SW FL Overview 3

The islands are of course heavily sought after, and the prices reflect it. Each island has a distinct quality:

Fort Myers Beach is a well known, seven mile long barrier island with a mixture of condos and single family homes. It becomes very quiet here in the summer, but come season (Christmas to Easter) is heavily populated. High rises typically don’t go over 8-12 stories or so, but there are a few exceptions and long stretches of the island will have nothing over 3-4 stories tall. Numerous canal homes are on the bay side, but because the island is so skinny nearly everything is a short walk to the beach! Beachfront properties have become increasingly sought after in the past few years and many of the older homes are being torn down and replaced with high end $4 million dollar + kind of properties. The sand is exceptional throughout this area and will rival most anything else found in the U.S.  (The East coast of Florida has nicer bluer shades of water, but their sand isn’t equivalent).

Fort Myers Beach is divided somewhat into two different areas: the Northern half and the Southern half.  The North has more of the hotels, the shops and quirky little spots that you expect on an island…the fun spots to visit.  The South end is the quieter, bigger condo communities that are nice, neat, and clean retreats from it all. Marinas exist on the North End (Moss Marine), the center (Snookbight Marina), and the South (Fishtale). Keeping a boat at either the North or South end of the island will place you very close to the ideal locations in the County for boating, fishing, and leisurely boating (arguably only superseded by Punta Rossa’s location, where the bridge connecting Sanibel to the mainland begins).  I myself am a Fort Myers Beach resident, so I am very familiar with the place!  Feel free to ask questions if you are looking to buy on the island in the near future as it’s a wonderful place to live. Note that Hurricanes have significantly altered the island in recent years, but everything is building back more elevated and more resilient. It still has a ways to go, but prices are likely lower now than they will be in the future, given the demand.

Sanibel and Captiva are beautiful international destinations, regularly visited by vacationers from across the world.  It has a totally different character than Ft Myers Beach, as it has large tracts of unspoiled natural land. Actually about 1/2 the island is a large wildlife preserve: Ding Darling. It is recommended to visit if you are in town. These two islands are fairly exclusive and the pricing shows it with many homes exceeding the million dollar mark. There is even a $6 toll to cross the bridge, which aims to keep it that way. (None on Ft Myers Beach).  There is an old lighthouse at the Eastern end (arguably it could be though of as the Southern tip, though we don’t refer to it as such) as well as public beach access.  There is also public boat ramps on either side of the bridge. Sand here is exceptional, just like Ft Myers Beach, especially on the Eastern end (again, arguably the South).  A little mentioned secret is the further North, heading up to Captiva, or the further South, down to Naples & Marco Island the water gets nicer and nicer. Note that Captiva has extremely limited public parking though, so public access is tricky. Many of the homes here tend to be vacation properties for affluent Northerners and International visitors.  Expect to pay hefty prices to be on Captiva, while on Sanibel an occasional single family home (non-waterfront) comes available under a half million. Hurricanes have had a notable affect on these islands as well, but they are rebuilding with increased strength too.

As the vast majority of the buyers on this site are after waterfront property, we’ll jump right into an overview of the area waterfront next. And even if waterfront isn’t a requirement for you, there’s still plenty of info to be found on this site- just focus on whatever is of interest to you! Next: “The Waterfront Buyer’s Guide.”