The other side of the Coin from up North! (Tampa: foreclosure, insurance)

[TANaples]

I was on the budget plan for gas heat in NY. It was spread out of 12 months for the months that I didn't use any heat. Yes, there are many months you don't need heat, or AC. It was $135 a month for the gas heat. I only put on the AC went it was over 85 degrees up there. I could because the humidty was less than SW Florida.

[nomoresnow]

Moved to N. Ft. Myers from Northern NY 2 years ago. Wouldn't trade it for anything. However, we are fortunate in that we are young retirees and do not have to worry about finding jobs. Listen to the other posters. Most of us are from elsewhere. There are no jobs in construction at this time. Do your homework before you move, because paradise can quickly turn into H**l if you're not prepared. Best of luck to you.

[Twobeach]

Wow We! ahhhh,,a bit speechless,,were in Lindenhurst too~ We are in construction however,,were done with it,,There is nothing in this world like reinvention! The illeagals have driven us once out of Business working for the who who's in the Hamptons and we reinvented ourselves~ We now do HVAC in Queens, we travel the other way,,When we were there, we were told if you can make $2,000 a month you will be fine, is this true? We have prospects and some land we will use to generate income. This is very sad to say,but what the hell is happening to our Country? Capitolism? American Dream? Wholly **it,,I mean its just like NY, its turning into the Very Poor and the Extreamly Rich, so tell me, why and how did everyone have new cars down there? Or was this part of the boom as here, Blow the houses up to as big as the foundations can stand, borrow,,borrow,,borrow,,, when I was a guest in Moms home this past summer she said the H20, Electric and Phone ran around 250 a month {june, july and Aug} I can do this,,However whats up with the Cable,,you guys are paying NY prices! what else is monthly,,anybody have like Deer Park H20?
anywho,,do not folks sit and give up, ok the the economy sucks, what can you do to stir it up? what do you know that you can create a new position for yourself, the Carpenter, run a cheap Ad in Wheels and Keels for simple Boat repairs? Just a thought..or Rent a Husband? Call that guy who was on Wink the other night who bought that 32,000 home,,he might need a hand!!! I have come to the conclusion recently,,and I am an straightshooter,,so here goes,,Life is what you make it,and its Shorter than any of us planned!! ,SWF start making lemonaide! Its really bad here too,,look we had booko bills and the illegals drove us out and we created a Niche',,rack ya brain,like we did...Life is so short,,we have been trying to sell for 3 years! From the end of the boom till now,, I kept telling my hubby,,there's a reason,,God {whom ever yours may be, don't wanna offend anyone here} God, hunny, he has a plan,,there's reason were stuck in NY, we got by barely this last year,,3 years no sale,,Our Home is Diamond! Go figure,,while down in CC,,mom couldn't breath,,long story short,,we rushed home she had emergency surgery,,and was Diagonised with Mesotheliomia,,OMG,,this is bad,,now in remission,, I am pushng her to get out and enjoy the rest of her life.. the point is,,we all do not know how long we have,,if we have thought,,,, we have hope,,, life and the ability to survive and make it memorable. Change comes the minute you decide to motivate~ To all of you struggling, we are too,,we got knocked down in CC before we ever got there,,but I rather reinvent hopefully for the last time,,and do it in he Sunshine,,than here. The gray days will drive you to madness. So lets pick ourselves up and think! Just do it~ Good Luck to you all~

[hiknapster]

Well, ain't that rich! I'm sure the people in Cape Coral will be able to pick themselves up by their bootstraps now, after that lecture.

Look, things aren't cheaper down there. Yes, your taxes should be but you have insurance to contend with, groceries aren't cheaper, gas, etc. No, I can't see $2,000 a month being a walk in the park. My MIL's electric is well over $300 a month in the summertime.

The services you get for the tax you pay is no bargain, either. Did you look into the schools down there versus the school where you live?

And yes, people drove big beautiful cars down there, back in the day, because there were a lot of HELOCS taken out with the wish that real estate would just keep going up, up, up. Of course, there were mostly service jobs and when the crash came the homes dropped like a rock and a lot of those vehicles were repossessed. Lots and lot of people became upside down on their houses, lost their jobs, hence all the foreclosures.

Hunger drives you to do anything to stay afloat, so if there is a way for people to get out of the mess they are in they have done it. They don't need a lecture.

Sorry to hear about your mother but it isn't only gray skies that will drive you to madness, so will unbearable heat and sun, your children without food and no roof over your head.

[E Taubert]

It is so ridiculous how everyone talks about how hard it is to make ends meet down here. There are 170,000 people in Cape Coral, and most of them are doing just fine. Everyone in our country has had to tighten their belts over the economic crisis...rich people included. But it's not like if you move to Cape Coral, you're instantly going to become homeless. That's what some would have you believe on here. My wife and I moved here from Massachusetts and we're doing fine.

