My wife and I will be moving to the area around Late June of 2007 (after she finishes the school year in Michigan) We are thinking of the Naples area to move to. Can anyone give me a good idea of the housing market down there? What do people do with there boats; do they slip them, dry dock etc.. and will a 24 foot do all right in the salt? Or is this a good excuse to "upgrade"? Look forward to meeting all of you and having a drink or two!

Hey CRS,
What info would you like first?
As for the housing market, ... it is a buyer's market. One of our members(rockstarmkr) is a mortgage broker in the Naples/Marco Island area.
As for parking the boat, ... Dry Storage, In the water Storage (preferably on a lift), on the trailer at your home, ... lot's of options, just depends on your pocketbook and preference of storage facility.
I assume you own a 24' Baja? Outlaw? I own one myself. They do fine in the salt water. They just require more maintainence. If you are worried about how it will do out in the Gulf, it will do great most of the time. There are days that you will not want to go out. If it is 2-3'ers, no problems. If it is 4' & up, it starts getting dicey. Just depends on how hard you want to be on your boat & how safe you feel in those kind of conditions. On the days it is too rough out on the Gulf, you always have the Intercoastal, bays, and the rivers.
Then again, going bigger is my plan this coming year. Looking for a 28-32' that is in the 75-80 range.
Let me know if you have any other questions.

Thanks for the information! Are there many inland lakes? I absolutely can not wait to get down there... What year is your 24?

Lots of intercoastal waterways. Lots of lakes but not for boating. Too many gators, no access and shallow.

The average price for a house (which includes condos) in Naples is $500,000. If you need direction let me know. What you want to spend will quickly identify where to look.

I have a '97 Outlaw. White w/purple accents. You will not run out of places to go boating.
Happy Thanksgiving

I'm from Mi. & also moving to area. I am renting a small furnished apartment for 6 wks till we learn more about area etc. Bonita is close by and much cheaper. Why are you moving? Just curious.

we are moving for our jobs. the economy in Michigan is not good for both of us. My wife is a teacher and I am a network engineer, and the possibility for growth is not there. Naples is a boom town right now.

Hi -
as Terry (pashn8boater) mentioned, I'm a partner in a real estate/mortgage business based on Marco Island, but with branch locations all over the state. If there's anything I can do to help you let me know.
The market is and has been sliding at different time-lines and different % rates all over the state of Florida.
Marco and Naples are interesting examples:
Marco Island hit a wall in late 2004, and since the peak prices on single family homes have dropped between 30% and 40%, in a few cases more (but we are now 2 years into the downturn).
Naples on the other hand only really started slowing down about a year ago (Dec 2005), so one might stand to reason that there is still a hefty decline coming.
The inventory available is huge, and it is definately a buyers market, and will probably continue to be one.
Have fun looking around and be especially cautious with condo's.
All the best,
Hans
ps- Dennis and Terry...really looking forward to seeing you on the fun run tomorrow!

thank you so much for the information! I am trying to get in at the Hospital that they are building (Collier Regional I think) At first I will probably rent something on the island...Looking at the classifieds, the price is for the month right...not the week?? unless otherwise noted?? I hope ;-) I can deal with 2800/mo but not 2800/week

Definately month, not week.

Because Marco is such a seasonal destination, the prices typically go waaaay up this time of year.
By the end of March, you will find annual rental prices down and lots of availability....
what ever you need, don't hesitate to call..
All the best,
Hans