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Old 07-14-2008, 12:00 PM
 
55 posts, read 184,165 times
Reputation: 28

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I am an RN and to live a decent life down here financially you HAVE to be very wealthy!

There are no jobs unless you are a nurse!
Crime is going up in the last 5 yrs we have been down here, grow houses everywhere,home invasions are the biggest threat!

Homes are still way,way over valued and the beaches are not the best unless you go to siesta key - Ft Myers beach is very,very trashy; nothing but bars and the restaurants aren't that great!

You have to be a millionaire, that's what they want down here and the few jobs that are here are all service industry related. I can't wait to get out of here and head west to Dallas,TX

 
Old 07-14-2008, 01:49 PM
 
Location: fort myers, florida
172 posts, read 943,091 times
Reputation: 60
What a gross exaggeration of this area.

1. You don't HAVE to be a millionaire to live here. I don't think you have to be a millionaire to live anywhere. Hey, novel idea, try living within your means. If you can't afford a gigantic, expensive home, don't buy or rent it. There are PLENTY of places that aren't too expensive AND aren't in bad neighborhoods.

2. The health profession is, and seems to have always been, a booming industry down here. However, they aren't the ONLY ones hiring. I just got hired by the State and got two other call backs from the county and the school board. The job market is very tough right now though, so I'd suggest to anyone moving down here to be sure to have a job lined up before getting here.

3. Crime has gone up because the population has gone up. Period.

Listen, I understand you get disillusioned with this area and all, but don't make such a gross generalization like "You have to be millionaire to live here" because really, you don't .
 
Old 07-14-2008, 01:57 PM
 
Location: Finally made it to Florida and lovin' every minute!
22,677 posts, read 19,195,618 times
Reputation: 17596
We moved to N. Ft. Myers about a year ago from NY State and have found it very pleasant and affordable. We retired and are living on income less than half of our working income. However, to be fair, we did downsize, but that was our choice.
 
Old 07-14-2008, 10:22 PM
 
Location: Fort Myers Fl
2,305 posts, read 3,018,484 times
Reputation: 921
So what are you complaining about? You say you are an RN and the only jobs around are for nurses. Sounds like you should have your choice of a job. I am not a millionaire and I am doing fine here. I have seen brand new homes for under $125000 and they are nice. But I hear Dallas is nice, so have a safe trip.
 
Old 07-15-2008, 02:49 AM
 
553 posts, read 1,929,890 times
Reputation: 106
Quote:
Originally Posted by laurasrn View Post
I am an RN and to live a decent life down here financially you HAVE to be very wealthy!

There are no jobs unless you are a nurse!
Crime is going up in the last 5 yrs we have been down here, grow houses everywhere,home invasions are the biggest threat!

Homes are still way,way over valued and the beaches are not the best unless you go to siesta key - Ft Myers beach is very,very trashy; nothing but bars and the restaurants aren't that great!

You have to be a millionaire, that's what they want down here and the few jobs that are here are all service industry related. I can't wait to get out of here and head west to Dallas,TX
LOL. gotta be a joke.
 
Old 07-15-2008, 03:38 AM
 
10,599 posts, read 17,798,492 times
Reputation: 17349
Quote:
Originally Posted by whippersnapper View Post
What a gross exaggeration of this area.

1. You don't HAVE to be a millionaire to live here. I don't think you have to be a millionaire to live anywhere. Hey, novel idea, try living within your means. If you can't afford a gigantic, expensive home, don't buy or rent it. There are PLENTY of places that aren't too expensive AND aren't in bad neighborhoods.
This is the heart of the matter imo. There used to be a concept of nice housing that was modest in normal neighborhoods. Even in Florida. There were entire communities of small single houses that people took pride in and were happy in without extensive square footage. Frequently they had two bedrooms and were not in need of more.

Not anymore. Everyone wants to have 2600 sq feet with gated communities, or pools, or 4 bedrooms, cathedral ceilings with dead space and spa bathrooms. Several bathrooms.

I agree that there are houses in areas that aren't in bad neighborhoods. But also the modest neighborhoods are having problems now. All these neighborhoods that used to be the modest ones are a mess now sporadically off and on in every town I've driven through over here on the east coast in the south part. You can see 2 good blocks then 3 bad messed up blocks. Maybe that's why people are flocking to HOA communities I don't know. Maybe the people took equity out and now cant afford maintenance but that doesn't account for having trashy outside properties.

They are junked up with crap outside, cars up on blocks, fake carports people put up with metal rods and canvas canopies , ugly furniture sitting right outside like old sofas and plastic chairs, overflowing trashcans and bags sitting out....toys everywhere etc.....

Which is really ironic since those people seem to be the ones who need the housing but wont take care of it. I don't know if it's that way in your area but it is over here on the east coast towards the south anyway...

I relocated to Vero Beach, which is supposed to be considered an "upscale" safe town. I'm renting and do NOT want any big house I've downsized and dont want the aggravation. Can't find a small house anywhere because the neighborhoods with small houses are a mess now. I'm a fan of the old school Florida ranch houses, smallish with a small lot. These were the norm in the 50,s, 60,s and 70's. Cute and friendly neighborhoods, that people took care of. My father lived in such a house since the 60's including duplexes which NOW, a duplex is like the kiss of death over here, you're guaranteed to have messy neighbors. I even flew down to see one in Ft Lauderdale for rent in an area I was looking for and found a MATTRESS out on the front porch standing up and trash outside.

