2021 Grapefruit League

This week’s blog is about the upcoming Spring Training season here in Southwest Florida. Below you will find a link to the local news article outlining training locations. Of course, for all of us Englewood folks, we have the stadium here in Port Charlotte for the Rays. Did you know you could see the Orioles in Sarasota or the Red Sox in Fort Myers? There are teams playing all over our neck of the woods, so get out there! Also included is a link to the official Grapefruit League website, to catch any and all of the Spring Training games in Southwest Florida this year. Included with the schedule is the history of the league, and all released news on new developments. Many people come from all walks of life to watch the Spring Training games and settle down here in Englewood, Rotonda, and South Gulf Cove for the amazing location, weather, and culture.

If you would like to know more about land or homes in the local area, be sure to make an appointment with Southwest Florida Dream Builders and save a spot for your dream home today!

Forecast for the Florida real estate market in 2021

This week’s blog is about a recent analysis and forecast for the Florida real estate market in 2021. Mashvisor, an investment property analytics company, has recently written an article discussing the increase in property prices and the current inventory within the market. To begin, the year-over single-family unit home sales increased by 11.7% compared to July 2019. According to their Chief Economist Dr. Brad O’Connor, the main factors contributing to this surge is the pent-up demand from the failed spring buying season, as well as record-low mortgage rates. Since the interest rates are not expected to increase in the near future, the Florida housing market forecast is that demand will continue increasing well into 2021. The analysis continues by listing their “5 Best Places to Invest in Long-Term Rental Properties”, with Venice listed as #1. The median Venice property price currently sits at $412,105 with $239 per square foot. In the #5 spot, the median Bradenton property price currently sits at $406,129 with $197 per square foot. With a shortage in the supply of homes and continued rise in materials and labor, Florida home prices will continue to rise. These factors combined make the current market an opportune time to buy with confidence.

If you would like to know more about land or homes in the local area, be sure to make an appointment with Southwest Florida Dream Builders and save a spot for your dream home today!

December Events Around Town

This week’s blog is about some of the events around Englewood to get into during the month of December. The Englewood Chamber of Commerce will be hosting a Toys for Tots tailgate on December 5th from 11:00 am-2:00 pm. Drop off any new, unwrapped toys and then grab a hotdog and chips with our Chamber friends. Another interesting event, The Englewood Opry is a music event being held at the Dearborn Center every Thursday, 5:30pm – 8:30pm, from December 3, 2020 through April 15. Featured bands will be Ev Dodge and The Side Men Classic Country band, and the Gulf Breeze Blue Grass band. This one looks to be free and a bring-your-own blanket, chair, and refreshments. That sounds like a good ol’ fashion time to us! At the very same location on December 13th from 5:00 pm- 6:15 pm, both novice and experienced poetry slam performers are welcome to compete in Life Realized’s first-ever Open Poetry Slam. Come perform 1-3 of your original spoken word poems, with drama and gusto, in a friendly, competitive, elimination-rounds for a cash prize for 1st and 2nd place (and the Title of Open Poetry Slam Champion of course!). Admission is $5 at the door only. Being involved in this community shows you how special it is. Give it a try and you will see.

If you would like to know more about land or homes in the local area, be sure to make an appointment with Southwest Florida Dream Builders and save a spot for your dream home today!

Winter Wonderland in Florida

This week’s blog is about a new snow (yes, snow!) park set to open for this winter season. Snowcat Ridge is in between Tampa and Orlando with more than 50 acres of forest and pasture. From November 20th to March 28th, the park will be a winter wonderland with attractions for kids and adults alike. The park will feature a 60 ft tall, 400 ft long tubing hill that guests can ride down in a single, tandem, or six-person family tube as the magic carpet lift pulls them on a peaceful ride to the top. The park will also feature a 10,000 square foot igloo-style dome filled with snow for building snowmen and snow angels. If you are missing the snow, or yet to see it, check out the first and only snow amusement park in Florida. You can count on us going out and enjoying it. See the below Travel and Leisure article link for more information.

If you would like to know more about land or homes in the local area, be sure to make an appointment with Southwest Florida Dream Builders and save a spot for your dream home today!

New Residential Building Helps Drive Economy

This week’s blog is about the New York Times reporting that home building has helped drive the U.S. economic recovery. Residential construction grew 12.3% in the second quarter of 2020, which is the biggest gain on record. With record-low interest rates and many looking to leave the cramped cities, residential construction is doing better than before the pandemic. This is providing a good opportunity for potential homebuyers to jump on low rates and invest in new construction. At Southwest Florida Dream Builders, we have seen a substantial increase in new residential construction. With Winter, and snowbirds, on their way; our suggestion to any prospective buyers would be to move forward now.

