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Five Tips for Purchasing a Florida Condo

When it comes to purchasing a Florida condo, many interested buyers spend months searching for the perfect place. In this hot real estate market, where property is sold faster than buyers can pull the trigger on purchasing, it’s important to know exactly what you’re looking for to secure the perfect new home. Here are five tips for purchasing a Florida condo.

Review Communities

The first item in successfully finding and purchasing a new Florida condo is to review different communities. Most condominiums are located in private communities, meaning that not only are you buying a new home, but you are buying into a new neighborhood. Be sure to review all HOA rules and regulations, membership fees, and most importantly – the community’s location.

For a seasonal resident, this new community will become a home away from home and for a full-time owner, this will be where you spend most of your time. So, explore things like the community’s surroundings, benefits and amenities.

Explore Amenities

A community’s amenity package is always an exciting bonus when buying a Florida condo. That’s why buyers should choose what best suits their interests, lifestyle, and hobbies. Whether your ideal Florida day is spent lounging in the pool, eating dinner in the clubhouse, working out in the gym, or taking your four-legged friend out for a walk, your condominium of choosing should offer all your favorite amenities and more.  

Consider the Size / Floorplan

When choosing the size and floorplan of your new condo, be sure to look for what best fits your plans and your future. Will you be hosting friends for weekend dinners? Will this be a space for the family to come to Florida and visit? Do you have any pets that will be sharing the space?

Ask yourself these questions to narrow down your search. That way you can live comfortably and luxuriously in your Florida condo – just like you planned.

Look for New Construction

Another helpful tip is to look for new construction properties. As mentioned before, the real estate market is red hot and it’s hard to find a resell condo that is perfect for you. That is why we suggest buying new. Not only will you be able to enjoy the finest finishes, appliances, and floorplans, but you won’t have to deal with any of the previous owner’s version of paradise. Everything will be perfectly constructed for you and your needs.

New construction offers other benefits such as better weather protection and updated building codes that will lower insurance costs and give residents peace of mind, especially if they aren’t there all year long.

How close is the beach?

Our final tip for purchasing a Florida condo is perhaps the best one – figure out how close you will be to the beach. For Florida condo buyers, sandy shores and sunsets are at the forefront of their minds when moving to the Sunshine State. So be sure to map the location of your condo before you buy to figure out how you can get out of the snow and into the sand as fast as possible.

The best Florida location to live near the beach is in Southwest Florida. Home to miles of white sand on the Gulf of Mexico, Southwest Florida is the perfect place to buy a new condo.

Not only is this area known as “the golf capital of the world,” but it is also booming with new construction condos in resort-style communities that are second to none.

Omega Bonita Bay  

If you’re looking to buy a Florida condo, explore the residences at Omega Bonita Bay.

Omega Bonita Bay is the final residential high-rise coming to the prestigious community of Bonita Bay. Designed with 67 sophisticated residences throughout 27 stories, this high-rise truly embodies the luxurious lifestyle found in Southwest Florida.

Omega is located within the Bonita Bay community, one of the state’s most highly renowned and highly amenitized communities. For those looking for a new place to call home, Bonita Bay offers a life of luxury like none other.

The high-rise features luxurious amenities such as the resort-style pool, day cabanas, theater, social lounge, fitness center, billiards room, pickleball courts, putting green, and more.

Whether you’re looking to live an active-lifestyle one day and relax the next, Omega offers plenty of opportunities to live your best life.

The final new construction residences at Omega are designed at 4,210 square feet to 4,645 square feet under air, meaning that owners will be able to enjoy spacious open-concept living in a variety of floorplans.

And did we mention that residents at Omega will have access to the private beach on Little Hickory Island, just minutes away from their new home? All the more reason to love Omega Bonita Bay. For more information, visit omegabonitabay.com or contact the sales center at 239-301-4940.

How to Find the Perfect Luxury Condo for Sale in Southwest Florida

Southwest Florida is the ideal place to live, work (or retire) and play. It’s home to gorgeous year-round weather, the most golf courses per capita in the world and of course, endless sugar sand beaches lining the Gulf of Mexico. This isn’t just a place to vacation, it’s a place to call home. For many, this home will become a luxurious getaway to live in for years to come, so choosing the right place is very important. Here’s how to find the perfect luxury condo for sale in Southwest Florida.

