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Good morning to you all.
I am in the process of tranferring to Ft. Myers RSW airport in Oct.
I work for the Dept. of Homeland Security at the airport.
I have been looking all over on craigslist for an apartment.
I have heard horror stories of many places down there.
It makes me rethink why did I accept the transfer.
But I am going with it since I need a new start.
I am from NJ and hoping someone can give me a heads up on where is a good place to live.
I have searched all over and can't make a decision.
Since I work for the government I do make decent moeny and on top of that I am going down there with a sure job.
I know I don't want to live in Lehigh Acres since all I hear is horrible things about gangs and crime and theft and no cops around. Not a good place for me. For that I rather stay in NJ/NY. LOL
I have seen all these different places especially in Cape Coral, Page Park, McGregor Blvd, Summerlin, honeslty all over, but I have no idea what and where is a good and nice area.
I am searching for something close to the airport if possible but also I am looking for something that my family can come down every once in a while to come visit. I have my 6yo daughter who I know would like to come down. Also I have my mother who is on dialysis who will come down with her. My dad who will come down after I establish myself first and come live with me since he is retired. I also have family all over FL.
So if someone can steer me in the right direction or to someone who can help in the the next several weeks.
My transfer goes into effect the 21st of Oct. I will be traveling down on the 15th getting there the 16th of Oct. So YES I am in dire need. LOL.
Thank all. In advance.
Good morning to you all.
I am in the process of tranferring to Ft. Myers RSW airport in Oct.
I work for the Dept. of Homeland Security at the airport.
I have been looking all over on craigslist for an apartment.
I have heard horror stories of many places down there.
It makes me rethink why did I accept the transfer.
But I am going with it since I need a new start.
I am from NJ and hoping someone can give me a heads up on where is a good place to live.
I have searched all over and can't make a decision.
Since I work for the government I do make decent moeny and on top of that I am going down there with a sure job.
I know I don't want to live in Lehigh Acres since all I hear is horrible things about gangs and crime and theft and no cops around. Not a good place for me. For that I rather stay in NJ/NY. LOL
I have seen all these different places especially in Cape Coral, Page Park, McGregor Blvd, Summerlin, honeslty all over, but I have no idea what and where is a good and nice area.
I am searching for something close to the airport if possible but also I am looking for something that my family can come down every once in a while to come visit. I have my 6yo daughter who I know would like to come down. Also I have my mother who is on dialysis who will come down with her. My dad who will come down after I establish myself first and come live with me since he is retired. I also have family all over FL.
So if someone can steer me in the right direction or to someone who can help in the the next several weeks.
My transfer goes into effect the 21st of Oct. I will be traveling down on the 15th getting there the 16th of Oct. So YES I am in dire need. LOL.
Thank all. In advance.
Ummm I won't tell you how bad it is to accept a transfer to a place you have never been. I also won't get into how insane it is to rent an apartment and then moving here sight unseen. And coming right at the beginning of season won't do you any favors in finding places or save you any money.
With that said, I would definitely rent something in one of the many gated complexes. They have everything you need, pools, stores, some have restaurants and small movie theaters. Estero would be a good starting point. Lots of condo and apartment communities. These are not exactly kid friendly places I will tell ya that. In Estero you are close to work, the beaches, and there are a lot of things to do out that way....Coconut Point and Gulf Coast Center are very close for shopping, dining, etc. Cape Coral is a city, the other places you mentioned are streets and neighborhoods. I would avoid Page Park...there's a thread that was on the front page not long ago all about the different condo and apartment complexes and communities, maybe check that out?
Ummm I won't tell you how bad it is to accept a transfer to a place you have never been. I also won't get into how insane it is to rent an apartment and then moving here sight unseen. And coming right at the beginning of season won't do you any favors in finding places or save you any money.
With that said, I would definitely rent something in one of the many gated complexes. They have everything you need, pools, stores, some have restaurants and small movie theaters. Estero would be a good starting point. Lots of condo and apartment communities. These are not exactly kid friendly places I will tell ya that. In Estero you are close to work, the beaches, and there are a lot of things to do out that way....Coconut Point and Gulf Coast Center are very close for shopping, dining, etc. Cape Coral is a city, the other places you mentioned are streets and neighborhoods. I would avoid Page Park...there's a thread that was on the front page not long ago all about the different condo and apartment complexes and communities, maybe check that out?
Thank you. It is great I am almost certain that I will be picking something decent soon. I would love to live in Estero but seems a little expensive for me right now. Might have to wait till my dad decides to come down with me. But again thank you for the feedback and if anyone else has feed back feel free thanks
Good morning to you all.
I am in the process of tranferring to Ft. Myers RSW airport in Oct.
I work for the Dept. of Homeland Security at the airport.
Congrats! Welcome to SWFL. My main advice to people who want to move here is "don't come to Fort Myers without a job." So you have overcome the biggest obstacle.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mannygusha74
I have been looking all over on craigslist for an apartment.
I have heard horror stories of many places down there.
It makes me rethink why did I accept the transfer.
Fort Myers has a lot of nice communities. Sure there are some very bad apartment complexes and sections of Fort Myers I would avoid completely, but there are also a lot of lovely properties. It just depends on what you want. Example: The river district of Fort Myers has some beautiful condos, but they're a bit pricey. Every city has crime, so you just need to do your due diligence and checkout the neighborhoods.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mannygusha74
I am from NJ and hoping someone can give me a heads up on where is a good place to live.
