Boca Grande The Island Gem

This week’s blog is about a recent article by the Florida Rambler showing off some of the best features of Boca Grande. This is a great island to visit in our local area, and well worth the small $6 toll over the bridge. For those in the area who don’t know where to go, we will give you easy directions. Take either Placida or Gasparilla Road (depending on which side of Englewood you are) South, and you will see the turn off for the bridge at the bottom of the cape. The Rambler starts off telling us that “Boca Grande is a favorite among the rich and famous for good reason: It’s beautiful, unspoiled and preserves an Old Florida world that may be more attractive now than it was when it was a bustling phosphate-shipping center 100 years ago.” We’re reminded that the island has two beautiful lighthouses, one of which you can tour. There are ample opportunities for world class fishing, fine dining in some places that host presidents and celebrities (Gasparilla Inn and Pink Elephant Restaurant), and beach goers are always impressed at the beaches. The historic Whidden’s Marina is a rustic look at a 1925 site, still run by the Whidden family. The article goes on to list some of the restaurants on the island and things to do near Boca. We learned quite a bit from the article. It is worth the read, so check it out!

We are in our model at 878 Boundary Boulevard in Rotonda (that’s the corner of Rotonda Blvd. East and Boundary Blvd.) from 9-3 Monday-Friday. If you would like to know more about land or homes in the local area, be sure to stop by and save a spot for your dream home today!

Our Surrounding Barrier Islands

This week’s blog is about a recent article by the Florida Rambler discussing our “hidden gem” barrier islands. Gasparilla, Don Pedro Island, and Manasota Key are all beautiful beaches that are off the beaten path. The views, the little private spots that you can find, and the wildlife are all amazing. Famous for shells and shark’s teeth, these beaches also offer great kayaking and ecotours. The article explains some of the things that make each of the islands unique. It even goes as far to talk about the way to kayak on and off of Don Pedro Island, and what were the best kayak trips during their tour of the islands. It mentions the historic 1890 Boca Grande Lighthouse and other great points of interest. For anyone interested in making their way down to our little piece of paradise for a vacation, this article is a great resource. Lots of travel tips, to include places to stay.

We are now sitting in our new model at 878 Boundary Boulevard in Rotonda (that’s the corner of Rotonda Blvd. East and Boundary Blvd.) from 9-3 Monday-Friday. If you would like to know more about land or homes in the local area, be sure to stop by and save a spot for your dream home today!

Home prices continue to climb

This week’s blog is about a recent article by the Port Charlotte Sun about Charlotte County home price increases being the highest in the United States. Home prices in Charlotte county are up 28.7%. Inventory has remained low throughout the area, allowing sellers to get higher prices. The article goes on to talk about the areas around the nation that were close, and a list of recent homes sold for large amounts. Here at Southwest Florida Dream Builders, we have strived to keep our prices affordable; while offering the same quality products and workmanship that we are known for. We know that this is a very busy time for everyone in the housing market, and buying a house is a big decision. Talk with our team about your options with ten different floor plans. We have many sizes and layouts to fit your needs.

We are now sitting in our new model at 878 Boundary Boulevard in Rotonda (that’s the corner of Rotonda Blvd. East and Boundary Blvd.) from 9-3 Monday-Friday. If you would like to know more about land or homes in the local area, be sure to stop by and save a spot for your dream home today!

Southwest Florida Market Continues To Grow

This week’s blog is about a recent article by Think Realty (link below) discussing why the Southwest Florida real estate market is so hot right now. The article goes in depth about the enormous demand and desirability, tax benefits, etc. that are compelling more people than ever to call Southwest Florida home. It goes on to say, “We are in what is regarded one of the strongest and most sought-after real estate markets in the country and believe it or not, we have some serious foundational sustainability to our current local market.” Here at Southwest Florida Dream Builders, we have seen strong interest from Michigan, Wisconsin, and New England states. Many have sold their homes and are looking to migrate South. Southwest Florida International Airport ranks #1 out of 50 airports in the US and has recovered 60% of its pre-pandemic traffic. We would urge you to take a look at the great research that the Think Realty editorial staff did in the below link and consider making an appointment to talk with us about your options for building a home in beautiful Charlotte County today.

We are now sitting in our new model at 878 Boundary Boulevard in Rotonda (that’s the corner of Rotonda Blvd. East and Boundary Blvd.) from 9-3 Monday-Friday. If you would like to know more about land or homes in the local area, be sure to stop by and save a spot for your dream home today!

