Question about personalities in these forums compared to town (Miami: low income, section 8)

[Nortport Jim]

Originally Posted by Harbor Hopper

Relating this to actual towns, Ft Myers and the Cape both seem very depressed, which kind of shows in the forum. Sarasota is a mixed bag. The Sarasota forum covers a vast geographical area with mixed personalities and personal happiness levels.

Right now there are two main "negative nellies” on the Cape Coral forum who obviously have their own personal agendas. These two posters post relentlessly all throughout the day and are creating havoc in the forum. Does the current ugly condition of the Cape Coral forum reflect what’s going on in real life in Fort Myers and Cape Coral as you suggest? I don’t think so.

I think the forums are artificial environments that are influenced by many factors, including the tenacity of persons with agendas and the level of censorship the moderators want to employ. Downtown Sarasota is less than two hours away from Cape Coral and yet the two forums are vastly different. Do you really think that economic conditions are that much better only two hours away?

There are record setting numbers of people who can’t find work in SW Florida. Many of them are losing their homes. They’re not happy frendly people right now and they’re not represented in the forums for the most part. They’ve actually got more important things to concern themselves with.

Again, just my opinion on the OP's original question.

[Nortport Jim]

Originally Posted by bbronston

Oh, I don't know if it is representative or not. I've found some people here are welcoming and some (well one or two) were accusing, suspicious, almost protective of their "forum turf" to the point that they were over the top about it .

Exactly. I've seen the posts you're referring to. Some parties here seem to be using the forum as a place of business and you were seen as someone muscling in on “their” territory, so a thug was sent out to intimidate you into moving on. LOL

You not the first Realtor to receive such a “greeting” here. The difference, is that you held your ground and weren’t scared off by the tactic.

[Harbor Hopper]

Originally Posted by Nortport Jim

Exactly. I've seen the posts you're referring to. Some parties here seem to be using the forum as a place of business and you were seen as someone muscling in on “their” territory, so a thug was sent out to intimidate you into moving on. LOL

You not the first Realtor to receive such a “greeting” here. The difference, is that you held your ground and weren’t scared off by the tactic.

Please identify the posts in which you are referring to Jim. I remember no intimidation by any "thug" to get a real estate agent to "move on". Disclaimer: I am NOT in real estate and have nothing to do professionally with any real estate agents. But the agent who I assume you are referring to is NEVER rude to any members, and doesn't own this forum as their "territory" as you claim.
You must have this forum confused with another
The only time a realtor (or any business person) is harrassed is when they blatenly advertise on here or provides a biased, rosy, picture perfect aspect of the area. That's when the complaints start, because none of us come on here to see advertisements. I think both regular realtors on here are very good at providing info (sometimes VERY thorough info) without violating the TOS by advertising their business.

[davery5872]

Originally Posted by Harbor Hopper

Please identify the posts in which you are referring to Jim. I remember no intimidation by any "thug" to get a real estate agent to "move on". Disclaimer: I am NOT in real estate and have nothing to do professionally with any real estate agents. But the agent who I assume you are referring to is NEVER rude to any members, and doesn't own this forum as their "territory" as you claim.
You must have this forum confused with another
The only time a realtor (or any business person) is harrassed is when they blatenly advertise on here or provides a biased, rosy, picture perfect aspect of the area. That's when the complaints start, because none of us come on here to see advertisements. I think both regular realtors on here are very good at providing info (sometimes VERY thorough info) without violating the TOS by advertising their business.

I think there was a situation a few months ago where a realtor posted some advice (not advertising) on the forum and did not identify themselves as realtor. There were a few long time posters who got a a little nasty. Other than that one situation, I have found this forum to be very friendly.

