[Nancy Lynne]

Please provide me with some good/bad/indifferent info on the area: perhaps it is not Naples, maybe Bonita Springs, or another surrounding area that is less expensive. I will be renting anyhow. Still way too high. Where are the family towns? How far could I commute? And of course, any info on surrounding schools or even private ones?

Little to no positive feedback anywhere on this forum that I can find on Naples. If you know of any family neighbors by name, please share.

Thanks as always!

[CHEWY12]

Hi Nancy,

Congrats on your new job offer.
Check out naplesnews.com for up to date info on Naples I think its a good news paper to read. Naples is not for everyone some like it some do not
you will just have to decide for your self. The commute traffic on I-75 is pretty busy if you come in from the north, like wise on the return trip.
Due to the high cost of living here most working people choose to make the commute. Right now the snowbirds are down so things are a little more congested but you can still get around ok if you plan your trips.
Read the online paper they cover the issues that will affect you if you decide to become a full time resident.

Best of luck to you
Chewy12

[LeavingFlorida05]

Naples is expensive. Don't expect to see much to rent. There are very few apartment complexes as most of them were converted to condos during the real estate boom. Perhaps you could find a house to rent, but it won't be cheap. Don't expect to find anything decent for $1000/month. You'll be looking at $2000-$3000/month. The fact is, Naples has HUGE affordable housing problem. The local newspaper (naplesnews.com) ran a series of stories about the problem, this past summer. There were interviews of many people, police officers, school teachers, etc. who could no longer afford to live here. There was even an interview with a pharmacist who turned down a job, because he couldn't make enough to live here...a pharmacist!

Now you could live in Bonita Springs, but it's not much cheaper. The farther from Naples you go, the cheaper it generaly gets (except in Fort Myers), but the traffic is terrible, absolutely terrible. Southwest Florida has undergone huge growth over the past several years and the local governments did not keep up with the infrastructure. In the summer, traffic is bad, but tolerable. The snowbirds are still up north. But in the winter, you'll want to cry. You cannot go anywhere without being surrounded by retirees clogging every single road. They are everywhere, literally.

Before you think I'm one of those people that isn't making it, financially, I'm doing just fine. I can afford it. But I hate what I see here. It's a souless place. It's an economy based on tourism. There is no substance. It's the definition of a place where greed took control. The rich are living great. The poor...not so much. The local government does nothing to alleviate the problem. They make it virtually impossible for developers to build affordable housing (setting density limits and high impact fees).

I have intimate knowledge regarding these issues. I deal with them every day, because of my job (in the commercial real estate sector and No, I'm not a realtor).

[NorthernIL815]

Originally Posted by Nancy Lynne

Little to no positive feedback anywhere on this forum that I can find on Naples. If you know of any family neighbors by name, please share.

Thanks as always!

Good luck finding positive feedback anywhere on this forum! It might be there, you just have to search for it I guess.
My wife just started working there in Naples a couple weeks ago and the rest of us are moving down once the kids school year is done. She IS renting a nice place for 1,000 a month. Its a furnished 3br house with a pool. She even got a good 6month lease on it till we make it down and find a place of our own. If thats the way you want to go then contact different realtors down there and see if they have houses for sale that they would rent or lease. Just start making phone calls. NaplesNews.com is a great web site for housing information like someone said. Realtors would rather have some rent/lease money coming in than to have the house sit empty. Considering what they are asking for in housing, a lot of houses have been sitting empty for months and months, weve looked at about 2doz so far. Good for us buyers though, I hope. I wont get into the greed issue, someone else hit that on the head.
We love the area and its a job thing so were moving and will make the best of it. I could complain about similar issues where I live now in a major college town as far as traffic/crime/students 9 months out of the year. But hey, they bring the money to us which Im sure the snowbirds do down there.
Send me a private message if you like. Good luck with the move!

[LeavingFlorida05]

May I ask where you found that "nice" house for $1000/month?

The reason I ask is, I have a friend who has a 900 SF, 2-bedroom condo (converted from apartments). His monthly expenses (mortgage, taxes, insurance) are a hair under $2000/month, and that's one of the cheaper places to live in Naples. Now I'm not going to call you a liar. Maybe you found a speculator who's just trying to hang on and gave you a great deal. But what you're claiming is certainly not the norm, not even close.

As for houses sitting vacant, yes, there are many vacant houses. They're owned by speculators, the same speculators who drove up real estate prices in the first place. Just because a house is vacant does not mean they are going to rent it for $1000/month.

[Judlea]

Originally Posted by LeavingFlorida05

His monthly expenses (mortgage, taxes, insurance) are a hair under $2000/month, and that's one of the cheaper places to live in Naples.

The difference could be between the cost of buying and the cost renting.

A few months ago we looked into renting a temporary place in and around Naples (Collier County), and there were a lot of really nice condos and villas at around $1,000 a month for rent. We also looked in the Bonita Springs area (Lee County) and found even more.

