Hi everyone, it’s Chelsea here, bringing you another segment of Living in Southwest Florida. Fort Myers, is renowned for its pristine beaches, picturesque scenery, and endless sunshine. The city is a popular tourist destination and a favored location for luxury real estate investment. Many of the affluent neighborhoods in Fort Myers offer a blend of exclusivity, privacy, and amenities like stunning waterfront views or incredible golf courses and those types of perks will often attract wealthy individuals from all over the world. Today we will explore some of the most luxurious neighborhoods in Fort Myers.
But before we jump in, really quick it would mean a lot to me if you could hit that like button so the YouTube algorithms share this info with others and let me know what you’d like more of. As a thank you, here is some footage of a water skier in the Caloosahatchee River. I was showing homes along the river and these people were having so much fun that it brought a smile to my face. And real quick, I wouldn’t be good at my job if I didn’t remind you how much we love helping people from all over the country buy and sell their homes here in Southwest Florida so if you or anyone you know are thinking about moving then feel free to use the contact info below.
Alright let’s jump right in.
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Really quickly before we jump into specific neighborhoods, I thought it would be useful if I showed a map of where you can find homes well above our median price point. If you’ve watched this channel recently then you’ve seen me discuss that in the first quarter of 2023, our median pricepoint was in the 400,000s. This map you can see here is all of the homes that have sold in the last four months for more than 1 million dollars. This gives you an idea of where a buyer can likely find more high end vibes.
Let’s start with pointing out that a lot of it is waterfront, and maybe not in a specific community. Waterfront is always going to be at a premium, and the easier the access is to open water or beaches, the higher the price point. As such, places like Cape Coral gulf access canals and along the waterfront in Fort Myers are going to be homes that will be more valuable.
Also, the islands. There was less available over a million on Pine Island - but it’s hard pressed to find land on Sanibel or Captiva for less than a million. Let’s be straight - Sanibel and Captiva are world reknown for their best beaches in the world - and as such have always been some of the most expensive real estate in the region. The islands may have been hit the hardest, but even with all of the Hurricane Ian damage still left to be fixed out there, the median price point for the islands was just shy of 1.5M. Fort Myers Beach is actually on it’s own separate island called Estero Island - and it’s price points have mimicked Sanibel and Captiva. The median sold price in Fort Myers Beach was 1.2 million.
But I’m going to take a wild stab at a guess and assume that you as a viewer were smart enough to guess that one of the best beaches in the world would come with a higher price tag. And while beaches come with beautiful views that doesn’t necessarily equate to luxury - which is the point of this video. So let’s switch up and take a look at some of our high end communities.
Gulf Harbour Yacht and Country Club
- Gulf Harbour Yacht and Country Club is a gated 545 acre community located on the Caloosahatchee River. Here, the emphasis is on leisure - with a focus on boating and golfing. The community offers luxurious amenities such as a private marina, a championship golf course, tennis, and a clubhouse with fine waterfront dining and event spaces. The community also offers social clubs, fitness classes, and a spa to cater to the residents’ needs. There are more than 22 neighborhoods in this private gated community offering a range in housing types. To give a range in cost, in the past four months, home sales have ranged from a turnkey condo sold for $340,000 to a $2.7 million dollar premiere condo in the most sought after building with the most sought after floor plan. I know both of those happen to be condos, but for single family homes within the development, prices ranged from a $600,000 home along the golf course to a 4000 square foot turnkey home for a cool 2.275M. The median sales price of all 37 sold homes was $825,000.
St. Charles Harbour
- If you can find a home available in St. Charles Harbour then that is another great gated community located on the Caloosahatchee River that is located just south of Gulf Harbour. With it’s location right on the tip of the Caloosahatchee where it meets the Gulf, the community features luxury homes with private docks and stunning views of both waterways. Private membership to the community offers a full service deep water direct Gulf access marina, a fitness center, a tennis court and boccee court, and a pool for the residents’ entertainment. The clubhouse offers a fine dining restaurant and event spaces - all the full service amenities you’d expect. There haven’t been any closings here in the last four months - but there are a couple currently either for sale or pending so we’ll have more data soon to share here. But for context the asking prices range between 1.345 million and 1.890 million dollars.
Renaissance
- Renaissance is a gated community located in the heart of Fort Myers known for it’s Arthur Hills championship golf course and an increditble clubhouse with a great restaurant, fitness center, a spa, and a resort-style pool. The community also offers tennis courts, a basketball court, and a playground for the residents’ entertainment. There is a strong sense of community there, with residents enjoying regular Happy Hours and Sunday brunch. The homes in Renaissance are custom-built and feature luxurious finishes. Homes don’t as high of a turnover as other neighborhoods might. To give a range of cost, in the past 4 months, only 8 homes have sold ranging from a $600,000 condo to a gorgeous turnkey home overlooking the lake for $2,140,000. The median price was $1,512,500.
As a bonus, I want to mention nearby communities of Palmetto Point, Town & River and Catalpa Cove who aren’t quite as expensive and have less amenities but are also pretty prestigious.
