IS NOW A GOOD TIME TO BUY REAL-ESTATE IN FLORIDA?

Having made a low-ball offer on a  property in gorgeous Naples, a chi-chi town in South-Western Florida prior to going on the Marketers’ cruise around the Caribbean, after some negotiations, we closed escrow on our first US property in April 2010. Yay – we’re now proud owners of somewhere we can call our winter home, US visas permitting. Oh the joys of the Internet business lifestyle, where as long as you have an Internet connection and a laptop, you have a portable business!

We paid 80% less for this property than it sold for 5 years ago! It represents to us incredible value, especially when compared to UK property prices.
Plus, we love the winter sunshine!

WE ONLY VISITED FLORIDA FOR SOME WINTER SUNSHINE AND A CRUISE!

Well, Eve & I needed (OK – wanted!) some winter sunshine so we spent a few weeks in Florida touring around prior to going on our first ever cruise: socialising and networking with several hundred marketers & entrepreneurs, hoping for a Joint Venture or two! We visited Miami, Orlando, Tampa, Fort Myers, Marco Island, Sarasota and fabulous Naples, which I’d visited 20 years or so ago. It was smarter and more stylish than ever and Eve loved it too.

Having lots of time on our hands, (one of the advantages of working for yourself with a laptop!), we idly picked up some real-estate / property magazines and ‘casually’ set up a few appointments, ‘just to see what was on offer’ in the Sunshine State. The answer? Great value and loads of sunshine, the outdoor life, friendly people and great seafood. The upshot is that we’ve made an offer on a property in an immaculately maintained development.

We are off on the Caribbean cruise now, visiting Cozumel, Belize, Honduras and Yucatan Peninsula, so will have to wait and see if our offer is accepted….. Watch this space!