Family of 4 relo from Pgh to Ft.Myers area- suggestions, please! (Bonita Springs: apartments, renters)

[rikoshaprl]

Originally Posted by PGHJenna

Thank you, riko. I'm sure there are pockets of CC that are better than others (like all places) and I'm wondering where are those pockets. Do you have general ideas of good "pockets"?

Monika, I saw them! They're beautiful!

Each section of the city is different. The SE was the most desirable from the start because it is closest to the beaches and Fort Myers, so it has the oldest homes. I live in the SE and my home was built in 1976. The SW and NW have newer homes but less trees and civilization. You have to be careful about assessments in these areas but they have many beautiful neighborhoods. There are many threads on which sections are favored by different folks.
My advice is to check out the specific area you are interested. Each block may be different. Some blocks look a little run down, some have condos with rentals, others look barren. There are no ghetto areas but some of the lower end areas are near Cape Coral Pkwy and another is towards the NE.
Your budget will ultimately be a big factor to where you will choose. The Gulf Harbor area is expensive but nice. Anything on the river is very expensive and high end. Even many of the older homes have been rebuilt. The NW sailboat access area is very high end. More affordable are the areas in the SE near the river from the Yacht Club up to Veterans Pkwy. I think there is a lot to like about CC, especially if you like gulf access property that is affordable.

[PGHJenna]

Thanks for the detailed information, riko. Actually, for safety reasons, we do not want water access since we have two little ones. Kind of hard to find a place without water in the backyard in CC!

How is the current safety in CC? I am so scared to get broken into (car or house).

[rikoshaprl]

Originally Posted by PGHJenna

Thanks for the detailed information, riko. Actually, for safety reasons, we do not want water access since we have two little ones. Kind of hard to find a place without water in the backyard in CC!

How is the current safety in CC? I am so scared to get broken into (car or house).

If you don't want water you can get a lot of house for a good price. Probably SW or NW might be best for you. Don't go where it is very under populated though. SE is busier with more traffic. There is not a lot of crime anywhere in CC. Here some crime maps:

Cape Coral, FL Crime Map - Showing Crimes in Cape Coral - Crime Statistics, Alerts and Reports - Crime Stops Here

Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed

http://www.sheriffleefl.org/main/ind...Activity/index

[PGHJenna]

Goodness, riko! Now I'm obsessed with these new crime links! Especially the first one. I already check www.familywatchdog.us and the crime heat maps on www.trulia.com

We were told that for our wants/needs and budget (no more than $1200/MO) to look in to CC, so I will check your recommendations of SW, NW and SE CC, even though we would prefer to be in Estero or Ft. Myers. I am sure the safe pockets of Ft. Myers are few and far between, but can be found. We would like to be in a (family-friendly) neighborhood that is close to civilization (other families, shopping- at least a Target bc we're there every couple of days!, grocery store).

I have researched a few of these, not all, so any input would be helpful: Villagio, Timberwalk, Pelican Sound, Tuscany Gardens, Bellamar, Sail Harbour, Lakewood Village.

[wjj]

Originally Posted by PGHJenna

I am sure the safe pockets of Ft. Myers are few and far between, but can be found.

I think you are missing out on a large swath of very desirable neighborhoods by plastering "Fort Myers" with statements like this. The city of Fort Myers itself is small. Less than 65,000 people in total. That is smaller than many suburbs around large cities across the country. Most of the crime you read about is within those city limits, which actually is a pretty small area. Again, about the size of a decent sized suburb around many bigger cities. However, there is a much larger area outside the city limits that have Fort Myers addresses. Some of those areas have homes in the low to mid 7 figures, many in the mid 6 figure range, and many in the $250K range. This wider area is generically called Fort Myers, but it really is not.

Find yourself a map of the area that has the Fort Myers city limits drawn in and you will see what I am talking about. Even within the city limits, there are very large upscale areas for example along Treeline (Pelican Preserve/Colonial Country Club) and of course, along the river. But I agree that there is a large dangerous ghetto area within the city limits (and some spots outside the city limits) that should be avoided. You need to know where these are. Real estate agents are limited in what they can say about good vs bad areas, so you need to visit and research.

But what I would suggest is that you explore the Daniels Corridor (i.e., along Daniels Parkway) starting at Gateway (due north of the airport) and going west from there. You will find a wide variety options from around $200K up to well over a million. This area is called Fort Myers, but is well south of the city limits and is quite nice and quite safe. It is much like Estero.