We checked out all the web sites that specialize in finding apts., homes, condos, villas, etc. to buy or rent. We set $1,000 a month for our "cap." Try it out, it is easy to do!!! And good luck Nancy Lynn!

Judlea

[LeavingFlorida05]

Ugh, someone so misinformed. Cost of buying and the cost of renting? Do you realize that unless the owner of a property loses money, the cost of renting is ALWAYS higher than the cost of buying? ALWAYS?

When you say a place was "nice", please qualify that subjective statement. Nice means nothing because it's an opinion. How many square feet is it? How old is the building? What part of the county is it located? Is it next to the waste water treatment plant? Is it on Marco Island? Is it income assisted housing? "Nice", alone, means nothing. That's a realtor term.

And when you say "a lot", how many is that? 5? 50? 500? Again, it's subjective. Apartment occupancy in Collier county is greater than 98%, right now. There is a strong demand for rentals, but there is not much of a supply.

I see you say "around" Naples. Was it Golden Gate Estates? If it is, then I know why you found something for $1,000/month. If you want to live in a former swamp, where people will use their residential lot to park dump trucks and other industrial equipment, then $1000/month just might get you that.

[Mrs.Bewitched]

Originally Posted by Nancy Lynne

Please provide me with some good/bad/indifferent info on the area: perhaps it is not Naples, maybe Bonita Springs, or another surrounding area that is less expensive. I will be renting anyhow. Still way too high. Where are the family towns? How far could I commute? And of course, any info on surrounding schools or even private ones?

Little to no positive feedback anywhere on this forum that I can find on Naples. If you know of any family neighbors by name, please share.

Thanks as always!

I am renting in Naples. I came down here three years ago to get out of a "ghetto"...but now I sometimes regret the mistake because I don't think I will ever be able to be a home owner-at least own a home that is worth it's money.

Parts of Bonita are shady...I believe one part that is, is called Rosemary Park, so watch out for that.
In Naples, some of Golden Gate City is shady, and River Park as well as Naple Manor all is.

I hear San Carlos Park is nice/family oriented. Part of Fort Myers, but southern part so on a good day it's between 25-35 minutes to commute. Before I leave this area, I myself am going to take a peek there.

[hiknapster]

Some parts of San Carlos Park are shady. Be very careful who your neighbors are. It is one of those places that you think everything is great and find out that crack addicts live next door. I lived there eight years and my husband grea up there. The best part is Three Oaks, but that is very expensive, once again.

[Judlea]

When we were looking, we really did our homework and searched hard, but I'm prone to over searching.

I just now went to the website I had used before. Currently there are 18 condos listed for rent for under $1,000. This is the first one they have listed - the listing goes by price - low to high.

The Tides @ Pelican Landing - Bonita Springs ( West of US41 - Corkscrew Road) available March 01, 2007
$795.00 UNFURNISHED CONDO

Are these bad areas?????
The various locations listed for the 18 (all for rent) are:

Key Royal - North Naples (Immokalee Road - West of Collier Boulevard / CR 951)
Sea Breeze - Marco Island (Collier Boulevard)
San Mirage - Bonita Springs (Colonnades - between Old 41 and US 41)
Fairway Preserve - North Naples (Immokalee Road- East of I-75)
Woodmere Lake Club - Naples (County Barn Road - Just South of Davis Boulevard)
Veranda's @ Quail Run - Naples (Off of Pine Ridge Road - Just West of Airport Road)
Napoli - Naples (Davis Blvd. and County Barn Rd.)
Blue Heron - Naples (Radio Road - West Of SR 951 - Collier Blvd)
Regency Woods - Naples (Rattlesnake Hammock & US 41)
Bel Air Club - Naples / Park Shore (Bel Air & Parkshore - West of US 41)

This one is a tad over a $1,000 but it has a one car garage.

Villagio - Estero (Three Oaks Parkway - North of Corkscew Road) Currently Available
$ 1095.00 UNFURNISHED CONDO WITH 1 CAR GARAGE
2 bedroom / 2 bath / 1 car garage. Venice model, 1st floor unit BRAND NEW - carpeted bedrooms and tiled living area. Located in gated community amongst 70 acres with 10 being natural preserves - lakes and waterways. Many community amenities including town center with Cardio Salon - State of-the-Art Fitness salon, The Club Room, tennis, Bocce courts, Villa Pool - Resort-style with panoramic view, Cafe Verona - Internet cafe, Bar Amici and Cinema Defino - Big screen theatre with Surround Sound. Water and cable included in the rent. No Smoking. No Pets.

When we were searching we could rent a Villa with a one car garage in the exclusive and gated Village Walk area for $1,000. We couldn't afford to BUY one of these villa, but we could afford to rent it for a year.

Just giving my experiences here... Not trying to start a fight, debate, or post anything "illegal."