Відео

We love North Fort Myers. That’s why we bought our home there but it’s definitely not for everyone. My wife is a city girl at heart and when we went to look at the home we ended up buying she said it was in the middle of nowhere. My response was no no, it’s on the edge of nowhere. 😂 Our neighbors have horses but the Publix is only 6 minutes away and downtown is only 15 minutes away (now more like 25 because of traffic).

That’s awesome! I’m glad you found a place you are happy! South Fort Myers has a lot going for it!!

No, I wouldn’t consider the Peace River dirty. Though, if I’m being honest, Florida in general does not do a great job of regulating contaminates going into its waters. However the Peace River is in much better shape than many others. Mud and silt being stirred up happens mostly when there has recently been heavy rains and the fresh water is flowing faster than usual and that area is where the river meets the harbor and you can get a mix of the fresh water hitting the incoming tide which may stir up that mud and silt.

@@LivinginSouthwestFlorida_ Thank you, I did not hear you talk about median house price

It really depends on what it is. You said you tried so I assume that means you didn’t end up buying it. Was that the reason you didn’t buy it?

@@LivinginSouthwestFlorida_ Insurance and HOA were too high with no end in sight. We decided to rent for the winters but that is increasing substantially every year.

Yes, rental costs are going up substantially every year as well. It depends on how long you spend down here every year on how much sense it makes to buy but typically if it is 3 months or more it makes sense no matter what you do with it the rest of the time and if you spend less than that but are open to renting it out during the time you aren’t using it it still makes more sense than renting. It typically only makes sense to rent if you are staying less than 3 months and’s not willing to rent it when you aren’t using it.

Thanks for the comment and detailed response to the video. We do cover many of those things you mention in our other videos about the different areas in Southwest Florida. The ones we haven’t covered I can respond to here. Sinkholes aren’t really an issue in the areas we cover. Mold can be an issue inside homes if you leave for long periods of time and turn your AC up too high. If you keep it under 80 it shouldn’t be an issue. What questions do you have about the 2nd amendment? That’s a federal thing. Though of course every state has their own gun laws as well. If you are curious about concealed carry it’s very simple to get a permit and most states are reciprocal.

Are you talking about River Creek? If you leave there and go west that’s left and there are all kinds of things right there. If you go right, that’s east and you are correct. Nothing out there but other neighborhoods right now so unless you are going to the casino there’s really no reason to go that way. Though with all of the new residential development out that way, commercial will be coming in the near future. Why do we need to be on the east coast for the beach? We have tons of beautiful beaches here on the west coast of Florida!

Interesting! That’s the first time I’ve heard that.

I’d be happy to help you figure out to make it happen! Give me a call and let’s talk it through!!

Congrats! Did you buy it to build on or as an investment?

@@LivinginSouthwestFlorida_ my ultimate goal is to develop the land in 5 to 7 years cause it’s seller finance deal

@@LivinginSouthwestFlorida_ I’d say both an investment and development

Yes it is!

I know! I guess it’s kind of one of those hole in the wall type spots but it’s super cool and an awesome place to hike. We love going through there and wandering the whole park.

Thanks for the feedback! I'll work on some videos that do a deep dive into more of this information.

@@LivinginSouthwestFlorida_ Thanks much

Thank you!

Why do you say that?

🤣🤣 You don’t want everyone to find out about it?

Everyone has a different opinion of what affordable is but compared to the price of the average home let alone new home in the area right now WestPort is very affordable.

@@LivinginSouthwestFlorida_ that’s why they have so much inventory 🤷‍♂️I’m in that place daily. That’s okay Babcock Ranch is doing great

@@matthewnowack4610 I assume they have inventory because they want to have some inventory. If they wanted to sell it quickly they could. I’ve seen every one of those builders unload inventory in a hurry if they feel they need to. Lennar is just about sold out and DRHorton seems to be selling just fine. And last time I was there the Taylor Morrison, M/I and Christopher Alan weren’t open so they either didn’t have anything to sell or have sold enough that they felt comfortable having their offices closed for the day.

@@LivinginSouthwestFlorida_ they have inventory because nobody’s buying in there Same thing with wellen park They’re overpriced cookie cutter homes couple of our big builders are already building houses because things aren’t selling you believe what you want in real estate. I’m in the construction field.

@@matthewnowack4610 I think you might have misunderstood what I was saying. The builders are keeping very close tabs on who is buying what where and making adjustments as needed so if you are seeing starts slow down it’s because they have seen the buying slow down. And if they feel they have too much inventory they will offer bigger incentives. Every home will sell at the right price. I spoke to 7 different builders yesterday and they are all offering incentives either money or special interest rates or a combination and I was able to negotiate even more on select homes in certain communities based on what is and is not selling.

