Moving to Fort Myers with appliance service company (St. Petersburg, Naples: for sale, real estate)

[movetoflorida]

I am looking at moving to the Fort Myers - Naples area of Florida. My wife has family in St. Petersburg and Big Pine Key and she is originally from Florida. I fell in love with the Florida Keys on vacations there. We love the water..diving, fishing, the beach and skiing. Looking for affordable waterfront without too much congestion. We live in the sticks here in Gloucester, Va, so we are used to the "redneck" atmosphere. My business is partially supported by rich gated communities nearby though. My wife and three boys want more to do. We are looking at canal and riverfront in Olga and Alva. Saw a good deal on the Gordon River in Naples but it was near an airport and was a short sale. I have an appliance repair service I would like to restart and expand there as well. Noticed the companies are not advertising there much like here. Has anyone experienced good or bad appliance repair service? Fast or slow? Expensive or cheap? Is Olga or Alva a good choice for family? Are alligators and snakes a serious issue? Is nearby crime an issue?

[hiknapster]

Most important part of your post was your observation about advertisements for businesses. You don't see them because there is an incredible amount of business closing, not to mention that the area is ground zero for foreclosures. Several articles have been written in major publications, including Time and The New York Times.

There are a lot of abandoned homes and foreclosures. Don't expect business to be good.

Olga and Alva are very rural, but there was a building spree there, just like the entire area.

I'd suggest reading some of the posts on here to get an idea of what's going on.

[yachtcare]

From what I have been able to gather, the only places in the US suffering worse than SW Florida is Las Vegas, and alot of Michigan.

Unemployment here is in the 14% range, and no end to the bleeding in sight. With the high number of foreclosures, there is likely a glut of relatively newer appliances on the market for short $$$, just like the houses themselves.

Real Estate, Durable Goods, Cars, Boats, Services, general labor...there seems to be a glut of all of it here. And most of it losing value as I write.......we're far from the bottom here.

[movetoflorida]

If service companies are going out of business, why would they still have a listing in the phone book? If your hurting for business, wouldn't you place an ad instead of just a listing to be competitive? Look in your phone book under appliance repair and you will see what I mean. I service a combined area of 250,000 phone books as compared to Fort Myers and Naples combined to over 500,000. Did all the retired rich people in those 1 to 10 million dollar homes on golf courses and waterfront properties move?

[movetoflorida]

If unemployment is so high, I guess I will have no problem getting applicants for employment for my relocated business, right?

[hiknapster]

Unemployment in the area is close to 13 percent.

The median price of a house has dropped over 73 percent from 2006 to 2009.

There are 3,554 homes listed for under $100,000.

Those million dollar homes? A LOT of them are up for sale. Alva, for a very long time, was a one-road town. Like I said, there was a boom, but it is now a bust.

Lee County has led the country in foreclosures for most quarters, the past couple of years.

Do you have any idea how many brand new appliances are sitting in abandoned homes, right now? I mean the ones that the crackheads haven't hauled away.

You'd think it would be better of in Naples.There has always been more money there, compared to Lee County. But you'll still be fighting a very bad economic situation. They've been hit with a massive wave of foreclosures, too.

We get this stuff all the time. Someone goes on vacation and then decides they are going to move down. Gets angry when we give them the news.

We are in a middle of a horrible recession and you're looking at one of the hardest hit areas in the nation.

Like I said. Do more research.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/08/us...0county&st=cse

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/23/bu...losures&st=cse

[yachtcare]

You really arent familiar with the area. Most of those "rich" folks around here(since they are mosty from other areas, and winter here) Arent around in the summer time, in the winter, they tend to have a loyalty to whomever has done work for them in the past. As this area is notorious for fly-by-night, transient service companies, that take their money and are gone, leaving them with sub standard work, they have a fierce loyalty to whomever has done good by them in the past, or whomever their "housesitting" service recommends, as that is a part of their job duties.

Another observation, from the many years of service work I've done here. Most of those with the bigger money, simply replace what breaks, as opposed to mess with it.

Forgive me for being blunt. Perhaps I'm just getting tired of seeing folks ground up and spit out in this area. But you asked for information, we gave it, if you dont like it, feel free to spin it anyway you'd like too. Come on down, figure it out......let us know how it went. Not like it's any skin off my back.....

If all you want is the sunshine and lollipops view, call and ask the local chamber of commerce, they'll tell ya the "truth"......

[movetoflorida]

Well if it is so bad there, I have a nice home for sale here in Virginia. Why are you guys still there? Lots of government cush jobs here too!

[hiknapster]

I moved to Knoxville, four years ago. Yachtcare is trying to escape. Maybe you can help him! Have any boats where you live?

[yachtcare]

Tooooo cold in Virginia.....