Homes

The term refers to floor plans with at least one large room that serves several purposes, is usually at the center of the home, and often (not always) has high ceilings. Most typically, homes with a great room are considered open concept: the kitchen, dining area and living room in one large space with no walls between them. More generally, open concept means fewer walls and larger, “airy” spaces.

Open floor plans really took hold in the late ’90s or so. If you are comfortable buying an older home that is not open concept, it might be easy to open it up, should you have an appetite for renovation. Most homes here have concrete block exterior walls and roof trusses that span between them, so few interior walls carry the roof; the largest, priciest homes are the exception.

Most communities in Naples do not have natural gas, so ranges, ovens, water heaters, clothes dryers and the like run on electricity. When a community does have natural gas, the listing will usually say so. Some believe gas is better for cooking and drying clothes, and if you grill outdoors, a gas line is a great convenience. A whole-home standby generator can run on natural gas or on propane. For heating a pool, gas heats water fastest, though an electric heat pump costs less to run.

If a community does not have natural gas, you might be able to install a large propane tank for the home, above ground or buried in the yard. Not every community allows it, but some do.

A home with southern exposure has its rear facing south. Because we are north of the equator, a south-facing rear gets the most direct sun through the day.

Listings of pool homes with a southern rear exposure will often say so, because the sun is on the pool for most of the day, which most buyers want. The rear of the home is also where most outdoor living happens, and where many of its largest windows are. If you want a light, bright home, a southern rear exposure is one way to help ensure it, and southern exposure homes can command a premium. The home search can narrow homes by rear exposure.

Having a northern rear exposure does not mean there will be no sun on the pool. Much depends on how far the pool is from the home, the pitch of the roof, the season and the time of day. And whatever a home’s orientation, the sun’s path shifts through the year.

Because of our high water table. In much of Collier County, the water table is only a few feet below the surface, so a typical basement would flood, and the cost of a waterproof one is too high to justify. With newer building methods, some condominium, hotel and retail buildings now have underground parking; building below ground is possible here, but the cost deters most.

Driving around Naples, you will see many storage facilities. That is due in large part to the many northerners moving here permanently with nowhere to put everything that lived in their basements up north.

Most homes in Naples are built of concrete block, though wood frame (“stick frame”) is used too, often for the second story of a two-story home. Every home built today must meet Florida’s very strict building code, and homes built since 2002 must protect their windows and doors from storm debris, with impact glass or storm shutters. How a home is built affects how it stands up to a storm and what it costs to insure; Chapter 7 covers it in detail.

Technically, a lanai is a roofed outdoor porch. In Florida, the term covers a roofed porch with or without an open, unroofed area beyond it. Covered or partly open to the sun, lanais are usually enclosed in a screened cage to keep bugs out, and most homes have one. Leaving the lanai unscreened is becoming more common, especially in higher-end homes.

So-called “builder grade” air conditioning might last only 10 years or so if not well maintained, and a really cheap system perhaps only five. Better systems can last much longer; I have seen 20-year-old units running perfectly. They will not have the efficiency of newer systems and can be expensive to maintain, but A/C systems can last well over 10 years if they are of decent quality, maintained and used within their limits. (Running the A/C on a humid day with windows or doors open is not what it is designed for.)

A/C is the biggest electricity draw in most Florida homes, and it runs all year. It pays to have an efficient system that is well cared for.

Tip: clearing your A/C’s condensate line every three months is a great way to keep the A/C company away. A clogged line is one of the most common reasons a system stops cooling.

This is not an easy question, given how hard it is to compare homes side by side to begin with. That said, set location aside and make the best apples-to-apples comparison you can on everything else that matters to you, and a similar home north of Naples might cost less. If not, it probably should. Location matters a great deal in the value of real estate.

Please know that Bonita Springs and Estero have considerably fewer homes to choose from. In a typical search across Naples, Bonita Springs and Estero, 70% to 80% of what exists is in Naples; Naples is simply larger. There are also long-term costs to consider: property taxes are often higher in Lee County than in Collier County. And there are quality-of-life considerations. All that said, I have helped many buy in Lee County, and there are some wonderful communities north of Naples.

Please see Chapter 9, Buying a Home.

A cul-de-sac is a dead-end street, often (not always) with a rounded end.

Cul-de-sacs are popular because there is no through traffic: if you do not live on one, you are not likely to drive on it at all. They are often quieter than streets that wind through a community.

A cul-de-sac with a rounded end often has “pie-shaped” lots at the end, narrower at the front than at the rear. That puts more distance between homes where it arguably matters most, at the back, where the lanai, pool and outdoor entertaining space are.