New Restaurant On The Way

This week’s blog is about a new business arrival to Port Charlotte, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen. The plan is to open the all scratch-made restaurant by the 4th of July in the old TGI Friday’s location, next to Best Buy. Demolition will start in the new location on the 3rd of January. According to the Sun article below, “It will fill the 135-mile gap between the Fort Myers and Pinellas Park stores and join 180 other Cheddar’s in 28 states.” With the Starbuck’s opening in Englewood and this Cheddar’s opening in Port Charlotte, we at Southwest Florida Dream Builders see this as a good omen for business in Charlotte County. These conglomerates have done their research and determined that our area is growing each year. Charlotte County is worth investing in. If you haven’t already, come visit and you will see!

We are now sitting in our new model at 878 Boundary Boulevard in Rotonda (that’s the corner of Rotonda Blvd. East and Boundary Blvd.) from 9-3 Monday-Friday. If you would like to know more about land or homes in the local area, be sure to stop by and save a spot for your dream home today!

Building Boom, Supply Chain Doom

This week’s blog is about a couple of articles discussing Southwest Florida’s building boom and supply chain issues. The first is an article by Fox 4 News about supply chain issues affecting all types of local businesses. From restaurants changing the type of flour that they use to appliance stores changing the products that they carry, there have been a lot of adjustments for local businesses. The next article discusses the building boom in all of Southwest Florida. SWFL is experiencing the second-largest increase in single family homes in the country. This is a sign of economic recovery from the pandemic slow-down experienced early last year. In September alone, permits were approved for almost 1,000 new units to be built throughout Southwest Florida. With all of these factors combined, it is a tough market be a builder in! Here at Southwest Florida Dream Builders, we have been lucky enough to only need small adjustments to continue to provide the quality homes that we deliver (currently) at 16-18 months. We have a few slots left for the rest of the year, with a predictably large amount of consumers shopping for homes in the Rotonda, South Gulf Cove, and Englewood area.

We are now sitting in our new model at 878 Boundary Boulevard in Rotonda (that’s the corner of Rotonda Blvd. East and Boundary Blvd.) from 9-3 Monday-Friday. If you would like to know more about land or homes in the local area, be sure to stop by and save a spot for your dream home today!

Farmers Market Off The Market

This week’s blog is about an announcement by the Englewood Farmer’s Market that they must close permanently. Wink News (below) has a video news segment and an article explaining that the market must close due to ongoing construction. The market had been open for over a decade and brought customers from all over Southwest Florida (and beyond!). One hopeful note, the Englewood Community Redevelopment Advisory Board wants to continue the farmer’s market. They hope to find a nonprofit to reopen the market in a temporary location until the construction is finished. Here at Southwest Florida Dream Builders, we will miss the bagels. Frankly, we don’t know where else we could get bagels of the same caliber and we realize that we might need to accept a lesser quality, now.

We are now sitting in our new model at 878 Boundary Boulevard in Rotonda (that’s the corner of Rotonda Blvd. East and Boundary Blvd.) from 9-3 Monday-Friday. If you would like to know more about land or homes in the local area, be sure to stop by and save a spot for your dream home today!

New Summer Diet Plan; Skim Fast To Slim Fast

This week’s blog is about an article in Surfer Today about Manasota Beach. Englewood’s sandy shores have some great skimboarding conditions, and it was the subject of a recent article (see link below). The beach is long and wide, which gives a consistent and large area to skim. Also, the sand is heavier than the sugar sand typical of beaches to the North. This helps the board to slide nicely and keeps from blowing in the wind. The beach is crescent shaped, giving variety to the swell; and with waves sized 1-2.5 feet, you have perfect conditions to ride sand or small waves. So, once the red tide clears up, dust off the ol’ skimboard from the garage or go pick up a new one at the dive and surf shop at San Casa and Placida. It’s a lot of fun and it's right here!

We are now sitting in our new model at 878 Boundary Boulevard in Rotonda (that’s the corner of Rotonda Blvd. East and Boundary Blvd.) from 9-3 Monday-Friday. If you would like to know more about land or homes in the local area, be sure to stop by and save a spot for your dream home today!

The Price Of Lumber Has Yet To Slumber

This week’s blog is about an article (attached) by National Public Radio concerning the price of lumber and what that tells us about the current economy. As you may know, lumber prices came to record highs this year. That has been partially due to a homebuilding demand, but issues also stemmed from the lumber mills themselves. The price of raw timber has not moved very much, but the processed lumber has changed dramatically. According to NPR “In the early months of the pandemic, many sawmills shut down, both for health reasons and because they assumed demand for lumber would plummet. Instead, demand took off. Stuck at home, Americans in large numbers began adding decks, repairing fences and even building treehouses.” Even though lumber futures have dropped lately, lumber still costs about 80% more now than it did before the pandemic. We have not seen any drop in costs from our suppliers here at Southwest Florida Dream Builders. For an interesting read, please follow the link below to the article.

