Living in Naples Fl the Pros and Cons

 

If you’re watching this video, you’ve probably already been considering living in Naples Fl the pros and cons of either buying a seasonal home or moving here as a full time resident. Hi, I’m Kim Menkhorst, luxury realtor in Naples, Florida and in this video I’m going to tell you what it’s REALLY like living in SWFL. the good, the bad and the ugly.

 

Located as far south as you can go on Florida’s West Coast sits the peaceful, yet luxurious town of Naples Fl the pros and cons. It’s known as a quiet get away for millionaires and billionaires who like to fly under the radar. 

An oasis of nature and warm weather combined with the luxuries of fine dining, high end living and the peaceful outdoor, Naples Florida is a town like no other. With a population of $300,000, it draws people in from all over the world.  It’s truly an international town providing a unique destination for those who enjoy the finer things in life.

Do you like beaches? We have a few of those, But there’s more to this town than just the iconic photos of the Naples Pier and warm blue waters of the Gulf with white sandy beaches. I’ve created a video to break down ALL the beaches from Ft. Myers to Marco, and you can watch that video here. 

How about Shopping? From Luxury boutiques Downtown to, high-end shops at Waterside, we even have outlets up in Estero near the airport if you’re looking for a deal.

And let’s not forget all the diverse cuisine options. For a smaller town, we have no shortage of amazing eateries.

– Looking to enjoy the nightlife? Head on over to Mercato for a menagerie of bars “clubs” and my favorite. people watching. Downtown 5th Ave S and 3rd street also have restaurants, events, live music, and are both great people watching spots. You can check out my video on the Mercato and all it offers here. And I even have a video on the pros and cons of living in downtown Naples

Maybe Playing sports is more your style? Naples is known as the golf capital of the world having more than 92 course but lately we’ve become known as the pickleball capital of the world. You can’t seem to find any park or any community that doesn’t have people out playing pickle ball. But we have other sports too, you can join tennis groups, bocce teams or even find some like minded friends who enjoy water sports

– A coastal life, beaches and water also bring boating opportunities. I won’t take up a long time discussing boating, but you can also check out my entire video of boating, where to go, homes with boat access and more.

– Another positives is that there are great A rated schools throughout Naples. We have 16 public schools, and charter schools, options and 26 private schools and , parks everywhere. There are endless activities for both retirees and all different types of families. Here’s a video discussing all your school options in Naples.

If you want to feel like a local, you can indulge in our favorite past times.  
For example:

Complaining about the traffic
Complaining about tourists
Complaining about how no one knows how to drive in this town.
Complaining it’s too hot:
Complain the 2 weeks of the year that it’s too cold
Complain about the rainstorms
Complain about the lack of rain
And last but not least, complain that Naples is turning into little Miami (but trust me from   someone who used to live in Miami, it isn’t and will NEVER be even close)

A few downsides to Naples? Do you like Rainy days?  we get a quite a few afternoons like that in the summer months. In fact, you can almost set your clock to it. You’ll see the clouds rolling in right around 3pm everyday. If you absolutely hate humidity, then this town is not for you. During our winter months, November through April, the weather is great. Less humidity, typically 75-80 around this time and absolutely perfect. However, the humidity creeps in and the sun is hot.  Summer can be down right miserable. A lot of residents head back up north or vacation in Europe for the summer months, and when you’re here in July and August, you can 100% understand why. Air conditioning and pools are your friend. Trust me on this. On the flip side, in the winters, we get absolutely no rain, so everything shrivels up and dies and we have to be aware of potential wild fires.

What about hurricanes? Well Hurricane Ian is still a trigger word for most of us here. Hurricanes can be down right scary, and as we saw with Ian, bring a ton of destruction. The good news is, we have PLENTY of warning. A few weeks a head, we know it’s coming, the week before we can see a clearer path. If hurricanes make you panic, have a plan, and head out of town. I like to see it as a forced mini vacation on the years they come. Plus to me, I’d rather have time to know it’s coming and prepare, than an earthquake or tornado that just shows up, but that’s me. We also build our houses to withstand 150+ Mph winds. Just make sure you’re not in a flood zone before you buy, but I’ll help you navigate all that.

Then there’s Seasonal traffic and not getting into restaurants. Yes, you have to suffer living here during season (Jan-April). The road ways get congested more than normal, going out to eat and getting a reservation is a nightmare, unless you like to eat at 4:30 or 9;00 pm. Every year we all say, “we’ve never seen it this bad” and it’s true. It’s getting worse because the secret is out about our town being amazing. However, if you live here full time, or come back and forth throughtou the year, just have some patience and wait it out. The crowds die down and traffic flows becomes less frustrating in our off season.

Annddd.. lets not forget. The wildlife! They say there are more alligators than people in Florida, perfect! Just what everyone wants to hear.  But here’s my best advice. DO NOT SWIM in fresh water, do not walk your dog or yourself close to the edges of waterways and lakes. There’s no way you’ll find me doing this. Ever. But if you live in town, alligators are a rare sighting and to be honest. I still get excited seeing them sun themselves on the banks certain times of year. We never get to see them so I love it! How about some animals they don’t tell you live in SWFL. The black bear! Yes, you heard me. You would think these bears would fall over dead from their fur and the heat, but for some reason, there are a ton of bears here. Don’t worry they aren’t like grizzlies and usually just make a mess in your garage can. We have bobcats, protected Florida panthers, deadly snakes and the then grossest to me, pythons and cockroaches. But it’s Naples, so we call them Palmetto bugs. It doesn’t sound as gross. We also have mosquitos and nosee-ums. You know bugs you can’t see that bit you too!

Finally, another negative is that although this is a very wealthy town, there are not a lot of options if you’re looking for high paying / executive level corporate jobs.  However, if you’re an entrepreneur then there are options to earn a good living, but most high net worth individuals make their money elsewhere, work remotely and just happen to own a house here.

So in conclusion, if you love warm weather, clean non commercialized beaches, dining and being active outdoor, then Naples is an ideal location.

But if you hate bugs, humidity, people, rain and sand, then Naples is probably not the best place for you to live.  

If you like Naples as much as I do you comment below, I would love to hear why you’ve bought a home here or why you’re looking to find a place here.

Be sure to like, share & subscribe to my channel here as well as my newsletter on my homepage. I’ll see you soon!

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Kim Menkhorst, Premiere Plus Realty 239.776.0093

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