Consider Your Lifestyle

A life of luxury is one that fulfills personal interests and hobbies while creating new opportunities to discover more. When looking for a luxury condo for sale in Southwest Florida, you should first, consider your lifestyle.

For some, luxury means looking out your window at waterfront sunsets, while for others it’s views of a downtown skyline. Some prefer to be close to private golf courses or pickleball courts while others love to be near beaches and bays to enjoy the shimmering Florida waters.

But your individual lifestyle is made up of so much more than just your interests and your hobbies. Don’t compromise on your dreams of luxury living simply because it has a great view.

For those looking to create a space for family and friends, you will need enough square footage and bedrooms for hosting. If your lifestyle includes a furry best friend, be sure to find a pet-friendly community so that you can enjoy a life of luxury with all the members of your family.

Another factor to consider is what you’re physically bringing to your new luxury condo in Southwest Florida. While you’re not going to be needing bulky winter coats, you may want to bring your golf clubs, beach chairs or even your car. Your space will need adequate storage and parking so that your life of luxury is clean and organized, just the way you like it.

Amenities

Your life takes place in more areas than just those between the walls of your home. It’s enjoyed on what’s available throughout the community. For those looking to truly enjoy paradise, luxury condos for sale should offer you the best resort-like amenities that money can buy. This way every day spent in your Southwest Florida condo is a day spent in paradise.

Luxury condominiums should have everything you need for a life of pleasure. From swimming pools to private beach access and libraries to movie theaters, your home should provide all of this and more.  

Omega Bonita Bay

If you’re looking for luxury condos in Southwest Florida, look no further than Omega Bonita Bay. Located in the renowned community of Bonita Bay, this residential high-rise will offer a life of luxury to those fortunate enough to reserve. With just 11 residences remaining, buyers are quickly purchasing what is to be the final residential property in the community.

The Omega tower features 67 residences, including 63 spacious tower residences and four penthouses overlooking the lush Florida landscape and with Gulf views. Every morning and every evening, residents will enjoy waterfront sunsets and sunrises, as well as breathtaking views of Estero Bay and even Bonita Bay’s beautifully designed golf course. 

The luxurious lifestyle doesn’t end there. This pet-friendly condominium is designed with floorplans ranging from 4,210 square feet under air to 4,645 square feet under air, providing more than enough space to host all your guests. Omega also includes an under-building garage to protect your most prized possessions.

With indoor amenities such as a theater, fitness center, social room, billiards room, library, guest suites and more, there will never be a shortage of exciting opportunities at Omega. Not to mention, the resort-style amenities on the exterior deck such as pickleball courts, a resort-style pool, fire pit, day cabanas and putting green.

For more information on these luxury condos in Southwest Florida for sale, visit omegabonitabay.com or call the sales center at 239-301-4940.

Cap Off Completed at The Ronto Group’s Omega High-Rise at Bonita Bay

The Ronto Group announced that construction continues to progress at a rapid pace at its Omega high-rise within Bonita Bay. Omega is a new 27-floor high-rise tower being built by Ronto and will be the final luxury high-rise tower built at Bonita Bay. Ronto previously announced that the unsold residences at Omega will showcase beautiful designer specified feature and finish packages that will be installed as the residences are completed. Homebuyers still have an opportunity to customize their finish selections for a very limited time and are encouraged to make their purchase decisions now. Construction progress is evident throughout the building, including the dismantling of the crane on the north side of the building. Cap off of the high-rise tower has been completed. With the exception of finishes, vertical exterior construction of the building has been closed out. Metal stud framing has been completed on level 25 and the ceilings have been framed on levels 23 and 24. Floor tiles for the terraces in units 603 and 1003 and the bathrooms in units 702, 1102, 1103, and 1202 have been installed. The sliding glass door frames on level 25 have been installed and window testing is ongoing. The pool on Omega’s spectacular amenity deck has been formed and construction of the massive pool deck is progressing.