We are now sitting in our new model at 878 Boundary Boulevard in Rotonda (that’s the corner of Rotonda Blvd. East and Boundary Blvd.) from 9-3 Monday-Friday. If you would like to know more about land or homes in the local area, be sure to stop by and save a spot for your dream home today!

Century: A People’s History of Charlotte County

This week’s blog is about a new book being published that chronicles some of the interesting history of Charlotte county. Century: A People’s History of Charlotte County was written/edited by James Abraham and was featured in the attached article from Florida Weekly. The book is what Abraham calls a “Cafeteria-style read”, where the information can be enjoyed in multiple different ways. It includes his own narrative, essays from historians and experts, and lots of maps, pictures, etc. According to Mr. Abraham, “…if a reader did nothing but read the captions under every photo and graphic in the book, they’d have a working history of the county at the centennial.” There are many interesting subjects to even include his extended section in the 1960s chapter on kids’ fun. Just reading Florida Weekly’s article brings a sense of how fun this book would be for those interested in Charlotte County’s history.

We are now sitting in our new model at 878 Boundary Boulevard in Rotonda (that’s the corner of Rotonda Blvd. East and Boundary Blvd.) from 9-3 Monday-Friday. If you would like to know more about land or homes in the local area, be sure to stop by and save a spot for your dream home today!

Relocations to Florida showing no signs of slowing down

This week’s blog is about a recent article by ABC 7 discussing relocations to Florida staying steady with no signs of slowing. Between January 2020 and April 2021, at least 555,710 people have moved to Florida. New Yorkers were the number one population increase, with New Jersey and Georgia in second place. FGCU experts say the new world of working remotely has been a big factor in recent migration. “Being able to move out and trying to find other things they like, I think it does play a role,” said Dr. Amir Neto, the interim director of FGCU’s Regional Economic Research Institute. The article features a nicely made chart showing the number of Driver Licenses switched from NY to FL from 2019 to 2021.

Here at Southwest Florida Dream Builders, we have certainly noticed that the number of customers moving from states mentioned in the article has been strong. We are now sitting in our new model at 878 Boundary Boulevard in Rotonda from 9-3 Monday-Friday. If you would like to know more about land or homes in the local area, be sure to stop by and save a spot for your dream home today!

Picnic companies popping-up picnics in the sand

This week’s blog is about a fun thing to do for an evening out. ABC-7 recently covered some local luxury picnic companies in Southwest Florida. The idea is you can take a date (or with some companies, up to 23 guests!) to a beach location that these companies set up for a picnic. For the three companies that were chosen in the article, each company has their own particular spin on the picnic. There is a company that includes nice large charcuterie boards, another includes a photo shoot, etc. It looks like a great way to have some relaxed fun and enjoy good company. There are so many fun and interesting things to do in Southwest Florida. We encourage you to get out and explore this little piece 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!

CCW Protected by Florida Law in Charlotte County

This week’s blog is about a recent decision by the Charlotte County Commissioners to become a second amendment sanctuary. Charlotte County is now adding its name to the growing list of second amendment sanctuaries in Florida. Lee, Hendry, Desoto and Collier are all already on the list, among 43 other Florida counties. This decision is intended to protect the rights of properly licensed citizens to carry firearms. For those who are interested in the laws and processes, below is the website for Charlotte County CCW and the article about the recent commissioners’ decision.

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!

Prices continue to climb

This week’s blog is about the recent surges in the prices of homebuilding materials. Below is an article discussing the rising prices of lumber, and it’s effect on the housing market. Here at Southwest Florida Dream Builders, we have been diligently tracking the prices of materials and ensuring that we keep affordability balanced with the rising trends in building materials.

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!

To our SURPRISE; tourism on the RISE

This week’s blog is about a recent article by WINK news, which discusses domestic travel increasing as tourism in Southwest Florida begins to bounce back from the low numbers that we saw last year. Tourists have gone from “making last-minute decisions to travel, but now they are booking hotel rooms with months’ anticipation.” Southwest Florida International Airport is recovering faster than any other airport. Ben Siegel, the executive director of the Lee County Port Authority, said an increase in domestic travel is balancing out the lack of international tourism. For more on this story, and a video on the topic, see the link below to WINK 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!

