[capthrvat]

I know there are many threads about this but i need to hear some responses from people living in the deep creek punta gorda area. I am from north jersey and i am getting married in feb of 08. Me and my future wife are looking to move down to florida for a number of reasons; better weather, she wants to be closer to her parents. She is in education so i dont think it would be impossible for her to find a job but im in the mortgage buisness as a mortgage underwriter and based on what i know it may be tough for me to find a job in that area. I am in contact with a head hunter from down there and she told me that i can get a job that will pay me min. $80,000 base which if that is true then i have nothing to worry about regarding employment. What i really want to know is if the area is good for me and my wife and our future family where we can raise our kids. Its gotten too expensive up here to own a house and provide for children. I am going down in november for a week to check out the area and get a feel of it. Any comments and help will be appriciated.

[121804]

Originally Posted by capthrvat

I know there are many threads about this but i need to hear some responses from people living in the deep creek punta gorda area. I am from north jersey and i am getting married in feb of 08. Me and my future wife are looking to move down to florida for a number of reasons; better weather, she wants to be closer to her parents. She is in education so i dont think it would be impossible for her to find a job but im in the mortgage buisness as a mortgage underwriter and based on what i know it may be tough for me to find a job in that area. I am in contact with a head hunter from down there and she told me that i can get a job that will pay me min. $80,000 base which if that is true then i have nothing to worry about regarding employment. What i really want to know is if the area is good for me and my wife and our future family where we can raise our kids. Its gotten too expensive up here to own a house and provide for children. I am going down in november for a week to check out the area and get a feel of it. Any comments and help will be appriciated.

We are a younger family living in Punta Gorda Isles. We are leaving in 7 days. We came here due to a decent paying job & some other circumstances. Throughout the course of living here, we've both found this to be one of the worst areas for a young family. This is retirement heaven. If you are retired & want to golf & fish, Punta Gorda is a great place. If you are young & have young children, Punta Gorda is depressing.

To make a long story short, we've been working on moving for several months & are moving to where I am originally from; where family & friends are; where schools are better even in the worst areas; & where our children will see other children on a regular basis. Basically, it has nothing to do with income, weather (though 90 degree plus days plus the humidity month after month is a drag), taxes, crime...it has to do with family, life long friends & what we consider a good way of life.

We are currently renting & looked at more than a few homes in Deep Creek. It is a very big development that has a mix of older homes & newer homes. It is deed restricted which mean that there are regulations on things such as fences, cars in the driveway, landscaping, etc. None of the regs are really that bad. There is beyond an enourmous amount of homes for sale in Deep Creek. You can take a look at this site, Main, & see the inventory. It has only grown in the past 8 months. Charlotte County has a 24 month inventory of homes right now. Not impressed at all by what the homes are like in Deep Creek. They are all the same. Don't worry about buying one in the near future, it will be for sale next year at this time. For the heck of it, I went back on the website a few days ago & only 1 home we looked at has been sold & the other 15 were still for sale. This was in the winter when we were looking. Everything is still VERY overpriced. A few of the homes we looked at have decreased in price $20-$25k. IMagine if we had bought that home prior to the decrease!!! Homes are losing value VERY quickly around here.

Deep Creek Elementary has been steady with its test scores & standards but it is still in the low 80% & high 70% for reading, math & writing. That is actually considered good in FL.....

Charlotte County schools were on a hiring freeze throughout the summer but did see some increase in enrollment due to cheap rent compared to Fort Myers. I am a middle school teacher & would be a little leary of teaching in the schools around Punta Gorda. I met some teachers one day at a park & they all complained about teaching in the county. It was an eye opener to say the least.

Ironically, my husband's job is being transferred to Jacksonville. He was a manager with a salary in the mid70s; had to have a college degree, blah blah blah. I'm a stay at home mom. We lived very comfortably on that salary. The nationwide company he works for is consolidating all of its SWFL, SEFL, & central FL locations & working out of Jax. If we had to, I wouldn't necessarily mind Jax. More diversified in its demographics & some other things. They offered him more money not to leave but our move has nothing to do with money. That is why we moved here & learned what a huge mistake that was!

I would be quite cautious that a head hunter is telling you that they can find you a 80k job w/ no problem. Are you aware that SWFL is one of the worst housing markets in the US right now? Lee County is the most overdeveloped county in FL with a 42 month inventory. There is little to no real employment in SWFL. We've seen renters move in & out, but we rarely see any of the several homes for sale in our area even looked at by passerbyers. People cannot afford to move to SWFL. YOu would be more or less likely on commission if anyone hires you on for mortgage lending help & that would mean you'd be delivering pizzas & working at WalMart on the weekend to pay your bills.

For sure, rent first for a year or two. Really get to know the area. There is very little to do in the surrounding areas. You would need to go to Fort Myers for decent shopping & if you want a nightlife. Or up north to Sarasota & St Pete.

I think there are better areas for a younger couple & that they are further north. We came here with all intentions of staying, but the harsh reality was we felt like we aged 50 years.

Good luck. Sorry this response is so long & rambling...I have a 2 yr old pulling on my leg & keep stopping in the middle.