I can't speak for mid state East coast, but Miami-Lauderdale area is primarily condos and anything reasonable on the water with a slip will run top dollar, especially a single family home. I've found that Naples, Fort Myers, Cape Coral, etc have very reasonable single family homes under $500k that are on inland waterways connected to the Gulf. If you're willing to idle out, you can find some nice gems on the West coast, some already have boat lifts included. However, Miami-Lauderdale has the nightlife, shows, etc. Never a dull moment down here and the Keys are only an hour drive...by car or boat!

At 36 I would look at Tampa on the West Coast and WPB down to Miami on the east coast. Houses with docks will definitely be $500ish and up here in SE Fla. There are condos and Townhomes that are a bit less or newer construction. Lots of nightlife from the Ft Lauderdale area and surrounding areas.

Shoot me a pm or call or text anytime for info on the SE coast.

954-seven three two -9020
Greg

I am partial to Fort Lauderdale . I bought a condo on the intercoastal that has dockage . Best of both worlds . The boating is fantastic . Lots of great restaraunts and night life .
Rick G .

I agree with Greg, being 36 years old you should stick to the places between Palm Beach and Miami on the East coast or near Tampa on the west coast.

Naples and Bonita Springs the traffic has gotten to be intolerable, borderline gridlock. And no room to expand the roads or create new ones.

Fort Myers and Cape Coral is ruined by that muddy polluted water their dumping down the Caloosahatchee River into the Gulf.

St Pete is affordable and has a great little city that has just gotten rebuilt. Great clean water to boat on , endless areas to boat to

years ago I fell in love with Cocoa Beach for the affordability but it is too cold in the winter for me now.

Travel around more. Do you want extremely laid back? Do you want old Florida? Do you want nightlife? Do a few weekend trips.

For $600K in Miami you could have a small old 600 sq ft condo and $600K in Boca you could have a Jewish neighbor that files lawsuits against you all the time.

Seriously, for $600K in Stuart you could buy a 3000 sq ft house on the water and live in a boaters paradise with a decent mix of normal people. i personally think you can get a heckava lot up in Stuart for $600K. If you want some listings off MLS let me know.

I am envious of those price numbers. Here on Lake Washington my place would sell for $4.8 million and isn't that fancy a place. What you are describing is a lot of living down there for no overhead.

I currently live in Tampa, but have also lived in Miami as well as Ft. Lauderdale. Based upon my experience, St. Pete / Tampa is the best option hands down. The west coast has warmer, cleaner water and lots of great sandbars. On the east coast most of the intercoastal is no wake zones so it takes forever to get anywhere unless you run outside, which isn't always possible due to weather. In St. Pete $600k will buy you a decent waterfront house. It might need a few updates, but you could move right in. On the east coast there is way more traffic and congestion, plus you better learn Spanish if you go too far south.

Give Greg (Cash Bar) a call if you haven't already. He's a great agent that goes above and beyond the call. He was and continues to be a tremendous help for us when it comes to buying and managing Florida property from a far. He has endless resources and never gives up till he finds the ideal property for you. Seriously, give him a call, he's a great agent that works his tail off. He's a very valuable resource.

Thank you Tim. I do my best but know my limitations. :-)

If I was 36 I would not look too far from Tampa or Ft Lauderdale. A better price isn't always the best answer.