SUPERIOR-BUILT CUSTOM POOL/SPA WITH PRIVATE PRESERVE VIEW! Flexibility and versatility to fit the needs of your Florida lifestyle. The spacious Monte Carlo home plan offers 5 bedrooms, 3 full baths, a generous bonus room, and both formal as well as casual living and dining areas. The master suite is on the second floor; an over-sized oasis w/his-and-hers dual walk-in closets, master bath w/garden tub and separate shower. One guest bedroom is even on the first floor, perfect for a den or for a family member or guest that has trouble with stairs. Special features include dual-zone HVAC system, thermostat & door lock remote capability via Nexia system, Pentair remote pool/spa controls, stunning custom kitchen island allowing for seating of 7 and added storage, porcelain tile in all living areas, salt water pool w/sunshelf, expanded storage space under stairs, and upgraded Samsung washer & dryer. This home is also located close to multiple beaches, shopping, and the new Cool Today baseball stadium with year round activities and events. West Villages is listed in the top 3 master planned communities in the nation; and the luxury community of Gran Paradiso is the fastest growing community of the West Villages neighborhoods. It is maintenance-free, resort style, boasting a free-form resort pool with beach entry, fitness center, tennis, pickleball, even locker rooms with steam rooms and saunas. Whether you are looking for an extended family dwelling or five-star guest accommodations, this one is a perfect fit.
Contact me for more information:
Ali Johnston, MBA, Broker (Lic #BK3284964), REALTOR®
PRESERVE AND WATER VIEW. Quiet and private, this home is also located on a cul-de-sac street without through traffic. It has been lovingly cared for and barely lived in. Lennar's Venice plan offers 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, a two car garage, and 1855 square feet under air. Custom lighting and tasteful ceiling fans are installed throughout the home. It has porcelain tile set on the diagonal in every room, colonial crown molding, stainless steel appliances, and granite counter tops. A screened front entryway and screened rear lanai allow you to open up and enjoy fresh cross-breezes through the house, or when the doors are closed, enjoy the integrated Reme Halo HVAC Air purification system. This home is located in the maintenance-free, resort style community of Gran Paradiso that boasts a 24-hour fitness center, geothermal temperature regulated resort pool, spa, saunas, steam rooms, tennis courts, pickleball, and a host of activities and clubs to suit many diverse interests. It is the ultimate in Florida lifestyle. Schedule to see it today!
Contact me for more information:
Ali Johnston, MBA, Broker (Lic #BK3284964), REALTOR®
Where: Venice City Hall parking lot, 401 W. Venice Ave
Time: 10:00 AM
City of Venice Bicycle Pedestrian Coordinator, Darlene Culpepper, leads a monthly bicycle ride in the city.The free ride takes place on the second Wednesday of each month at 10 a.m.
It's a fun and casual, 6-mile ride around the Island of Venice, traveling along the ever-so-popular Venice Island Loop. There will be a brief safety discussion prior to the ride, as the group will be riding along shared bicycle lanes.
Participants will need to bring their own bike and will berequired to wear a helmet and sign a short waiver.
For more information, or to RSVP, email Darlene Culpepper at dculpepper@venicegov.com
7th Annual Italian American Club Midsummer Festival. Menu includes: shrimp cocktail, salad, rolls, clam chowder, 1 1/4 lb fresh Maine lobster, coleslaw, corn on the cob, red skin potatoes, key lime pie, coffee. Assigned seating. Top shelf liquor raffle. Cash bar available. Cost, $28 donation for members; $33 for guests. 3-4 p.m. cocktails, dinner to follow. For tickets call Johanna, 941-468-5013. No takeouts; no refunds. Limited seating; get your tickets today.
Charity Benefit Cookie Sale for All Faith's Food Bank for local Kids in need. Check out the attached flyer for date, time and location. Hope to see you there!
We spend decades planning and saving for retirement, so choosing where to live when the time finally comes is incredibly important. According to the website Niche’s best towns to retire in Florida, these are the top 10. Access to healthcare, entertainment and the number of other retirees in a town were some of the factors used to make the list.
If you're a wealthy retiree, and high-end shopping, restaurants and lots of golf courses are high on your list of priorities, Naples could be the place for you.
This city offers more affordable home values, friendly folks, and lots of parks for outdoor activities. It's also surrounded by some of the best beaches in the state.
Sebastian is another more affordable option, with average rent and low home values. This town offers lots to do for fishing enthusiasts and wildlife lovers.
Ormond Beach has average rent and home values. Overall, Ormond Beach is a nice, quiet beach town, but it's a very short drive to Daytona Beach if you're seeking some excitement.
This charming city has average home costs, but very high rental costs. There's plenty of shopping and things to do in and around this city in South Florida.
This city in Central Florida has plenty of golf courses, shops, and lovely lakes for retirees to enjoy. Home values are currently low, and rental values are average.
If you are considering purchasing a home in the Venice area, I can assist you. My services and extensive resources are of no cost to you. I am even able to save home buyers money...additional cash incentives to which even the builders' sales reps do not have access. I do not work for any of the wonderful builders/developers in the West Villages Improvement District, or any others for that matter. My services and information (including the resources provided on allof my websites) are wholly independent of these developers. No other independent professional is more knowledgeable about this community, and enlisting me to assist with your transaction also serves to fund these resources to keep them available for you and others on an ongoing basis.
