Transferring to Ft. Myers (Miami, Fort Myers: short sales, foreclosures, to rent) - Fort Myers - Cape Coral area - Florida (FL) -Lee County - City-Data Forum

ArcticPhoenix · 06-13-2010, 02:38 PM

Hello, all... I have an opportunity to transfer to the Fort Myers area with my work, and am looking for resources and information about the area.

I work for TSA at the airport, so it would be helpful to know approximately how big the airport is, and what the airport is like... it would also be helpful to figure out the 'average' cost of living for a family of four... From what I can tell, the median house price in the Fort Myers area is anywhere from 105,000 - 130,000. Is this actually the case? How expensive is flood insurance and what areas would I need to watch out for in terms of crime/flooding/etc?

It looks like crime there is somewhat higher than normal, based on my research.

Can any of you natives help me out here? Any help would be greatly appreciated! If you work at the airport itself, it would be nice to talk to you via private messages, if that's okay.

Once again, thanks for all your help!

pinda · 06-13-2010, 03:29 PM

We are concentrating our home search in Estero because of it's location to the airport, low crime and the great reviews that I have read. My husband just moved there (8 days ago) and I am anxiously awaiting joining him. So far he is really enjoying it there. He started looking at some homes already. I believe Estero is more expensive than Fort Myers but you can find property at that price (especially condos). He told me the communities in Estero are beautiful. I am the one who usually loves looking at homes so it is funny to hear him be so excited about the homes and condos he looked at.

I wish I could help you more but I am sure the natives will give you GREAT advice. I love and appreciate the people on this forum so much. It is a wealth of information.

Good luck on your decision on transferring. It took us a LONG time and I am so glad it finally happened and I am so looking forward to Sunny and Warm (Hot) Florida. It's chilly up here in Wisconsin.

Obxnc7 · 06-13-2010, 09:16 PM

The airport is located near I-75. Gateway is close to there, but in a bad school zone I believe. (You mentioned family of 4, so I assume you have children.) Gateway is a nice neighborhood that is very family oriented. You would literally be about 5-10 mins. from the airport.

Estero is beautiful. I think houses run a bit more down that way, but you may have better options for schooling if you are going to go public. If I buy a house, it will be in Estero somewhere. We don't currently live there, but love it there and travel that way quite a bit.

The airport itself is not that big. It is actually one of the smaller ones I have been in.

ArcticPhoenix · 06-17-2010, 12:24 PM

What are some of the nicer areas/neighborhoods around there? Schools don't concern me quite as much because my wife homeschools (she used to be a teacher.. and got tired of the BS in the schools).

I see a LOT of short sales for 50K-100K. How often do those short sales actually go for that price? Can I get a good house for under 110K or so?

Also, it would be great if I could speak to a Realtor... can any of you recommend one, or perhaps a Realtor on this site would be willing to talk to me.

If I didn't have to make this decision by the end of next week, that would help... but as it is, I have very little time to gather my thoughts & information about the area, so any and all help is appreciated.

It looks like the crime rate there is relatively high.. is there a particular reason for this? Are there any less-expensive areas that have low crime rates?

Thanks again for all of your help.

Chicken Wing · 06-17-2010, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArcticPhoenix

What are some of the nicer areas/neighborhoods around there? Schools don't concern me quite as much because my wife homeschools (she used to be a teacher.. and got tired of the BS in the schools).

I see a LOT of short sales for 50K-100K. How often do those short sales actually go for that price? Can I get a good house for under 110K or so?

Also, it would be great if I could speak to a Realtor... can any of you recommend one, or perhaps a Realtor on this site would be willing to talk to me.

If I didn't have to make this decision by the end of next week, that would help... but as it is, I have very little time to gather my thoughts & information about the area, so any and all help is appreciated.

It looks like the crime rate there is relatively high.. is there a particular reason for this? Are there any less-expensive areas that have low crime rates?

Thanks again for all of your help.

Yes, you can still get a good house for under 100K.

Most of the crime is in north Fort Myers. I'm in San Carlos Park, which is considered south Fort Myers and is north of Estero. There are a ton of houses in San Carlos Park that are in your price range. Another bonus is that I'm only 10 minutes or so from the airport.

ArcticPhoenix · 06-17-2010, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chicken Wing

Yes, you can still get a good house for under 100K.

Most of the crime is in north Fort Myers. I'm in San Carlos Park, which is considered south Fort Myers and is north of Estero. There are a ton of houses in San Carlos Park that are in your price range. Another bonus is that I'm only 10 minutes or so from the airport.

What about the short sales in the area? Are a lot of them going for significantly higher than what the "advertised" price is?

Chicken Wing · 06-17-2010, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArcticPhoenix

What about the short sales in the area? Are a lot of them going for significantly higher than what the "advertised" price is?

I don't know about the short sales. You might want to look at foreclosures, though. Find a good RE agent and go from there. You might want to rent initially to get to know the area before you commit to a house.

We closed on our 3 BR/2BA house in November of 2009 (after renting for 8 months or so). At the time, it was listed at something like $94K and we agreed with the seller at $92K. The seller was a bank because it was a foreclosure. Long story short, the appraisal came back at $72K and the bank, after shuffling their feet, finally agreed to sell the house to us for the $72K.

hiknapster · 06-17-2010, 07:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chicken Wing

I don't know about the short sales. You might want to look at foreclosures, though. Find a good RE agent and go from there. You might want to rent initially to get to know the area before you commit to a house.

We closed on our 3 BR/2BA house in November of 2009 (after renting for 8 months or so). At the time, it was listed at something like $94K and we agreed with the seller at $92K. The seller was a bank because it was a foreclosure. Long story short, the appraisal came back at $72K and the bank, after shuffling their feet, finally agreed to sell the house to us for the $72K.

You will definitely want to rent first, especially in San Carlos Park which is very spotty.

nomoresnow · 06-18-2010, 05:26 PM

Estero and San Carlos park have some really nice homes and areas. Most of the crime, from what I've seen in the papers, is situated in the poorer, run down areas. I really like the airport. As a consumer who's used it several times over the past 4 years, I find it really clean, it's pretty new, they're talking about expanding soon. Very bright, sunny. The employees, for the most part, are professional, friendly. I can't speak from an insider's viewpoint, tho.

Best of luck wherever you end up. I hope you like it here.

hiknapster · 06-18-2010, 05:41 PM

Estero is a completely different area than San Carlos Park. Estero has some BEAUTIFUL homes and areas. San Carlos can be gritty. There are some decent homes and also some very nice ones, such as in Three Oaks. There are some iffy areas, though, such as Miami Blvd. And since the recession those areas have gone downhill quite a bit.

I would stick with Estero.