Naples--ANYthing positive? (Miami, Port St. Lucie, St. Lucie: gated, condos, vacation)

[GrannyII]

Yes, thanks for sharing the amount of the air conditioning bill. Heat bills in the NorthWest are headed up, according to the media, for those with natural gas. And, they are already high.

[121804]

Electricity is going up across the country as EVERYONE is affected by the state of the economy & gas issue. No place is immune.

The media loves to make it sound like dooms day.

Yep, gas & elec are high...everywhere...

Our car insurance went down $125/mn when we left SWFL & that pays for the heating bill

[janp]

Thanks for all of your help and info RDM!

After finding the HOA fees on gated communities, we would much prefer non-gated. What is with all of the gated communities? Esp. in moderate price ranges?

I have posted many more questions as a new thread...would love more feed back, if you have any.

Jan

[ChrisA70]

Gated communities give people a false sense of security... I worked on 2 of them, and both had more crime get into them than a regular property. Pay more ofr what? I big fence and gate anyone can get into?

Originally Posted by janp

Thanks for all of your help and info RDM!

After finding the HOA fees on gated communities, we would much prefer non-gated. What is with all of the gated communities? Esp. in moderate price ranges?

I have posted many more questions as a new thread...would love more feed back, if you have any.

Jan

[121804]

Originally Posted by janp

Thanks for all of your help and info RDM!

After finding the HOA fees on gated communities, we would much prefer non-gated. What is with all of the gated communities? Esp. in moderate price ranges?

I have posted many more questions as a new thread...would love more feed back, if you have any.

Jan

Gated communities give a false sense of security.

We lived in one in SWFL & they were everywhere.

It makes the community appear more well to do which in turn makes people believe they are living in something they really are not.

There are gated communities in higher end properties that actually do have real security officers & survelliance cameras on lamp posts, etc.

Most moderately priced communities have a keypad & the gate stays open long enough for a few cars to get through.

It was just the thing to do; like granite countertops; when the housing boom happened.

As my dh always says: The bad guys don't go through the front door If they want to get in, they'll figure out a way.

There are aresa that are nongated moderately price & just as nice as moderately priced gated. But you will find it more common to see gated in Naples. Facades do sell to some people.

[TANaples]

Yes, I live in a gated, golf community in Naples. The front is ALWAYS locked, but the back, which is the worse area, is open a lot. A lot of people wait behind me when I come in and then go in when the gates are still open. Many of these people have out of state plates and are mostly "older" people, so I figure they are either visiting somebody or playing golf, and it doesn't bother me.

We didn't really buy in here for the fact that it is gated. As somebody said, they are all over in Naples. Doesn't mean much.

Our front entrance does have the security guard in the building, but the back doesn't so what good is that?

[janp]

I could care less whether the community is gated or not. It is the $2000-5000/yr HOA fee that I don't want to deal with. That could add a huge chunk to an escrow mortgage payment.

Community ammenities aren't necessary for my family. The only thing I would want is tennis, and I assume there are places to play besides a neighborhood (parks or even join a tennis club)...but I am pretty sure that can be done with much less than $2000/yr. Having a pool at my house would be nice as well, but again, I feel I could maintain my own pool for less than what I would pay in HOA fees...maybe I'm wrong...


Thanks much for the feedback.

[TANaples]

Originally Posted by janp

I could care less whether the community is gated or not. It is the $2000-5000/yr HOA fee that I don't want to deal with. That could add a huge chunk to an escrow mortgage payment.

Community ammenities aren't necessary for my family. The only thing I would want is tennis, and I assume there are places to play besides a neighborhood (parks or even join a tennis club)...but I am pretty sure that can be done with much less than $2000/yr. Having a pool at my house would be nice as well, but again, I feel I could maintain my own pool for less than what I would pay in HOA fees...maybe I'm wrong...


Thanks much for the feedback.

IF you are thinking about Naples at all. This is where the young families, and single family homes are. You can get no gated developments. You have to go north of Pine Ridge Road, or even North of Immokalee Rd.

There are some developements which have ammenties for kids, but you will still have a clubhouse,with a bar and restaurant, pool tables, billards, computer room, library, community pool with a kiddie pool and a playground, etc, etc,, but really you don't even need any of that to raise a family.

North Naples will be more suited to your family lifestyle.

[square-deal]

Well, I made the move to Naples from Kansas City, Kansas. So far, so good! What's not to like? It's hot and humid here in SWF this time of year, of course; but my friends back in Kansas tell me it's been even hotter and more humid in the Midwest. The terrain is as flat as a pancake here--not nearly as scenic, by far, in that way as in California, where I lived for about 30 years, before moving to Kansas last summer. (And California has been "firey" hot this year, too!) But the coast and beaches around here are beautiful, and I like that there is water, water everywhere! I don't find the people--shopkeepers, cashiers, clerks, people on the street--any more, or less, friendly than back in the Midwest or in California. On average, prices for things here don't seem significantly different than they are in Kansas; and they may be cheaper than in California, at least for gas. I'm renting in one of the ubiquitous "gated communities"; but they're not bad! With the landscaping and maintenance and assorted amenities . . . they're real nice! Traffic this time of year is just fine. . . . I'm reserving judgement about how I'll feel about traffic and crowds when "the season" arrives! Ohhh! The Florida Department of Motor Vehicles is staffed by seeming mindless automatons, pretty much--like almost everywhere; but I did find one smart, thinking, caring supervisor who helped me get my Florida license plate and automobile title! So, all-in-all the experience of moving here has been good, in the short time I've been here. I hope others who are in the process of relocating here find the same!

[littlesis56]

Stay in Kansas.....I am a native Floridian,born here in 1950.....it was a once great place to grow up, work and live......not so much now......too many greedy,selfish people......there is absolutely nothing to brag about, even the beaches,once pristine years ago are now filthy......very few progressive thinkers......I have lived in other areas of the US(New York,Chicago,Oregon,and California)so it's not as if I have a myopic view......if you can tolerate the winters in Kansas, then DO NOT make the move to this wasteland......