If you see a lot described as “zero lot line,” the first thing to know is that the description might be wrong. I have met many more agents who do not know what it means than agents who do. Simply, a zero lot line means that at least one side of the building sits directly on a boundary of the lot, with no setback. It is not particularly common in Naples.

A lot premium is money paid for a lot over and above the price of a standard lot. Most new construction “production” builders charge lot premiums, and in some new communities every lot carries one. Unfortunately, some do not make this clear in their marketing. I raise it at the start of every new construction conversation: base price, lot premium, permit-related options, other options, pool packages and more all belong in the calculation of any new construction purchase.

Lot premiums usually come up with new construction, but they matter in resale too: a superior lot that once carried a large premium affects resale pricing.

Location, location, location are the top three factors in the value of a lot, in both quantitative and qualitative terms. Where the lot is in Naples matters. Where it is in its community matters. And where it sits in relation to roads, other homes, water and the sun matters. Beyond location, a lot’s size and shape can also have a significant effect on its value.

The county values the land and the building on it separately for tax purposes, and property insurers look at them separately as well. The land remains, even after a disaster.

If you are looking at houses in some non-gated communities, you might notice a large mound in front of or beside a house. It is most likely a raised septic drain field (a “mound system”), which means the home is on septic rather than sewer. It likely relies on well water too.

A house, or single-family home, is a single, freestanding home designed for one household. The site counts detached villas as houses too.

You might notice that some newer homes have garages that take a hard turn to get in and out of: they are side-entry. Many builders and owners choose this design because of the narrower, deeper lots common today. On a narrow lot, a front-facing garage takes up a large part of the front of the home; turning it to the side gives it better curb appeal, in many people’s view.

Unfortunately, many side-entry homes do not leave enough room to back out easily: you must back up through a turn. Some drivers will not be comfortable with it.

When many dream of owning a home in the tropical paradise of Naples, they picture afternoons on the lanai, a drink in hand, between dips in the pool. In reality, many who own pools never use them.

Can a pool help resale? Yes, but it is not essential. Plenty of buyers choose not to have one: they know they will not use it, do not want to maintain it, are nervous about visiting grandchildren around it, and so on. That said, if you buy a home without a pool, it would be wise to choose one where a pool could be added; a home with no pool and no room for one is a resale negative.

A townhouse is a two-story home attached to its neighbors, generally four to ten to a building, each sharing at least one wall. A townhouse never has another home above it.

It depends on the price point. Some higher-priced townhouses have one; others are designed with space to add one, which makes it very easy to put in.

The form of ownership comes from the property’s legal documents, not its shape. Many townhouses in Naples are owned as single-family homes, with the land beneath them, and many others are condominiums. The difference is very important: property insurance, what the association maintains and what you are responsible for all follow from it. Generally, a townhouse owned as single-family carries more direct responsibility for maintenance and insurance than a condominium does.

In a building of more than two townhouses, at least one will have windows only at the front and back, with none on the sides. Many buyers want an end unit if possible: it is typically brighter, with more windows, and it shares only one wall instead of two.

Smaller townhouses usually have all the bedrooms on the second floor. If you have trouble with stairs, or think you might someday, a townhouse might not be a good fit.

Naples does not have many townhouses, but they exist in some communities.

Unfortunately, many condominiums do not allow pets, especially many “luxury” condos close to the beach, and those that do often limit them greatly by size or weight. The home search can narrow homes to those where pets are allowed.

As to why pets are an issue for many condominiums, it comes down to noise, upkeep and liability. Noise is self-explanatory: many pets make none, and some like to hear themselves “talk” all day. As for upkeep, pets can make a mess of shared interior spaces and the landscaping. And liability rises with close encounters, in elevators for example; if someone is bitten, the association might be blamed for allowing a “vicious animal” on the property.

The home search sorts condominiums by the height of the building: low-rise (one to three stories), mid-rise (four to seven) and high-rise (eight or more).

One advantage of any building of three stories or more is that it should have an elevator. (A handful of older three-story buildings in Naples, built before accessibility standards were widely adopted, have none.)

A clear disadvantage of taller buildings is their annual cost. High-rise costs in particular are very high, for insurance as well as maintenance, and high-rises have the highest annual carrying costs. Should a large special assessment be needed for a major repair, it could be pricey. Chapter 5 covers Florida’s newer condominium safety laws.

Coach home and carriage home are names given to many two-story buildings here. They are condominium buildings of no more than two stories, with each home on either the first or the second floor, not both, so each has one floor. Second-floor homes are reached by exterior or interior stairs.