If you would like to know more about land or homes in the local area, be sure to make an appointment with Southwest Florida Dream Builders and save a spot for your dream home today!

Change of Season, Is The Reason (It's About Fish)

This week’s blog is about a Southwest Florida fishing article for the month of October from the Pine Island Eagle. Redfish are a big topic during this month for inshore fishing. Look for schools of reds pushing water along bar edges throughout the inshore flats and inside the gulf passes. Snook will be transitioning from summer homes around the gulf beaches and make way towards their winter haunts throughout the inshore waters. The article goes on with some tips and regulations about snook catching. Gag grouper also make their move inshore during this time, while many anglers successfully target grouper in 30 to 40-foot depths in gulf waters while trolling large, lipped diving lures over the next couple months. This is a tantalizing summary for any fishermen thinking of making the move down to our slice of paradise: “October is a month that you can either target certain species of fish or be less specific and just get in the mix of a feeding frenzy and see what’s there. Often a host of different species are ganged up on the same bait pod, it’s common to catch a half dozen or more different species from one area. Local waters, both inshore and off, are loaded with bait schools of all sizes right now. As always, birds and feeding activity is the best way to find the action.” Take a look at the article linked below. It has much more information than what was just mentioned. We hope this article gets you excited about getting out there and enjoying the beautiful weather as cooling temperatures bring seasonal changes. If you would like to know more about land or homes in the local area, be sure to make an appointment with Southwest Florida Dream Builders and save a spot for your dream home today!

Hyper-Loop of Southwest Florida

This week’s blog is about some big developments for Southwest Florida. A major proposal has moved forward as legislature has appropriated an initial $1 million for the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority to take the lead in Florida in studying alternative transportation for the state, including the Elon Musk-inspired Hyperloop bullet train. The proposal contains three phases, with the first two tying in Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Bradenton. The final plan includes connecting Tampa to Miami going through Naples (with stops including Venice!). Estimating the trip cost for a Naples-Tampa ride, using data obtained by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette from a different study, it would cost $33 for a trip from the Steel City to Columbus, Ohio, which is similar in distance. The article mentions some of the science behind the Hyperloop system, and includes quite a few pictures in the slide show at the beginning. Southwest Florida always seems to have another great surprise around the corner for us. If you would like to know more about land or homes in the local area be sure to make an appointment with Southwest Florida Dream Builders and save a spot for your dream home today!

Perfect weather for golf!

As the weather has cooled down this week, we found ourselves talking about golf. Southwest Florida is absolutely saturated in golf courses, and this is a great time of year to practice (before the majority of the snowbirds arrive, and with some very ideal weather!). That being said, below is a map and list of 52 different courses from Bradenton to Marco Island. Also attached is an article on fantastic golf tips for beginners, for those of us who fake it until we make it. Our number one tip: Make sure to have a good head-to-toe stretch before you begin a game! If you would like to know more about land or homes in the local area be sure to make an appointment with Southwest Florida Dream Builders and save a spot for your dream home today!

Let's Eat Englewood

This week’s blog is about a recent article by Sarasota Herald Tribune on the best waterfront restaurants in Englewood. The Tribune looked only at waterfront restaurants in Englewood that are participating in the “Let’s Eat!” Englewood, and then consulted with each one about menu recommendations available year round. The article introduces some of the great restaurants Englewood has to offer, with bits about their décor and each menu’s “flair”. The article also includes the Tribunes previous articles on the best restaurants of Sarasota, Anna Maria Island, Venice, Cortez and Bradenton. With all these different lists, even the most seasoned Floridian diners are sure to find an establishment that piques your interest. The Englewood Florida Chamber of Commerce's sixth annual restaurant week promotion “Let’s Eat! – Englewood” is Sept.17-Oct. 1, with more than 20 restaurants participating. The dining celebration includes a three-course prix fixe dinner menu for $26 and a two-course prix fixe lunch menu for $13. The “Let’s Eat” restaurant menus are available for viewing at www.letseatenglewood.com If you would like to know more about land or homes in the local area be sure to make an appointment with Southwest Florida Dream Builders and save a spot for your dream home today!

