" Financially Speaking, This Is the Most Difficult Time We've EVER Found Ourselves in." (Cape Coral: real estate market, mortgage)

[BritPop]

Originally Posted by yoko

“ If the county cuts service levels this year, it will never be able to raise funds to reinstate those services.

Never say never - that's just political gob****e.

Originally Posted by yoko

The group meets again July 6 to set a maximum tax rate. If it splits, the maximum tax rate will automatically rise 18 percent — the number needed to keep the tax revenue constant next year.

So what?

Originally Posted by yoko

“ We need to grab the wheel and take a huge spin to make a course correction.”

What a bunch of crap!

I need to grab the wheel and take a huge spin into Pizza Hut, have my lunch and carry on.

Originally Posted by yoko

June/24/2010Lee County budget battle heats up | news-press.com | The News-Press

Will you ever tire of posting these pieces of gloom or will we have to counter you with positive messages until you give up?

[faithfulFrank]

Folks,
I must remind you that it is against the Terms of Service here to discuss other posters.
Do not be disrespectful, rude, etc, in your posts.

If you do not agree with a post you read, you are encouraged to debate the issues, give other viewpoints, experiences, etc.........but do NOT let it get personal, criticizing or attacking the poster.

Basically, discuss the POST, not the person. Doing so tends to lead to infractions, "time outs", and closed threads.

For the record, I see valid viewpoints on both sides. I do think the forum is the healthiest when it is the most balanced....having both positive and negative viewpoints presented.

The REAL question is.......if all of the above is true, what is the solution? I would think that it would be good people buying homes at REAL prices, investing themselves in the community and enjoying a quality of life that comes with it.

The forum would even be better if we read more solutions, and more success stories of those who, despite the local economic woes, have made a good life here......

A doctor who just shares how sick a person is without using the skills he has to make the patient better does the patient little good. If the patient does not know he is sick is better off knowing, but once he knows, he only wants to hear how to get better.......

Carry on, and be nice.......well, time to go to work.

Frank

[yoko]

“ The expiration of the National Flood Insurance Program is hindering home sales in Lee County, already the epicenter of the housing crisis.


The National Flood Insurance Program expired May 31, and political disputes on unrelated issues have kept Congress from extending it.

The vote left the program in limbo indefinitely, along with the rest of the $110 billion package that aimed to extended unemployment benefits and other federal programs.


Congress created the flood insurance program in 1968 because private insurers couldn't provide affordable flood insurance.

Many homes in Fort Myers and Cape Coral are vulnerable to flooding because they were built near the Caloosahatchee River and sit next to the Gulf of Mexico.

Lee already has experienced some of the nation's steepest drops in home prices and largest gains in unemployment, according to a Brookings Institution study. “








June/27/2010
Flood insurance scarce in Lee County | news-press.com | The News-Press

[BritPop]

I'm still buying in Cape Coral!

The sale will probably close and then immediately there'll be a hurricane and the house will get flooded.

But you know what? **** happens and life goes on

[Donna-501]

Originally Posted by BritPop

I'm still buying in Cape Coral!

The sale will probably close and then immediately there'll be a hurricane and the house will get flooded.

But you know what? **** happens and life goes on

Did you check if you are in a flood zone?

[BritPop]

Yep it is

[yoko]

Originally Posted by yoko

"

But trying to make up the entire $84 million shortfall in the budget for next year from spending cuts and reserves would require such severe reductions in parks, roads, libraries, transit and code enforcement that essential services would be jeopardized and reserves drawn down dangerously.


The property roll on which collections are based has dropped 33 percent in value over the past three years, with the loss of $158 million in revenues and no compensating tax rate increase. That’s meant a lot of tax relief for taxpayers out there, but it can’t continue forever.

Spending has been cut by $150 million and reserves being used to prop the budget up are depleting rapidly—and this with plenty of uncertainties facing the county from hurricanes and oil spills. "


June/26/2010
Editorial: County must consider a tax rate hike | news-press.com | The News-Press

“ Reserved money used to make up for the lost revenue:

2009-10 $ 142.5 m
2010-11 $ 124.6 m
2011-12 $ 55.80 m
2012-13 $ - $ 14.4 m


Lee County will have drained its reserves by the 2012-13 budget, if it continues to pull money to make up for lost revenue from property taxes.

The county commission used about $60 million this year from reserves and will likely withdraw money for next year’s budget as well, though the exact amount is not yet available.

Properties in Lee are worth 15 percent less this year overall, preliminary property value figures show. Because local taxes are based on property values, the county would have to raise its tax rate 18 percent to bring in the same amount next year.

If the commission decides not to raise the tax rate, that doesn’t necessarily mean property owners will pay less in taxes. Other taxing entities, such as the Lee County School District and fire districts, can still raise their rates, hiking a property owner’s total tax bill. “




June/29/2010
Another Lee County deficit looms; reserves in jeopardy | news-press.com | The News-Press

[brianjb]

Originally Posted by Donna-501

Did you check if you are in a flood zone?

Is there a website to check if a house is in a flood zone based on the address? It would make it easier for house shopping for me.

[BritPop]

Originally Posted by brianjb

Is there a website to check if a house is in a flood zone based on the address? It would make it easier for house shopping for me.

Map of Lee County Flood Zones



I think pretty much most places near water are going to be or am I missing something?

[rikoshaprl]

Originally Posted by BritPop

Map of Lee County Flood Zones



I think pretty much most places near water are going to be or am I missing something?

It makes a big difference in your rates if you are in an X zone as opposed to an AE zone. I think this map is more accurate:
FIRM MAPS