homes

Affordable Florida Housing May Be Around For a While

If it’s your dream to live in Florida, this seems to be a good time to find an affordable house or condo in an area you may not have been able to afford years ago.

It appears that the Florida housing market is still having problems, which is good news for buyers. A three bedroom, two bath home with a pool, in a location near the Intracoastal Waterway can be purchased for around $200,000. I was looking at one on the Trulia.com site which had over 2800 square feet of living space, and a yearly insurance rate of around $1100. It had three bathrooms and a nice looking pool. Definitely doable, but would I want to live there full time? Continue reading “Affordable Florida Housing May Be Around For a While”

Florida Vacation Rental Review, Part 4

I made this picture large so you don’t miss the big, white hand in the background. Hmmmmmmm. I really have nothing more to say about that, but it was in the front yard of our Fisherman’s Cottage rental property.

The front yard (water side) is also where we found the hot tub. As you can see the cover is too large and it’s torn. Not in good shape – just like much of the rest of the place. It was the end of June when we rented this house in New Smyrna Beach so it was way too hot to consider going in the hot tub – and I knew that tub was full of the nasty water… yuk… who wants to soak in that? Continue reading “Florida Vacation Rental Review, Part 4”

Would You Have a Seashell Driveway?

Coquillages à Fadiouth, Sénégal — Image via Wikipedia

One option for a southern driveway would be to fill it with seashells. Obviously this would not work in the north and no company (that I know of) even offers it where driveways need to hold up to snow plowing. But it’s an option for those living in a tropical climate and the crushed shells add an old Florida look to the yard.

Lets list the Pros and Cons of this type of driveway.

Pros:

All natural
Good looking and light colored (cooler than pavement)
Porous – won’t hold puddles
Won’t crack or stain
Can be used right away

Cons:

Rough surface – no going barefoot!
As a play area the kids might not be so happy. (Biking, roller skating, scooters, etc.)
It will move around – shells can be displaced and end up in the lawn and nearby gardens.

Truthfully, I like the idea of having a seashell driveway, but these are things to think about. I don’t know how the cost compares to concrete or asphalt, but it’s another option if you need a driveway in the south. If you live near Jupiter, Florida give Brier’s Bobcat a call with your questions.