LIVING ON A SANDBAR OF HISTORY

The preservation of human history and the environment that shaped it is a fascination to most people. Proof of that is found in the dedication of many volunteers and a few professionals to building and maintaining museums, even for the smallest of communities. Useppa is certainly one of the smallest, with our 100 acre, 1 ¼ mile long island occupied by just 115 homes, a club, and the Barbara Sumwalt Museum of the Useppa Island Historical Society.

Created by passionate residents and a supportive island management, the museum harbors 10,000 years of history. Open the door and enter a panoply of those years, from a dusty hill with a fresh water spring, miles from the Gulf of Mexico, to the founding of the modern day, water wrapped community in Pine Island Sound. Through the intervening millennia’s, Useppa was home to ancient animals and peoples, Calusa, Old World explorers, Cubans, Seminole, tax collectors, US infantry and Navy forces, CIA, real estate developers, fishing fanatics, benefactors and rogues.

History is a bonding compound for people of the present, and Useppa is no exception. Our museum is a gathering place: to celebrate, experience, learn and share. Every season we are treated to several up close and personal experiences, with authors, photographers, entertainers and artists.

Just a sample of recent events are authors Craig Pittman “Oh, Florida!”; Maritime author Robert Macomber, “The Honor Series,” Doc Anna, Swamp Doctor; “The Florida Grand Canyon,” a photo exhibit “Everglades: America’s Wetland,” with conservation photographer Mac Stone, co-sponsored with The Everglades Foundation.

Our Historical Society is able to bring the broad range of art forms to the residents and members of Useppa Island due to the efforts of director Rona Stage. She networks with similar small museum directors and taps the best venues from the artistry of the Florida Humanities Council. Never will you find so much to offer, in such a small and personal place. 

Except on Useppa Island.

Southwest Florida national housing news continues to report the rapidly escalating prices of waterfront homes. The Useppa People have the wise alternative offering tremendous waterfront value. 

Priced from $529,000, our private island inventory offers fee simple Townhouse style attached Villas that offer the best value for waterfront living. Boasting BIG views across Pine Island Sound, the ICW or Charlotte Harbor, with free dockage for boats to 24 feet. Here, you’re not on a canal or back bay mangrove.

Homes on Useppa Island
Useppa Island homes sparkle in the sun with architectural covenants that require Old Florida design, creating a metal-roofed village with style and charm. Features vary from home to home, but you’ll find extensive updates and renovations. Hardwood, travertine, granite, stainless, impact glass, storm shutters and other features of new homes are largely available. Three bedrooms are typical for the larger homes, while smaller homes feature 2 bedrooms. Soaring ceilings, custom cabinetry, chiseled stone and other fine features are unique to many, while most are furnished and ready for immediate occupancy

Access to every home is a pure delight. Meander walking or cart paths, the historic Pink Promenade that extends the length of Useppa, or from your dock. There are no cars and no stop lights, just turtle crossings. While air traffic is limited to the feathered kind, there is the occasional sea plane or helicopter.

Island Amenities
Enjoy the island amenities of the Useppa Island Club. Fine dining, tennis, bocce, pool and croquet are common pursuits, while water sports are a favorite. Choose sailing with the Useppa Yacht Club in your 15-foot Sandpiper, fish the flats offshore, or right from your dock. Zip to mainland services in a 15-minute boat ride, and experience zero encounters with stressful traffic.

Your Neighbors

Best of all, settle in to a welcoming community where you will know your neighbors; where your children or grandchildren will grow up with the other lucky kids that know the wonder and freedom of this unique and beautiful island. There is nothing that compares.

Make your escape to Useppa Island.
Paradise Without A Passport!

Homes More Affordable Today Than 1985-2000

Rising home prices have many concerned that the average family will no longer be able to afford the most precious piece of the American Dream – their own home.

However, it is not just the price of a home that determines its affordability. The monthly cost of a home is determined by the price and the interest rate on the mortgage used to purchase it.

Today, mortgage interest rates stand at about 4.5%. The average annual mortgage interest rate from 1985 to 2000 was almost double that number, at 8.92%. When comparing affordability of home ownership over the decades, we must also realize that incomes have increased.

This is why most indexes use the percentage of median income required to make monthly mortgage payments on a typical home as the point of comparison.

Zillow recently released a report comparing home affordability over the decades using this formula. The report revealed that, though homes are less affordable this year than last year, they are more affordable today (17.1%) than they were between 1985-2000 (21%). Additionally, homes are more affordable now than at the peak of the housing bubble in 2006 (25.4%). Here is a chart of these findings:

What will happen when mortgage interest rates rise?

Most experts think that the mortgage interest rate will increase to about 5% by year’s end. How will that impact affordability? Zillow also covered this in their report:

Rates would need to approach 6% before homes became less affordable than they had been historically.

Bottom Line
Though homes are less affordable today than they were last year, they are still a great purchase while interest rates are below the 6% mark.

Keeping Current Matters July 5, 2018

Peaceful Privacy - Just Listed. 522 Useppa Island

Light and bright updated living spaces, serene water views and over 1,700 SF.  $535,000

Property Details

The comfortable floor plan features a master on the main level, along with an updated kitchen, dining and living area, with water view beyond. An open kitchen offers a center island/breakfast bar and granite. A guest bedroom and bath are on the second level, with spacious waterfront deck for reading or relaxing. 

Community docks with free dockage for a 24 boat (or less) are 50 feet away. Amenities on the one-mile long island are just a stroll away to the pool, tennis, croquet and bocce courts, all adjacent to the Collier Inn. Bike and walking paths weave through palms and exotic foliage that can be found only on Historic Useppa Island, where there are no cars, stop signs or strip malls — just the elegant privacy of a private island set in the center of Pine Island Sound, just south of Charlotte Harbor and Boca Grande Pass, and minutes from the mainland.

Happy Memorial Day - Live Grateful

We are pleased to announce that we have joined the elite team at Premier Sotheby's International Realty - Captiva.

The Brokerage that speaks "Luxury," we are excited about our new relationship.

Beachfront Escape - 105 Useppa Island Now $825,000

Don't miss this opportunity. Exceptional beachfront escape -  three-story, 3 bedroom, 3 bath, fortified, and featuring great entertaining areas steps from the sand. Offered furnished at a new price of $825,000.

Property Details