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My wife and I will be relocating from Illinois to the Ft Myers area late this year. We are going to be down there in 3 weeks to kind of scout the area and will return later for our official house hunting trip. Our first trip we plan to meet with our realtor, drive around some neighborhoods, get an idea of what we can afford, what is a reasonable commute etc.
We are 49 & 53, no kids, 3 dogs (so we have to avoid the HOAs with pet restrictions), looking for places within around 30 minutes of RSW airport...we would like to keep it under $350K.
Since we both don't know the area very well we'd appreciate any tips...where to look, where to avoid etc.
My wife and I will be relocating from Illinois to the Ft Myers area late this year. We are going to be down there in 3 weeks to kind of scout the area and will return later for our official house hunting trip. Our first trip we plan to meet with our realtor, drive around some neighborhoods, get an idea of what we can afford, what is a reasonable commute etc.
We are 49 & 53, no kids, 3 dogs (so we have to avoid the HOAs with pet restrictions), looking for places within around 30 minutes of RSW airport...we would like to keep it under $350K.
Since we both don't know the area very well we'd appreciate any tips...where to look, where to avoid etc.
Thanks!
We are from the far NW Chicago burbs and bought in Gateway about 10 years ago. We split our time year round and go back and forth pretty much every month. It is easy to do in Gateway. It is 15 minutes door to door to/from the RSW terminal to our house. Lots of options in the 30-some communities within Gateway, but $350K will be a challenge for a SFH right now.
A couple additional questions.....
1. Where are you commuting to that has to be reasonable?
2. What kind of square footage are you looking for?
3. Pool?
4. Do you need a fence for the dogs? Some communities don't allow fences in some areas and most have restrictions as to height and material.
5. How big are the dogs? Nearly all HOAs have pet restrictions but they vary widely. The size and breed of the dogs could matter in some places, but not matter at all in others.
We are from the far NW Chicago burbs and bought in Gateway about 10 years ago. We split our time year round and go back and forth pretty much every month. It is easy to do in Gateway. It is 15 minutes door to door to/from the RSW terminal to our house. Lots of options in the 30-some communities within Gateway, but $350K will be a challenge for a SFH right now.
A couple additional questions.....
1. Where are you commuting to that has to be reasonable?
2. What kind of square footage are you looking for?
3. Pool?
4. Do you need a fence for the dogs? Some communities don't allow fences in some areas and most have restrictions as to height and material.
5. How big are the dogs? Nearly all HOAs have pet restrictions but they vary widely. The size and breed of the dogs could matter in some places, but not matter at all in others.
Hi Thanks for answering. We are moving from Wood Dale, not far from O'Hare.
1) I will be commuting to the airport
2) SF doesn't matter much to me--we would be fine in a 2-3 BR 2 Bath home, our current place is about 1900 SF with a finished basement and it's honestly bigger than the 2 of us need. I guess 1100-1500 would work for us.
3) definitely no pool
4) Yes a fence would be ideal, we have little over a half acre in Illinois but we don't need or expect to get something as large in Florida.
5) Our dogs are a 75 lb Golden Retriever and the other 2 are between 45-50 lbs, one is an Aussie and the other is a Lab mix.
Not good to hear that $350K will be a challenge, that doesn't bode well. We are both taking a paycut to leave Illinois as it is.
Hi Thanks for answering. We are moving from Wood Dale, not far from O'Hare.
1) I will be commuting to the airport
2) SF doesn't matter much to me--we would be fine in a 2-3 BR 2 Bath home, our current place is about 1900 SF with a finished basement and it's honestly bigger than the 2 of us need. I guess 1100-1500 would work for us.
3) definitely no pool
4) Yes a fence would be ideal, we have little over a half acre in Illinois but we don't need or expect to get something as large in Florida.
5) Our dogs are a 75 lb Golden Retriever and the other 2 are between 45-50 lbs, one is an Aussie and the other is a Lab mix.
Not good to hear that $350K will be a challenge, that doesn't bode well. We are both taking a paycut to leave Illinois as it is.
If you are willing to go down to 1500 sq/ft, small lot, with no pool, you may be able to get in around $350K in a nice community. Challenging but not impossible. When you look at asking prices online, keep in mind that most of the properties I have seen being sold in my community in Gateway at least, are consistently selling for over the asking price. So a house listed at the top of your range for $350K probably sold for $365K. You would be in a stronger position with sellers if you were a cash buyer and did not have to worry about the house appraising out for a loan and the deal falling apart. The market has really gone crazy since the beginning of the year. You probably know this already, but just in case, there are no basements anywhere in the area.
