Eugene Fulton - Realtor

Eugene Fulton - Realtor Helping NY/NJ/IL buyers relocate to Punta Gorda & SW Florida — honest guidance, real data, no pressure.

09/09/2026

This Week in Sarasota & Charlotte County — here's what actually moved, for locals and for anyone weighing a move down here.

Sarasota County closed 230 home sales last week (Aug 30–Sep 5) at a median $410,000, with cash covering 54% of those deals and homes taking an average of 95 days to sell. Charlotte County's August numbers, released this week, show active listings down 3.6% from July to 1,967, while the median sold price ticked up 2.6% year-over-year to $349,000.

On the growth side: North Port officially crossed 100,000 residents this week, Sarasota County commissioners take up a 5,700-home Palmer Ranch East proposal Tuesday, and the Florida Resilience Conference lands at Charlotte Harbor September 23–25 to talk flooding and storm prep — worth knowing if you're weighing where to buy. And if you just want a reason to get out this month, Englewood's "Let's Eat!" Restaurant Week runs September 10–24 with $22 lunches and $42 dinners across both counties.

Sources: teamrenick.com, thehelgemoteam.com, yoursun.com, wslr.org, floridaresilienceconference.org, pureflorida.com

If any of this touches your own move to Southwest Florida, book a 15-minute intro call: calendly.com/efultonwgra/introcall

Which one of these actually affects your plans — the market numbers or the growth?

09/08/2026

Your low mortgage rate doesn't disappear the day you sell your house. In some cases, it might be the exact reason someone buys it.

Certain loans — FHA, VA, and USDA mostly — can be handed off to the buyer as-is: same rate, same balance, same remaining term, instead of them getting a brand new loan at today's rate. Conventional loans usually don't allow this, and the buyer still has to cover the gap between your loan balance and the sale price in cash, plus get approved by the lender.

If you locked in your rate before 2022 and you're thinking about selling in Charlotte or Sarasota County, this is worth asking about before you list. Curious if this could apply to your situation?

5 things happening in Sarasota & Charlotte County right now — and No. 1 affects how North Port grows.1. North Port commi...
09/01/2026

5 things happening in Sarasota & Charlotte County right now — and No. 1 affects how North Port grows.

1. North Port commissioners vote on an 18-month pause on data centers after a 896,000-sq-ft project was proposed for Yorkshire. Final vote Sept. 8.
2. Sarasota County market, week of Aug. 23–29: 202 homes closed, $430,000 median, sellers kept 97.1% of asking, 46% paid cash.
3. Venice Christian School finished a $12M expansion — two buildings, a 260-seat auditorium, room to grow from 400 to 500 students.
4. Coastal Gastroenterology & General Surgery opened on South Tamiami Trail in Port Charlotte, adding local GI (gastrointestinal) and surgical care.
5. Downtown Venice's craft festival returns Sept. 5–6 along West Miami Avenue — free, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days.

If you're relocating, these are the four things buyers ask me about most: growth control, schools, healthcare, and a real market read.

Save this for later — or book a no-pressure intro call to talk through your own move: calendly.com/efultonwgra/introcall

Eugene Fulton Jr. · Living Vogue Real Estate, brokered by eXp Realty · Lic. SLS #3383083

08/27/2026

A lot of people assume Florida waterfront means paying Naples or Sarasota prices. Port Charlotte is the exception, and it's not luck — it's how the place was built.

Back in the 1950s, developers laid out Port Charlotte around an extensive system of man-made canals connecting directly into Charlotte Harbor and the Peace River. The street grid follows the water on purpose. That's the reason so many homes here have a dock right in the backyard, at a fraction of what waterfront costs elsewhere in the region.

Before you fall for a listing photo, here's the honest part: not every canal is equal. Some are sailboat-depth with a clear run to the harbor. Others have fixed bridges or shallower water that limit what you can dock there. If boating matters to your move, that's worth checking before you write an offer, not after.

Considering a canal-front home in Port Charlotte? Send me a message or drop a comment and I'll help you check the specifics on a property you're eyeing.

08/27/2026

That empty lot on Tamiami Trail you remember? It's not empty anymore.