How come?

Thanks for your insight! FL dept of health has a website that shows the state estimates for homeless population by county but only shows 2023 for most recent. Charlotte was estimated at 427 people. Which is almost 3x what it was in 2022 so that may be why it seems like you see more than before. It is lower than Lee county but slightly higher than Sarasota county and Hendry is listed as only having 4. Sunseeker will likely have a significant positive impact for the surrounding area. Over the next few years you will see commercial buildings make updates and new buildings be built and with those improvements rents will increase and change the types of businesses in those buildings. South Gulf Cove is a great neighborhood! Glad you enjoy living here!!

Sorry you had to deal with your home being burglarized. I’ve been there. It’s scary and frustrating because even though there is no longer a threat (which is what the police look at when prioritizing calls and why it seems to always take forever for them to respond to calls like this in every city/town) it doesn’t feel that way to you as the person it happened to. And it’s totally understandable why you feel the way you do about Lehigh. Where did you move to? And do you like it better there?

Fair enough. I prefer water over desert myself but the population growth in both places shows they are both super popular.

😂 punta rassa is the little point at the end of Fort Myers before you go over the Sanibel Causeway.

Well, short answer, no. It’s the $500k price limit and 1/2 acre lot combination that is the problem. Not the safety problem. There are not many 1/2 acre lots within 45 mins of the beach and the ones that are tend to be significantly more than $500k. If you are open to larger than 1/4 but smaller than 1/2 then you have many options. I wouldn’t tell you that any part of Lehigh is within 45 mins to the beach. 😂 Maybe at 2am with no traffic but in regular everyday traffic at typically times people would go to the beach it’s at least an hour. If you are open to that drive time, I don’t personally feel Lehigh is not safe, however that is subjective. I’ve worked with many clients who live and/or work in Lehigh and I’ve never had anyone who spends time there tell me they feel unsafe there. However there are many people who have likely never even driven through Lehigh that will tell you it’s very dangerous. There are parts of Lehigh that do have higher crime rates than Fort Myers but does that make it unsafe? It depends on what you consider unsafe. Give me a call or text at 239-201-9583 so we can discuss more detail on what you are looking for and we will see if we can find you the right place.

I agree, North Captiva is awesome! I will add it to the list of future videos! It will have some very unique pros and cons.

My long time favorite in Fort Myers has been La Casita on McGregor just north of Gladiolus. It’s not 100% but is pretty close. And the one I just found a couple weeks ago that was really good is Takote on San Carlos Blvd just south of Summerlin on the way to FMB.

I can see some feeling that way. I grew up in Phoenix AZ so also a place some would say is brutal heat and I would personally probably not move back there and then lived in Atlanta GA before moving down to FM and I feel like the higher heat and similar humidity in ATL is worse. It definitely is warm though.

This has been my long time favorite in FM. Unfortunately it has always been far from everywhere I have always lived since I’ve been in the FM area so didn’t get there as often as I’d like.

Do you like Margaritaville?

Only when "I'm wasting away!"

I agree! Can’t wait to see the upgrades finished!!

Not all of North Port is on well water. But it is expensive to put in city water and I think part of the issue is North Port is such a large land mass and homes are so spread out that it becomes difficult to justify the cost until more of the space is filled in.

I understand why you feel that way. Affordability is very subjective and highly dependent on income and other expenses as well. It isn’t very likely that we will see prices drop that much. It is more likely that prices will come down some as we have been seeing in many SWFL areas for the past few months and for incomes to come up a bit as well, as employers continue to struggle to find employees. But this is about as close as it gets for a brand new home.

@LivinginSouthwestFlorida_ let me ask a serious question. We currently know that over %90 of the population was priced out of the market at a %1,9 interest rate. We are now at almost %8. Add the outrageous taxes and insurance over %96 of people are priced out. So seeing as you don't think prices will come down who is going to buy all this inventory?

@@KingFergusrates are down in the high 6%-7% range now and that drop from 8% has brought some buyers back into the market. There are also still quite a few people moving to the area. And it’s still expected that rates will drop more in the not too distant future which will also bring more buyers back in.

@LivinginSouthwestFlorida_ after its all said and done and you sign the papers it's about %8 . And the FED has announced it will not be dropping rates in 2024 and possibly not 2025...

@@KingFergus it depends on if there are prepaid points. I haven’t seen that lately with the rates going down to where they have recently. And the FED also said they were going to drop rates 4-6 times in 2024 just a couple months ago so what they said last week will likely change next month because the reality is the FED is a reactionary organization. They do their best to project expectations but it all depends on what happens with inflation and the job market.