With three dogs that size you really need to read the HOA governing documents for any community you are considering so you don't waste your time looking at places where you would have a problem with the dogs. Some HOAs have their declaration and rules and regulations online and available to the public so you can search from home.
If you are willing to go down to 1500 sq/ft, small lot, with no pool, you may be able to get in around $350K in a nice community. Challenging but not impossible. When you look at asking prices online, keep in mind that most of the properties I have seen being sold in my community in Gateway at least, are consistently selling for over the asking price. So a house listed at the top of your range for $350K probably sold for $365K. You would be in a stronger position with sellers if you were a cash buyer and did not have to worry about the house appraising out for a loan and the deal falling apart. The market has really gone crazy since the beginning of the year. You probably know this already, but just in case, there are no basements anywhere in the area.
With three dogs that size you really need to read the HOA governing documents for any community you are considering so you don't waste your time looking at places where you would have a problem with the dogs. Some HOAs have their declaration and rules and regulations online and available to the public so you can search from home.
I try to avoid HOA's as best I can, never been a fan--but even without HOA's I also know to look at the CC and R's that lots of developments have. I have seen several older homes that have been updated in Ft Myers that fall in my price range online with no HOA's. I honestly could afford much more house but I don't need it...it's more important to me to max out my retirement accounts for these next 7-8 years especially considering it won't be my forever home.
How far is Cape Coral on average from RSW? Zillow says 30-40 minutes of commute time, how accurate is that?
Homes in our area in Illinois have been selling fast and over asking too--I am hoping we get lucky. I unfortunately can't list my house yet since it is a paid relocation I have to wait for my funds to get officially approved first. On the plus side I get reimbursed the realtor fees, closing costs, all moving expenses and a paid house hunting trip--it's just a waiting game though.
I try to avoid HOA's as best I can, never been a fan--but even without HOA's I also know to look at the CC and R's that lots of developments have. I have seen several older homes that have been updated in Ft Myers that fall in my price range online with no HOA's. I honestly could afford much more house but I don't need it...it's more important to me to max out my retirement accounts for these next 7-8 years especially considering it won't be my forever home.
How far is Cape Coral on average from RSW? Zillow says 30-40 minutes of commute time, how accurate is that?
Homes in our area in Illinois have been selling fast and over asking too--I am hoping we get lucky. I unfortunately can't list my house yet since it is a paid relocation I have to wait for my funds to get officially approved first. On the plus side I get reimbursed the realtor fees, closing costs, all moving expenses and a paid house hunting trip--it's just a waiting game though.
The Fort Myers area is much different than anything in the Chicago suburbs. Places that do not have an HOA are probably places you do not want to be (e.g., much of Lehigh Acres). What you see are pockets of less than desirable areas sprinkled among otherwise nice HOA controlled areas. You just don't see that in the Chicago burbs. Also, Fort Myers itself is quite small and contained. In comparison to Chicago burbs it is a little over half the size of Naperville. About the same size as Waukegan. But a large geographic area has a Fort Myers address but is really unincorporated Lee County - including Gateway. Most of the non-HOA neighborhoods there are not places you want to be for the most part. The HOA areas are usually quite nice.
Cape Coral is far bigger than Fort Myers - more than double. It's population is higher than any city in Illinois other than Chicago. It is a bit of a free for all over there wrt housing. Some very nice areas and other large swaths with a few random houses on a block and the rest empty lots. I really don't like it at all, but some people do, especially boaters due to the canals and access to open water from some neighborhoods. Some say that the entire city is one huge HOA and that city code enforcement can get intense. Others can comment on that. Because it is so large, travel time to RSW will vary greatly depending on where you live. I have to occasionally go over there from Gateway (which is just north of RSW) and it takes me 45 minutes most days (non-rush hour). The bridges can be choke points and most have tolls going into the Cape.
I would start with the rule of thumb down here to generally stay south of Colonial and west of SR82. The Daniels corridor from the new Timber Creek development west to about Rt 41 would have a number of nice areas to explore and keep your commute to RSW well under 30 minutes. Looking south of the airport in Estero has numerous great developments, but your budget would be even more challenging there.