Although it's not cheap to live in Florida, your money will definitely go further here. New Jersey has some of the highest property taxes in the country and the highest overall tax burden. Even if you are earning the same money, you aren't paying state income tax! The main problem is when people move here without a job and find a similar one that pays less than 1/2 of what they're used to earning, and few jobs pay good benefits.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mannygusha74
I know I don't want to live in Lehigh Acres since all I hear is horrible things about gangs and crime and theft and no cops around. Not a good place for me. For that I rather stay in NJ/NY. LOL
Although some of those stories are a bit exaggerated, I would definitely stay out of Lehigh. I feel very badly for those who purchased houses during the boom, although I didn't even like Lehigh when I moved to Florida 18 years ago.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mannygusha74
I have seen all these different places especially in Cape Coral, Page Park, McGregor Blvd, Summerlin, honeslty all over, but I have no idea what and where is a good and nice area.
One thing you need to keep in mind is that you are visiting Florida just before the busy season, so a temporary rental won't be easy to find. However, you might be able to find an apartment that will offer you a 6 month lease. I don't like apartments, so I can't recommend any to you. Sorry. Have you contacted a property manager at a real estate agency?
If you enjoy living & working here, I would suggest buying soon, since prices are rising. You have so many choices. There are some very nice townhouses off of Daniels Parkway, but I agree that Estero is a good choice. Also, Gateway is right next to RSW and has numerous communities (houses, condos) of varying prices. By the way, if you live in the section of Cape Coral that is close to the Cape Coral bridge, it's not a bad commute to the airport. It just depends on your hours. College Parkway can get very congested during rush hour. You can probably rent a single family home in Cape Coral for the price of an apartment in Fort Myers.
what is your price point for a rental and how many bedrooms will you need?
I wanna say not more than 700 for now just so I can get a feel for the place first, Because I know that it takes time to adjust coming from a big city and all.
But I do have a certain concern also. I hear I have to pay for water and trash and other things like that. So with that said I really don't know how that stands.
Congrats! Welcome to SWFL. My main advice to people who want to move here is "don't come to Fort Myers without a job." So you have overcome the biggest obstacle. Fort Myers has a lot of nice communities. Sure there are some very bad apartment complexes and sections of Fort Myers I would avoid completely, but there are also a lot of lovely properties. It just depends on what you want. Example: The river district of Fort Myers has some beautiful condos, but they're a bit pricey. Every city has crime, so you just need to do your due diligence and checkout the neighborhoods. Although it's not cheap to live in Florida, your money will definitely go further here. New Jersey has some of the highest property taxes in the country and the highest overall tax burden. Even if you are earning the same money, you aren't paying state income tax! The main problem is when people move here without a job and find a similar one that pays less than 1/2 of what they're used to earning, and few jobs pay good benefits.
Although some of those stories are a bit exaggerated, I would definitely stay out of Lehigh. I feel very badly for those who purchased houses during the boom, although I didn't even like Lehigh when I moved to Florida 18 years ago.
One thing you need to keep in mind is that you are visiting Florida just before the busy season, so a temporary rental won't be easy to find. However, you might be able to find an apartment that will offer you a 6 month lease. I don't like apartments, so I can't recommend any to you. Sorry. Have you contacted a property manager at a real estate agency?
If you enjoy living & working here, I would suggest buying soon, since prices are rising. You have so many choices. There are some very nice townhouses off of Daniels Parkway, but I agree that Estero is a good choice. Also, Gateway is right next to RSW and has numerous communities (houses, condos) of varying prices. By the way, if you live in the section of Cape Coral that is close to the Cape Coral bridge, it's not a bad commute to the airport. It just depends on your hours. College Parkway can get very congested during rush hour. You can probably rent a single family home in Cape Coral for the price of an apartment in Fort Myers.
Good luck!
Thank you for that warm welcome.
So yes I have overcome the biggest hump which is a job. Which since its a transfer I think it is great.
I have heard all the horror stories but just imagine I have lived in NJ all my life and all I can say is I am relieved that I will be doing this change. It might be life changing but I am willing to do this.
I have been speaking to several property agencies and also to certain people.
I have also seen that I would have to pay for water and trash and sewer and utilities. Which I don't mind but I hear it can be costly. Can anyone shine any light on this?
I have spoken to certain people that have properties around Edison college, basically all around there on Panther Ln., on Cypress Lake Dr, on College Prkwy, and surrounding places.
I have also talked to a rental property agency in Sienna? I think thats what it is called. They have gotten back to me and it looks nice but a bit pricey. I have also been in contact with property managers agencies from cape coral and so on and so forth.
Well I am praying for the best. I am praying also that I can decide this week, but I know I wont be making any finals till the 1st of the month since my time to be there is the 15th is when I am leaving and should be there around the 16th or 17th. of Oct. So let's pray it all goes according to God's plan.
Thank you for the feedback it is so well appreciated.
And yes I will be thinking about buying in the near future.
Thank again.
If I were you,I would go with a rental ,even if the money is a little more than you want to spend.It's only for 6 months to a year and then you'll know the area well enough to know where to buy or rent on a more permanent basis.
Don't believe all the negative stuff....you and your daughter are going to love it down here.
Good luck.......see you next time we go through the airport......no need to give me a pat down....I'm all set :>)
If I were you,I would go with a rental ,even if the money is a little more than you want to spend.It's only for 6 months to a year and then you'll know the area well enough to know where to buy or rent on a more permanent basis.
Don't believe all the negative stuff....you and your daughter are going to love it down here.
Good luck.......see you next time we go through the airport......no need to give me a pat down....I'm all set :>)
Yeah that's what I am going for. A rental first be there for a year, since I can't move to another airport withing that year in the position I am at. Even though I can go to another airport if I get a different position.
And don't worry no need for pat Downs.....I am a Security Instructor there so I teach the officers to do it the right way.
But thanks again.
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Awesome
