For a 2,000 square foot, three-bedroom, two-bathroom, pool home with access to the ocean, Cape Coral buyers are paying about $450,000. This compares extremely favorably to the Ft Lauderdale equivalent of $995,000 ? that's a hefty difference to cough up for Lauderdale's greater crime and more frenetic lifestyle.

The Cape Coral area is a relatively unknown, up-and-coming investment opportunity that anybody can see has amazing growth potential. It's on the southern Gulf Coast, between Ft Myers and the famous Sanibel Island. This is a place for families and working individuals, on the fringe of resort paradise islands and the kinds of beaches that draw people with loads of money. There's a lot of money to be made in this region, especially in the real estate situation.

The Cape Coral homes market is a buyer's smorgasbord of inexpensive properties backing onto canals, including everything from luxury homes to modest single-family dwellings. So, why so cheap? Lets take a moment to explore why home prices in Cape Coral are so low.

Why is it so much cheaper in Cape Coral?

Southwest Florida real estate values are experiencing a healthy leveling-out, following the explosive state of the market in the earlier part of the new century. Today, there are loads of homeowners looking to sell their homes in Cape Coral, many of them disillusioned after buying their property when it was at its peak price, and unable to pay a mortgage whose terms were settled before the bubble burst.

Cape Coral home values are also kept modest by a relatively weak jobs market in the region ? many residents are forced to commute to Naples or Sarasota for work. Of course, this is something to smile about if you're retired, or work from home, or have a job in Cape Coral.

Welcome to Cape Coral, and welcome to the ease of diminutive mortgage payments!