Unique Florida Beaches

This week’s blog is about Stump Pass and Venice beaches making it to another list of unique Florida beaches! Stump Pass Beach State Park, on the southern end of Manasota Key, is listed for the multitude of seashells that pile up on the shore. Venice Beach is sited for its dark sands (be warned, it isn’t all of the beach that has this). Besides the dark sand, Venice Beach is very nice and often quiet. The below link has some other really neat beaches to check out (like an orange creamsicle beach??). There is so much to discover and so many adventures to be had in Florida. Come see our slice of paradise! If you would like to know more about land or homes in the local area be sure to make an appointment with Southwest Florida Dream Builders and save a spot for your dream home today!

High School Football Starts And What to Expect

This week’s blog is about high school football season starting all across Southwest Florida, and what to expect on the field and in the stands. Lee and Collier county start their season this week, with some Charlotte county starting this week and some next week. To begin, you may want to show up early. Many schools will be limiting fan capacity on Friday nights. Each school will be doing things a little different from each other. Some will have school bands, while others will not. The same for cheerleaders, and various other details. The linked article is from the Naples Daily News and is not a comprehensive list of changes for all Southwest Florida schools. We will list the LBHS sports calendar page, as well. Fans and players are all excited to see the start of high school football season. So, come out and support your local team! If you would like to know more about land or homes in the local area be sure to make an appointment with Southwest Florida Dream Builders and save a spot for your dream home today!

Florida's Healthy Housing Market

This week’s blog is about the Florida housing market’s performance through the Coronavirus Pandemic and the normal Summer slump. Comparing the same time last year, Florida is up 21.7% in new single-family home sales. The statewide median sales price for single-family existing homes was $295,000, up 10.1 percent from the previous year, according to data from Florida Realtors Research Department in partnership with local realtor boards/associations. According to Florida Realtors Chief Economist, Dr. Brad O’Connor, “On the supply side of the market, inventory remains scarce and is an area of concern, particularly in the single-family home category, which was at a severely restricted 2.5 months’ supply in July.” In, other words, builders are making homes as quickly as possible, but the demand is greater than the supply. Overall, this is a sunny outlook for the Florida housing market, and we are happy to share it with you.

If you would like to know more about land or homes in the local area be sure to make an appointment with Southwest Florida Dream Builders and save a spot for your dream home today!

#ChamberBuddy

This week’s blog is about one of our favorite subjects, Englewood’s continued growth and the Englewood Chamber of Commerce. Just yesterday, The Englewood Chamber of Commerce “grew” by 82 members in just 8 hours! In partnership with local real estate companies, the Chamber held a membership drive, and was able to really show us how much our beautiful town is growing. For anyone who has not had the opportunity, take a look at the Chamber’s website below. It has local events, information on beaches and parks, and even a “starting a business” section. You may even want to consider joining the Chamber, yourself! If you would like to know more about land or homes in the local area be sure to make an appointment with Southwest Florida Dream Builders and save a spot for your dream home today!

Stay Calm And Carry On

This week, we at Southwest Florida Dream Builders thought that we could take a minute to talk about destressing techniques. We all know it’s been a stressful time, lately. Below is an article that provides 20 tips for reducing your daily stress. Among them are reminders that many of us know about, like getting some exercise. One of the simplest tips on the list is to go get yourself a house plant. Researchers have found that simply being around plants can induce your relaxation response. One Washington State University study found that a group of stressed-out people who entered a room full of plants had a four-point drop in their blood pressure. The article even goes on to guide you in what type of plants would be best for your house or office. There are many common techniques (eat a chocolate, step away from the screen) and uncommon techniques (turn off your phone, eat a banana) to check out in the article. Remember, if you are the calm one in your family, your group of friends, or workplace, then there is hope for all of them to calm, too. If we are all frantic, then there is no hope for the group. We hope all of you Southwest Florida Dream Builder fans are staying frosty out there. If you would like to know more about land or homes in the local area be sure to make an appointment with Southwest Florida Dream Builders and save a spot for your dream home today!

Improvement in SWFL economy amidst 2020 tumult

This week’s blog is about the recent economic survey conducted by the Florida Gulf Coast University's Regional Economic Research Institute. The final report shows signs of improvement in Southwest Florida's economy amidst the tumult of the first half of 2020. "Things looked bleak in March and they were still as bleak at the end of April. But what we're seeing now is that there is evidence of economic activity," said Christopher Westley, an economist and dean of FGCU's Lutgert College of Business. There are expectations of resuming the business surveys in the fourth quarter, however, he said, to get a longer view of the impacts. In the meantime, information from the four surveys will be used to produce a more in-depth analysis of the effects of the virus on the region's economy thus far. Click the link below to read the full article from the Naples Daily News. If you would like to know more about land or homes in the local area be sure to make an appointment with Southwest Florida Dream Builders and save a spot for your dream home today!

