Help me with this...Which is a better location

[PPB]

Naples, Sarasota, Ft Meyers, Marco, anything in between
My Criteria:

Nice Beach
Pier within 2 miles
Safe area
House under 450K
Stores-home depot, costco Publix etc


On the East side: Hallendale, Sunny Isles, Golden beach, Dania, Adventura.
4 blocks from beach
Safe
450K


For you gents that know these areas, which is your favorite and why.

 

[deersniper]

I hear Sarasota has some crime but Anna Maria/ LBK/ siesta key are nice places.

 

[PPB]

People speak highly of Sarasota. I was in Naples and Marco last week. Very nice, well laid out but also very geriatric. I am old but I am not that old. I like to be around more active / athletic people. To many white hairs. I didnt get to explore around as much as I would have liked.

 

[Bender]

Pork And Beans neighborhood in Miami sounds fun.

 

[Sniperwannabee]

Born and raised in Naples, The city is run right and very clean. Marco and sanibel are nice as well. All great for snook fishing!!

 

[oneshot86]

i think you will not like it down here, you should stay there

 

[PPB]

Born and raised in Naples, The city is run right and very clean. Marco and sanibel are nice as well. All great for snook fishing!!

I agree. What is there to do there? Any night life or activities. 5-6 dolphins at the pier each day. Cool to watch.

One popped up by my wife 25 feet away in the surf. (yeah we had surf 2 days)

Did you dive there?

 

[Mike Casselton]

Sebastian. Best pier for fishing. You get surf on the East coast unlike the gulf coast. We're flat and shallow here.

 

[Ravenworks]

Taxes are outrageous in Marco,Bonita Springs and Fort Myers is nice.
Taxes are about average.
I live close to Sanibel.
There's other things to consider like flood insurance and homeowners insurance.
Ask the seller to SEE THEIR policies.

 

[PPB]

Just scanned sanibel. It looks grand.

 

[Sniperwannabee]

I agree. What is there to do there? Any night life or activities. 5-6 dolphins at the pier each day. Cool to watch.

One popped up by my wife 25 feet away in the surf. (yeah we had surf 2 days)

Did you dive there?

watersports, motorsports, boating, hunting and offroading in the glades, of course fishing. Not to sure about diving but spearfishing is popular I know they sink alot of artificial reefs for that purpose. The keys are between 2-4 hrs away so you can go diving fairly easy. Im sure there is nightlife but I have 4 kids so i go to bed early hahah

 

[wilson1911]

I used to live on Ft Myers Beach. Both Naples and Sanibel get pricey. There is a CVS every 2 blocks lol, along with 1000 Publix. I would vote for Bonita Springs...that way you miss more of the crime from ft myers/cape coral.

Sanibel island has the best beach imho on the west side.....but crossing the dam bridge for tolls sucks $$$$ Very nice tho.

The west coast is way more laid back vs the east coast. Hop on the alley and your on the east side in no time. I hope you speak some spanish if your considering the miami area. From West Palm to Miami its a madhouse and traffic can get bad at times.


If your on the east side looking around, be sure to hit up Leftover's Cafe on the edge on juniper/west palm.

The population doubles in winter months.

 

[PPB]

Good info guys. Thanks.

PS Miami traffic sucks dog lips. Hate it.

What kind of crime is in Ft Mereys. On a scale from 1-10 are we talking small town crap or full blown Baltimore

 

[FS1]

If you are wanting Golden Beach you may get lucky and get a guard shack for 450k. GB is for the uber rich.

I would recommend the east coast between Vero Bch and Cocoa Bch.

 

[PPB]

I was there last week and drove around briefly but didnt have time for any thorough inspection of property values etc. It is quite stunning. Right up there along with the Venetians off 17th street.

 

[FS1]

The Venetians are flood prone. Insurance will kill you.

Golden Beach is the place from Eric Claptons album 416 ocean blvd. It is a relatively small house in comparison to the others.

416 Ocean Blvd, Golden Beach, FL 33160 | Zillow

Zestimate® Home Value: $1,611,435. 416 Ocean Blvd, Golden Beach, FL is a single family home that contains 2,264 sq ft and was built in 1952. It contains 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. The Zestimate for this house is $1,611,435, which has increased by $10,903 in the last 30 days. The Rent...

www.zillow.com

461 Ocean Boulevard - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[PPB]

Good find. 2.1 for Claptons home. What is that...$500 sqft. Better be oil or diamonds under that slab.
One thing I noticed is that there are a ton of forclosures which helps a bit.
I love Venetians but it is far beyond my budget

 

[Ravenworks]

What kind of crime is in Ft Mereys. On a scale from 1-10 are we talking small town crap or full blown Baltimore

It all depends on what part of Ft Myers your in.
I'm right in Iona and our crime is low, go to North Ft Myers and you'll have crime.

 

[fdkay]

 

[PPB]

Where is that

 

[fdkay]

Where is that

Cebu, Philippines.

