Help! Ft Myers Port Charlotte NP info (Cape Coral, Fort Myers: rent, insurance)

[LewLew]

Hi Everyone...

I have not been here in a little while, as we've been trying to get all our ducks in a row.
Both of us have very good paying jobs, so that won't be an issue. Want to live in NP due to family there. I can work anywhere but hubby offered great job in Ft. Myers. Want to either live in South NP, Port Charlotte or a VERY good neighborhood with excellent shopping, close to beach and low crime in Ft Myers. Can anyone point me in the right direction for the best places to look?
We are VERY familiar with NP and Venice/Englewood. I really need more info on Port Charlotte and Ft Myers. We are young, outgoing, love to fish, boating is our passion, and going to the beach. Shopping and things to do are highly important. Family activities as well.

Thanks for any input!!

[121804]

As you probably know, Fort Myers has one of the biggest inventories of homes & condos in the state of FL. What you can rent right now (after season of course) is amazing & yet sort of sad b/c so much was brought on by greed & overspeculation. Much would depend on what your needs are & what you like.
My dh worked in Ft Myers but we lived in Punta Gorda. The commute was about 45 mins.

There are areas around Daniels, Colonial, and Gladious that have a ton of new places. I mean the place is so oversaturated with homes that whatever you want you could probably find...

You want to stay away from anything north of Page Field.

The area around Bell Tower Shops is super crowded but everything is there in terms of retail & restaurants.

We were just not fans of Port Charlotte. Found too many seedy areas & just the overall vibe of the area was not us.

Have you thought about Bonita Springs?

Just depends on what you guys need & want. I suggest finding an honest realtor who is not going to sugarcoat everything & getting some truthful info on the area from him/her. It is an interesting place.

[LewLew]

Originally Posted by 121804

As you probably know, Fort Myers has one of the biggest inventories of homes & condos in the state of FL. Much would depend on what your needs are & what you like.
My dh worked in Ft Myers but we lived in Punta Gorda. The commute was about 45 mins. Not too bad but we had to drive to Fort Myers for a lot of things.

There are areas around Daniels, Colonial, and Gladious that have a ton of new places. I mean the place is so oversaturated with homes that whatever you want you could probably find...

You want to stay away from anything north of Page Field.

The area around Bell Tower Shops is super crowded but everything is there in terms of retail & restaurants.

We were just not fans of Port Charlotte. Found too many seedy areas & just the overall vibe of the area was not us.

Have you thought about Bonita Springs?

Just depends on what you guys need & want. I suggest finding an honest realtor who is not going to sugarcoat everything & getting some truthful info on the area from him/her.

Bonita Springs seems to have a lot of older stuff for more money. That is what we liked so much about NP. 20 minutes into Venice for great beach, Englewood nearby, Port Charlotte mall etc. Deep Creek and Punta are far from the beach I'm told. Port Charlotte is so close to our family we are ok considering it, but I'm not liking what I've seen thus far. Ft. Myers is not REALLY where we want to be as our family is far from there...but I'm still hoping someone can point out some good areas. What we want is pool, 3/2 that is not going to cost us an arm and leg in insurance. We have dogs, so we can't live in an area where we can't have a fence etc. My husband is a huge boater, and loves to fish..he'd be fine in Cape Coral, but there is no beach...so I'm not a fan. Young married couple with no kids yet, but soon. Schools are important, but I'm not opening Pandora's box We'll go private if we have to. Thanks for the info.

[LewLew]

Oh, we've lived on both the East and West Coast of FL for the past 11 years...so we are not new to FL....

[121804]

I'd avoid Deep Creek. You are getting ripped off if buying anytime in the next several years there. The scariest thing I saw & this is not an exaggeration, was three empty homes (separate areas & separate times) that had been broken into..we are talking going into the home with the realtor & seeing smashed glass from the lanai or a bedroom. The realtor told us this was an ongoing problem in the area due to the high number of empty homes Just freaked me out along with the car breakins that bored teens did all summer...something in the lines of 75 cars were broken into. Too many run down homes next to a $500k home. No thanks. Also, no sidewalks & the deed restrictions were pretty silly for the area.

There are some areas in PC that are liveable. Areas off of Peachtree are nice. There is a decent park right in the area.

Punta Gorda is about 45 mins from Sanibel. I don't suggest it for a young couple.

Good luck.

[LewLew]

Originally Posted by 121804

I'd avoid Deep Creek. You are getting ripped off if buying anytime in the next several years there. The scariest thing I saw & this is not an exaggeration, was three empty homes (separate areas & separate times) that had been broken into..we are talking going into the home with the realtor & seeing smashed glass from the lanai or a bedroom. The realtor told us this was an ongoing problem in the area due to the high number of empty homes Just freaked me out along with the car breakins that bored teens did all summer...something in the lines of 75 cars were broken into. Too many run down homes next to a $500k home. No thanks. Also, no sidewalks & the deed restrictions were pretty silly for the area.

There are some areas in PC that are liveable. Areas off of Peachtree are nice. There is a decent park right in the area.

Punta Gorda is about 45 mins from Sanibel. I don't suggest it for a young couple.

Good luck.

So really our best bets are NP, parts of Port Charlotte, and Ft. Myers? We originally met and lived in Pinellas County for years...we were spoiled I guess.

[LewLew]

Also, I do have a realtor that we trust. She is our age, and our family knows her family. I've met her husband, mom and kids....so I'm pretty comfortable she won't steer us wrong. I'm just looking for opinions on areas from the masses.
Thanks

[121804]

Originally Posted by LewLew

So really our best bets are NP, parts of Port Charlotte, and Ft. Myers? We originally met and lived in Pinellas County for years...we were spoiled I guess.

I'd say that if your dh doesn't mind a commute, probably NP. My husband had a few work associates who lived in NP & made the commute every day. Personally, I think that is a lot to drive, but, if you gave me those three choices, I'd probably say NP & then Fort Myers.

If you do not have to worry about schools for awhile, all 3 places would probably suffice for your current needs. It's a whole other topic once kids need school & one lives in Charlotte or Lee County...

[LewLew]

Originally Posted by 121804

I'd say that if your dh doesn't mind a commute, probably NP. My husband had a few work associates who lived in NP & made the commute every day. Personally, I think that is a lot to drive, but, if you gave me those three choices, I'd probably say NP & then Fort Myers.

If you do not have to worry about schools for awhile, all 3 places would probably suffice for your current needs. It's a whole other topic once kids need school & one lives in Charlotte or Lee County...

Thanks...yes, I think what we are HOPING for is finding something close/easy access to 75 in south part of NP. My parents and his are both in NP... It is a lot to drive, and he also drives a lot for work. He has a great job where we are now, but we are trying to get back to the west coast for family etc. Tough call really. That's why I was reaching out. I have 2 weeks to figure it all out, and we need to make a decision. Yikes!

[whippersnapper]

You could check out North Fort Myers. It's a little closer to North Port
There's a new subdivision called Moody River Estates that would be worth looking into because I believe the housing is somewhat affordable and there's an elementary school across the street (Hancock Creek Elementary). It's been an A school for the last 5 years. In fact, almost any street on that side of Orange Grove Blvd. wouldn't be bad to live on. It's a pretty nice neighborhood.