Glutton for Punishment if you invest in Cape Coral (bankrupt, schools)

[Izmack]

Mine went up slightly from PA - maybe $5 per month.....

[faithfulFrank]

I'm told that mine may go up some when I move from NY to Florida. I hope not.
Up here we have potholes, tons of deer accidents, rust-bucket cars and of course thousands of snow/ice related accidents yearly.........not the case in sunny Florida, so I hope my car insurance goes down in Florida.

Sorry this is off topic, but after 18 pages of why Cape coral is worse then Dante's Inferno, an off topic post is almost welcome.....

Frank

[Izmack]

Originally Posted by faithfulFrank

I'm told that mine may go up some when I move from NY to Florida. I hope not.
Up here we have potholes, tons of deer accidents, rust-bucket cars and of course thousands of snow/ice related accidents yearly.........not the case in sunny Florida, so I hope my car insurance goes down in Florida.

Sorry this is off topic, but after 18 pages of why Cape coral is worse then Dante's Inferno, an off topic post is almost welcome.....

Frank

Hah!

[yoko]

Originally Posted by justNancy

I made an offer on a home in April that was declined. It just sold for thousands less than my offer. I wish the owner or Realtor had called me when the price dropped, but I guess it wasn't meant to be. I track houses I like for price adjustments, so perhaps it was when I was in the hospital. 4 or 5 months ago, prospective home buyers were scrambling to find a home to qualify for the tax credit. Since then, many listings have been reduced. A Realtor just told me there's an estimated 3 year inventory of foreclosures on the market in this area.

I guess, like in politics, the "facts" depend on the source. According to the Herald-Tribune last week, foreclosures are on the rise in SWFL.

Trouble signs: Tax credits end and foreclosures rise | HeraldTribune.com


"We anticipated a change, but we didn't anticipate this much of a change," Erick Shumway, president of the Sarasota Association of Realtors, said Friday. "The tax credits had a bigger impact on the market than we anticipated."

There is an interesting article about new mortgage rates!
I only quote one sentence which "I" find interesting.

“ Sales of previously occupied homes nationally fell in July to the lowest level in 15 years, according to the National Association of Realtors.”





Sept/05/2010
How low will mortgage rates go? | news-press.com | The News-Press

[nhkev]

glad you found that "interesting" you should probably post it on another forum where it has some relevance because in cape coral the sales numbers where higher than any month during the "boom years" the only year that had higher sales was in 2009 so they were the lowest in 1 year not 15. Once again trying to mislead people into thinking things are worse than they really are. Shame on you.

[Retiredcoach]

Originally Posted by faithfulFrank

I could hardly believe that thousands of folks who own canal property would allow their boats to become trapped and unuseable due to canals becoming un-passable.

The economy may be bad, jobs may be scarce, local Gov't I'm sure has it's problems, but sometimes these negative posts are a real stretch....

I'm no expert on the area.....I've only visited it a few times.....but Real estate values are in cycles, they go up and down. I personally think that as the baby boomers reach retirement there will be much more folks, mind you not all, but more folks buying in Florida. Many of those will not need jobs, etc, as their pensions will enable them to enjoy a leisurely sun filled lifestyle.

Basically, it is not the end of the world. Hopefully there will be those who feel a responsibility to get involved and be part of the solution.

Frank

Frank

Frank,

I really wish that I could share your optimism, but reality keeps slapping me in the face. My college educated "twenty something" kids are having real difficulties finding real jobs. Jobs that offer them any benefits ( any level of health care insurance, eventual paid vacations, pensions, any job security) in private industry. Their hope is to find a governmental affiliated union job.... the lone vestiges of security, benefits, and a pension. Where else, but in America government union , does a bus driver, firefighter, sanitation worker have a better overall earning package that most business owners, CPA's, attorneys, doctors, some teachers, medical specialists? Unfortunately for my kids, the word is out, if one works in most jobs in the public sector (and are unionized) they will be financially secure for life. If they work in the private sector, they will never have what you and I have benefited for years. As it stands, despite my extraordinary governmental pension and benefits, I am delaying retirement.... because despite their exemplary work ethics, my kids can't find meaningful employment.

When you say that many will flock to Florida when the baby boomers spend their pensions, I can only wish.... Our generation has dealt our kids some pretty lousy hands (strapping them with a staggering national debt, pitiful job opportunities, our Social Security, et al). Some say that Karma is a b**ch, and as a guy wanting to lead the good life in retirement, I seriously doubt that I will have the excess monies to spend frivolously in Florida. Ouch, could this be karma visiting me?

