Posted on 04/07/2012 10:34:02 AM PDT by clifcrds
My wife and I are about 5 to 7 years away from retirement and we were looking to buy a retirement home in the Fort Myers / Cape Coral Florida area.
I would greatly appreciate it if any "freepers" would just give me a few “what to look fors” and “what to lookout fors” when buying a home in the area. We are already aware of the “Chinese drywall” issues.
Thanks - clifcrds
Stay the hell out of there. It’s going to dissolve into a chaos of race warfare sooner rather than later. Move to the Pacific Northwest. Four real seasons and vigorous winters tend to keep the riffraff out.
Worry about the prevailing liberal mindset. ;-)
I first looked at local sales and asked my Realtor about foreclosures or VA homes for sale and he advised me to buy a NEW home instead because ALL of the builders were giving extra incentives including covering all the closing costs.
I followed the realtor's advise and did buy a brand new home. The model we bought was to be the model in our subdivision and wasn't even built yet. We had to go to another subdivision to see the model.
We bought the Nautilus model at Sullivan Ranch in Mount Dora which is now selling for $209,000 base price. Our home is 3514 sq feet with 6 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, living/dining room, Family Room, and very large Bonus/game room along with a 2 car garage.
Further details at: http://www.centexhomes.com/fl/orlando/north/mt-dora/sullivan-ranch-60s/nautilus
There were other houses available which were much smaller but also More expensive. We simply felt that the house we bought was the very best value both in size and in price.
We had already visited two other new subdivisions but nothing came close to what we eventually bought. I would recommend Central Florida over either coast because of the humidity.
Learn Spanish.
Sanibel Island is hard to beat, but pricey. I have a friend who is and has been for years a real estate agent in Ft Myers. If you would like a way to contact him, send me a private note.
I live in North Fort Myers. Moved here in 1999 from RI. Pretty much all real estate is priced about what it was a decade ago. There are some extremely good deals. Not sure what your looking for. My parents just purchased a beautiful two bedroom home on a lake in a 55 plus community for $17k turnkey. Turnkey as in all new furniture, electronics, kitchen utensils.
Acreage is fairly pried as well.
Feel free to send me a freemail if you have any questions.
The major commercial airport in the area is south of Ft. Myers and north of Bonita Springs. Naples also has a small airport on the east side of Naples bay, but its commercial service is limited to small prop jobs, with much seasonal traffic in corporate and private jets.
All I can say is that I love Florida, warts and all. I live on water but in a less pricey county which allows me to afford visiting all the interesting pricey places on my coast when I so choose.
Clifcrds, mi casa es su casa if you decide to live in the central west coast, the "Sunshine Coast". I'd be happy to show you around. I'm north of Clearwater.
Leni
I like that layout. I especially like that there’s a bedroom and full bath on the main floor that could be used as a 2nd master. The older one gets, the less likely one wants to or is able to tackle stairs. 3,500+ sf is a lot of area to heat/cool. Are the homes well insulated? Having lots of bedrooms is nice since we don’t have basements here. One of my 4 bedrooms has become a storage room.
I’m in central Florida too but came from a oceanside community. The one thing I miss is the constant sea breeze I was use to. As my dearly departed mother lamented daily: not a leaf on a tree moves in central Florida.
Because I’m a widow, several friends told me to settle in Fort Myers when I ready to move to Florida. I was told that there were lots of single older wealthy gentlemen in the area.
Even without access to an airport I think we will check out Naples. I'm not too scared of hot temps and high humidity . . . I'm going to be retired so if I don't have to go outside I won't.
My wife and I both grew up in NE North Dakota 5 miles from the Canadian border and have lived in NE SD for 25 years now so we have had enough of the "4 seasons".
Thanks for the info!
Wondered why there were so many houses sitting empty in Lehigh Acres?
5. Check Fort Myers Police reports for area around MLK Blvd near downtown and the courthouse
Compared Ft Myers Police report against Cape Coral and ethnic makeup already.
Cape Coral: 1. Like boating? The city is laced with canals that have gulf access although some require small boats that can get under some bridges on the way to getting to the gulf. 2. Some areas north of Pine Island Rd may not be in incorporated Cape Coral (I don't get up there much) and residential building there doesn't seem to be up to codes. I live near Sanibel on the Caloosahatchee river. Nearly every day I see dolphin, manatee, eagles, pelicans, antenna's and a variety of herons. It is glorious! It is a fisherman's and boaters paradise.
This sounds like the life I want to live!
I don't mind the humidity or heat as I avoid going out in the day during the summer. A record high temperature would be in the mid-upper 90’s in the summer but the ocean breeze is always there near the water. You get six solid months with highs in the 80’s (spring and fall), three summer months in the 90’s and three winter months with highs in the lower 70’s most days... only a few days with highs in the 60’s or rarely in the 50’s.
High heat and humidity aren't on my mind either. Both my wife and I grew up in NE North Dakota 5 miles from the Canadian border and have lived in NE South Dakota now for 25 years. We have had our fill of the "4 seasons" (1 month of spring 3 months of summer 1 month of fall and 6 months of winter).
Hurricanes can buzz-saw the area in any given year and must be prepared for (check out websites) and insured against and built into your budget.
Hurricanes have been discussed . . . we realize they happen and plan to be prepared and insured.
Thanks for taking the time to supply use with all the info.
Have a happy Easter . . . He has risen!
Don't drink the water......and watch out for the snakes and bugs.
...and don’t buy into a condo community where the majority of the residences are rented out and have a “Neighborhood Watch” program.
We’ve had a 2nd home in Naples since 1999. You will love the area. Don’t worry about the heat and humidity. Not as bad as Atlanta or St Louis in the summer due to the gulf breezes.
Comments about Ft Myers above are spot on. I prefer Naples due to the small town feel and the ease of getting around all year long. Ft Myers is like being in a city - Naples is like a resort area.
You can still find 2 br condos within 5 miles of beach in a good area for as low as $59,000.
Search for St Croix at Pelican Marsh on a real estate site for a nice place at a reasonable price. Our place is about a mile from there.
We bought through an agent named Mark Benson. He has a web site www.markbenson.com that has the full MLS available on it. He is a really good guy - very trustworthy in my opinion and worked great long distance.
Let me know if you need additional input.
Stay the hell out of Lehigh Acres. For many many reasons.
Mr. K,
Flagstaff has always done it for me.
I just love sitting at one of the two Brewpubs and watching all the trains pass on the three tracks that run there and watching all that is Route 66
Bookmark
Before you buy ......a qualified certified home inspector is the most important thing you can do to protect yourself
Many, many homes down there were basically tossed up in a matter of weeks during the housing boom.... I live in Tampa area and go to Ft. Meyers area on a regular basis
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