Moving to Florida assistance thread.

[PeterPan09]

Thanks PeterPan09 but Ocala is just a little to far from Disney for me. By any chance do you know of any place closer that allows horses?

I figured that! It would have been too far for me too!

If I go North on Highway 27, there are cattle grazing so there must still be some farm activity in Clermont other than just the remaining orange groves. Groveland is also still pretty rural-not too overdeveloped yet. I know that there is at least one feed and tackle shop on North 27 too, and where there is feed and tackle-there must be horses, right?

 

[Zuzu03]

Zuzu03, Do you have horses?

Not right now. I trained and showed for years until moving up here to VT and going back to school. Now I'm ready to "jump" back in! But not up here in VT. We're positioning ourselves to make a big move in a few years and get back in to riding, but not nearly to the extent that we were. You have Walkers, I assume by your siggy?

 

[tenaseewalker]

Yes, I do have walkers but I also have a Quarter horse, Arabs and a Kentucky Mountain horse. What did you use to show?

 

[Zuzu03]

Yes, I do have walkers but I also have a Quarter horse, Arabs and a Kentucky Mountain horse. What did you use to show?

Hunter/Jumpers mostly and a bit of eventing, but I worked for people with Morgans (in Nebraska) and Arabs (most recently in Michigan) and had to do it all (did NOT like the western pleasure classes though). Found my dressage really useful in saddle seat! I miss it, but won't be as involved when I get back to it.

 

[Zuzu03]

Yes, I do have walkers but I also have a Quarter horse, Arabs and a Kentucky Mountain horse. What did you use to show?

Had a fantastic QH/TB cross who was phenomenal in timed jumping. Her rollbacks shaved SECONDS off. She was amazing, but unfortunately she got navicular and became my #1 broodmare.

Sorry, everyone, we're off topic!

 

[tenaseewalker]

When you worked for the Arab people in Michigan who was it? I know a few people in the Arab world. Most of them are in Scottsdale right now.. Did you live in Mich?

 

[Zuzu03]

When you worked for the Arab people in Michigan who was it? I know a few people in the Arab world. Most of them are in Scottsdale right now.. Did you live in Mich?

I worked for A. Kristiina Burkhart at Classicala Farm (loved her!) and lived just outside of Toledo. We had so much fun and her Arabs are so nice. It was a different world from what I was used to, but I loved every minute of it!

 

[jsoren11]

The Winter Garden area is full of short sale listings. Does anyone know a reason why there are so many foreclosures in this area over the other areas? Do you think people are dumping vacation properties there?

 

[DisneyKevin]

The Winter Garden area is full of short sale listings. Does anyone know a reason why there are so many foreclosures in this area over the other areas? Do you think people are dumping vacation properties there?

Up until the last few years, Winter Garden was fairly rural and once the housing boom started, that changed quickly

Winter Garden has several neighborhoods with some rather large (and at one time, very expensive) homes and with prices in Florida having dropped dramatically, many people are finding themselves in the position where they owe MUCH more than the house is worth.

While there might be some folks dropping vacation homes...my guess is that this is not the case in this area.

My guess is that people have seen their adjustable mortgage rates double and sometimes triple and they have seen their $500,000 homes drop to below $200,000 in value.

Folks are being told that in this market and economy....it might be best to just walk away from the position in which they find themselves.

You can drive through many, many neighborhoods and see empty houses.

 

[kimisabella]

We too are interested in moving (either permanently or snowbirds) to FL - my dh is able to retire in about 6 years from the NYPD and is currently in school to get his CPA. We are not going to move any time soon since we are in a really good school district and I want both my girls to go all the way through the high school here.

While I love the Celebration area, I would want to be closer to the beach. Living my whole life literally down the street from the beach here on LI, living in Central Florida and having the beach an hour away would be difficult for me. What areas, on the east coast, not the gulf coast, are good within an hours drive from WDW? My mother's friends have a house in Melbourne and although we visited them about 10 years ago, I really don't remember the area well.

 

[ThunderSnow]

Sorry for expanding the topic, but in the theme of living life in FL, but having WDW as icing, I have some different issues. My driver would be college for my kids. The time to relocate might be now (housing prices, job, etc.). This will set my kids on a path that will have them go to Florida schools. I can get 3 kids educated for the price of 1 compared to my in-state options up here in the Northeast US. We have 4 kids. My goal was to have a commuter option too (UCF (Oviedo?), USF, UF) and still be within an hour or two from WDW.

Any help is appreciated. Thank you!

