Lehigh- anyone like it? (Lehigh Acres, Lee: transfer, buying, property taxes)

[Suncoast Guy]

Originally Posted by ChrisA70

Yes, you know trees and grass rob from people, and carjack... Come on....LOL Could be Mosquitos, and possums too?

Good one ChrisA!

Anyway the point is across- it's the PEOPLE (a.k.a. Population) that does the crime and time in Lehigh. So, Lehigh is NOT bigger than Knoxville, TN and probably does have the same amount or more crime. Just choose wisely.

[memorygap]

Thought I could add a little to this discussion. My parents moved to Lehigh in 1972 shortly after I was born and I consider it my hometown. Although I no longer live in the state, I periodically fly down to visit my folks, who still live in the same Wedgewood community that I call home. At one time, Lehigh Acres was a fast growing town that was being developed primarily by one corporation. There where phased developments and planned growth, and the corporation did its best at maintaining community programs that kept the town active. During these golden years, it was a pleasant place to live. There was a central towntown location, a golf resort that had large community events and centralized community services. When Lehigh Corporation fell, the town became a real estate equivalent of the Wild West. Suddenly duplexes where being built across from single-family homes. While some small planned communities kept with the phased development approach, other areas grew in wild , largely non-uniform ways. The community services were dispersed and the centralized shopping became less convenient to the people living in the developing outskirts of town ( Lehigh is VERY large in land area despite its comparatively smaller population).

I’ve slowly watched the town go through a downward spiral over the years. Now that I live away from it, each time I come back the changes are more stark and unnerving. Areas that quickly developed within the last 10 years were the first that fell apart after the real estate boom. Drive down Gunnery Road and count the number of for sale signs and/or houses that never finished construction. Older neighborhoods also fell to pieces. My old Wedgwood community was once populated by the middle class and retirees is now shifting to a largely immigrant population. The poorer neighborhoods in my youth (mostly retirees) could now best be described as slums occupied by working class who either didn’t move out when they could ( and are now stuck) or by those who can’t afford a home closer to the jobs in Fort Myers. Many of these homes are now in disrepair, something that wasn’t widely seen in my youth. But the real tragedy is what happened to the golf course communities. From my perspective, they all took a turn for the worst. Lots of foreclosed homes and for several owners, no more golf course.

Lehigh is fighting many fires, it’s an unincorporated mess of a land mass that’s trying to pull itself back together. I don’t want to give anyone the illusion that is all bad, because there are still plenty of good areas (and good people) in Lehigh. And there is a lot going on that might get the town to rebound, with new investment by private conglomerates to build better shopping and improve the area. But one thing worth noting, the town has yet to make a city out of itself. It’s still the Wild West, and despite all the gripes Lehigh residents once mocked the Cape over, it was the community planning that helped much of that city grow. If I were considering Lehigh as a place to stay, I’d focus on the newer planned developments. The property is usually comparable in price to a similar sized lot in an older community and many are convenient to the new shopping locations. As I mentioned, Lehigh is LARGE. It’s an area that has to be explored to understand, each neighborhood has its own limitations and problems. Some areas are affordable goldmines that will give a new homeowner a great home and neighborhood, others are declining and should be investigated thoroughly. Either way , there is a risk that the town may get even worse before it improves, and when you are buying property the last thing you want is the stench of death when securing the title, so be warned if you don’t plan on living there very long.

[TedTAce]

Originally Posted by memorygap

As I mentioned, Lehigh is LARGE. It’s an area that has to be explored to understand, each neighborhood has its own limitations and problems. Some areas are affordable goldmines that will give a new homeowner a great home and neighborhood, others are declining and should be investigated thoroughly. Either way , there is a risk that the town may get even worse before it improves, and when you are buying property the last thing you want is the stench of death when securing the title, so be warned if you don’t plan on living there very long.

This (I think) is the most valuable point in the thread!!

