After the Labor Day barbecue, can winter be far behind? I've been thinking that I'd like summer to last longer. Young men were once told to "go West." These days, old folks like me might do well to "go South."

The ill wind that has caused a tsunami of foreclosures in Florida has opened up many possibilities for the winter-weary. Home prices have fallen to affordable levels. In southern Florida, there are thousands of homes that have price tags in the $30,000 range!

I've been "licking windows" (remember that French adage for window-shopping?) at real estate Web sites for hours at a time. I found impressive new and nearly-new houses in Lehigh Acres in the southwestern area of Lee County. Some have not even been lived in to date!

Most are stucco structures, some with cathedral ceilings, garages and lanais. Many are on owned property; others involve lot rent.

The only thing that puts me off that area is the humidity — I'm told it's high there. This has sent me shopping in the drier northwest area, where there are bargains, though not as great as those in southern Florida.

GREAT OFFERS
I may have spent too much time watching Animal Planet, but I would be loathe to share the countryside with alligators and/or snakes, so any nearby body of water has to be salty. At least sharks stay in the water. The crumbly Gulf Coast offers lots of waterfront home sites — some have the manatee as neighbor in the sea.

At the top of my Citrus County short list would be a three-bedroom, two-bath home with its own screen-enclosed pool offered at $50k! It is badly in need of tender loving care and appliances, but WOW!

Mobile-home parks offer homes in the teens. Be sure to check out the lot rents, which vary greatly. They can be as low as less than $100 to $400 or more. The parks provide an instant community, friendly neighbors, activities and amenities such as heated swimming pools.

If you are buying a year-round residence, there's an $8,000 tax credit available. It can be used for down payment, if you qualify.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has great offers for certain home buyers: law enforcement workers, 12th-grade teachers, etc.

The Internet has become a valuable tool for real estate shopping. Eighty-odd percent of home buyers are shopping there. Many real estate Web sites offer satellite views of the house and the neighborhood.


Lorraine Lilja is a retired Press-Republican reporter. A collection of her columns, "Lilja's World," is for sale at local bookstores. Lilja can be reached at llilja17@hotmail.com