 

[DirtDart]

There is No Vacancy here. We are all full up with old farts and Yankees. We do not need any more!

 

[THEIS]

Hi,

Admirals Cove in Jupiter Florida....

Sincerely,
Theis

 

[BLKWLFK9]

Bonita springs. I go there every year. Got family down there. Way more affordable than most of the ones mentioned but still super awesome with baller places to eat

 

[FS1]

Hi,

Admirals Cove in Jupiter Florida....

Sincerely,
Theis

But you need a 17 button watch to live there.

 

[Mike Casselton]

If you're looking for excitement, look no further than Pinellas Park.
It was even mentioned by Kanye in a version of Gold diggin girls.

 

[THEIS]

But you need a 17 button watch to live there.

Hi,

The President of G4S USA sector lives there......it is pretty nice to visit because I damn sure could not afford to live there, lol.

Sincerely,
Theis

 

[ArmyJerry]

for you liberty city

 

[PPB]

Beside Little Haiti??? I'd fit right in.

 

[Sniperwannabee]

Where do you live now

 

[camotoe]

450k. Gets you really nice place in Arcadia or sebring. If you can dump the beach. Alittle over hour drive

 

[Redmanss]

I lived down in SW FL late 80s to early 90s, and was a recruiter in both Ft Myers (no additional "E" in it) and Naples from 03-06 and lived in Lehigh Acres then, I left when my recruiting tour ended, and when I couldn't find anyone at WalMart that spoke English I knew it was time to move back west. My info on the area is dated, definitely when it comes to home values, so grain of salt, YMMV, yada yada...

I completely agree with the recommendation of Bonita Springs as the best bang for the buck in that area. Ft. Myers, short of San Marco area on the south side, is straight up gang territory and isn't near the beach anyhow so I'd recommend nixing that right off the bat. FTM Beach area has a great pier and a good beach, but prices there will likely be out of your stated range. Same goes for Sanibel for sure, and add Marco to that. Last I was there, a run down 1200 Sq/ft home on .1 AC in either Sanibel or Marco ran in the $600s and up. Granted, that was before the housing bust and I would still look, but prices there are outrageous. The Cape Coral that I knew was high for property crime, typical punk type shit, and had some real shitty city ordnances that I disliked as well as the toll bridge racks up quick, again not on the beach either.

But Bonita and Naples, both great areas with low-ish crime (still too high for my present likings), good beach, Naples at least had a good pier but no idea what the recent hurricanes did to it. Avoid Golden Gate, it was getting pretty bad with MS 13 when I was last recruiting there, lots of illegals moved in with 20+ member families buying homes in the 00s. The closer to the coast you get, the prices go up and the crime goes down, I'd recommend you buy the most you can afford if you want the best neighborhood possible in that area.

Me personally, I was more partial to the Melbourne area on the east coast, better fishing in Mosquito Lagoon than FTM Bay, quieter over there, and you get to watch every launch if that's your thing.

But me personally, I haven't missed Florida for a second since I left there 13 years ago.

 

[PPB]

Where do you live now

Close to DC

 

[PPB]

Good copy. I have been looking at houses in Bonita today on Zillow. I could get a decent house there for what a townhouse costs here. Beach is paramount.

Red why do you not miss the gulf? Am i missing something?

 

[Mike Casselton]

Good copy. I have been looking at houses in Bonita today on Zillow. I could get a decent house there for what a townhouse costs here. Beach is paramount.

Red why do you not miss the gulf? Am i missing something?

IIRC,
Red lives in South Dakota or somewhere very close.
I live 12 miles from the east side of Tampa Bay. I'd move back to SD in a heartbeat, but an aging mom and Rebecca's kids need us here at the present.
In time, I might just move back west.

 

[Redmanss]

Good copy. I have been looking at houses in Bonita today on Zillow. I could get a decent house there for what a townhouse costs here. Beach is paramount.

Red why do you not miss the gulf? Am i missing something?

I'm in Wyoming now. A day on the prairie or the mountains beats any day on the gulf or the glades, even in a blizzard.

 

[ArmyJerry]

looking hard up that way,,, looks like a lot of Cali money is driving up housing prices there

I'm in Wyoming now. A day on the prairie or the mountains beats any day on the gulf or the glades, even in a blizzard.

 

[cornhusker86]

looking hard up that way,,, looks like a lot of Cali money is driving up housing prices there

Not as bad as Montana.

 

[Redmanss]

looking hard up that way,,, looks like a lot of Cali money is driving up housing prices there

Maybe in Jackson, been that way for a while. The billionaires moved in and drove off the millionaires from there. The rest is still Coal, Oil, And Guns country.

 

[oneshot86]

IIRC,
Red lives in South Dakota or somewhere very close.
I live 12 miles from the east side of Tampa Bay. I'd move back to SD in a heartbeat, but an aging mom and Rebecca's kids need us here at the present.
In time, I might just move back west.

waite a minute here...