Florida Real Estate & Lifestyle Blog

    Some of the best golf courses in Punta Gorda include Heritage Landing Golf & Country Club, Deep Creek Golf Club, Twin Isles Country Club, St. Andrews South Golf Club, and Babcock National. Golfers can also consider Burnt Store Marina and nearby Riverwood Golf Club. The choices range from public

    If you expect to finance your home purchase, getting mortgage preapproved before seriously looking at houses is usually a practical first step. Preapproval can help establish a realistic financing range, identify potential mortgage issues before you find a property, and provide a letter that sel

    A swimming pool can add several recurring and occasional expenses to the cost of owning a Florida home, including cleaning, chemicals, electricity, water, heating, equipment repairs, insurance considerations, and eventual resurfacing or renovation. As a broad current industry estimate, routine F

    Some of the best golf courses near Siesta Key include TPC Prestancia, Bobby Jones Golf Club, Serenoa Golf Club, Stoneybrook Golf & Country Club, Misty Creek Country Club, and Bent Tree Golf Club. Siesta Key itself is known for Gulf beaches rather than golf courses, but mainland Sarasota provides

    A separate mold inspection or assessment can be worth considering before buying a house when there are signs of current or previous moisture problems, visible mold, musty odors, roof or plumbing leaks, storm or flood history, suspicious staining, or concerns identified during the general home in

    Some of the best golf courses near Clearwater Beach are Dunedin Golf Club, Clearwater Country Club, Cove Cay Golf Club, Chi Chi Rodriguez Golf Club, Belleair Country Club, and the championship courses at Innisbrook Resort. The choices range from accessible public golf and restored Donald Ross ar

  Key Tower South is a Gulf-front condominium at 1750 Benjamin Franklin Drive on Lido Key in Sarasota, Florida. Built in 1970, the high-rise occupies a direct beachfront setting with Gulf access, a heated beachfront pool and sundeck, fitness facilities, saunas, a library, bicycle storage, and on-sit

    Vista Hermosa is an established Siesta Key condominium community just south of the Stickney Point Bridge and a short walk from Crescent Beach. Established in 1971, the community includes 89 private residences in a combination of one-story villas and mid-rise condominium buildings. A large heated

    Earnest money is a deposit a home buyer makes in connection with a signed purchase agreement to demonstrate good faith in the transaction. The money is typically held in escrow rather than treated as an immediate payment to the seller. If the purchase closes, the deposit is generally credited to

    Some of the best golf courses near Nokomis, Florida include Calusa Lakes Golf Club and Mission Valley Golf & Country Club right in Nokomis, plus Lake Venice Golf Club, Pelican Pointe Golf & Country Club, Waterford Golf Club, Jacaranda West Country Club, and Venetian Golf Club nearby. Golfers can

    Before buying a home, look beyond whether the roof simply appears new or old. Buyers should investigate its documented age, roofing material, visible condition, signs of leakage, prior repairs, permits, remaining useful life, wind-resistant features, and potential insurance implications. In Flor

    The best golf communities in Lakewood Ranch depend on how seriously you play and how you want golf connected to your home. Buyers can choose established country club neighborhoods with access to the private Lakewood Ranch Golf & Country Club, the resort-oriented Esplanade Golf & Country Club, or

    A fixed-rate mortgage provides a predictable interest rate for the life of the loan, while an adjustable-rate mortgage, or ARM, can change after an initial period. Neither option is automatically better for every home buyer. A fixed rate may appeal to buyers who value long-term payment stability

  A property survey is a professional measurement and drawing of real estate that can show the property's boundaries, improvements, and other physical features relevant to ownership. For Florida home buyers, a survey can help identify issues such as a fence crossing a boundary, an improvement near a

    Some of the best golf courses in Sarasota, Florida range from historic public layouts to highly regarded private clubs. For public play, Bobby Jones Golf Club and University Park Country Club are two excellent places to start. Private-club golfers can explore TPC Prestancia, Sara Bay Country Clu

    The Gulf Coast housing market is entering September with an interesting question: will fall bring buyers more homes to choose from? The latest complete data does not yet show a broad inventory expansion. In fact, July 2026 brought stronger sales and declining active inventory across Sarasota and

    Hamilton Club is an intimate waterfront condominium community on the northern portion of Siesta Key, with just 18 residences arranged in a gated setting near Coconut Bayou and the Intracoastal Waterway. Its multi-level residences are substantially larger than many traditional island condos and c

    White Sands Village offers an established, casual approach to condominium living near Siesta Beach. Located along Midnight Pass Road, the low-rise community puts residents within a short walk of the public beach while offering a heated pool, tropical grounds, clubhouse, covered parking, grilling

    Fisherman's Cove occupies an unusual waterfront setting at Turtle Beach on the southern end of Siesta Key. The condominium community sits between the Gulf shoreline and Blind Pass Lagoon, giving residents direct access to the beach while also providing boat slips, kayak launching, and a connecti

    Somerset Cay is a boutique waterfront condominium community at 9122 Midnight Pass Road on the southern end of Siesta Key in Sarasota, Florida. Completed in 2002 with just 17 residences, Somerset Cay combines spacious condominium living with waterfront access, a resort-style pool and spa, fitness