Published: Saturday, October 31, 2015 at 3:18 p.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, October 31, 2015 at 3:18 p.m.
Sarasota Memorial Hospital plans to build a new hospital in Venice, ending speculation about whether the large public hospital would continue pursuing efforts to purchase the struggling Venice Regional Bayfront Health.
The new hospital will likely be located at 2600 Laurel Road, just east of the Laurel Road exit off Interstate 75, at the intersection of Laurel Road and Pinebrook Road.
The 65-acre parcel was purchased by the hospital system in 2005 for $25 million, according to records filed with the Sarasota County Property Appraiser.
Initially, the parcel was supposed to hold a large primary care and outpatient center, but the plans never materialized. It will likely be months before a groundbreaking for a new hospital would occur, as the hospital's application to the Florida Agency for Healthcare Administration works its way through the regulatory process.
In a full-page ad published in the Sarasota Herald Tribune and the Venice Gondolier Sun on Saturday, Sarasota Memorial CEO David Verinder announced plans to build in Venice and confirmed that the hospital system had tried to purchase Venice Regional in September. The hospital leadership had previously declined to comment on the rumors.
"We are unaware of an application filed by Sarasota Memorial to build a hospital in Venice," said Venice Regional spokesman Bob Hite.
Since Venice Regional was purchased in 2014 by its current parent company, the Tennesee-based Community Health Systems, the company has invested more than $21 million in medical technology, equipment and infrastructure improvements at the hospital. After the sewage leak in May, CHS sent $4.3 million for immediate building repairs.
"For more than 65 years, Venice Regional has served the health care needs of this community and we are committed to doing so for years to come," Hite said.
Building a hospital in the southern portion of Sarasota County had always been in the long-range plan for Sarasota Memorial, but the plans were sped up after community outcry this summer over conditions at Venice Regional.
In late June, state inspectors revealed that a large scale sewage leak at the hospital in late May was not properly cleaned up and rats were living in the ceilings above the kitchen. Then-CEO Peter Wozniak resigned rather than face a no-confidence vote from the medical staff, and the hospital's parent company, Community Health Systems, installed interim leadership at the hospital.
Throughout the summer, Venice doctors began advertising their privileges at other hospitals as patients refused to go to Venice for elective surgeries. Many Venice doctors obtained privileges at other hospitals, including Doctors Hospital and Sarasota Memorial.
“We have had an influx of concerned community members this summer, asking us to please come into Venice, that it's not a good situation for people in South County right now,” said Dr. Marguerite Malone, chairwoman of the Sarasota County Public Hospital District.
“They really hoped we'd do something to make sure the quality of health care was improved in the area,” Malone said.
The hospital system is expanding its reach throughout the community with a recent spate of land purchases.
In 2015 alone, the hospital has purchased property on St. Armands Circle to build a new urgent care center, made a bid to purchase property at the intersection of State Road 70 and Lorraine Road on the north end of Lakewood Ranch for a primary care medical office and swapped land for a parcel at the intersection of U.S. 41 and West Villages Parkway in North Port for an urgent care center or medical offices.
While the public hospital district is growing, its move into Venice is likely to cause some turmoil. When Sarasota Memorial began planning to build on the Laurel Road site back in 2012, Venice Regional officials filed appeals to the city of Venice for planning issues.
Similarly, when Sarasota Memorial began pursuing its now-built urgent care center at U.S. 41 Bypass and Tamiami Trail, Venice Regional again appealed to the Venice Planning Council, and Sarasota Memorial faced protests from area doctors who didn't want the hospital coming into Venice.
In both instances, however, the Venice City Council approved Sarasota Memorial's plans.
Reached Saturday, officials from Venice Regional say they didn't know about Sarasota Memorial's plans.
Sarasota Memorial Hospital will celebrate its 90th anniversary Monday.
We got back from a trip to Alaska and Vancouver, Canada, recently. All I can say is that it was incredible!
Now, I notice that I did not blog about the last meeting of the WVID supervisory board. Sorry about that! There are a bunch of odds and ends worth a quick mention, and I will blog about them as soon as I have a chance, but there was nothing critical that I can recall.
Most importantly, it was the annual budget meeting. The budget was supposed to be finalized for voting on the next meeting of 9/22/15, but there are not enough supervisors available to attend on that date. The meeting is to be on 10/13/15, a Tuesday at 11am in North Port City Hall building. I will post a picture of the proposed next assessments compared to last year's figures.
If you are considering
purchasing a home in this community, please let me assist you. My services and
extensive resources are of no cost to you, and in most instances, I am able to
save home buyers some money. I
do not work for any of the wonderful builders in the West Villages Improvement
District, or any others for that matter. My services and information (including
the resources provided on allof my websites) are
wholly independent of these developers. No other independent professional is
more knowledgeable about this community, and enlisting me to assist with your
transaction serves also to fund these resources to keep them available for you
and others on an ongoing basis.