[bbronston]

Well, I'm not mentioning any names or quoting any posts because I don't think there's anything to be gained by it but, when I first found this forum (which I think is excellent and I've learned from it myself) I was attacked for being a weasel. The fact was that I read the City-Data rules before posting (and complied with them fully) but missed that there were separate rules for the forum. It was an honest mistake. Instead of someone saying "Hey, welcome, please be sure to read the rules sticky note...etc." I was called a bunch of names, had my honesty and integrity questioned (one of my personal hot buttons for a fight) and generally met with a lot of hostility. And that person wasn't even a moderator so why get so worked up about it? Someone later posted that the individual was, in effect, trying to protect some perceived business turf. (Odd because, to my knowledge, this person is not a Realtor.) I've basically ignored the poster since (although it's been tough-not my nature) but I'm determined to keep to the high road. It's unfortunate but maybe the more people discuss it, the better this forum will get and I think that will benefit us all. I have to admit, man, it is addictive!

[Rushmore]

Originally Posted by Nortport Jim

Funny... I was able to disagree with you without violating the TOS, and from such an intelligent poster too.

I guess the nasty school yard stuff is contagious.

For the record, I wasn't calling you a sociopath (that would have been a heck of a leap); I was merely pointing out that one needs full body armor before posting in the Baltimore forum.

And I maintain it is fairly ludicrous that mendacious real estate agents are on this site selling some Shangri-La. I would also posit that even if it were true, nobody capable of possessing enough for a down payment would be gullible enough to fall for it.

In a sense, I must say that if they were, well, a fool and his money are soon parted in any event.

So let this be a lesson to everyone:

Hm. Funny. I can't find a lesson here.

[Peter the Brit]

Having left the area ( having a negative view of it ) and having been a member of this Board for over a year I feel qualified to say this is a well balanced Board and apart from one person I have had no reason to complain of any member. Yes some are more active than others but they post well and help people.

[Ladywithafan]

Originally Posted by DoctorRain

The realtors are the biggest liars around. I am not afraid to say it either. Flag me or get mad whatever. Sarasota might be nice in places, but goddamn, they get crazy and in this economy being as bad as it is, they are trying to sell off the fact that its a total paradise. Only thing is, smart and informed people aren't gonna buy it. They will just end up going to honest people instead and here is a good place to go.
I don't trust realtors.. my mom has dealt with them and they do just that.. make Sarasota sound extremely wonderful with no negatives. They sensor out the ghettos too.

Having been a realtor on AMI back in the '90's, I really didn't have a lot of reason to trust snowbirds looking for real estate; most of them were out looking for decorating ideas or tours. I realized it was all about asking for the sale: "do you want to buy today, tomorrow, next week or next year?" If the reply wasn't within any of the first three time frames, they did not get a free tour with me, just my card.

Just sayin....also, as a licensed realtor in the state of Florida, you are not allowed specifically name an area as "bad or ghetto". That can get your license taken away.

As an unlicensed former realtor I can give you my opinion, which like other body parts, we all have our own.

[cshore1957]

I have been reading these boards now for about 4 mos... and I am loving them.. lots of great information....I do see a lot of negatives for living in Palmetto though.. we are new to the area.. have only lived here for 2 mos. renting without a lease till we found where we wanted to be ....but I am from Florida.. born and raised on Miami Beach... and lived in GVille for 30 yrs.. now we are here in Bradenton and am loving it especially the Anna Maria area... BUT this week we are moving to Palmetto.. (Riviera Dunes, the condos Belmare). I do agree that Palmetto looks very unappealing when you go into town, but where we are going to be in Palmetto is just over the bridge from Bradenton and is beautiful. I have not seen anyone ever mention Riviera Dunes area as a nice place to live.. and I am curious why??? Is it because of the school zones??? We are in our early 50's and our son just graduated college so that isn't a concern for us.. but I am wondering if the reason that Riviera Dunes Area in Palmetto is never mentioned as a nice place to live is due to that reason.

[bbronston]

The places I've seen there are beautiful. It was very pricey back in the day but it has gotten better as everything has. I think the positives outweigh the negatives as long as you are looking for a nice boating community. After that, the location, location thing can start to be more negative--at least according to the feedback that I've received from customers I've talked with. The high rises had some financial issues, as I recall--maybe someone can shed some light...