Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Florida > Fort Myers - Cape Coral area
 [Register]
Fort Myers - Cape Coral area Lee County
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 02-24-2011, 08:24 AM
 
Location: Cape Coral
5,503 posts, read 7,330,107 times
Reputation: 2250

Advertisements

Congrats on your new home. It is much quieter in the NW than the south. For those with a long time horizon keep in mind that those lots that are empty now will have homes on them eventually. Instead of having a neighbor that is 100 yards away, you may have one 10 yards away. It may not happen for 5, 10 or 20 years.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 02-24-2011, 08:41 AM
 
Location: Florida Space Coast
2,356 posts, read 5,089,107 times
Reputation: 1572
Quote:
Originally Posted by poppapete52 View Post
My wife and I just moved to the (NW) Cape last June, (after retiring in '08, in Miami, and moving to Colorado to be near the grandkids). We "shopped" online @ http://www.listingbook.com for about 3 months before coming down to actually LOOK. Our realtor Victor S. was VERY helpful through the whole process, and I would recommend him highly, though I'm sure there are plenty of good realtors here.
What we've found is that the NW cape seems almost rural - MANY empty lots, many canals will NOT get you out to "big water" like the Gulf or the Caloosahatchee river, unless you're WEST of OLD Burnt Store Road. The South and East are much more built up, with much more traffic, etc.
You CAN find a house on Gulf access canals for around $250K, but it will most likely be an older home, possibly 30+ years, and less than 2000sf.
I wanted on a canal just for kayaking, and my wife wanted a pool, so we got BOTH with about 2200sf for under 200K, and we are loving being back in The Sunshine state. Our neighbors, 100 yards east, also on the canal are trying to SELL for about 154K!
Areas west of burnt store rd are gulf access the lots that are west of old burnt store rd are without bridges
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-28-2011, 01:08 PM
 
50 posts, read 80,957 times
Reputation: 15
Default hmmm

to the person posting to be careful of what you can really afford to the person wanting to spend 250-320 waterfront, yoou don't really know their whole situation so it is unfair to judge what they can afford, they could have a lot to put down or some saved up for reserves already, ijust because they are financially struggling does not mean they have no assets.....
just sayin'.....and they may make some more ont he one they are selling in NY????
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-28-2011, 01:55 PM
 
Location: Cape Coral, FL USA
616 posts, read 1,563,986 times
Reputation: 314
Quote:
Originally Posted by littlepawsinn View Post
We are struggling financially here in NY because of the high property taxes, insurance and overall cost of living for family of four. We live on Long Island. We have some family in Ft. Myers area and I have some family and friends in Florida not unreasonably far away. My husband would get the same pay in Florida as he is getting here in NY. He makes about 50K a year, yet we are still not doing so good here on the island. I would be finishing my Master's in teaching in Florida (if we decide to move) and begin teaching as well, if the jobs are available. Been to Ft. Myers many times, know and feel comfortable in the area. We would be buying in the 250-320 range waterfront.

But we are wondering about what it would be like raising our two toddlers in the cape. What's it like for the kids growing up in Cape Coral? How are the schools?Is there a lot of crime really going on? Are there dangers I should consider for my son or daughter regarding gangs, bad elements, etc growing up there?

Forgot to mention that our house here is old and has no land.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wishingawaysnow View Post
to the person posting to be careful of what you can really afford to the person wanting to spend 250-320 waterfront, yoou don't really know their whole situation so it is unfair to judge what they can afford, they could have a lot to put down or some saved up for reserves already, ijust because they are financially struggling does not mean they have no assets.....
just sayin'.....and they may make some more ont he one they are selling in NY????
True, they did not give us "the whole picture" but these bolded words say enough. I understand what you are trying to say, but every day we have the same scenario play out - I can't afford to live in X city, this area will be better. Majority of people who are "struggling" do not have reserves.

Worst case scenario - 1 family member out of 4 making 50k a year. 50k a year to pay food, bills, cars, insurance, and taxes. Even if the 2nd family member finds a job (Lee County has started an immediate hiring freeze) as a teacher, base salary for Bachelors with no experience is 38k and with a Masters - 42k. So max wage would be 92k - in a best case scenario.