I really don't know what to say about it, it's just like the realtors say on TV, the public insists on big bathrooms with room for multiple sinks and soaking tubs, huge kitchens and stupid 13 foot cathedral ceilings, a waste of energy. Just look at the furniture, the arms are so oversized you can't fit them in doorways.

Living within one's means is a concept of before the 80's....thanks to President Reagan and the yuppy boom of bigger and expensive is better.

Last edited by runswithscissors; 07-15-2008 at 03:49 AM..
 
Old 07-15-2008, 10:03 AM
 
Location: Naples, FL
376 posts, read 1,803,857 times
Reputation: 262
This is the heart of the matter imo. There used to be a concept of nice housing that was modest in normal neighborhoods. Even in Florida. There were entire communities of small single houses that people took pride in and were happy in without extensive square footage. Frequently they had two bedrooms and were not in need of more.

I agree. We need to get out of the "Bigger is better mentality". I'm hoping that the energy crisis will eliminate the McMansion market -- that would be my silver lining to this particular cloud.

I agree that there are houses in areas that aren't in bad neighborhoods. But also the modest neighborhoods are having problems now. All these neighborhoods that used to be the modest ones are a mess now sporadically off and on in every town I've driven through over here on the east coast in the south part. You can see 2 good blocks then 3 bad messed up blocks. Maybe that's why people are flocking to HOA communities I don't know. Maybe the people took equity out and now cant afford maintenance but that doesn't account for having trashy outside properties.

They are junked up with crap outside, cars up on blocks, fake carports people put up with metal rods and canvas canopies , ugly furniture sitting right outside like old sofas and plastic chairs, overflowing trashcans and bags sitting out....toys everywhere etc.....

I know zoning laws vary from community to community, but enforcement by city/county can be erratic. Yards are in general, fairly small down here and homes are close together. This IS why people (including myself) live in HOA communities. Our rules pretty much parrot the County ordinances, but the HOA can respond more quickly. On our coast (SW coast), a lot of these properties are not owner-occupied, instead they were bought as investment properties and have absentee owners. Maybe the renters don't have any "pride of place" or just don't know anything different.


OK, done hijacking the thread. To respond to OP, if she is in Ft. Myers, she should have no trouble finding affordable housing, and in a safe area.

Grow houses have been an issue in rural areas of Lee and Collier Counties, mostly Lehigh Acres, parts of Cape Coral and Golden Gate Estates. Golden Gate Estates is huge and has always had an aura of being the place for those who didn't want the "urban" life style. Large lots (2.5 acre minimum, I think), sparsely populated (until recently), 1 1/2 hrs. from Miami. Now that the County what to look for there have been a rash of busts.

Can't speak to the home invasions that occur in Lee County, but perhaps Whippersnapper is correct, more people, more crime?

I'm not a millionare by any stretch of the imagination. However, I would agree that if you are relocating from other parts of the country, realize salary levels are generally at least 25-30% LESS than what you could make in more industrialized states. Don't come down here if you can't adjust to that. Is it changing? Yes, but very slowly. This issue has been beaten to death here, so that's all I have to say about that. I think it would be very difficult to live in this area on a minimum wage, but I would hope an RN would be making a reasonable salary. Rising energy & food costs have a direct (deleterious) effect on my budget. I will cope, as will others all over the country.

It is NOT a good time to move to Ft. Myers/Naples areas if you are not employed or don't possess highly marketable skills or degrees. All employment areas are depressed right now, professional, general, medical and trades. If you don't have to worry about employment, you might like it here.
 
Old 07-15-2008, 10:24 AM
 
Location: FL to GA back to FL
894 posts, read 4,338,018 times
Reputation: 442
Quote:
Originally Posted by runswithscissors View Post
They are junked up with crap outside, cars up on blocks, fake carports people put up with metal rods and canvas canopies , ugly furniture sitting right outside like old sofas and plastic chairs, overflowing trashcans and bags sitting out....toys everywhere etc.....
You mean you don't like yard art?
 
Old 07-15-2008, 12:31 PM
 
Location: Amherst, MA
3,636 posts, read 9,729,513 times
Reputation: 1761
Cape Coral used to be REALLY strict about mowing lawns, trash outside, unregistered cars, etc. But I think they have let it slip, I see some UGLY yards around here... It used to be that if you let your grass grow into a hayfield, you were cited, and if you didn't comply you got a visit from a lawn crew, and they charged you $275 to mow your lawn... My neighbor got nailed on it 2 years ago.
 
Old 07-15-2008, 01:05 PM
 
25,449 posts, read 11,686,263 times
Reputation: 25257
Quote:
Originally Posted by BacktoFLigo View Post
Cape Coral used to be REALLY strict about mowing lawns, trash outside, unregistered cars, etc. But I think they have let it slip, I see some UGLY yards around here... It used to be that if you let your grass grow into a hayfield, you were cited, and if you didn't comply you got a visit from a lawn crew, and they charged you $275 to mow your lawn... My neighbor got nailed on it 2 years ago.
In a way, when I was in the Cape, I thought that was good. Mowing the grass prevented snakes and rats to get in their lawn, and come on your lawn. No trash outside makes the city look nice, but I did see one UGLY yard when I was makes the place look nice.
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