Every Real Estate investor has tales of having been at the "Next Great Place" (e.g. Vegas, Phoenix, Vail or Orlando) at "just the right time" to reap a harvest of real estate price appreciation, perhaps a result of such market dynamics as sun, surf, snow, entertainment, employment or leisure. The primary reason that "NGPs" continue to grow include; vacant areas waiting to be built up, a favorable climate, the same reasons that perpetuate the "where people go - I go" factor.
Charlotte Harbor (in this writer's backyard) consists of the communities of Port Charlotte, North Port, Punta Gorda, Murdock, Rotunda and South Gulf Cove. We are nearly sandwiched between the "Artsy" Sarasota/Tampa Bay community and the "Glitzy" Naples/Ft. Myers enclaves. Now that Money Magazine has twice named us, "the Number One Best Place to Live in America" we have earned a degree of built-in name recognition and are no longer a best-kept secret. Charlotte Harbor rightly deserves it's new found popularity and status as "NGP". Twelve miles of whit sandy beaches and 129 square miles of sheltered water provide recreational opportunities and exceptional sites for waterfront living. The influence of the Gulf of Mexico provides a pleasant sub-tropical climate in both summer and winter.
The Great Place/Right Time Scenario began with major land companies platting some 500,000 homesites during the sixties and seventies. During the next ten payment years meant buyers defaulted on taxes and payments, resulting in a huge glut of surplus homesites. Within the last few years however, builders discovered our treasure trove of almost-free land and thanks to low interest rates and ever increasing influx of retirees from the cold North, Charlotte Harbor is now experiencing a booming market demand for homes and Real Estate of all types.
As each new wave of settlers arrive another wave of business entrepreneurs follow to profit from the population growth. Miami, Orlando and Jacksonville are only a few hours away via interstate highways and nearby International Airports connect us to the world. Creative Real Estate Practitioners always find ways to solve problems and earn big $$$ at all stages of boom/bust economic cycles. Charlotte Harbor is right now at the "Just Ready" phase for investors to ride the next population wave into the Next Great Place.
Unlike many so-called growth areas where political infighting's delay land development approvals, Charlotte Harbor still has several hundred thousand of the previously platted homesites left over from the sixties and seventies already in place, readily available for small or large builders to start home construction immediately.
The Charlotte Harbor problem/opportunity for creative ones is to convert 200,000 vacant jungle homesites into 200,000 tropical paradise homes for 200,000 baby boomer retirees. Compared to the total market potential of millions of baby boomers projected to retire where the sun shines most of the time, this should hardly be a challenge. Sometimes when I get stuck in the ever-increasing highway traffic I'm tempted to keep Charlotte Harbor a best kept secret for a little longer, but do come on down to the "NGP". We still have room for a lucky few!
