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I too am looking around the Ft Myers area, up and down. I am a single 58 year old woman, my own work from home, so does not matter where. My 18 year old son is taking college classes from home also. We are both excited to move to FL from Chicago. I want an established beautiful neighborhood with palm trees everywhere. Ideally would be great to have a boat dock at the backyard to get to the big waters quickly (not at the back of a smelly canal with speed restrictions). If no such thing, then a larger property. No HOA. We have a big dog and I want to have gardens of flowers and vegetables. Private paradise. Must have pool and eventually need 5 bedrooms to accommodate all kids for holidays maybe. For my son we need to be somewhere where there is diversity and younger persons. I do not want to live within old people community either. So we are wondering if Ft Myers can offer us a lively place to live. I have heard it is growing. Or maybe someplace outside Ft Myers, north or west? Anybody care to share some ideas please, thank you kindly, Helena
What's your budget for this purchase? That's going to guide what areas we would recommend. There are waterfront options that can take you to the Gulf in parts of North Fort Myers, Fort Myers, and Cape Coral. For extensive palm trees, in Fort Myers you'd want west of McGregor Blvd homes on the river. On the other side of the river in Cape Coral there are areas with palm trees and then anything west of Burnt Store Rd in Cape Coral but those might have less palm trees in some sections due to homes still going up. You might also consider Pine Island/Bokeelia/St. James City/Matlacha but might feel a little too remote for you if you're used to city life. I don't notice any real smell from the canals. Also, only the more inland canals are freshwater in Cape Coral. The others are saltwater but you're going to want to not go speeding down canals anyway because that can damage seawalls and we have a large wildlife population living in the waterways here, including manatees.
Thank you sellingnwcape. I would like to keep the price below 700K if possible as I am sure there will be a bubble burst soon. Only I dont see anything available at that price that is decent. Hardly anything available at all. I do not want to be speeding anywhere, just meant that i dont want to spend an hour on a boat just getting out of a canal. By then your gas tank is empty and mosquitos have killed your vibes LOL. Since many lovely places are only accessible by boat, a boat seems to be a must. Renting is crazy waste of money, $500 for couple of hours. Are there any marinas where one could keep a boat if one has no dock of ones own? Pine island sounds lovely for me, but not sure for my son in a long run. I have read a lot of comments about Cape Coral being super ugly with no greenery, unkept empty lots everywhere and just a mess of a place. We are coming down next week, have rented a house in FT Myers and plan to drive around looking. Just have no idea where is good to look
Don't believe everything you read - a lot of the people trashing the Cape don't live here, only know certain areas, and/or haven't been here in a long time. I'm sure there are less desirable areas in town, just as you have in any city. But Cape Coral is one of the safest cities in FL which is impressive for its size. Trust me, the "worst" sections of Cape Coral in no way compare to the worst parts of Fort Myers and even Naples. Sure, there are some things I would like in those other cities, like a Trader Joe's (which Fort Myers literally got only days ago) and some food places, but for the most part it's a very normal place. We even have 2 of most big chain stores, including Target, plenty of chain and local restaurants, etc. We don't, however, have an indoor shopping mall but Fort Myers and Port Charlotte do. And we're halfway between Sarasota and Naples, 2 hours to Tampa and roughly 3 to Miami.
I would definitely take a drive over to Cape Coral while you're in the area and check it out for yourself. Head over to lunch at Pincher's for some waterfront dining, drive over to Matlacha to see the little shops and galleries if that's your thing. Buy some fudge and popcorn for a snack at CW Fudge Factory. Stop in for a drink &/or soda at Woody's in St. James City to get a feel for those areas, too, if you haven't entirely ruled out Pine Island. Another good place to check out is the Boat House Tiki Bar & Grill down by the Yacht Club.
You have a decent budget, might be hard to get enough bedrooms but some homes have lots big enough for additions. Marinas and boat storage around as well. I would recommend Burnt Store Marina buy pretty sure it's all HOA in there and would close off your son from a lot since it's halfway between Cape Coral and Punta Gorda. Plenty of younger people here in town, too, especially as more and more people relocate from up north. Not exactly the "Cape Coma" everyone likes to put out there. And not so run down, either. Numerous multi-million dollar homes around the area. For quickest to open water, definitely go along the river in the southern parts of town or west of Burnt Store Road in the north. Again, you need to see it for yourself so take a drive into town and then tell us what you think.
thank you again sellingnwcape. i take note of all you say. i never shop in malls or definitely dont care about nasty stores. we shall drive around and enjoy all that the area has to offer. you are kind to share your advices, have a great day !!! thank you,,, helena
Be ready for the culture shock. Florida is brown or green and flat, flat, flat.
Your perspective on Cape Coral is pretty accurate, but not all of the Cape is like that. There are no ‘bad’ areas of CC (like Fort Myers snd N Fort Myers) to stay away from... the crime is all over the city. Cape Coral is basically one big HOA so don’t bother looking if you don’t want an HOA type of living.