Carriage homes are usually larger and generally have four homes to a building, so each has windows on three sides and one shared wall down the middle of the building.

Coach home buildings typically have six or more homes, some up to twelve, so many have windows at the front and back only, with shared walls on either side.

Please know that coach and carriage are often used interchangeably. Coach home is much more common here, even for buildings with four homes.

Coach homes and carriage homes most often have a garage, for one car or two, either attached to the home or detached from it.

An attached garage is like the garage of most houses: you enter it directly from inside the home.

A detached garage is a separate building, usually just outside the condominium building. Opposite the garage door is a door for the owner, usually aligned with the home so that, in rain or other weather, time outdoors is short.

Please know that some single garages have very narrow entries, not suited to larger vehicles or to drivers without the skill to navigate them.

An attached villa, also called a twin villa or a duplex, is usually a single-story building holding two homes side by side with one shared wall. All other walls are each home’s own, and the shared wall is built as a fire barrier. Like townhouses, many attached villas are owned as single-family homes and some are condominiums; the form of ownership matters, for the reasons given above.

Attached villas are a great middle ground between a house and a condominium for many. If you cannot find a suitable house and do not want another home above or below you, as in a condominium, an attached villa might be a great solution.

Yes. Many attached villas have room for a pool, though it will likely be very small. (Is it a pool? Is it a spa? Some call these small pools “spools.”)

The shared wall between most attached villas is built of concrete block, then a thin layer of insulation, furring strips and drywall. It is thick, made of dense materials in several layers, and rated as a fire barrier. It is unusual to hear anything through it, but if your neighbor is being particularly loud, I suppose you might.

How far is it to the open Gulf, and how long does the trip take? Slow-speed and no-wake zones, including those that protect manatees, can add a good deal of time. Are there bridges along the way, and how much clearance do they leave? That matters for sailboats and for boats with towers or hardtops. How deep is the water at the dock, and along the route, at low tide? Is there a dock and a boat lift, what size are they, and what condition are they in? In some communities, boat slips are leased or bought separately rather than coming with the home.

A seawall is the wall along the water’s edge that holds the land in place, and most canal and bay homes have one. Seawalls do not last forever. Repairing or replacing one is costly and requires permits, so its age, its condition, whether it has been inspected and who is responsible for it, you or an association, all matter.

In a sense. Most lakes in Naples communities were dug to hold stormwater. They are pretty and often home to wildlife (alligators included), but they are not for swimming or boating. A lake view can still add value.

There is much to know about building a new home in Naples. There can be significant upsides, and serious potential downsides, including poor construction quality and financial uncertainty.

There are significant differences between buying in a new community from a “production” builder and choosing your own builder to build on land you have bought. Wherever your interest in new construction falls, I suggest we discuss the current opportunities that might work well for you. I have helped many buy new construction and have much to say about it that should be worthwhile for you to hear. The home search can narrow homes to new construction.

Each has real advantages. A new home is built to the current building code, usually with impact glass, efficient systems and a builder’s warranty, often costs less to insure, and lets you choose your plan and finishes. A resale home is finished and ready: mature landscaping, an established community without construction traffic, an association with a track record you can examine, and a price you can compare with recent sales nearby. Which matters more depends on your timeline, your budget and how much you want to choose for yourself.

More often than many buyers expect. In my experience, everything can move. Depending on the community, the market and how much the builder needs the sale, the price, the lot premium, options and upgrades, closing costs and incentives can all be negotiated. Homes a builder has already started or finished (often called inventory or spec homes) frequently have the most room.

A resale typically closes in 30 to 60 days. A home built from scratch takes many months, and sometimes more than a year, from contract to closing, and completion dates are usually estimates. An inventory home can close much sooner.

The builder’s contract is written by the builder’s attorneys, for the builder. It usually limits your remedies, allows delays, and sets its own rules for changes and for what happens if you cannot close. Deposits are usually larger than in a resale, and in Florida a builder may use part of a deposit for construction if the contract says so. Read it closely, ideally with your own agent and attorney, before you sign.

An independent inspector is worth it even for a brand-new home: ideally once before the drywall goes up, while the framing, wiring and plumbing are still visible, and again before closing. What the builder’s warranty covers, and for how long, varies from builder to builder. And the final walkthrough before closing should come with a list of everything that must be finished or fixed.

The builder’s sales team represents the builder. If you want representation of your own, bring your agent on your first visit, or have your agent register you beforehand: many builders will not recognize an agent who was not part of that first visit. Chapter 10 explains buyer representation in full.