Building a house in Fort Myers (Cape Coral, Fort Myers Shores: foreclosures, landscaping, zoning)

[ralita]

I am interested in building a house in Fort Myers for personal use.

Looking for cheaper lots, I have found some in the Zip code areas:
33916, 33905 33913.

Which one is nicer and safer?

[121804]

Probably want to go there & see for yourself....

You could probably buy one off of EBay right now at below cost if you know the dire situation of the Fort Myers housing situation. 44 months of inventory.

[miruca]

Still .. I'd like to know too .. what are the areas of Fort Meyers that are ok, and which areas shoudl be avoided.

[hiknapster]

First one is the city, including Dunbar. NO.

Second one is Fort Myers Shores. NO.

Third is Gateway. Maybe.

Why would you build a house? There are tons of new houses that developers have slashed prices on.

[whippersnapper]

No on the first 2. The third is ok. I second Hiknapster though. They're shortselling a lot of houses. You can get some pretty nice deals right now.

If you have your heart set on building, why not look into lots in Cape Coral? They're pretty cheap too and probably in better neighborhoods.

[ralita]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

First one is the city, including Dunbar. NO.

Second one is Fort Myers Shores. NO.

Third is Gateway. Maybe.

Why would you build a house? There are tons of new houses that developers have slashed prices on.

The problem is that I do not trust the builders. I would like to decide which materis I use and how the house looks like.

Also, I would prefer to purchase now the land and build in 2-3 years from now.

Which area in Fort Myers would be the most adviceable to buy?

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by ralita

The problem is that I do not trust the builders. I would like to decide which materis I use and how the house looks like.

Also, I would prefer to purchase now the land and build in 2-3 years from now.

Which area in Fort Myers would be the most adviceable to buy?

I wouldn't do it right now. If you are in no rush, then now is not the time to buy. Fort Myers/Cape Coral was just named number one for foreclosures in the entire country.

[Starion]

Good call on picking up property now or within a year. However, keep in mind that builders are REALLY hurting right now, same as RE market. They are also cutting large deals that may not be so nice if/when things start back up again around here. I personally think that won't happen until the Presidential race is over and gas prices level off or decline a bit. Currently that is contributing to the panick of the middle & lower class.

Cape is cheaper, but has more crime (arguably more traffic), and most residential zoning is very spiratic....meaning there are open areas with houses spattered around and TONS of vacant undeveloped lots in between. Many neighborhoods are like this and have less landscaping. It's great for lower/middle class, but it has been overbuilt and will prob. take a while before that levels off and property values go back up. Don't get me wrong, there are still some very nice areas in CC, just less of them.

The prev. poster is correct though. You need to spend a week down here and just drive around looking at lots to get your own feel for the land. No internet forum can tell you how you'll feel about the area.

Best of luck.