The Neowise Comet Visible In SWFL

This week’s blog is about the Neowise comet, now visible with the naked eye in Southwest Florida. With a large visible tail, the comet official known as C/2020 F3, was first sited by the NASA satellite Neowise (the comet is named after the satellite that detected it) in March. This week will be the time that it will be closest to Earth, and easiest to see. However, you should be able to see the Neowise in the sky for the remainder of the month. Long-exposure images taken by astrophotographers in recent days show that the comet also has a second tail. There is always so much to see and do in our sunny corner of the coast. This one won’t be around for another 7,000 years. Enjoy it. See the first article for local coverage on WINK news, and the second article for additional information from The New Scientist, the world’s most popular weekly science and technology magazine.

If you would like to know more about land or homes in the local area be sure to make an appointment with Southwest Florida Dream Builders and save a spot for your dream home today!

Stamped Concrete Vs Pavers

This week’s blog is about comparing stamped concrete and pavers. Concrete is a versatile material that comes in a variety of colors and shapes for driveways, pool decks, porches, etc. The main two ways of creating these areas are pavers, which are blocks of concrete that are laid together; and stamped concrete, which is concrete poured and then stamped in a variety of designs. Stamped concrete has some differences that present pros and cons to this discussion. Stamped concrete is prepared on site. So, the customer may be able to see the color of the product before finished. Stamped concrete also comes in a variety of designs that are not available with pavers. However, stamped concrete does not bear weight as well as pavers. They lack the ability to flex, so too much weight can crack the long, inflexible slab. Pre-cast systems, like interlocking concrete pavers and concrete paving slabs, are inherently flexible, unlike stamped concrete. They are a long lasting product, but take longer to install, as concrete pavers need to be laid by hand. There are a lot of different points to consider, and circumstances will be different for each homeowner, but we suggest checking out the site below to compare the two. If you would like to know more about land or homes in the local area be sure to make an appointment with Southwest Florida Dream Builders and save a spot for your dream home today!

Chlorine Vs Saltwater Treated Pools

This week’s blog is about comparing chlorine treated pools with their saltwater alternative. It is a common misconception that saltwater systems do not have chlorine. A saltwater pool will have lower levels of chlorine than a traditional chlorine pool because the chlorine is produced at a steady level rather than added to the pool with chlorine sticks or tablets. The greatest disadvantage of a saltwater pool is the upfront cost of the saltwater generator, which costs between $400 and $1,800. The installation will be about $300 to $500. A saltwater pool requires less than $100 a year in salt and chemicals if it is consistently maintained. A chlorine pool, on the other hand, will cost between $300 and $800 per year in maintenance chemicals. Despite the name of a saltwater pool, the salt content is approximately that of human tears, about one-tenth the salinity of ocean water. Swimmers can open their eyes underwater, and their skin feels softer after a swim. Landscaping around the pool can be damaged by exposure to salt water. Due to the adverse effects on soil nutrients and plants, some communities ban these systems. Check local ordinances before installing a saltwater system. Traditional chlorine pools, however, do not have these issues with landscaping and soil. There are a lot of different points to consider, and circumstances will be different for each pool owner, but we suggest checking out the sites below to compare the two. If you would like to know more about land or homes in the local area be sure to make an appointment with Southwest Florida Dream Builders and save a spot for your dream home today!

Drought Officially Over

This week’s blog is about the drought being officially over in Southwest Florida due to recent heavy rain! Parts of Southwest Florida have seen more rain in the past 4 days than the first 4 months of 2020 combined. See below for the article about the drought ending, and under that is a website with extensive drought maps for any area you would like to search. County warnings over brushfires are now over as we look forward to our rainy season. If you would like to know more about land or homes in the local area be sure to make an appointment with Southwest Florida Dream Builders and save a spot for your dream home today!

Flora, Fauna, Birds, and Parks

This week’s blog is about the below hiking website. Hiking is a great way for anyone to get to know their local flora and fauna, and this website will help you find the trail that you would like to do that on. This website allows you to search any town in Florida to check for hiking spots. Want to get out of the house, but tired of waiting in line or wearing protective gear? Some fresh air and bird song will mend that spirit. Our many preserves, trails, parks, and state forests provide a (mostly) free option to take the family, visiting relatives, or dog on a nourishing walk through nature. We recommend searching Englewood, Port Charlotte, and North Port separately, as they will all provide different results on the website. If you would like to know more about land or homes in the local area be sure to make an appointment with Southwest Florida Dream Builders and save a spot for your dream home today!