The Omega tower will feature 67 residences, including 63 spacious tower residences and four penthouses, three of which are under contract. After processing four sales in September, just 15 residences remain available. Pricing for the remaining tower residences that offer a stunning 4,645 square feet or 4,210 square feet under air and expansive views 78-feet or 68-feet wide ranges from $3,800,000 to $5,455,000. The remaining penthouse residence is priced at $8.3 million and features a six-car “tandem” garage and a private poolside cabana. 

The seven remaining southwest facing 01 residences on floors 19 through 25 are priced from $4,605,000 to $5,455,000. The 01 residences will include 4,645 square feet under air, an unobstructed 68-foot wide view, outdoor terrace areas totaling 1,005 square feet, and an 80-square foot private air-conditioned storage space on the same floor as the residence. The plans feature a massive great room, dining area, family room, and a double-island kitchen. The great room and owner’s bedroom open to a west and northwest facing terrace with multiple conversation areas, a dining area, and an outdoor kitchen with a gas grill. The double-island kitchen offers an additional gathering place when entertaining. The plan also includes a den, four-and-a-half baths, and three large guest bedrooms. The den and all three guest bedrooms open to another large terrace that offers sunrise views. 

The seven remaining west facing 02 residences on floors 16 through 25 are priced from $3,800,000 to $4,850,000.  The 02-tower plan offers 4,210-square feet under air, an unobstructed 78-foot wide view, 540 square feet of outdoor terrace space, and 75 square feet of private air-conditioned storage space. The plan features a massive great room, a dining area, a family room, and an island kitchen that combine to create a spacious, open living area.  The great room fully opens to a terrace with conversation and dining areas and an outdoor kitchen with a gas grill.  The plan also includes a den, three-and-a-half baths, and three large bedrooms, all three of which provide views of Estero Bay and the Gulf. The owner’s suite features a huge walk-in closet, and a bath with separate vanities and separate water closets.

The penthouse 2602 residence features 6,455 square feet under air and a total of 10,150 square feet of living space, including an incredible 1,710 square feet of outdoor terrace areas with an Alfresco gas grill and 42-inch high glass railings, and a private rooftop terrace measuring 1,985 square feet. The residence also comes with a private elevator lobby, a private air-conditioned storage space on the same level as the residence, and the six-car “tandem” garage that measures 35-feet wide by 38-feet deep, a total of 1,350 square feet. The 2602 penthouse also includes a private poolside cabana on Omega’s expansive outdoor amenity deck. The private cabana offers a perfect place to cool off or to take a nap in air-conditioned comfort. The poolside cabana features a full bathroom and a beverage center with a sink and a refrigerator. 

The penthouse 2602 floor plan includes five bedrooms, a den, and five-and-a-half baths. The massive open concept living area features a great room with a fireplace, an island kitchen, a spacious walk-in pantry, a full-sized SubZero wine cooler, and a dining space that opens to splendid terraces that wrap around the corner of the building. Additional terraces are located off the owner’s bedroom and off two of the guest bedrooms. The light-filled residence will feature open living spaces with walls comprised of tall windows offering incredible views of Estero Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Volume ceiling heights of eleven feet four inches, except where dropped, will create a sense of space that cannot be duplicated by remodeling existing high-rise residences.

The open living spaces and sheer size of the Omega penthouses is unlike any high-rise residence previously built in Southwest Florida. Ronto created the building from the inside out based on preferences expressed by potential purchasers. The potential purchasers indicated view corridors and spacious, open floor plans with large living areas, large owner suites and secondary bedrooms, big outdoor living areas, private garages, and readily accessible storage space were all critical. Functionality and comfort were more important than form. Ronto also found that rather than wanting to downsize by moving into a condominium residence with less square footage than that to which they had been accustomed in their single-family estate homes, the potential purchasers wanted to simplify their lives by moving into a maintenance-free environment without sacrificing space or livability. 