Florida will only grow when its infrastructure is not built around the pensions and incomes of those living elsewhere. Living in yesteryear will not solve Florida's problems. Florida needs to focus on becoming less dependent upon the prospects of "babyboomer' pensions and more upon finding the ways/means of being self-sufficient.

[faithfulFrank]

Originally Posted by Retiredcoach

Frank,

I really wish that I could share your optimism, but reality keeps slapping me in the face. My college educated "twenty something" kids are having real difficulties finding real jobs. Jobs that offer them any benefits ( any level of health care insurance, eventual paid vacations, pensions, any job security) in private industry. Their hope is to find a governmental affiliated union job.... the lone vestiges of security, benefits, and a pension. Where else, but in America government union , does a bus driver, firefighter, sanitation worker have a better overall earning package that most business owners, CPA's, attorneys, doctors, some teachers, medical specialists? Unfortunately for my kids, the word is out, if one works in most jobs in the public sector (and are unionized) they will be financially secure for life. If they work in the private sector, they will never have what you and I have benefited for years. As it stands, despite my extraordinary governmental pension and benefits, I am delaying retirement.... because despite their exemplary work ethics, my kids can't find meaningful employment.

When you say that many will flock to Florida when the baby boomers spend their pensions, I can only wish.... Our generation has dealt our kids some pretty lousy hands (strapping them with a staggering national debt, pitiful job opportunities, our Social Security, et al). Some say that Karma is a b**ch, and as a guy wanting to lead the good life in retirement, I seriously doubt that I will have the excess monies to spend frivolously in Florida. Ouch, could this be karma visiting me?

Florida will only grow when its infrastructure is not built around the pensions and incomes of those living elsewhere. Living in yesteryear will not solve Florida's problems. Florida needs to focus on becoming less dependent upon the prospects of "babyboomer' pensions and more upon finding the ways/means of being self-sufficient.

Coach,
I do understand what you are saying........and I think there is much truth in that. Your posts have always been educated and informative. The posts here in this Cape Coral/ Ft Myers subforum are unique though. There is a plethora of negative posts here on EVERY aspect of the area to the extent that Hell sounds like an upgrade.

Now I realize that the area has many troubles, and is the ground zero of Florida forclosures, high unemployment, etc......but I also know that there are some folks who ARE happy there, and on this subforum, their voices are being drowned out by a small but vocal few who post very negative posts, some that are alarmist, with half truths that do not paint the whole picture.

My post here was an attempt to bring some much needed balance to this unbalanced sub-forum.

Frank

[yoko]

Originally Posted by Retiredcoach

Florida will only grow when its infrastructure is not built around the pensions and incomes of those living elsewhere. Living in yesteryear will not solve Florida's problems. Florida needs to focus on becoming less dependent upon the prospects of "babyboomer' pensions and more upon finding the ways/means of being self-sufficient.

Super!

[yoko]

Originally Posted by Retiredcoach

Frank,

I really wish that I could share your optimism, but reality keeps slapping me in the face. My college educated "twenty something" kids are having real difficulties finding real jobs. Jobs that offer them any benefits ( any level of health care insurance, eventual paid vacations, pensions, any job security) in private industry. Their hope is to find a governmental affiliated union job.... the lone vestiges of security, benefits, and a pension. Where else, but in America government union , does a bus driver, firefighter, sanitation worker have a better overall earning package that most business owners, CPA's, attorneys, doctors, some teachers, medical specialists? Unfortunately for my kids, the word is out, if one works in most jobs in the public sector (and are unionized) they will be financially secure for life. If they work in the private sector, they will never have what you and I have benefited for years. As it stands, despite my extraordinary governmental pension and benefits, I am delaying retirement.... because despite their exemplary work ethics, my kids can't find meaningful employment.

When you say that many will flock to Florida when the baby boomers spend their pensions, I can only wish.... Our generation has dealt our kids some pretty lousy hands (strapping them with a staggering national debt, pitiful job opportunities, our Social Security, et al). Some say that Karma is a b**ch, and as a guy wanting to lead the good life in retirement, I seriously doubt that I will have the excess monies to spend frivolously in Florida. Ouch, could this be karma visiting me?

Florida will only grow when its infrastructure is not built around the pensions and incomes of those living elsewhere. Living in yesteryear will not solve Florida's problems. Florida needs to focus on becoming less dependent upon the prospects of "babyboomer' pensions and more upon finding the ways/means of being self-sufficient.

Investment in future? How far we are from it!!





" They fill the rest of that hole with reserve dollars. "









Sept/07/2010
Lee County faces cuts this year | news-press.com | The News-Press

[rikoshaprl]

Retiredcoach: CC will grow as the retired folks move here permanently and spend their pensions and 401ks. Many start out having CC as a second home but soon end up making it their only home.