Also, don’t listen to real estate agents.. they don’t care where you buy as long as you buy. They can’t tell you the good, bad and ugly of area... they will sell you a home in Pine Manor and smile while doing it.
For what you want, you’re going to have to up your budget. 5 bedroom homes aren’t common in this area. I did see one listing yesterday, in CC, down by Four Mile Cove that was large and had a large lot, but priced at a million plus. Way too much for that area of the Cape .on water or not.
It’s good that you’re coming down for a visit....you need to see it first hand and come back here for honest opinions about areas. Having an older child is a plus for sure... but he’s going to be bored.. not much for kids to do around here.
Also, don’t listen to real estate agents.. they don’t care where you buy as long as you buy. They can’t tell you the good, bad and ugly of area... they will sell you a home in Pine Manor and smile while doing it.
Haters gonna hate
Plenty of realtors 'care' where you go. They want you to be happy, most derive great joy out of helping people buy their first home or retirement home, etc. Some agents only work Buyers because they love helping 1st time buyers, newly arrived buyers, etc. Often times agents become close friends with their past clients. When I sold in Miami, I created a beach volleyball group of past clients and we played every Saturday. Many new transplants to Miami didn't know anyone so I'd invite them and they could make friends with other. Two of them even started dating after several Saturday v-ball weekends. We joined a league with 5 of them and took home several trophies. None of them ever bought from me in the future, nor did I pressure them or send them monthly market updates, text them for referrals, etc.
Now that I manage agents, I can personally attest to dozens of agents in my office that care deeply for their clients. Help them during a divorce, drop off get well boxes, attend funerals, make donations to GoFundMe's, and some even go into business together with their clients flipping homes in other parts of FL!
Ok off my soap box now - sorry, hot button issue for me!
Plenty of realtors 'care' where you go. They want you to be happy, most derive great joy out of helping people buy their first home or retirement home, etc. Some agents only work Buyers because they love helping 1st time buyers, newly arrived buyers, etc. Often times agents become close friends with their past clients. When I sold in Miami, I created a beach volleyball group of past clients and we played every Saturday. Many new transplants to Miami didn't know anyone so I'd invite them and they could make friends with other. Two of them even started dating after several Saturday v-ball weekends. We joined a league with 5 of them and took home several trophies. None of them ever bought from me in the future, nor did I pressure them or send them monthly market updates, text them for referrals, etc.
Now that I manage agents, I can personally attest to dozens of agents in my office that care deeply for their clients. Help them during a divorce, drop off get well boxes, attend funerals, make donations to GoFundMe's, and some even go into business together with their clients flipping homes in other parts of FL!
Ok off my soap box now - sorry, hot button issue for me!
No, they don’t care. They can’t ‘steer’ you to (or away from) a certain location. If I ask you about a ‘less than desirable area’ are you going to be honest and tell me it’s a high crime, low income and potentially unsafe area for my family? No. You won’t and please don’t embarrass yourself by saying you would.
It’s a hot button for a lot of people... but bottom line is, you want that commission and will do what you have to, to get it.
No, they don’t care. They can’t ‘steer’ you to (or away from) a certain location. If I ask you about a ‘less than desirable area’ are you going to be honest and tell me it’s a high crime, low income and potentially unsafe area for my family? No. You won’t and please don’t embarrass yourself by saying you would.
It’s a hot button for a lot of people... but bottom line is, you want that commission and will do what you have to, to get it.
No matter what a real estate agent says, they always will have a self serving bias at play in any interaction with them regarding real estate. This is perfectly normal and basic human nature, Maslow's hierarchy of needs, after all their very survival depends on selling real estate. Pretty much every person always has a self serving bias at play in any situation, not having one in our world would essentially mean not surviving.
I’m sure Marc is right, there are lot of agents that “care” and fully engaged with their client’s lives, however see how much they care if they know you aren’t buying or selling. Since their time and energy is finite like anyone else’s, their focus will be delegated with relationships that have the highest ROI. There’s nothing necessarily wrong with this, as money makes the world go round and round and most people don’t work for free. There’s also nothing wrong with two people having a vested interest together in a relationship towards a common goal. A realtor risks their time to find the right house or to sell the house for their client and the client risks their money and time during the process. So putting it this way, of course the client has more at risk.
I say don’t get mad at the realtors, for they are simply working the system legally. No one is forced to use a realtor either so it’s always by choice. If you really understand the psychology at play here then a realtor can be a great tool for one to use in their tool belt if they know how to pull the right strings at the right times. Most clients do not know how to manage their realtor in my opinion and give the realtor too much control. The commission system is outdated for our modern world, but since we can’t change it over night then we can change our approach to it.
Last edited by JPrzybylski07; 02-12-2021 at 08:32 AM..
I think your budget is short for a five bedroom house on the water. You mention diversity for your son. What are you looking for? Any groups in particular?
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