Frequently Asked Questions


	Frequently asked questions

How much are taxes on this home? The details page on each property lists the most recent year of reported annual property taxes. It’s typically the last item or so listed in all of the details, in the financial details section. You can also verify this with the info found in the section about property taxes. How much is insurance on this home? Insurance will certainly vary on each property and sellers don’t tend to offer this kind of information in the listings. However, I can certainly ask on any property of notable interest to you! As a general rule, If it’s late model construction then homeowners insurance will be relatively low. Older, or frame construction, or multiple stories, and/or close proximity to large water bodies or the beach tend to cost more. Here’s a link to the section about homeowners and flood insurance, offering some additional thoughts. How much are the homeowner association fees on this property? On the details page of each listing, scroll down to the bottom of the info to the financial section. Here it lists condo and association fees, as well as if additional master HOA fees apply. Because of the complexity to some neighborhoods with multiple associations involved I provide a simpler solution: take note of that last item entitled “Total annual recurring fees.” Divide that number by 12 months a year, and there’s your monthly HOAs, added up. And of course should you have any further questions or concerns about them, just contact me to discuss further. Note that most single family homes on Fort Myers Beach and in Cape Coral do not have HOAs. How do short sales work? Is this price real? This question isn’t so relevant anymore as short sales have largely disappeared. But as I still get the question, you can get a good overview of how short sales work here. Where are the bridges and how tall are they? As far as the major bridges are concerned: The big bridges across the Caloosahatchee River which divide Cape Coral from Fort Myers are 55 feet in height. The Sanibel Causeway is 70 feet in height and the Matanzas Pass bridge on the North end of Fort Myers Beach is 65 feet tall. The South end of Fort Myers Beach presently has a drawbridge, so height is not a concern. And in regards to the smaller bridges: If your search is for Cape Coral property, you can easily access the bridge height location and height information at the following link: Cape Coral bridge heights. Fort Myers, Bonita Springs, Naples and the surrounding areas have significant height variations-- just call me regarding any specific area you are interested in. Where are Cape Coral’s locks & lifts? This information can be found in the Cape Coral Section of The SW Florida Buyer’s Guide here. Which Cape Coral canals are freshwater? Saltwater? And what’s the difference? Saltwater is slang used locally to refer to the canals that offer boating access to the river as well as the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico. In all reality it is not a reference to the actual salinity levels! In most cases, its a somewhat brackish mixture if its a ways up the canal system. Freshwater has no Gulf access and may be a canal network that merely goes a block or two and offers little added value, or perhaps to a small network of a few miles of canals and a collection of little freshwater lakes. Around here, virtually everybody is of course targeting the saltwater, Gulf access canals. You can easily see which canals are which by reviewing the Cape Coral Gulf access saltwater canal and freshwater canal system maps I provide here. Note that in any searches you do on this site you are always free to specify Gulf access: yes or no, to yield the appropriate results. And no matter what section of town you are targeting, if it’s Gulf access you want the best spot to begin your search is on my Southwest Florida Gulf access only search page located here. Are there an assessments due on this property & how much? Any property with unpaid assessments should specify ‘Unpaid assessments’ in either the descriptive sections about Water and/or Sewer, if applicable. Note that if they instead say ‘Well’ and/or ‘Septic’ in some parts of town that may mean that future conversion may be coming. Simply call me to discuss further! You can also gain a much better understanding of how the assessments work in Cape Coral at this link. Other areas of town typically do not have the massive conversion projects underway, so they are of much lesser concern. But again, when in doubt, just give me a call!

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	Daniel G. Starowicz, P.A. Premiere Plus Realty, Co. 4020 S. Del Prado Blvd. Suite B-2, Cape Coral, FL 33904 239-603-6100

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