Good luck on your search. You will find that SWFL has a very Midwest vibe and for us, was easy to adjust to.
The Fort Myers area is much different than anything in the Chicago suburbs. Places that do not have an HOA are probably places you do not want to be (e.g., much of Lehigh Acres). What you see are pockets of less than desirable areas sprinkled among otherwise nice HOA controlled areas. You just don't see that in the Chicago burbs. Also, Fort Myers itself is quite small and contained. In comparison to Chicago burbs it is a little over half the size of Naperville. About the same size as Waukegan. But a large geographic area has a Fort Myers address but is really unincorporated Lee County - including Gateway. Most of the non-HOA neighborhoods there are not places you want to be for the most part. The HOA areas are usually quite nice.
I am not from the Chicago area originally, only have been here for 7 years, previously lived in Georgia, TN and AZ. I didn't particularly care for our HOA in Georgia, far too heavy handed for my taste--perhaps that isn't true everywhere but it makes me reluctant moving forward.
I've honestly lived in all kind of places, everywhere from just a couple of miles from the border of Mexico to a brand new HOA run community...I can adapt to just about any where, as long as the crime isn't out of control.
We plan to explore lots of areas when we are in town in 3 weeks. The internet is an invaluable too--I love the Spotcrime website to see crimes that occurred around listings that otherwise look nice.
I try to avoid HOA's as best I can, never been a fan--but even without HOA's I also know to look at the CC and R's that lots of developments have. I have seen several older homes that have been updated in Ft Myers that fall in my price range online with no HOA's. I honestly could afford much more house but I don't need it...it's more important to me to max out my retirement accounts for these next 7-8 years especially considering it won't be my forever home.
How far is Cape Coral on average from RSW? Zillow says 30-40 minutes of commute time, how accurate is that?
Homes in our area in Illinois have been selling fast and over asking too--I am hoping we get lucky. I unfortunately can't list my house yet since it is a paid relocation I have to wait for my funds to get officially approved first. On the plus side I get reimbursed the realtor fees, closing costs, all moving expenses and a paid house hunting trip--it's just a waiting game though.
It all depends on what time of the day you’re driving to the airport… Some days it can take 30 minutes some days it can take 60, it all just depends on the season and how heavy traffic is and where in Cape Coral you live.
Houses are flying on and off the market in Lee County like crazy… I agree that you need to be there to view the areas.. if you’re set on Fort Myers, I would be in a gated community or down in Estero or in the country in Alva.
Cape Coral is ok.. just ok.. you’ll find that you spending more time driving to FM and spending more time in FM so just buy a place in FM.
I use to own properties in Cape Coral. I sold them over the last 2 years as they were mostly for investment but I used them for vacations as well.
I originally started to go down to the area back in 2008 and still go there quite often as I did buy a vacation/ weekend place in lee county.
I was never a fan of Ft Myers and just the opposite of others opinions , in the rare times I had to go there I couldn't get out fast enough. I was not a huge fan of NE Cape but have been warming up to it over the last couple of years. The have done a very good job on some of the newer communities and lots of shopping choices on Pine Island Rd. I don't see many reasons to ever have to go to Ft Myers except for the airport. which if you go down slater Rd to Bayshore is not too far from RSW now that it has it's own off ramp on Rt 75.
From NE Cape and SE Cape the airport is not too far away , unless you go there every day , depending on hours that your traveling it could get long. but only in season.
SE Cape is also not too far from Sanibel Island 17 minutes from toll to toll. actual beach or neighborhood coming from will add on.
SW and NW Cape would be far . it is far going from NW Cape to SE Cape.
There aren't HOA's in the Cape (unless Condo or gated Community) . and no it is not treated like one big HOA. It has some city ordinances which are really to prevent blight (which no one wants) look at the rules and if there is a deal breaker (such as parking a trailer in your driveway) don't move there.
My best input would be based on This...... Why do you want to move here? When you are not working how do you see yourself spending time?
This would be the biggest criteria of why I would pick Cape Coral vs Ft Myers vs North fort Myers. In general Cape Coral is a boating/ fishing Paradise. if you are not into these 2 things I wouldn't choose there. Ft myers would be more shopping, cultural, gated communities, Urban. If that's your thing choose there. North Ft myers is more rural as well as Alva and Labelle. Sanibel is totally different , more island feel but touristy.
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