You're still looking at houses under 200k.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-28-2011, 02:29 PM
 
50 posts, read 80,957 times
Reputation: 15
Default yeah

I get what you are saying!! 50,000 is not much for a fam of 4 for sure! I agree everyone always thinks teh grass is greener, well in FL I know it is!! lol!!! haha jk, anyways I would still love to move there, knowing it has advantages AND disadvantages!! I think even on the too hot days just seeing the sun beam through my windows would be enough to make e feel pretty happy compared to my state of Ohio...
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-28-2011, 04:09 PM
 
Location: The Conterminous United States
22,584 posts, read 54,262,993 times
Reputation: 13615
Quote:
Originally Posted by wishingawaysnow View Post
to the person posting to be careful of what you can really afford to the person wanting to spend 250-320 waterfront, yoou don't really know their whole situation so it is unfair to judge what they can afford, they could have a lot to put down or some saved up for reserves already, ijust because they are financially struggling does not mean they have no assets.....
just sayin'.....and they may make some more ont he one they are selling in NY????
It's a forum where people ask for advice and people that have been through it before give advice. You seem a bit defensive, yet the person receiving the advice did not.

Quote:
Originally Posted by wishingawaysnow View Post
I get what you are saying!! 50,000 is not much for a fam of 4 for sure! I agree everyone always thinks teh grass is greener, well in FL I know it is!! lol!!! haha jk, anyways I would still love to move there, knowing it has advantages AND disadvantages!! I think even on the too hot days just seeing the sun beam through my windows would be enough to make e feel pretty happy compared to my state of Ohio...
Oh, I see. Well, we've seen this sort of post many, many, many times before. Some of us have even been in your shoes. If you'd like some advice then we'd be happy to help. But we are not here to argue with anyone. The bottom line is hopefully we are all adults and can make our own informed decisions.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-01-2011, 12:46 PM
 
50 posts, read 80,957 times
Reputation: 15
Default yeah

I see what you are saying, and I will be glad to take any advice and run with it, I don't plan to move anywhere til 2012 so I will be getting lots of advice and then making my own informed decision.....I was just kind of sticking up for that poster as it seemed like they were being slammed like they were an idiot or something, I was only going on the premise to say that if they think they can afford to spend that much there must be a reason why they think that and they obviously know more of their own situation than what you or I or anyone else could figure....have no interest in arguing with anyone! It was good advice the person gave about finances etc, but the poster was'
nt looking for a suzy orman, just info on the area....
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-01-2011, 01:03 PM
 
Location: livin the dream
152 posts, read 357,065 times
Reputation: 51
Default Comfort level

I think everyone has their own "Comfort level" on money. Certain people like high reserves in liquid cash others perfer investments.

My advice, as someone who was looking to move to florida from WI. I would be purchasing a home with CASH, and having enough liquid CASH to live for a year or two at my current lifestyle. The is just MY comfort level and to also ensure that my family can live comfortably.

If your dead set on moving, create a viable plan and goals. Set them all up and follow them, if you dont meet them, replan and dont move until all goals and plans have been completed.

I find my self looking at Florida more so when weather is bad here or when I am just sick of gloomy days.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-01-2011, 01:07 PM
 
50 posts, read 80,957 times
Reputation: 15
Default yeah

You raise some great truths here, we all need to do what we feel comfy doing, forr us finding employment of some type before the move is a must!

We will have a nest egg/reserve that is quite large, I am just iffy, don't want to buy right off bat so we will be renting until we decide what area we would like to move to permanently/settle in.....
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-01-2011, 03:00 PM
 
Location: The Conterminous United States
22,584 posts, read 54,262,993 times
Reputation: 13615
Quote:
Originally Posted by wishingawaysnow View Post
You raise some great truths here, we all need to do what we feel comfy doing, forr us finding employment of some type before the move is a must!

We will have a nest egg/reserve that is quite large, I am just iffy, don't want to buy right off bat so we will be renting until we decide what area we would like to move to permanently/settle in.....
Well, that's the advice I normally give people so you are far ahead of the game.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Florida > Fort Myers - Cape Coral area
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6. The time now is 09:14 AM.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top