Fiddlesticks Country Club
- Fiddlesticks Country Club is a private, gated golf community in Fort Myers. The community is home to two championship golf courses designed by Ron Garl and Ellis Maples, respectively. The clubhouse offers fine dining, social events, and fitness facilities. The homes in Fiddlesticks feature stunning views of the golf courses, lakes, and natural preserves. The community also offers tennis courts, a fitness center, and a pool for the residents’ enjoyment. But real talk: it’s really about the golfing here. As the first club to ever be invited to host a USGA Championship, the golf is pretty considered pretty top notch. Now let’s discuss cost. Fiddlesticks has had homes sell between $275,000 for a small condo to 1.825 million for a lakeview home overlooking hole #9. The median price of the 15 homes in the last four months was $550,500 so this can be considered affordable for many who want a luxe lifestyle without the ultra high price tag. Keep in mind though, that particular median point did not include the $90,000 membership fee required at closing.
Bonita Bay
- Hands down the most expensive - and the most luxurious - community in the entire region is Bonita Bay in Bonita Springs. Bonita Bay is a sprawling, 2,400-acre master-planned community located just south of Fort Myers in the city of Bonita Springs. The community is known for its beautiful natural setting, with over 1,400 acres of preserved land and lush greenery. Bonita Bay is a golfer’s paradise, with five championship golf courses designed by renowned architects, including Arthur Hills and Tom Fazio.
In addition to golf, Bonita Bay offers a wide range of amenities for residents, including a marina, multiple swimming pools, tennis courts, and a fitness center. My favorite feature though is the private beach club. The community also boasts over 12 miles of biking and walking trails, perfect for those who love to explore the great outdoors.
Housing options in Bonita Bay are diverse, ranging from spacious single-family homes to luxurious high-rise condos. Residents can choose from a variety of neighborhoods within the community, each with its unique character and charm. The community is huge, and has had a whopping 88 sales in the last four months which have ranged between a condo at $449,900 to a penthouse at the exclusive Omega building for $9.125Million. If you are looking for the middle ground though, expect a median home to be 1.750 million
WildBlue
- Moving inland is new construction that is coming with a big punch in terms of amenities. Two I want to call out in particular are located very close to each other in East Fort Myers. Starting with WildBlue which is a new, master-planned community that sits on 3,500 acres and is surrounded by over 800 acres of freshwater lakes. Here, the water life looks a little different. The freshwater lakes equates to a lake lifestyle perfect for those who want to fish and play on the all sports lake..
WildBlue offers a range of amenities for residents, including a clubhouse, fitness center, resort-style swimming pool, tennis courts, and a basketball court. The community also features a kayak and canoe launch, as well as over 20 miles of hiking and biking trails.
Housing options have 4 different builder options currently, building mostly single family home options. The homes in WildBlue are designed with Florida living in mind, with open floor plans, large outdoor living spaces, and stunning lake views. Homes that have recently sold range from approximately $652,000 for a Lennar new build, to 3.3 million dollars for a custom built home by Stock Development that has over 200 feet of prime lakefront.
Miromar Lakes Beach and Golf
- Last but certainly not least is Miromar Lakes Beach and Golf which is just down the road from WildBlue. If you’ve probably been paying attention then you might have noticed that some of these communities highlight boating, some highlight golf, but few highlight both. Miromar Lakes is the exception to that rule. The community is built around a 700 acre full all-sports lake - which is the shining star of the community. The lake has a beautiful private beach club and full service marina with boat slips available for purchase. But beyond the lake, Miromar Lakes also has a signature championship golf course, clubhouse with restaurant, multiple pools, fitness and wellness centers, tennis, and more. It is the ONLY community in FLORIDA to win the National Association of Home Builders’ Gold Award as #1 Community in the USA and it’s also the only community in the US to win gold for both Best Community and Best Clubhouse. With more than 200 national, state, and local honors it really isn’t a community, it’s a full on lifestyle.
Housing options within Miromar Lakes have recently ranged from $575,000 for a condo to just shy of 5.3 million for a waterfront home. Median price for a home at Miromar Lakes will be around 1.4 million dollars.
Also, as a bonus I want to note the Miromar Lakes sister community, Esplanade at Lake Club. Esplanade is along the same lake system, and is a luxury community in it’s own right - but does not have the full amenities that Miromar Lakes has. I would say their amenities are more in alignment with WildBlue with top tier amenities on the ground and water - but doesn’t have the golfing that Miromar Lakes has. Esplanade’s price points will range from $450,000 for a condo to $3.5 million for a home on the lake. The median price point at Esplanade Lake Club for the last four months was $750,000.
Alright, if you have questions about any of these communities, about the data or if you’d like to drill down and compare specific neighborhoods - like say Cape Coral versus Fort Myers - or waterfront homes or pool homes or whatever your specific circumstances call for - then feel free to reach out with the contact info below in the description below. Myself and the network of agents I have throughout the United States are here and ready to help you with your move.
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If you are ready to get the ball rolling on your move to Southwest Florida, then there is a link in the description below to set up a personalized home search that will be tailored to you. Oftentimes when you search on web aggregates it limits your capabilities - but when I build this search, you will have many more options available and we can begin a conversation about what your home in FL will look like.
Or feel free to use CapeCoralFortMyersRealEstate.com for all the latest listings to hit the market and begin getting comfortable with our marketplace. No obligations.
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Thanks so much for watching and until next time I wish you much health and happiness.
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