Moving to Fort Myers !!! (Orlando, Naples: low crime, buy, good schools)

[firemed]

Originally Posted by myers

I wouldn't be moving to Fort Myers if I we had no money and the reason why we are moving there is because my boyfriend is a developer and just bought a property. Construction starts next June.

But thanks for the feed back greatly appreciated

Wow, Has he looked at the market here ?

[florida1]

The market is struggling here, but I just did a search on monster and found 53 construction jobs available in the Ft. Myers/Naples market. There are jobs just not a lot and they aren't very stable. You can find rentals everywhere. Even the highrise condos downtown are being rented out for a little over $1,000 a month. Also, you do need to make your own fun. It's not L.A., New York, or Chicago. Its old but there is an increasing amount of young people. Traffic is bad but the commute is still below the state average (only by a few minutes though). Some aspects of the economy are doing great, some are doing horrible. It all really depends on chance. Now that many national developers are pulling out of SW FL, many local ones are doing better. There was an article in the paper the other day about a local developer who is having more business this year now that the national developers are pulling out of the area.

[florida1]

Originally Posted by Chromedome

not to try and argue but just like you stated the person you talked to just came to the city,most people who just moved here will love it for the first 6 months.theyre usually just thinking about the problems they had back home wether it be escaping crime, the noise of the city, or the cold. and are still blinded by the veil that is all the palm trees, beaches and nice weather.

thats what we call the honeymoon stage.

i take it you dont live here either?

most of us who are here "complaining" about the area actually reside here. many for a number of years, even decades. and we were in that honeymoon stage aswell, until reality hit

I've lived here for 15+ years. I know many people who want to move to North Carolina but they can't because they don't want to give up there job. If the jobs were that bad they would have no problem giving them up. There is more industry in SW Fl than construction, real estate, and service. There is law, medical, science, technology, etc.

[cloudx9]

Originally Posted by Chromedome

not to try and argue but just like you stated the person you talked to just came to the city,most people who just moved here will love it for the first 6 months.theyre usually just thinking about the problems they had back home wether it be escaping crime, the noise of the city, or the cold. and are still blinded by the veil that is all the palm trees, beaches and nice weather.

thats what we call the honeymoon stage.

i take it you dont live here either?

most of us who are here "complaining" about the area actually reside here. many for a number of years, even decades. and we were in that honeymoon stage aswell, until reality hit

LOL, you are so right. me and my fiance moved here a year ago because of a a nice job. Now we're prepared to leave here and move to Texas. It took exactly 6 months for us to get tired of this place. not to mention we realized it will take a miracle for us to ever buy a decent home here because of the price. When we first visited we were both like wow this seems like a great place to live for the next 10 years. Of course, we didnt do our research.

[SouthFloridaNative]

Originally Posted by firemed

Wow, Has he looked at the market here ?

Yea, I am confused also! The market is horrible..nothing is selling...I watched on the news tonight how everyone is so in debt with their homes, taxes, gas, etc. that they are filling up the pawn shops. But yet all I hear is talk about more and more developments!

[florida1]

Originally Posted by SouthFloridaNative

Yea, I am confused also! The market is horrible..nothing is selling...I watched on the news tonight how everyone is so in debt with their homes, taxes, gas, etc. that they are filling up the pawn shops. But yet all I hear is talk about more and more developments!

I'm confused too. California, Florida, and Arizona top the list of markets where prices are expected to drop. The economies in the midwest and northeast aren't that great which is why I assume so many people are moving out of there. Where is the good economy? Texas seems to be the only place not struggling. This is a national problem, not a local one.

[florida1]

Originally Posted by Chromedome

i have yet to find mine.

EnVie, Fusion, and Bamboo all have teen nights. (I read your post on news-press.com so I figured you aren't old enough to drink or get into 21 and over clubs)

[myers]

Thanks for your advice, I'm coming Toronto Canada and I've never been to Florida...

One thing I do know is that I'm going to love the weather.

[myers]

Please more details about what turned you off.
Great job, great weather what happened.

Or is it because its expensive to live and purchase a home?

[florida1]

Originally Posted by Chromedome

do you have alot of money?

if not, then i suggest you back off before its too late.

fort myers is NOT the place to be for young couples. or young people in general.

this is where you come to spend your fortune not make it.

majority of the work available in the area is retail and service oriented, usually revolving around the tourists/seasonal residents meaning you will probably have 30/40% less business during the summer months. which usually results in less hours. and less money

majority of the jobs here pay extremely low and are very far from in tune with the cost of living. Expect small-town wages with a big city cost of living

if youre EXCLUSIVELY into dining out and shopping and then you will be just fine because that about sums up all the activities there is to do in the area... not that theyre anything world class either, mostly chain restaurants (fridays, applebees) and big box retailers(target,walmat,marshalls,kohls). very few mom and pop/local stores. or boutiques. you can find somewhat better options in bonita springs/naples which are fairly close tho

theres no real cultural events/scene in the area.

also plan on having to drive everywhere you go since everything is pretty much in stripmalls/shopping centers. neighborhood stores and businesses are very far and few in between here.

id definitely think twice before making the move.... atleast come here and stay for awhile, and see what its like to live here as a resident, not a tourist

I know this is like my hundredth post on this thread but I have to post this anyway.

My family moved here from Detroit, Michigan in the 80's. We basically lived pay check to pay check in Detroit. We decided to move Ft. Myers because we figured anywhere was better than Michigan. We moved down and my parents started their own business and hired three employees. The first year was a struggle as my parents often had to give up their own paychecks to pay their employees. Well ten years later my parents were making a triple digit income. Over the years I've been introduced to many business people who share a similar story. They came to SW FL with nothing and built their own business. I was always taught that if you don't like something, change it yourself. My dad didn't like his job in Michigan so he moved to Florida and started his own. It seems most people on these forums take a different approach. Wait for things to change on their own and complain the whole time you are waiting. If you are hard working and independent, SW FL is a great place to live. If you are expecting to find a job where you make 50K a year after spending an hour on monster.com, you will be pleasantly surprised.
The original poster has already bought property to develop. Instead of telling them how much they are going to hate Florida, we should be helping them find an area to suit their interests.

I would look into the Estero/Sout Ft. Myers area. Two huge regional malls with stores like Bass Pro Shop, Belk, West Coast Surf Shop, Ron Jon, and about 200 others. Restaurants like Panera Bread, The Grape, Blue Water Bistro, Ale House, R.J. Gators. This area is also by the college so this is probably where you will find the most things to do for young people. For more of a night club scene you will have to go to downtown Ft. Myers.