[nhkev]

I have a trailer park in my town, it is the least desirable place to live. Practically every call the police dept gets is in this park. The park is also home to some elderly that are on fixed incomes and it's all they can afford. It's also home to some young married couples that work at gas stations and walmart and are also good people. I look at Lehigh in the same light. I don't think the trailer park is someday going to have a rebound and become a very sought after area, it is going to be the least desirable in the town unless someone buys up the park gives everyone eviction notices and builds something else there. In massachusetts this happened which is now Patriots Place in Foxboro. Sanibel and Captiva are Fort myers beach are obviously going to be for the rich. Cape Coral's Gulf access areas and Southern Fort Myers are going to be for the Middle Class and Inland Cape Coral and Lehigh and North Fort Myers are going to be the areas for the affordable housing which are going to bring a very mixed residential base. I wouldn't advise anyone buying in those areas and wouldn't want to raise my family there, but I wouldn't advise the trailer park either. Even though it is not for me, it's all some can afford and living in the trailer park is still better than living in other places.

[hungry4turkey]

My house I bought last month is in a nice area, but the neighborhood has so many foreclosures and vacant homes. That's life in Lee county. I got a cute place with an in ground pool for a great price and it is literally a block over the Fort Myers border by the Publix that divides Colonial and Lee Blvd...right off Rte 82. The closer you are to Fort Myers, the better as far as price value and appreciation. I just hope that when I do get new neighbors, they are decent. I like the quiet of all the homes not being occupied and you're so close to that shopping plaza. You don't feel cut off from the world. This is my vacation home. I'm not there full time, but there are good and bad in all towns.

[TedTAce]

Originally Posted by hungry4turkey

My house I bought last month is in a nice area, but the neighborhood has so many foreclosures and vacant homes. That's life in Lee county. I got a cute place with an in ground pool for a great price and it is literally a block over the Fort Myers border by the Publix that divides Colonial and Lee Blvd...right off Rte 82. The closer you are to Fort Myers, the better as far as price value and appreciation. I just hope that when I do get new neighbors, they are decent. I like the quiet of all the homes not being occupied and you're so close to that shopping plaza. You don't feel cut off from the world. This is my vacation home. I'm not there full time, but there are good and bad in all towns.

That's another point of order (if you will).... Getting around on 6 lane roads designed for the MUCH larger community, when it's no where near capacity, is a beautiful thing. Reminds me of Miami in the early 80's....

[cpslaughter]

I have lived here in the Cape for one year now. Although it has MANY problems I can honestly say that if you have the means to support yourself (there are no jobs!) this is a first-time buyers paradise. I love my neighbors and my boat. I graduated from Nursing school in May of 2008, and have been able to buy what would be considered many family's 2nd home or 3rd home just 4months after graduation. I got such a good price that I was able to add a boat and new Harley to the deal. As for the utilities expansion project, even when we do have to pay the hostage tax. We will have less than $110, 000.00 invested in a 2004 built 2400sq foot home.

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by cpslaughter

I have lived here in the Cape for one year now. Although it has MANY problems I can honestly say that if you have the means to support yourself (there are no jobs!) this is a first-time buyers paradise. I love my neighbors and my boat. I graduated from Nursing school in May of 2008, and have been able to buy what would be considered many family's 2nd home or 3rd home just 4months after graduation. I got such a good price that I was able to add a boat and new Harley to the deal. As for the utilities expansion project, even when we do have to pay the hostage tax. We will have less than $110, 000.00 invested in a 2004 built 2400sq foot home.

This is a thread about Lehigh Acres, not Cape Coral. The Cape is MUCH different than Lehigh.

[SWFL_Native]

Lehigh has 3 or 4 nice neighborhoods that come to mind... Olympia Pointe, Sherwood, and Westminster CC (inside the gates , not outside!)... Other than that it's spotty at best in the Western portion and a no-fly zone in the eastern.

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by SWFL_Native

Lehigh has 3 or 4 nice neighborhoods that come to mind... Olympia Pointe, Sherwood, and Westminster CC (inside the gates , not outside!)... Other than that it's spotty at best in the Western portion and a no-fly zone in the eastern.

Okay, TedTAce. Where did you buy?