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Naples Collier County
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Old 02-17-2015, 04:20 PM
 
90 posts, read 104,042 times
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Hi, couple in their 60's , both widowed, starting over & looking for home for about 7 months of the year (rest at Jersey shore). We are very social, golfers and like restaurants , nightlife, etc. Also like casinos! Would like to be close to airport for direct flights from Newark. One of us Italian from NJ and one of us German from the coal region of Pa! Like diverse areas , can be 55 + . On a golf course would be fantastic. Price range $500,000. Have never been to Naples. Tell us!
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Old 02-18-2015, 07:21 AM
 
Location: Naples, FL
351 posts, read 492,160 times
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The cities of Naples and Fort Lauderdale are night and day. You should visit both before you decide.

I'm guessing you might prefer Naples based on your interests. Take two weeks - enjoy both cities - and then make your decision!
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Old 02-18-2015, 07:42 AM
 
Location: Mtns of Waynesville,NC & Nokomis, FL
4,790 posts, read 10,610,355 times
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^^^ +1...very different metro areas, and Atlantic vs Gulf, etc.

Your $ half mill budget is good, buy not luxury by any stretch.
SFHs available in golf communities number in the hundreds and hundreds in greater Naples area, on any given day in that price point.

Fwiw, Ft Myers, (RSW) to EWR does have non-stop flights...'direct' can mean '3 stops with no plane change' vs non-stop.

Golf communities come in different 'flavors' in much of FL: Bundled, equity, non-equity, seasonal, et al, and range from 'reasonable' to breath taking in terms of golf membership, besides the house/condo cost.

Condos in golf communities even outnumber SFHs for sale.

Do some serious net searching, Realtor.com, 'Naples Golf Communities', etc.

Be aware that all fees, golf/HOA/COA/dues/food min et al are seldom listed correctly on any RE site.

Come down and do a lot of looking and driving around after you have spent some time on web getting a feel.

Avoid the urge to buy 'now', as many SFHs and Condos will be priced better/more reasonably in 'summer', after the Spring surge of buying subsides; yes, prices are escalating, but there are usually better prices in the heat of summer when most of the buying throngs have already bought, or have gone returned north to sulk over pricing.

Do some reading on this Naples area Forum using Search This Forum tab; your question has dozens of full Threads on your topic.
GL, mD

Last edited by motordavid; 02-18-2015 at 08:32 AM..
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Old 02-18-2015, 03:23 PM
 
Location: Las Vegas
1,627 posts, read 1,710,721 times
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Living on a golf course in Naples means equity membership and annual fees. It can be very expensive here and I imagine it is in Ft. Lauderdale too.

We moved to Naples last July and visited Ft. Lauderdale a few months later. We're in no hurry to go back to the east coast. Traffic was horrible and it was off season. We're from Chicago, so we know traffic.

You really need to spend several days in each location to get a feel for what each place is like. It's an easy drive across the state (about 1.5 hours, straight shot).
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Old 02-18-2015, 05:45 PM
 
90 posts, read 104,042 times
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Thank you all! I currently live on a golf course (snow covered) and like it but I know that I don't want an equity membership.
I do have friends who have moved to Florida but they are into boating and marinas, the things that I am not into. Thanks again!
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Old 02-18-2015, 05:48 PM
 
14,394 posts, read 11,245,044 times
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The good news is that there are plenty of golf courses in Naples, probably the most per-capita in Florida. If you're not interested in living in a golf community your $500K will go a lot further.
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Old 02-18-2015, 07:17 PM
 
Location: Mtns of Waynesville,NC & Nokomis, FL
4,790 posts, read 10,610,355 times
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Plenty of golf communities without a true equity membership, as I noted above...
Agree with markjames that the OP's half a mill will usually go further in a non-golf community.
GL, mD
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Old 02-18-2015, 07:25 PM
 
2,407 posts, read 3,188,935 times
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Would you consider Venice? Many golf course communities, membership optional.
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Old 02-19-2015, 09:55 AM
 
Location: Pompano Beach, FL
389 posts, read 662,578 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sandsam View Post
The cities of Naples and Fort Lauderdale are night and day. You should visit both before you decide.
Right on target. Fort Lauderdale (where I live) is smack-dab in the middle of a metropolitan area of 5 million people, with all the advantages (world-class dining and nightlife, a growing arts/cultural scene, pro sports, etc.) and disadvantages (traffic, congestion, crime, blighted neighborhoods) of big cities.

The suburbs of Fort Lauderdale in Broward County have a few golf course developments, but generally they are much more prevalent to the north in Palm Beach County.
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Old 02-24-2015, 03:22 PM
 
Location: Vero Beach, Fl
2,976 posts, read 13,373,512 times
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I live near Fort Lauderdale (Weston) and spend a fair amount of time in Naples. As others have mentioned, they are quite different. When the end of the season arrives, it is more noticeable in Naples than Fort Lauderdale. The beach in Naples and/or west coast is far and away more beautiful than in Fort Lauderdale. If you do a lot of flying, Fort Lauderdale is ideally situated. Golf is played on both coasts.

And I wholly concur what others have said. Naples is a small city - Fort Lauderdale including the tri county area has a population in the millions.

In the end, you have to decide what area speaks to you - both have their pros and cons. Visit both areas and enjoy!
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