BUY THE BEACH HOUSE

It's time to make your Escape to Useppa Island.  Life is Short - BUY THE BEACH HOUSE!

Amazing waterfront lifestyles, boating, croquet, paddleboarding and more. No high rises, No crowds and No cars.

New Prices in Paradise.  Contact Us for a Tour of Remarkable Island Lifestyles.

Townhouse style Duplex Residences in Useppa Village

524 Useppa Island

Over 1,500 Square Feet in this tranquil cove. Now $529,000

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517 Useppa Island

Majestic Views and Beautifully Updated. Now $550.000

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511 Useppa Island

Over 1,700 Square Feet and Turnkey Furnished. Now $577,500

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It's Season on Useppa Island

It’s that time again.  T’is THE SEASON!
And, Useppans are returning to Useppa Island to enjoy “Paradise without a Passport” for the winter months.  At least, half of them.  The other half of our residents are Florida residents.  Happy Hour the past two Friday’s have been raucous; welcoming back friends we haven’t seen in months.

Hurricane Irma’s winds shredded this island…but only it’s foliage -- NOT the structures or Spirit of Useppa. Owners and other willing souls, along with the two General Contractors on the Island, worked to first clear the Island, then restore operations as quickly as possible.  While a little rough around the edges, the Island is back in business.

Oddly enough, Real Estate activities have popped back to pre-storm levels. Wish us luck on the three contracts written and presented.  

Have you seen our newest listing?  Belvedere Cottage, on the South end of Useppa with an incredible 270 degree view of both sunrise and sunset…and all that water!!  How good can it get?  Asking $2,250,000.00  4/4, elevator to all three levels, a view from every window, beautifully landscaped, hurricane hardened, 18,000 lb. lift, expansive private dock for a 50’ watercraft.  Come see us.  We are excited to show you Belvedere Cottage!

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Welcome to Useppa Island Living - 506 Useppa Island Just Sold

506 Useppa Island Just Sold

Beautifully renovated and includes an extra touch of architectural interest.

Mike and Annie Hyder have arrived to enjoy their new Useppa home from the Keswick, VA area.  This couple got an extra special welcome from September's Hurricane Irma.

Needless to say, they are a “go for it couple” and we are thrilled to welcome them to Useppa Living!!  Hello Hyder family and goodbye Irma.

What to Consider Before You Buy a Vacation Home

When Considering a Vacation Home

Buy it for the right reason

The Realtors association surveys find that the primary motivation for a vacation home purchase is vacationing. And many experts think that’s the best way to approach the deal. Rental income is so unpredictable it should be viewed as gravy, they say, and buyers certainly shouldn’t rely on it to cover their mortgage and other expenses. And the market is too unpredictable to expect to profit on a sale.

The approach with the fewest risks, many experts say, is for buyers to pick a place they will enjoy and focus on that as their top priority.

“Our buyers today are buying for a number of reasons, with the No. 1 reason being lifestyle and use,” says Nick Cassini, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Four Seasons Private Residences in Anguilla.

John Banczak, executive chairman of Turnkey Vacation Rentals, a property-management company, says that people who buy as a lifestyle choice “are the people that realize they love spending time in one place, may even retire there, have done the research and made the decision a second home is for them. Getting additional revenue through rentals is the icing on the cake.”

Purchasing Close to Home

Another aspect of location to consider: how far the spot is from the owners. The National Association of Realtors says 57% of vacation properties are at the beach or lake, with the median distance 200 miles from home—far enough to require spending money for a manager and caretaker. Little chores an owner would do himself or herself at home can thus get costly.

“In our experience, living close is really helpful if something goes wrong, but there are a huge number of services out there to hold keys, offer concierge services or otherwise help if you live further away,” says Laura Hall, communications director for Kid & Coe, a vacation-rental website. “So anything is possible if you’re willing to pay for it.”

Beware Buying a Property with the Intent to Sell it

Experts warn that only a reckless buyer expects a vibrant market every year. From the end of 2007 through 2012, primary-home prices dropped by 14.8%, vacation properties by 23%, the Realtors’ group says. Sales of vacation homes dropped in 2016 to 721,000, off 21.6% from the 920,000 in 2015. Mr. Cassini says there are fewer speculators in today’s market compared with the pre-recession boom.

It's Time to Buy that Vacation Home - New Prices on Useppa Island

Stunning views and a dock at your door. Beautifully appointed and ready for a new owner.

508 Useppa Island - Now offered for $569,000 with 3 bedrooms, 2 baths and 1,800+ square feet.  View Property Details

Set Your Watch for Island Time - Great Price Reductions

Get the updates and stunning views from 524 Useppa Island. Now priced at $549,000

Located in a quiet cove with 3 bedrooms, 2 baths and 1,508 square feet.  View Property Details

USEPPA ISLAND GETAWAY

By Nadine Welch

Mike holds a redfish landed on Ande Backcountry 8-pound test
 near Useppa Island Club.

Mike and I decided it was time to get out of Dodge and take a road trip with our flats boat. The hustle and bustle of south Florida makes this kind of trip a stark contrast and welcome break.

We ended up on Useppa, a small island between Pine Island and Cabbage Key, on the southwest coast of Florida. These places are almost due west of Fort Myers, near the mouth of Charlotte Harbor.

The path that led us there was anything but ordinary. It was as if we were being beckoned.

My first contact with Useppa was from the Palm Beach Boat Show in March. I attended a media event at the Lake Pavilion on the waterfront and discovered an oasis in the midst of all the craziness of the boat show. It was a gorgeous photo of Useppa Island: paradise without a passport, with an inviting area to relax during the media event. There were some goodies there and information, which I grabbed. That photo just seemed to call me…

We had planned to visit the west coast in the coming weeks, a trip to Bokeelia, on the north end of Pine Island, to fish. Once we finalized the dates, I reached out to Brian and Mary—the Useppa People, who are Realtors. They invited us to visit the Private Island Club, have lunch at the historic Collier Inn, and then took us on a golf cart tour of the island.

There are no roads here, only golf cart paths and walkways. My kind of island! It just seemed magical. We were invited to come back for an overnight visit to experience the island. Brian and Mary made the arrangements for us to return and visit as their guests. So, we loaded the car, hooked up the boat and were off.
Pine Island Sound here we come! 

We stopped in Matlacha and made a phone call to the Pineland Marina to check on bait. Good call. They were out of shrimp. We visited Carrie at the Barnhill Seafood Market in Matlacha who loaded us up with 200 monster shrimp. There was a stream behind the shop where we could get a few buckets of water to transport the shrimp safely to the marina. When you are on an island, you need to be proactive about supplies. Consider travel distances on the water to get what you need, and that options can be limited.

We launched the boat; I drove to park for the weekend and was greeted with a golf cart escort to the ramp. Headed out the cut from the marina, it feels as if you are soaring—having been set free from civilization and traffic. The waterways are expansive, and there are multiple mangrove cuts around every turn. There is so much water, so many cuts and areas to explore. The seagrass beds have expanded in the area 10 percent since the storms of 2008. The abundance of shoalgrass and turtlegrass has increased while the abundance of manatee grass has remained stable. In fact, the number of quadrants monitored in the area that are devoid of seagrass has decreased by 50 percent since 2005. This all makes for some clean water and great fishing.

Our first visit to Bokeelia, we limited on seatrout every day. On our trip to Useppa a month later, we encountered mostly snook and a monster red, caught by Mike, on the next to last shrimp! And there are always tarpon.

Nadeen Welch is co-publisher of the Fort Myers edition of Coastal Angler Magazine.

June 2017 - reproduced with permission. See the digital edition of Coastal Angler Magazine