oranges.............just means two things are very different.............

I would not be buying any of the lots under 15 in Rotonda, they are either multi family or in an area too old to be building new.

BTW HOA in RW is $160pa so wayyyy over budget 03BC

Thanks for educating us yanks.

Why is $160 a year wayyyy over budget? Thirteen bucks a month? No comprendo.

[az99]

Originally Posted by jcswoop

I'll never understand the junk cars on the front long thing!

If you don't like that, anything other than an HOA in Charlotte Co. is out. Even some with an HOA are not very appealing to the eye.

Lots that I have seen in the areas of Rotonda where you would build new are min. $25K and those don't even have cable yet. Just electric and water and sewer. Rotonda also has a min sq.ft. house of 1600 of AC space and 450 of garage.

With the pace of building I see going on, your $200K is not going to get you what you want in 3-5 years. Even to buy what you want in a 2002-2005 vintage home in a newer area of Rotonda is over that now.

Come down for a few days and look at the areas you are considering before buying. Nothing beats driving around the areas to get a true feel of the area.

Good Luck