Deep Creek Gardens
25100 Sandhill Blvd
Punta Gorda, Florida 33983
Q. What is DCG?
A. Deep Creek Gardens. It is a condominium with 200 apartments in 25 buildings in Charlotte County, Florida where I have been spending my winters since 1990. 25100 Sandhill Blvd, Punta Gorda, FL 33983
Q. Does it have amenities?
A. tennis court, shuffleboard, horseshoe pitching, swimming pool, club house, bocci court, 4 golf courses very close by, many more within 10 miles. Exit 31 of Interstate 75 is a mile away. Sanctioned duplicate bridge games are held every afternoon at convenient locations. It's a nice community.
Q. Is it expensive?
A. I bought my condo for $45,000 in 1990. Prices are on the rise, but you can probably come close to that today. The common charge is $118 a month. The taxes are $400 a year for Florida residents and $800 (round numbers) for out of state residents. The only other expense is telephone, cable TV, electricity and an insurance policy covering the furniture. The water bill is included in the common charge, and that's the big bill for people in Florida.
Q. $45,000? Is it sort of minimal?
A. For my money I got two bedrooms two bathrooms large living room with dining area, lanai, central air and heating washer and dryer, dishwasher, stove, refrigerator, parking place. In Connecticut, where I come from, you'd pay $150,000 for all this. One gets a dollar's worth for a dollar in Charlotte County. Someone (a magazine) picked it last year as the best small place to live in America.
Q. It must be in the boonedocks if it's $45000?
A. A mile away there's a shopping center, three gas stations, Publix and Winn-Dixie supermarkets, a Hampton Inn, A Holiday Inn, MacDonalds, Burger King, Waffle House, Cracker Barrel, Taco Bell, Dunkin Donuts, Blimpie, a pizza place, Denny's, Wendy's, a conventional restaurant, a travel agent, a dentist, a hardware store, ice cream store, dry cleaner, Eckerd's Pharmacy. Once we called 911, and they arrived in 8 minutes. Three church's are about a mile away. I-75 takes you south to Fort Myers in 30 minutes or north to Sarasota in 40 minutes. Big city lovers will find all the big city things they like in these places. For really big city lovers, Tampa is exactly 100 miles from here on I-75. What more would anyone want in a place to spend the winter? The weather is beautiful.
Q. You must be in the real estate business?
A. Not me. I'm 80 years old, never was in the real estate business and never hope to be, and my condo is not for sale. There aren't many for sale, by the way. Out of 200 there may be one or two.
Q. Do you have a crystal ball? Can you predict anything?
A. Yes I do and yes I can. I predict that if you buy one of these apartments, you will, as I do, ask yourself almost every day, "How did it happen that I stumbled on to this very delightful, peaceful, affordable way of living?"
Q. How do I find out more?
A. Why don't you take a look yourself? Email me at jchurch10002@msn.com I'll tell you how to get there, or, follow these directions. On Florida's west coast southbound on I-75 take exit 31. Turn left at the bottom of the exit ramp onto King's Highway and proceed under I-75 to the second traffic light (yards away, not miles) which is at Sandhill Blvd. Turn right on Sandhill Blvd and follow it on a circular roadway, past the Hampton Inn and Holiday Inn. About a mile down the road, on the left, at 25100 Sandhill Blvd you'll see the sign "Deep Creek Gardens". You will have reached your destination.
Take a look.
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