Ice in the heat; pretty neat

This week’s blog is about a little piece of history in Punta Gorda. The Port Charlotte Sun recently wrote an article on three ice plants in the 1800s. Mechanical refrigeration was first patented in 1851 by a Dr. John Gorrie in Apalachicola, Florida, as a treatment for tropical diseases. Isaac Trabue, an early founder of Punta Gorda improved the idea, making factories able to mass produce ice. He built the town’s first ice plant in 1891 on both sides on Berry Street, between Virginia and Olympia. It was steam driven and could produce 15 tons per day. He later went on to build more over the next 11 years, which all makes for a very interesting story of ice plants in the sub-tropics. Visit Charlotte County online library resources to view photographs of Punta Gorda’s ice plants. There are many more facts and stories on the linked article. There is a rich history in Southwest Florida. We hope that some of you can get around and get interested.

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!

Housing market continues to climb in SWFL

This week’s blog is about a recent study by FGCU showing that the Southwest Florida housing market has been very healthy in recent months. Amir Neto, the interim director Regional Economic Research Institute in the Lutgert College of Business at FGCU said, “One of the big things we’re seeing here is early retirees moving, plus people who could work from home remotely also making this move to Southwest Florida.” Here at Southwest Florida Dream Builders, we have experienced a larger volume of serious homebuyers than the prior several snowbird seasons. Following a related Wink article, also linked below, the median home price in Charlotte County went from $239,950 to $269,900. Lee County’s median price rose from $262,500 to $319,150 year over year. Due to high demand and rising building material prices, home prices all over Southwest Florida have risen quickly. The median home price for Collier County is up to $550,000! With low interest rates, and many leaving home states to work remotely, there is a lot of attention on the Florida housing market.

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!

SWFL Eagle Cam Catches Double Hatchlings

This week’s blog is about one of the many yearly natural wonders that happen here in Southwest Florida, the hatching of the bald eaglets. This year, in particular, holds a rare occurrence. The simultaneous hatching of two eaglets was caught on camera. The adults and chicks can be seen on the Southwest Florida Eagle Cam (link below). “This is the first time in the history of the cams that both eggs have started to hatch on the same day,” Ginnie Pritchett McSpadden, the founder of the cam site, said in an email to the News-Press. “This is due to the delayed incubation tactics the adults use to keep the eaglets as close in age as possible to minimize sibling rivalry seen in the first few weeks of life.”

There really is something for everyone to enjoy in Southwest Florida. With professional baseball teams currently playing, natural wonders like these eaglets, and all of the year-round activities; there is always some fun to get into. 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!

Spray Foam Vs Batting Insulation

This week’s blog is about the two most common types of attic insulation, spray foam and fiberglass batting. We are going to discuss some of the pros and cons of each type, along with some things to consider when choosing which insulation you select for your home. Insulation is designed to prevent the transfer of heat from one point of the home to another. Inefficient “heat transfer” is a major cause of energy inefficiency. This contributes to a higher electric bill for the homeowner, and a warmer house in Southwest Florida.

Fiberglass batt insulation is the most common type of home insulation in America, and for good reason. Installation is easy to perform correctly, because it is available in standard pre-cut sizes. This means that creating tight barrier between the outside heat and your air-conditioned space is plain to the eye of the installer. However, while batts create a heat barrier, they require additional work to create and airtight seal. This is not the case with spray foam, although the answer is a little more complicated than that.

Spray foam insulation is a more complex installation than fiberglass batts, which makes it more expensive. The product can act as a thermal barrier, air barrier, and moisture/vapor barrier (when installed correctly). As the spray foam is shot out of specialized equipment, it can be difficult for installers to ensure a complete seal.

Here at Southwest Florida Dream Builders, no matter the type of insulation, we work closely with both the insulation installers and with a separate Energy Load Calculation company to ensure proper installation and protection for your air-conditioned spaces. Please see the sites below for professional insulation installer comparisons, and some information on how insulation works (in detail). 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!

Starbucks moving into Englewood!

This week’s blog is about an article by the Englewood Sun announcing the addition of Starbucks in front of Englewood Walmart. Engineers have recently submitted plans to the Englewood Water District and a spokesperson has also confirmed that the company is planning a 2500 sqft shop with a drive-thru and covered sitting area. The shop has also been confirmed to have a Fall of 2021 projected completion date. Here at Southwest Florida Dream Builders, we believe that this shows expected continued population growth and is a sign of economic stability. As our town moves from being a small town with a seasonal boom to a more stable yearly population, we can confidently invest in the years to come.

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!