Standard finishes in the fully completed Omega residences will reflect Ronto’s attention to creating a luxurious yet exceedingly livable environment. Flooring in the living areas will be wood, stone, or porcelain tile. The island kitchens will be outfitted with designer selected cabinetry, quartz or granite countertop selections, a 36-inch SubZero refrigerator and 18-inch freezer, Wolf gas ranges and ovens, a Miele dishwasher, and Dornbracht plumbing fixtures.  The bathrooms will also feature designer selected cabinetry and quartz or granite countertops, Dornbracht plumbing fixtures, and Toto toilets. 

Omega’s 4,200 square foot rooftop terrace common area will include two hot tubs positioned next to the terraces’ glass railing, allowing residents to enjoy sunset views. Two fire pit seating areas behind the tubs, along with a larger fire table seating area will provide abundant seating.  

Omega’s indoor clubroom will include tall windows overlooking the tower’s exterior amenity deck. A 2,100 square-foot fitness center will offer long-range views. Contemporary glass railings will line the amenity deck’s curved perimeter and overlook one of Bonita Bay’s three on-property golf courses. A pool with a beach entry and sun shelves will serve as the amenity deck’s centerpiece. A pool pavilion with a bar, seating areas, and men’s and women’s restrooms will offer a gathering place.

Visit the Omega Sales Center at 26951 Country Club Drive within Bonita Bay from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and Sundays from noon to 5:00 p.m. Call 239-301-4940 for a sales appointment.

How Hurricane Andrew in ‘92 Changed Florida High-Rise Building Codes Forever

Hurricane Andrew in 1992 changed Florida’s high-rise building codes forever. It set the standard for safety and how we build today. After the Category 5 storm ripped through Southern Florida, it had killed 65 people, destroyed 25,524 homes and revealed a toxic trio of poor design, shoddy construction and inadequate inspection.

“Hurricane Andrew revealed loopholes in the building code and exposed the lax enforcement that had been going on for many years,” Bryan Norcross, a TV meteorologist that talked the region through the disaster and became a local hero, told The Washington Post in a 2017 interview.

Hurricane Andrew and Florida Building Codes

Hurricane Andrew forced a change in Florida high-rise building codes that established the toughest storm-specific building codes in the United States, if not the world, all of which The Ronto Group strictly follows.

In addition to following the Florida high-rise building codes, The Ronto Group also commissions wind tunnel tests on all of its high-rises, including Omega, to determine wind loading characteristics.

The wind tunnel test is conducted in conjunction with Tampa-based B&W Structural Designs Inc. at CPP Inc. in Fort Collins, Colorado. Founded in 1999, B&W Structural Designs is a structural engineering consulting firm that provides services throughout the United States, Saudi Arabia, Honduras and Puerto Rico. CPP was the first U.S. company to provide wind engineering services to architects and engineers. CPP founders Jack Cermak and John Peterka are the acknowledged pioneers in the wind tunnel testing field and made their mark in the industry by conducting tests during the engineering of the original World Trade Center towers in New York City.

As CPP notes, wind interacts with buildings and structures in complex and often surprising ways. A building’s geometry, the surrounding terrain, nearby buildings and structures and seasonal wind conditions all influence the way wind will interact with a building. Wind considerations are especially important for cladding and structural design. These are the services commonly thought of as wind engineering.

Wind loading codes are designed for simply shaped buildings and do not account for the effects of terrain or nearby buildings. Wind tunnel testing offers specific, customized information about a particular building or structure, making it a key tool for efficient design. Wind tunnel testing can identify the areas where resilience and reliability can be increased and allowed Ronto to allocate its resources accordingly on Omega.

The ultimate objective of the wind tunnel test is to obtain data that will support the construction of an efficient, safe and reliable building. The results of the test enabled Ronto and B&W to design the Bonita Bay tower to an ultimate load of a 700-year storm recurrence.

Omega is a new 27-floor high-rise tower being built by the award-winning developer, The Ronto Group, within Bonita Bay. Designed by Robert M. Swedroe, the clean-lined, modern looking tower will feature 67 residences, including 63 spacious tower residences and four penthouses.

Visit the Omega Sales Center at 26951 Country Club Drive within Bonita Bay from Monday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 5:00 p.m. Call 239-301-4940 for a sales appointment and visit omegabonitabay.com for more information.