Whay are people moving to Southwest Florida?

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“Both Collier and Lee counties have been among the very strongest population growth markets in the entire nation over the past five years,” said Brian Alford, Florida director of market analytics for CoStar Group, which specializes in worldwide real estate data. “There have also been numerous corporate relocations and expansions over the past decade, including large expansions over the past couple of years by firms such as Gartner and Arthrex, adding even more jobs.” (Naples Daily News)

Some of the workers live in Bonita Springs, about halfway between Naples and Fort Myers. Incorporated only at the start of this century, Bonita for the first time barely edged into the Top 50 of the most populated in Florida, joining Cape Coral, Fort Myers and North Port.

“Demand to move here has always been strong, but lately, low interest rate policy, and coupled with lockdown fatigue up north, increased demand even more, which explains the larger-than-expected increases in population down here,” said economist Christopher Westley, dean of Florida Gulf Coast University’s Lutgert College of Business.

“We’ve added more amenities here, more modernization, more choice as far as communities and schools, and things have grown here. When I was the chief operating officer at Physicians Regional, and I would interview doctors and nurses or we would hire people, they were pleasantly surprised that this wasn’t their grandparents’ Naples anymore.

“And it doesn’t mean it has to turn into Miami, and it shouldn’t, and it certainly won’t under my watch, but controlled growth and modernization is something that always has to happen.”

So why are people moving here? “It is the same general story as much of the state: great climate, abundant job growth, a business-friendly environment and relatively affordable cost of living compared to other places in the nation. Southwest Florida also benefits from world-class beaches, abundant canals and waterways and increased commercial and residential/mixed-use construction over the past decade.”

Read these market reports:
Naples Housing Market Mid-Year 2021 Review
Bonita Springs June Housing Market Summary
Fort Myers June Housing Market Summary

And these:
Mortgage refinancing just got cheaper
Are mortgage rates heading up or down?
Buyers are overpaying, but are there signs of a bubble?

Andrew Oliver
Sales Associate | Market Analyst | DomainRealty.com
REALTOR®

Naples, Bonita Springs and Fort Myers
Andrew.Oliver@DomainRealtySales.com
m. 617.834.8205
www.AndrewOliverRealtor.com
www.OliverReportsFL.com

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Market Analyst | Team Harborside | teamharborside.com
Sagan Harborside Sotheby’s International Realty
One Essex Street | Marblehead, MA 01945

www.OliverReportsMA.com
Andrew.Oliver@SothebysRealty.com

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