Feedback on Estero? (Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Naples: transplants, condos, crime)

[kdzgon]

We are relocating to SWFl (from NJ), and are looking from Naples up to Cape Coral as general parameters. (We are 51 and 60 yrs old, but currently raising a 4 YO DGS, too.) We looked at a development in Estero and we really like both the community and the development. I'd appreciate feedback on the community of Estero and also some feedback on the idea of buying within a gated community (which seems to be the large majority of building in the area nowadays) vs buying a single home outside a gated community.

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

Laurie

[FLANATIVE1]

Originally Posted by kdzgon

We are relocating to SWFl (from NJ), and are looking from Naples up to Cape Coral as general parameters. (We are 51 and 60 yrs old, but currently raising a 4 YO DGS, too.) We looked at a development in Estero and we really like both the community and the development. I'd appreciate feedback on the community of Estero and also some feedback on the idea of buying within a gated community (which seems to be the large majority of building in the area nowadays) vs buying a single home outside a gated community.

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

Laurie

I live in Ft. Myers (which is about 15 minutes from Estero). If I could move to Estero I would! I can't say enough good things about it. You are close to everything! You really can't go wrong anywhere you look in Estero. I would check the area in between U.S. 41 and I-75. That seems to be where most of the new developments are located. I would also opt for a gated community because the homes tend to be better taken care of and they are generally safer.

[hiknapster]

Actually, there are some nice ones to the west of 41 and to the east of 75, too!

[kdzgon]

Well, we booked flights to return to look in the area. I do have a few Qs: is there a large price difference (or resale value) between a gated community home or non-gated? Seems to me that the majority of home building is definitely within gated communities - is the crime that bad, or is it more of a current trend for other reasons (feeling of exclusivity, less maintenance responsibilities, etc)?

Also, the data shows that the average age is pretty high (Estero is 61.2, #35 in the country!) yet I have spoken with several people that have friends or family in the area that say many 30-somethings are moving in. Does the area feel like it's one big retirement village, or is there more diversity than might appear based on the statistics?

[hiknapster]

I worked at Publix in Estero when my daughter was very young. As soon as May would come around they would drop everybody from 40 hours to 10 or 15 hours. Yes, there are a LOT of snowbirds!

I think Estero High School is very good and prices are much better than they use to be.

There is a lot of traffic in Estero because there are very few roads and you are often stuck in gridlock.

It is still a very safe area.

Hope this helps!

[Cuse119]

I live in a gated community in Estero. I am married in my 30's with a small child. Here are my thoughts about Estero:

First of all, the area is beautiful. Almost everything is brand new. It is right between Naples and Fort Myers so traveling to either place is not that bad. You have a lot of restaurant options due to the two new malls that have opened. There is the community park which has a dog park so you can bring your dogs.

I feel there is a good mix of age groups in the area. In my community I am surrounded by snowbirds. My closest neighbor right now is about six houses down. At the same time though my community if full of kids, they just happen to live on different streets. I personally would only live in a gated community. The houses are kept up nicer I believe. The prices of homes are cheaper than Naples but still relatively expensive.

The crime is not that bad. The reason for the gated communities is because that is the trend down here. because of the snowbirds they want to make it a little safer. Plus usually the community will take care of the lawns and landscaping when they are not there.

I think the area is pretty diverse. I wouldn't live anywhere else in SW Florida I don't think.

If you want to know about certain communities you can send me a private message. Hope this helps.

[tamiedearest]

One of the things that you want to look out for in gated communities down here is the parking restrictions. I am guessing each community has their own set of rules but some of them are no commercial vehicles, no parking on the street, need guest passes, limited number of cars allowed at each property etc. otherwise they will get towed and that costs alot.

I dont live in one but have come across some of these issues since my husband drive and brings home a commerical vehicle.

[Blue Moon Athena]

kdzgon: If you decide to live in a gated community with a four year old child, make sure that it is one where other children live. I live in a gated community in Estero, and even though we are not a 55+ community, there are no children residing here full time. There are children that visit residents. And there are children that are here for a week or two, as their parents own a condo which they use for vacations. But none that reside full time. There are at least several communities that I know of that also fall into this category; either no children or very few that reside there full time.

Your four year old would likely become bored pretty quickly in a community with no other children to play with.

Also, you may want to focus on communities which are governed by a HOME owners association and not a CONDO owners association. Most condo associations won’t permit items, such as swing sets, toys and other items that children play with, outside of the condos in common areas. Home owners associations, by virtue of the dwellings being homes instead of condos, are more lenient in this area. None the less, even with a home owners association read the community documents very carefully before buying. If you have never had an experience with a governing association, you may be surprised at the restrictions which are in place.

[oeabel]

Our family moved to Estero last December and I'm finding it to be a nice place. I'm not really thrilled with being in Florida but since we're here, this is a good area. We will live in a gated community (Bella Terra) with both snowbirds and kids. I would definitely recommend it. However, when I went to watch my husband play softball with the neighborhood team, I closed my eyes and pretended I was in Boston on a hot day (the accents were thick)... There are a lot of Northeasterners here!

[kdzgon]

Originally Posted by oeabel

Our family moved to Estero last December and I'm finding it to be a nice place. I'm not really thrilled with being in Florida but since we're here, this is a good area. We will live in a gated community (Bella Terra) with both snowbirds and kids. I would definitely recommend it. However, when I went to watch my husband play softball with the neighborhood team, I closed my eyes and pretended I was in Boston on a hot day... There are a lot of Northeasterners here!

I cannot wait until I can escape the cold! That's too bad that you are not thrilled living in Fl, but I'm glad you like the area OK. Did you relocate from the Boston area?

We loved Bella Terra overall and found a couple of floor plans we liked, so I'm happy to hear there is a mix there. We are considering staying on site for a day or two to get a better feel of the development, but as we'll be in Fl for 5 days, I don't think I want the hassle of moving to a hotel as well. The prices might seem a bit high in the area (for Fl) but are quite reasonable compared to the NE, so I'm not surprised to find a lot of transplants there.

Blue Moon,

Would you consider sharing the names of those communities with little to no kids, maybe in a PM? Many years ago I lived on a street where my 4 kids were the only ones in their age group in the neighborhood, and it was not enjoyable overall. You can be sure we'll be on the lookout for signs of "kid populations"!