We bought a second home in one of the gated communities within Gateway about 2 years ago and could not be happier. Lots of families. Some retirees. Some snowbirds. And some year round part-timers like us. I know you are looking to rent, but there are rental homes in many communities (though $1,200 for rent plus utilities (utilities are normally not included in rent) probably would price you out of single family homes in most, but maybe not all, of the Gateway communities. But there are many communities all along the Daniels Corridor at many price points, but it might be tough with a top budget of $1,200.

I don't think you will have a problem finding a nice and safe place to live in Fort Myers or Cape Coral, especially if you could raise your budget for rent plus utilities a little. My concern would be the whole school choice thing - which is really school assignment. Our kids are grown up and on their own, but if I had school aged kids, not knowing what school they will be going to would have been a deal breaker for us. Up north (we live in the Chicago area) we bought in an outstanding school district and pay dearly for it - even after our kids are long out of high school. Those districts are in high demand and drive real estate prices (and unfortunately, real estate taxes too). But when you buy in a great district, you know your kids are going to great schools. But in Lee County, it seems that you could buy a few blocks from a great school, but your kids could be assigned to a not so great school and be bussed miles away. As someone coming from a place where school boundaries are set in stone, I am baffled by what goes on in Lee County. Others on this forum are very knowledgeable about school choice and perhaps they can add their thoughts.

[PGHJenna]

Originally Posted by wjj

Even within the city limits, there are very large upscale areas for example along Treeline (Pelican Preserve/Colonial Country Club) and of course, along the river. But I agree that there is a large dangerous ghetto area within the city limits (and some spots outside the city limits) that should be avoided. You need to know where these are.

But what I would suggest is that you explore the Daniels Corridor (i.e., along Daniels Parkway) starting at Gateway (due north of the airport) and going west from there.

wjj, thanks for the great information. It's the same thing here-- We technically live in Pittsburgh, but it's considered the North Hills, a suburb of the city. And you're right-- we need to know where those areas are and that's what I'm hoping to find on this forum. I hear "South Ft. Myers" all the time, but I don't know where the delineation lies. We are very interested in the Daniels Corridor and have been looking at Gateway and The Colony, but have not found rental homes in our price range. Also, I have heard about many of the developments in Gateway having Chinese drywall which scares the heck out of me.

We are very concerned about the schooling and may very well consider buying in Naples where the school system is like it is here. We thought that we would have a year to get a good grasp on where we want to be long term. Our friends live in CC and their girls are in a really good school, but, like you said, have a bit of a drive to get there.

Just for this transitional phase/year, we were hoping to find a safe neighborhood where we can rent. We know we really have to be there and evaluate it for ourselves.

[wjj]

Most of Gateway was built before the Chinese drywall issues arose. There were a couple of communities (out of the 30 or so communities in Gateway) that had Chinese drywall issues in some of their homes, but my understanding is that the builders fixed those homes. It was not like entire communities were affected. Rather, it was a handful of homes in a couple of the communities that were still being built at that time. I have not heard anything about it in Gateway since we have been there. I have heard that other communities in SWFL were far more affected. In any event, it is pretty standard to have a Chinese drywall inspection done as part of the normal purchase inspection if the home was built during that time period or had drywall repairs or renovations done during that period. Some lenders may even require it. So you would know if there was a problem. Don't be scared - be informed. You might be missing out on the perfect place over a non issue.

[hiknapster]

Another good area in Fort Myers is the McGregor area especially to the west and then from about College Parkway as you head due south. All of that area is generally very good, minus Harlem Heights. The area around Summerlin and of course Iona is gorgeous. Some of it is very expensive, of course, but not all of it. All of it is very close to Sanibel, Captiva and Fort Myers Beach. That area doesn't get a lot of mention when discussing Fort Myers but it is some of the best real estate in Le County.

[PGHJenna]

Thank you all very much. I am thankful for the responses I have received thus far (keep them coming!). It does seem that most of my research has been jiving with everyone's comments. I don't want anyone to think I have my head in the sand about crime/safety, I just want to be informed (as wjj said) and feel confident about our move.

When my husband was down there, he felt that pretty much anywhere off of Daniels Pkwy, Gateway, The Colony, South CC, and off of McGregor were appealing. I will look into Iona as well. Do you think Timberwalk at Three Oaks is too close to the riff raff of San Carols Park? From what I can gauge, it looks like the area is ok, but again, I'm not there in person.

[hiknapster]

I love Three Oaks. It is very close to SCP but it is a neighborhood that has a great feel. It is also in a great location, near fabulous shopping and very near I-75. I use to live down the street from there.