From what I’ve been told it seems most people disagree with you but if that’s a pro for you then that makes Southwest Florida even more for you because it’s pretty much nonexistent.

Thanks for all the info. It seems like they are trying to think ahead and set up areas where multi-family homes make the most sense and set up zoning accordingly which leaves room for that in those areas while there is still a ton of land left for single family homes throughout the city. I haven’t heard anything about phasing out single family homes. And the addition of multi-family housing will help to reduce the prices of housing both buying and renting to help bring it back to more in line with the income in the area. The addition of more commercial and even industrial is also a huge plus because large businesses add to the tax base in multiple ways and help to resist major fluctuations in the tax base like most of Southwest Florida has experienced in the past when the municipalities have relied solely on residential property taxes for their revenue. I didn’t know Staples and Office Max were still in business. I can’t remember the last time I saw either of those.

@@LivinginSouthwestFlorida_ yes indeed. There is a constant undertone that single family homes in the AC areas will eventually be bought up and bulldozed, making room for other land uses. One must read the ULDC guidelines and printed information the city has put out like one related to the Lady Slipper area. Yes, if one wants to live in a neighborhood with a small yard, there will be some lots. Personally, I like my 1/4 acre! If you review the wording of the apartment complexes that are currently being proposed, the word 'luxury' comes up frequently....in my experience this means mucho money for rent $$$$. Affordable housing needs to be 80% AMI, or less, to be called 'affordable', however, many developers are targeting the 125% AMI. for an individual working for minimum wage, this means their rent would need to be around $800.00 per month....ain't going to happen in Florida where most rents are over $1,800.

@@deborahplasencia1833 yes, in those AC zones it will be smaller lots and more multi-family which will allow the areas to be more walkable which is a huge benefit to people who prefer to live in walkable areas. This will allow a bit more variation in life style which is severely lacking currently. And if you prefer your 1/4 acre lots there will still be plenty of those outside of the AC zones. I would hope city council will require some affordable housing to be included. I know in Naples they require developers who build communities over a certain size to designate part of the community or another nearby community as “affordable housing” (though in Naples that means $500k townhomes 🤦‍♂️). My point is, no one will build “affordable housing” of their own free will because they can make more money off “luxury homes” using the same land. So they will either need to require some of “B” in order to get approved to build “A” or they will need to offer enough “incentive” (see tax breaks) to make it make financial sense for builders to build them. Then either of those regulations will bring out the haters who fight against them because “stifling business” if they go with #1 or “socialism” if they go with #2. And many people from both of those groups plus the group that doesn’t fight those rules will all throw a fit about affordable housing being built near their homes because while they might agree that affordable housing needs to be built somewhere, they don’t want it in their backyard. 🤦‍♂️

@@LivinginSouthwestFlorida_ Staples has multiple sites in Sarasota/Bradenton and at least one in Port Charlotte. Office Depot (not Office Max) also has multiple sites. I know UPS is used in North Port for printing yet does not offer the wider range of business services which would be highly important the more businesses come to NP.

@@LivinginSouthwestFlorida_ indeed. The City Commissioners declined monies from the 'Live Local Act' due to the language forcing cities to allow lands to be used for affordable housing projects and NP has limited land for increasing the tax base through commercial and industrial land uses. The zoning for multi-use land uses can add to single/multi family neighborhoods. I lived in one of these neighborhoods in which an apartment building was behind me with a large field area as a buffer and the housing on my block was townhomes and single family. Ideas for use of apartments above the commercial use is also a very viable use of space. The city I left redeveloped many downtown warehouses and commercial buildings into these types of combo business/home use....the lofts are beautiful and helped those that worked downtown be able to walk to work. Win-win! I agree with Commissioner Langdon and Mayor Alice that the incorporation of a city center with a boutique style feel, small business shops, eating places, and eclectic shops, similar to Main St. by downtown Sarasota, would be a big draw to NP. Just personal opinion, the use of the word 'socialism' is overused and incorrectly used, much like the word 'woke'. People need to research the meanings and use discernment in when it is appropriate to use. FYI: the original meaning of 'woke' means 'be aware'; much different than what a certain State leader has changed the meaning into a negative.

Great question! It’s going to depend on what type of job you are looking for. I am constantly hearing business owners and managers saying they are having a hard time finding good people. Now, many times that is because they aren’t paying enough to attract those good people but not always. There are lots of options in healthcare. Many IT positions pay well and allow remote work. There are lots of opportunities for skilled workers in construction trades as there is still a ton of building going on. And Sarasota County School District is one of the higher paying districts in the state and there are teaching openings from what I’ve been told. If you tell me what you are looking for, I might be able to point you in the right direction.

