Fort Myers Fraud: Fake Landlord Swindles Victim with Bogus Apartment Rental

I hate scammers. I got scammed by a fake moving company when I first moved to Fort Myers. It's a horrible feeling knowing that another human could take advantage of you like that. It's a heartless thing to do. Fort Myers fraud is out there. Just ask Florida woman Jasmine Everett. According to NBC2, she tried to pull off the ultimate hustle by renting out her mom's evicted apartment on Facebook Marketplace.

It's wild when you think about it. People out here trying to make a quick buck, even if it means making an innocent person homeless. I mean, $1,200 for a place that isn't even up for grabs?!

That's cold man. It makes me wonder about the lengths we go to for a bit of extra cash. I get it, Maybe she was mad that her mom got evicted. But renting out your mom's pad to someone looking for a place to live, and you KNOW you're just stealing their money... That is pure evil.

But luckily, the streets talk, and in this case, the neighbors were the real heroes. They sniffed out the scam and shut it down before it even took off. The police found our scammer too. She has a new place of her own now. Jail. I don't feel bad for her either. There's a thin line between trying to get by and straight up fraud.

We all need to be a bit more cautious because scams are lurking in every corner, and sometimes, they come from the last person you'd expect... Unless you're scrolling through Facebook Marketplace.

It's not secret that in Southwest Florida, and all of Florida, home prices have skyrocketed. But one metric shows that the trend may be slowing down. This recent study that shows metros where homes are selling for the most under the asking price.  21 of the 50 metros on the list were in Florida. Southwest Florida was well represented with North Port, Punt Gorda, Cape Coral, and Naples all making the list. But one Florida city topped them all.

A study by Stacker analyzed data from Redfin to see which metros had the most homes sold under the asking price. Data shows sales for May 2023. Metros with fewer than 300 home sales are excluded from this list. Metro areas are ranked on the average sale-to-list ratio, which is a ratio of sale price divided by list price, for homes that sold in May. Values are rounded to the nearest hundredth. Also listed are the metro area's median listing prices for homes on the market in May and median sale prices for those homes that sold during that month.

One thing I know that's happening in Southwest Florida is that realtors and their clients are listing a "wish price" well above what they think it may sell for. This list will get you a better idea on what you may be able to bid, but also add the percentage of homes that sold over the ask. As expensive as it's been, nearly 12% in homes are selling above the asking price. Crazy.

If you're looking to move out of state and want to see the full study, that's here. Data posted via a creative commons license. Finally, the original list is 50, this list is only showing the Florida metros.

- Average sale to list ratio: 0.98
- Median list price: $331,762
- Median sale price: $315,000
- Total homes sold: 458
- Share that sold above list: 23.4%

- Average sale to list ratio: 0.98
- Median list price: $354,900
- Median sale price: $336,859
- Total homes sold: 968
- Share that sold above list: 18.6%

- Average sale to list ratio: 0.98
- Median list price: $414,169
- Median sale price: $401,850
- Total homes sold: 4,050
- Share that sold above list: 19.4%

- Average sale to list ratio: 0.98
- Median list price: $399,900
- Median sale price: $370,000
- Total homes sold: 6,002
- Share that sold above list: 19.8%

- Average sale to list ratio: 0.98
- Median list price: $339,000
- Median sale price: $325,000
- Total homes sold: 1,478
- Share that sold above list: 16.1%

- Average sale to list ratio: 0.98
- Median list price: $375,000
- Median sale price: $353,230
- Total homes sold: 1,217
- Share that sold above list: 17.8%

- Average sale to list ratio: 0.98
- Median list price: $289,900
- Median sale price: $270,000
- Total homes sold: 991
- Share that sold above list: 15.2%

- Average sale to list ratio: 0.97
- Median list price: $394,693
- Median sale price: $365,000
- Total homes sold: 2,770
- Share that sold above list: 15.2%

- Average sale to list ratio: 0.97
- Median list price: $299,900
- Median sale price: $275,000
- Total homes sold: 380
- Share that sold above list: 11.1%

- Average sale to list ratio: 0.97
- Median list price: $484,900
- Median sale price: $460,000
- Total homes sold: 2,481
- Share that sold above list: 10.3%

- Average sale to list ratio: 0.97
- Median list price: $392,500
- Median sale price: $375,000
- Total homes sold: 518
- Share that sold above list: 9.1%

- Average sale to list ratio: 0.97
- Median list price: $372,450
- Median sale price: $350,000
- Total homes sold: 1,536
- Share that sold above list: 14.2%

- Average sale to list ratio: 0.97
- Median list price: $520,000
- Median sale price: $450,000
- Total homes sold: 840
- Share that sold above list: 12.6%

- Average sale to list ratio: 0.97
- Median list price: $429,900
- Median sale price: $420,000
- Total homes sold: 2,878
- Share that sold above list: 19.1%

- Average sale to list ratio: 0.97
- Median list price: $425,000
- Median sale price: $395,000
- Total homes sold: 1,023
- Share that sold above list: 11.3%

- Average sale to list ratio: 0.97
- Median list price: $395,000
- Median sale price: $359,900
- Total homes sold: 605
- Share that sold above list: 9.8%

- Average sale to list ratio: 0.97
- Median list price: $425,000
- Median sale price: $415,000
- Total homes sold: 2,075
- Share that sold above list: 11.8%

- Average sale to list ratio: 0.97
- Median list price: $549,450
- Median sale price: $520,000
- Total homes sold: 2,477
- Share that sold above list: 15.7%

- Average sale to list ratio: 0.96
- Median list price: $399,900
- Median sale price: $380,000
- Total homes sold: 424
- Share that sold above list: 8.7%

- Average sale to list ratio: 0.96
- Median list price: $749,000
- Median sale price: $650,000
- Total homes sold: 1,098
- Share that sold above list: 7.5%

- Average sale to list ratio: 0.96
- Median list price: $749,000
- Median sale price: $650,000
- Total homes sold: 1,098
- Share that sold above list: 7.5%