A 74,000-square-foot Buc-ee's and a Whataburger are landing on the corridor. West Port Marketplace is bringing in a new Publix, and investors just paid a combined $36 million for two Port Charlotte shopping centers.

If you're relocating and still picturing Port Charlotte from a decade ago, it might be time for a second look. What's the one thing you assumed about Port Charlotte before you actually looked into it?

This week in Sarasota: two new restaurants opening and one market number worth watching.Balos, an upscale Mediterranean ...
08/24/2026

This week in Sarasota: two new restaurants opening and one market number worth watching.

Balos, an upscale Mediterranean concept out of D.C., is opening its first Florida location downtown on Cocoanut Ave. Over in the Rosemary District, chef Anthony Petralia is expanding Tralia into the old Wolfie's & Rascal House space.

On the market side: homes sold for a median of $400,000 last week, with sellers averaging 91.7% of list price. Anything under $500K is moving the fastest right now.

If you're watching Sarasota from out of state, what's the one thing you'd want to know about a specific neighborhood?

08/23/2026

I work with a lot of buyers relocating from Illinois, and the same three things catch almost everyone off guard.

First, property taxes. Illinois consistently has some of the highest average property tax rates in the country. Florida's rates run considerably lower across the board, though the exact number always depends on the specific county and whether you qualify for a homestead exemption.

Second, no basements. Florida's high water table means homes are built on slab foundations, not dug out below grade. That changes how you think about storage, a workshop, or a storm-safe room — there's no basement to fall back on.

Third, the storm mentality shift. In Illinois, you're used to tornado sirens and warnings measured in minutes. Here, hurricane season gives you days of advance notice instead. It's a different kind of preparation, not a scarier one, just different.

None of these are dealbreakers. They're just the things nobody mentions until you're already down here. Happy to go deeper on any of them if you're planning your own move.

Punta Gorda had a busy week — starting with news that's bigger than it sounds.PGD Airport just opened 6 new gates as par...
08/22/2026

Punta Gorda had a busy week — starting with news that's bigger than it sounds.

PGD Airport just opened 6 new gates as part of a $44M terminal expansion (gates 7–12 are live now). That's the kind of infrastructure growth that matters if you're weighing how easy it'll be to fly relatives in — or fly yourself out.

On top of that: downtown's hosting an art walk and craft fair this Saturday, Harbor Center is running a strongman competition the same day, and Tommy Davidson is playing Visani Aug. 27–29.

If you're picturing life in Punta Gorda, this is a pretty normal week here. What would you want to know before making the move?

08/18/2026

There's one thing that surprises almost every New Jersey buyer I work with when they see Punta Gorda for the first time: you can actually walk somewhere.

Not walk to a strip mall parking lot. Walk downtown, sit at a restaurant nobody outside this county has heard of, and walk home again. Most of Charlotte County doesn't work that way. It's subdivisions off a highway, car required for everything. Punta Gorda is its own incorporated city with a real walkable core, and almost none of the restaurants down there are chains. That's a different rhythm than what you'll find just a few miles away.

There's also a part of Punta Gorda's history that works in a buyer's favor, and it doesn't get talked about enough. After Hurricane Charley hit in 2004, a meaningful share of the city was rebuilt to current Florida building codes. When you're comparing an older home to something rebuilt post-2004, that construction-year gap is worth asking about, especially with how much Florida's insurance market varies property to property. I'm not a licensed insurance agent, so I won't hand you a number, but knowing which homes fall on which side of that line helps you ask sharper questions before you fall for a house that looks perfect on paper.

And if boating is part of why you're moving to Florida, Punta Gorda Isles is the neighborhood people mean when they say "Punta Gorda." Deed-restricted, canal-front, direct access out to Charlotte Harbor. Most lots can hold a real boat, not just a kayak.

I made a full video walking through all of this, including what the local airport actually offers versus flying through Sarasota or Fort Myers. Link's in the comments.

If you're thinking about a move to this part of Florida and want to talk it through, I do free intro calls, no pressure. Just a real conversation about whether this is the right fit for you.

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1300 Main Street
Sarasota, FL
34236

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