If you are considering purchasing a home in this district, please let me assist you. My services and extensive resources are of no cost to you, and in most instances, I am able to save home buyers some money. I do not work for any of the wonderful builders in the West Villages Improvement District, or any others for that matter. My services and information (including the resources provided on allof my websites) are wholly independent of these developers. No other independent professional is more knowledgeable about this community, and enlisting me to assist with your transaction serves also to fund these resources to keep them available for you and others on an ongoing basis.
Don’t get so caught up in your love affair with
your soon-to-be completed house that you forget about the things you really
need to focus on.
Heed these 6 tips when buying a new
home to avoid problems down the road.
It’s
exciting to build a home from the ground up. There are fun choices to be made,
from selecting the hardwood floors for the dining room to choosing between
subway tiles or penny tiles for your kitchen backsplash. But don’t get so
caught up in your love affair with your soon-to-be completed house that you
forget about the things you really need to focus on.
“The key
with new construction is really making sure you have the home inspected and
follow up that the builder remedies the problems,” explains Keith Thompson, a
real estate broker with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Carolinas Realty in
Charlotte, NC. But there’s much more. Heed these tips when buying a
new-construction home and avoid major issues down the road.
1. Hire a real estate agent
Oftentimes,
buyers don’t feel a real estate agent is necessary when building a new home.
After all, there’s a sales agent on-site to assist you with your questions,
right? Wrong.
“Many people
figure that they do not need the help of a Realtor,” says Ali Johnson, a
Florida-licensed real estate agent who specializes in new construction and
gated communities in Venice, FL. “They feel they can handle it themselves, and
that they have a sales representative working for them in the new community
that takes care of and explains everything, including the paperwork. That
person works for the seller, though. They represent the developer’s interests.”
A real
estate agent will work on your behalf — and because the builder pays their
commission, it costs you nothing to have someone represent you during the
new-construction process.
2. Do your research
The same way
you may research a new car is exactly how you should look into a builder. “Make
sure they have a good standing with your state’s Construction Contractor’s
Board, and that there are no pending complaints or judgments against him or
her,” advises Patty Brockman, a licensed real estate broker at Windermere
Stellar Real Estate in Portland, OR. “Ask questions about whether they use
independent subcontractors, and verify their licenses and bonds as well. Always
know the amount and kind of insurance they carry, as well as the amount of
their bond.”
3. Read the fine print
Many
builders use purchase contracts that are much different from state-issued real
estate agent documents. “Be sure to read these contracts carefully and have an
attorney and your Realtor review them before signing anything,” says Brockman.
“Builders’ contracts pretty much only protect the building company, not the
buyer, so make sure your Realtor writes addendums that keep you protected
during each phase of the purchase.” Also, make sure you review all of the
warranties so you know what is covered, and what is not.
4. Ask what’s included
“A lot of
buyers have a ‘what you see is what you get’ attitude when it comes to building
a new home and looking at the model home,” explains Kristin Magnani, an
associate broker with Rutenberg, a real estate brokerage firm in New York City.
Model homes
are decked out with all the bells and whistles, explains Magnani, including
high-end light fixtures, appliances, trim work, architectural detailing, and
more. Avoid assumption and ask questions about every add-on or, better yet, ask
the sales agent for a complete list of the extras in the model unit such as
extra can lights, heights of doors, tinted windows (found mainly in high-rise
apartments), and more.
“Does the
house come with appliances? Window coverings? AC? Landscaping in the front and
backyards? Automatic garage door openers? Sprinkler system?” says Brockman.
“Always list in detail anything that you expect, if it is not expressly
disclosed in the contract.”
5. Get inspected
Home
inspections aren’t just for previously built homes. In fact, the majority of
real estate agents will recommend that you have the home inspected not only
after it’s completed but also before drywall is installed.
“As the
housing market has heated up, the pace of construction has also increased,”
explains Keith Thompson. “Overworked subcontractors and city or county
inspectors are human and can and do make mistakes when they have too much on
their plate.” Avoid things such as uneven walls or electrical or cable outlets
in unfortunate locations (e.g., 4 feet to the left of where your TV is supposed
to hang) by having pre-drywall inspections.
6. Do a walk-through
After an
inspection, it’s critical to do a walk-through with the builder. It’s during
this time that you can point out major cosmetic issues (such as nail pops or
chips in cabinetry) or any other major issues, such as missing landscaping that
was included in your contract.
“Never close
on a new-construction house without doing a final walk-through to ensure that
all of the punch-list items have been completed to your satisfaction,”
recommends Brockman. “The last thing you want after you move in is a bunch of
contractors doing touch-ups and finish work while you are trying to enjoy your
new house.” Plus, if you don’t address it before closing, you may have a hard
time getting the builder to fix anything once the home is officially yours.
written by Blake
Miller
Blake Miller
Blake Miller
is a Charlotte-based freelance writer. The self-described wannabe foodie and
fitness freak has covered travel, interior design, and health and fitness for
US Airways Magazine, Redbook, Self, ElleDecor.com, Four Seasons Magazine, and
Women’s Health, among other national and regional publications.