@@LivinginSouthwestFlorida_ I mean honestly I’ve been driving trucks for over 20 years. I don’t know if I want to do that anymore but I’m a jack of all trades master of none and in order to live there you have to make a good wage because of homeowners insurance auto insurance is high.

@@LivinginSouthwestFlorida_ construction, local truck driving that type of thing

Houses are definitely selling in NP. They just need to be priced right for what they are and marketed properly. I’d be happy to discuss what we can do to help you make the move if you would like to get out of NP and into somewhere that has more for you to do. Give me a call or text at 239-201-9583 or email at jerryniesman@gmail.com and let’s see if we can get you somewhere that you will be happy.

These are the latest census numbers. The actual current numbers are likely less since many of the homes are not rebuilt yet but as they are that population is coming back.

Glad it was helpful. Please let me know how I can help.

@@LivinginSouthwestFlorida_ Will do. Thanks!

Awesome! Thanks for the info. I honestly had no idea there was a skate park there!

Along with the skate park they also have covered basketball courts with lights; every time I drive by it’s packed 👍🏻

There are a ton of areas where you can do sailboats including catamarans/trimarans depending on the size of the boat. Including many of the areas I discussed in the video. Any of the canals in SE Cape off of the river, anything is SW Cape either in front of or behind the lock, or even in NW Cape. Of course you have to stay in front of the bridges in any of these areas and NW Cape might have a little more trouble with depth depending on how much you draft. Call, text, or email me 239-201-9583 jerryniesman@gmail.com so we can talk specifics on your boat to make sure it works. We did have 1 client that has a very large catamaran that most of SE Cape didn’t work because his mast was too tall to get under the Cape Coral Pkwy bridge. We ended up finding him a great home in Port Charlotte. So even if Cape doesn’t work, there are other options.

Yes correct. I have a bad habit of saying 82 when I mean 80 because I say 82 so much more often. Thank you. Good catch!

There are tons of partially built homes that are actively under construction but very few if any abandoned that I have seen. It may have appeared that way at the time because that was not long after the hurricane and everyone was still very much in clean up mode so most contractors were working on either their own homes or cleaning up others homes. There aren’t a ton of commercial buildings in Lehigh but it’s growing and if 1.5-2hrs drive isn’t a big deal, you can get to a ton of different bigger cities from Lehigh in that amount of drive time. Depending on where in Lehigh you can get as far as Tampa or Miami within 2hrs.

What makes you say it’s too many?

@LivinginSouthwestFlorida_ All areas being turned to to high density development by zoning changes against the will of the people to appease the developers..increasing traffic..

Exactly. NP is rezoning the entire city next month. Single family neighborhoods will now have mixed use in the middle along with apartment buildings.

Before you start bashing people, are you sure that’s the only crescent beach? I’ve been told it’s called that by quite a few people and I’ve also seen it on a map and signs. I don’t just make things up. 🤷‍♂️ for sure but in a quick search on Google maps it does not show that as a beach name on Marco so you may be right. But since you questioned my accuracy I’ve started doing some research to see if I made a mistake and I can tell you that there are multiple crescent beaches in Florida, not just Siesta Key. And not every name that has been given to a beach is on Google maps so maybe I’m not wrong. I’ll do some more research and correct my video if I am. But even if am, was it necessary to be so rude about it?

Thanks for your insight. While I don’t disagree that insurance is a problem, rates didn’t go up because of just 1 hurricane. They were still going up every year from 2017 losses. 2004 bright 4 major storms and $45 billion in losses. 2017 had 6 major storms and over $200 billion in losses or more than 4x 2004 and hurricane Ian along caused over $50 billion so by itself more than all 4 2004 storms combined and right after Ian we were also hit by hurricane Nicole on the east coast that caused a ton of damage as well. But even with all of that it is still one of the most affordable places to live in all of Florida and also still more affordable than many other places in the country.

That is a sad story.

Stop my videos? This is your 3rd comment on 1 video. Sarasota County School district is one of the highest rated school districts in the state. Granted Florida is closer to the bottom of the 50 states but that’s another story. 😂 Not sure what I’m lying about. I said home prices are much higher than they used to be but that still doesn’t change that it is more affordable here than many other states and many other areas in Florida.

Sorry for going off You have your opinion and right to think that Again glad for leaving when I did My son is now a US Marine and state trooper

Interesting

The point of these videos is to show pros and cons to help people decide if they are is right for them or not. Sounds like you decided it wasn’t right for you. Hope you found a place that was right for you.