Plus, if you buy down here soon, you will be able to purchase a house for a fraction of what it would cost you in most of the rest of the country right now. This is an insane buyer's market.

Best wishes to you. Don't let the negativity on here sway you. Half the people who write on this board don't even live in Cape Coral right now.

[RMD3819]

Originally Posted by E Taubert

It is so ridiculous how everyone talks about how hard it is to make ends meet down here. There are 170,000 people in Cape Coral, and most of them are doing just fine. Everyone in our country has had to tighten their belts over the economic crisis...rich people included. But it's not like if you move to Cape Coral, you're instantly going to become homeless. That's what some would have you believe on here. My wife and I moved here from Massachusetts and we're doing fine.

Plus, if you buy down here soon, you will be able to purchase a house for a fraction of what it would cost you in most of the rest of the country right now. This is an insane buyer's market.

Best wishes to you. Don't let the negativity on here sway you. Half the people who write on this board don't even live in Cape Coral right now.

You are absolutely right that moving to CC won't make you homeless. You are also right that home prices are very good right now.

The issue with the OP is that he has at least implied that he will be moving here without a job. He is in construction but wants to do something else. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think there are a lot of construction jobs in CC. I don't think there is much of anything else jobwise there now.

The advice most of us are giving applies generally to anywhere in FL, not just CC. We get many dreamers on this forum. The lure of the weather, beaches, and palm trees somehow brainwashes people into thinking all their troubles will vanish if they can only get down here. It's a rat race here too, just with nicer weather.

[goofykid]

Welcome TwoBeach to SW Florida which is far from any rat race. I think you will enjoy what this part of Florida has to offer you and your family it's more than meets the eye. I mean you will realize it is a better mover for you and your family not at first but down the road. My g/f parents moved here from NJ not that long ago and her parents love it they go alot of weekend get togethers with their friends. Her fathers always fishing and mothers always shopping. I'm 21 and she's 18 so theirs not much for young people such as nightlife but we make the best of it and always are going to the beach, movies and the gym.

Do realize that you will have to sacrifice not having seasons,pizza and good Italian food. Also you will have to get used to the hot weather and mosquitos. On the positive side you'll have good Cuban food (Although I've had better when I lived in SoFlo) and it's cheaper to cool than to heat.

The misconception that you will not be welcomed probally comes from reading the threads and post people have down here. You have to realize Florida is a melting pot and their are many opinions. On that note I would like to appoligize for TANaples negative comments and any future comments. Also try to stay away from "Oh back up North" talking because that tends to tick people off implying that it's better back home. Leave people thinking "than why did you come down here".

You will enjoy you moved down here hope all goes well best wishes.

[121804]

Originally Posted by E Taubert

It is so ridiculous how everyone talks about how hard it is to make ends meet down here. There are 170,000 people in Cape Coral, and most of them are doing just fine. Everyone in our country has had to tighten their belts over the economic crisis...rich people included. But it's not like if you move to Cape Coral, you're instantly going to become homeless. That's what some would have you believe on here. My wife and I moved here from Massachusetts and we're doing fine.

Plus, if you buy down here soon, you will be able to purchase a house for a fraction of what it would cost you in most of the rest of the country right now. This is an insane buyer's market.

Best wishes to you. Don't let the negativity on here sway you. Half the people who write on this board don't even live in Cape Coral right now.

You need to have income to pay the mortgage & upkeep.

Income usually comes from a job.

Construction jobs in Cape Coral?

A person can find cheap homes anywhere.

It's PAYING FOR IT that is sort of important.

Last time I looked, the sun wasn't paying mortgages...if it was, guess CC & FM wouldn't have the foreclosure numbers that the cities do..

Please list the companies in Cape Coral that are hiring for CONSTRUCTION workers...along with the salary.....

And the many of the new construction homes in CC are cheap for a reason.

[JudiPatooti]

Hey, if you hate it here, you can always go back at some point. Many do, and many don't. You'll never know how you're going to react to this area on a full-time basis until you actually live here for awhile. Being here on vacation has little to do with actually living here. Personally, I think the happiest people here are the snowbirds who can live in both places, the North and the South--the best of both worlds. I know that doesn't apply to your situation, but it does probably say that it's not perfect in either place (otherwise those people would just live here full-time) and on the other hand, both places have good things about them (that's why they come down to enjoy it every year).

Come with an open mind. You will be welcome. But, do have a definite job in place before you move!!!! That's the best advice and why so many people here say it over and over again. Good luck to you!

[yachtcare]

Originally Posted by E Taubert

But it's not like if you move to Cape Coral, you're instantly going to become homeless.

True, it may take upwards of 6 or more months......