 

[jsoren11]

thanks Kevin

What is the instate tuition like at UF or UCF? does anyone know?

were paying 15,000 instate at KU "kansas" now. even though we live in colorado. (daughter is on the dance team) Is it comparable?

 

[ThunderSnow]

US News and World Report lists the following for 2009-10 (perhaps its semester):

Kansas $7414
UF $4373
UCF $4526
Rutgers (I'm from New Jersey) $11,886

Thanks!

 

[OKW Lover]

While I love the Celebration area, I would want to be closer to the beach. Living my whole life literally down the street from the beach here on LI, living in Central Florida and having the beach an hour away would be difficult for me. What areas, on the east coast, not the gulf coast, are good within an hours drive from WDW?

On our last visit to WDW, we met up with John and Christy Stangler, who we know from on PCC 1.0, DAP, etc, and they bought a house in Viera. Its just south of KSC and they told us its about an hour drive to get over to WDW from there.

 

[kimisabella]

On our last visit to WDW, we met up with John and Christy Stangler, who we know from on PCC 1.0, DAP, etc, and they bought a house in Viera. Its just south of KSC and they told us its about an hour drive to get over to WDW from there.

I actually was looking on the internet at Viera. It seems nice and Liz (IWISHFORDISNEY) just moved there not too long ago and from her Facebook photos and updates it does look like an area that could suite us.

 

[kbelle8995]

I'm a native Floridian. I lived in Alabama for two years but I lived in Florida for most of my life. What I tell people is that living down here is okay but don't come here expecting paradise. There are good and bad about living here. You can't always go to beach, there's man O'war ( Jelly fish), sea lice, sharks and red tide. Plus people can't always go because they have to work.

Also a lot of Florida is overpopulated and over developed. Developers have tried to destroy the Everglades to build more homes and if they ruin the Everglades and the wetlands we are in deep trouble. On the coast you are charged high taxes due to hurricanes and the insurance companies can get you too.

I love my state very much and I often hear how it's not that great because they don't run things the way they do up north. But for the most part this is southern state and it is what is. In North Florida, the people are warm and pleasant. There are alot more trees. I really love it more here than in South Florida.

Also the job market here is not that great right now. If you want to move to Florida that's wonderful but just be realistic.

I don't want to be accused of being negative. Florida has gorgeous areas and different cultures. There is more here than just Beaches and Theme parks. Florida has a rich history such as Saint Augustine (one of the oldest settlement) and a native Americans (Seminoles) who never surrendered. We also played a major part in US history such as the WWII and the Civil War. We have Civil War Reanctments and the Florida Cowboy. So I have mixed feelings of pride and cynical feelings about my home state.

 

[MM32830]

To add to this conversation, if you are even somewhat serious about moving down here, from a real estate standpoint the time to buy is now.

I didn't have much on the schedule this morning so I took a walk downtown Winter Garden. The are a couple of real estate brokers offices on Plant St. In the windows are listings of houses for sale. It is just amazing the incredible values that are available right now.

I saw some houses that had 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms selling for $120,000. Yes, some of these are short sales (so you have to be careful) but some were not. From what I can tell from the pictures. there were very nice houses in the Winter Garden/Clermont area. Many were built in 2004 (during the housing boom) so the houses are not very old.



__________________
Armand

 

[jsoren11]

i just wish we had the means to move down there or buy down there right now..

 

[vicki_c]

I actually was looking on the internet at Viera. It seems nice and Liz (IWISHFORDISNEY) just moved there not too long ago and from her Facebook photos and updates it does look like an area that could suite us.

Viera is very nice - it was just being developed when we moved to FL in 2004 (most of that area had been a ranch/farm). Unfortunately, that year, we couldn't afford a home there -- of course, now we could. As the PP said, there should be tons of bargains in that area now because like much of Florida, the Melbourne/Viera area was booming booming booming in 2004-2005 with SO many houses built. And they are worth SO much less now than they were then. I'm sure there are amazing deals to be had.

If I were moving back to Melbourne now, I would be looking for a deal on a house on the river (vs. beachside or further inland) if you can afford the insurance.

 

[bellebookworm9]

I was very happy to see this thread. I am currently a college freshman, looking to move in 5 years or so after I graduate. I am majoring in speech pathology, and am receiving a grant with the stipulations that I a)teach in a low income school district and b)move to a state with a shortage of speech paths. Florida meet both of these requirements, and there are about 200 schools in Polk & Osceola counties I could pick from. Does anyone have any thoughts about which schools are good/bad? I've heard that many schools in the Orlando area can be a little sketchy. Also, does anyone have recommendations of real estate websites? Most of the ones here in New York don't exist in Florida.