Tried it for 4 years -- saying goodbye (Miami, Naples: sales, real estate market)

[Bangolufsen]

Originally Posted by LKJ1988

This is not a good state anymore. Weather is boring and we are seeing less and less rain, traffic is so bad, we are getting bad people from other states and so on.

Exactly!

[tinytrump]

Originally Posted by Bangolufsen

Exactly!

love it!

[Spring Hillian]

Originally Posted by tinytrump

yes the weather is terrible -go home-
what I gather, is some people with their $$ come down and expect to buy happiness- like on the post card- free sun and wind- flowers and sand ... they were never happy to start with, so the move fails- We have over 1000 a day moving here- ONLY come if you are a happy person ready to CHANGE and have a new experience.
also unfortunately we are a mecca for the old and sick-- I find that SOOO sad as your families are elsewhere. that si another subject for another day- but its appalling how many are sick and alone in Fl

Indeed. One must acclimate their lives to the new ways of the place you decided to relocate to. If you expected everything to be the same as it is where you left, why bother to leave in the first place?
From reading CD for many years I find that some people expect that the fact that they are in a place is going to make them happy.

We do have those post card scenes all over the place. It is easy to put yourself in one but by no means can you expect to stay in that scene. It would be very boring.

I love going to Sanibel Island to look for shells, lie on the beach listening to the waves while watching the clouds go by. Same at Sand key minus the shells. Renting a waterfront condo in Siesta Key is a wonderful escape from daily life. It is sweet because it is all right here.. I dont have to pack, deal with airports or have grueling drives.

However, I realize that is only a get-away for a short time because there is life to live. Work, bills and all the trappings of real life wait for me back home. However, even when I am home I still enjoy walks in the Preserve, swimming and canoeing in the Weeki Wachee river, going to the Gulf beach here, mingling with my fellow Spring Hillian's while shopping eating out or just shooting the breeze with the neighbors.

If you are miserable where you are in Florida then perhaps you are looking for something that does not exist.

Enjoying life is something a person has to do for themselves. The people around them cant make you enjoy your life and neither can a particular location unless you truly love where you are and who you are.

[Jo48]

When we first listed our house for sale in January, there were only 5 for sale in our development. Now in August there are 15. It is a Buyers Market in Naples which means there are more houses for Sale than Buyers. Why is that? In our Development which is mostly older people, there have been deaths and the surviving spouse does not want to live in Florida all alone. They have moved back up North where their children and grandkids are. Why would anyone want to be all alone even in "Paradise"? Your Family will mean far more to you at that point in your life. Like it or not, Naples has far more Seniors than Young People.

My husband was out of work for over a year and a half 12 years ago. This is why we are in Naples, and the ONLY reason we moved here. He almost died from a heart attack 2 years ago. Our children read him the riot act since they had to go through a LOT to get down to Florida from NY because they didn't want to their Dad to die without seeing him. It was horrible. One daughter had a newborn baby at the time and could not leave him. "I am not going to see Dad before he dies." Does Paradise mean THAT much to you? I think others here in Naples or anywhere in Florida might be experiencing much of the same.

Me? I lived in Gainesville in my 20's and lasted 6 months. Missed the Cold Weather, and again, my family who were my Parents at the time. I have never liked Summer, beaches, etc., since I was a child. Yes, I most definitely knew what Florida was like having lived here before, but a job is a job. In the back of my mind, I knew somehow it would not be forever. Unfortunately, never knew that a heart attack would be the means of leaving. Well, one can never know what life will throw at you.

OP, Naples is definitely a strange place in Florida. Definitely agree with you there. It goes from a Ghost Town in Summer, to packed with old people, of which I AM one, in Season. They drive a lot of us even elderly locals crazy. I can only imagine how the younger generation feels. No wonder so many young graduates want to leave Naples.

Horrific hearing that it took one resident 17 months to sell there house. Since we are both retired, I don't know if we can last that long for it to sell; emotionally or financially.

[sbapasto]

Chiluvr-

Yes, we are moving back to our home state. Its funny because I wouldnt trade the experience for anything and its really brought me to realize that home is home and sometimes its exactly where we need to be. All experiences are valuable to me. And all serve a purpose. This part of Florida was just not for me.

[sbapasto]

Inplanesight-
I hope your new start pays off! We dont always make the right decisions but at least we try, right? I dont know if we will ultimately stay forever in our hometown but I can say we will always keep a home there. We are interested in other areas of the country as well but will sit tight for awhile and let life marinate. I really think Naples takes on a VERY different feel when you LIVE there vs vacationing there. I was just hoping to help other folks who may be on the fence.

[double6's]

look at it this way. at least you tried it and found out that it wasn't for you. no big deal. better to have done that and at least know, rather than not doing it and always wondering. good luck with all future endeavors. being a snowbird really is the best situation to live down here.

[lynnc99]

We chose to move here full time rather than snowbird - we watched our neighbors in PA live the snowbird lifestyle and honestly? It looked like a ton of work! Wherever they were, the "other" house was the one having some issue or other.

We deliberately chose a home in a community with a great mix of families, full time residents, and snowbirds. We don't find that our streets are deserted during the summer months, but do indeed find humor in the fact that some snowbird neighbors doubt that Naples even exists during the off season! We readily assure them that it's just awful here and they should stay up north!

We also did not move here expecting to live a post card retiree lifestyle. We've both launched second careers and are busy in church and community activities. There, we meet "real" Naples residents, not just those who dress up to go shopping or show off their latest nip/tuck. It's kept us grounded to have built a good base of friends and acquaintances that live 3D lives in the community, coping with all the normal struggles and joys of life.

If I have any complaint or feeling of discontent, it is with the endless strip mall developments that are nothing but cookie cutters of one another (4 or 5 restaurants, nail salon, hair salon, liquor store, yada yada) and very little unique shopping opportunities. While some complain about the cost of living, our utility bills and property taxes compare very favorably to our rates up north.

For us, for now, Naples works. The main drawback is that we are far from our children who are spread across 4 northern states. Still, none of them are looking for us to move in next door....

[Tominftl]

NCH = Never Come Home. Worst medical care. I know two people over there who had bad experiences. Got to go to Fort Lauderdale for decent medical treatment.
Loads of wealthy seniors there who don't care about prices. They usually go home after Easter. They love golf and clog the roads. Prices go way up in winter on hotels like most of Florida. Summer is usually families who can't take the hit in prices in winter.

[bbtondo]

sbapasto:

Originally Posted by double6's

look at it this way. at least you tried it and found out that it wasn't for you. no big deal. better to have done that and at least know, rather than not doing it and always wondering. good luck with all future endeavors.

I totally agree with this! DH and I are in the process of retiring and moving to Naples full time. We've had a condo there for 7 years and we love it. House closing on Long Island should be beginning of October if all goes well. Then it's on to shopping for a single family pool home.


To not make the move and always wonder if we should is not an option for us. We've weighed the pros and cons and have decided to move forward. If it turns out Naples is not for us, then we'll move on to another adventure.


It's great that you've experienced life in Naples. I wish you all the best in your move back home. It sounds like this will be a good thing for you and your family.


Barb