Lot locations with and without gulf access and values Cape Coral

Cape Coral with a total area of approx. 115 square miles is one of the biggest cities in Florida. Only about 45% of this area is covered by buildings as of 2011. The total capacity is roughly 400,000 inhabitants. Cape Coral consists of approx. 100,000 lots with about 40,000 at a canal or the river.

LOT TYPES

A standard Cape Coral building site consists of 2 parcels each measuring 40' x 125'. This makes it a total of 80' x 125'. A triple lot site would be 120' x 125'. Of course there are also other shapes than the standard rectangular one, e.g. pie shaped.

Canal Lots: The City of Cape Coral has over 400 miles of Saltwater and Freshwater Canals, more than any other city on earth. The width of the canals range from 50' to 250'.

Off-water (Dry) Lots: These are the lots that you will find in excess in Cape Coral. The values of these lots vary depending on the availability of services like city water and sewer and also how close they are to amenities like shopping, dining, schools etc. Usually these are the most inexpensive ones. Dry Lots are available starting at $5,000.

Freshwater Lots: These lots are located on restricted canals systems that sometimes have miles of waterways connected, however they never have access to the Gulf of Mexico. They do not have access to the Gulf of Mexico. They are usually more expensive than the dry lots. Freshwater Lots are available starting at $15,000.

Gulf Access Lots: These lots have access to open water. Depending on their location you have to pass bridges or a lock. These properties are higher in price than the freshwater lots. These lots are available starting at $60,000

Direct Access Lots: These lots are also known as "Sailboat Access". The access from this type of lot is not restricted by any bridge, however there can be a lock. These lots are usually a little more expensive than the gulf access ones. They start at about $100,000.

Lakefront Lots: This type of lot is located right at a lake and may be either saltwater (like Finisterre Lake or the Eight Lakes in the south) or freshwater (like Lake Kennedy or Lake Saratoga). Lakefront saltwater lots start at around $180,000, lakefront freshwater lots can be as low as $30,000

Riverfront or Gulffront Lots: This type of lot is right at the Caloosahatchee River or Gulf of Mexico and obviously the most expensive one. These start at around $400,000.

LOT VALUES

The value of waterfront property is based on a number of features:

Boat travel time from your property to the closest exit into the river

Restrictions such as bridges, locks or lifts

Boat lift: Located in the Northwest section of Cape Coral. This lift operates like a forklift that picks up a boat on the brackish canal water side and delivers it to the gulf saltwater side of the canal.

Boat lock: Located in the Southwest section and operated by the City. The lock accommodates both large vessels and small boats.

Width of the canal

Intersecting or basin views

Rear exposure (sunlight on your pool deck)

Southern: Usually the most sought after exposure as it offers the most direct sunlight.

Northern: This rear exposure is cooler for your home and offers less direct sunlight.

Western: This offers sunlight in the later afternoon into the evening and wonderful sunsets.

Eastern: This exposure offers direct sunlight in the morning and will likely have shade in the afternoon hours.

General location (Riverfront vs. off water etc.)

City Utility Assessments / Betterment Fees

Installed seawalls: All waterfront lots require a seawall to be built when a home is constructed. Average cost in 2011 for a seawall was approx. $135 per linear foot of seawall.