Relocating to Florida

[phorsenuf]

I've focused my search for now (without physically driving the area to personally check it out) on the Winter Garden/Windermere area around the Daniels Rd. area south of the turnpike and north of Magic Kingdom. I do remember briefly driving through there and commenting on how nice it was.

I talked to a real estate agent yesterday and found some not so good news. The mortgage companies have severely tightened up of requirements for getting a loan. One thing I had not considered was changing careers/jobs. Apparently you have to have a minimum of 2 years in the same career field in order to qualify for a loan. Looks like we may be renting for a couple of years.

I would highly recommend renting before buying anyway. Good luck!

 

[palmtreegirl]

I would highly recommend renting before buying anyway. Good luck!

Definitely!!

We started in Ocala, initially we really liked it, but after 6 months we knew we wanted to live further south. Then we went to Kissimmee, just outside the parks. So much fun at first literally being 5 minutes from Disney but after awhile we yearned for a real neighborhood feel and tired of all the traffic & tourists all the time. So after 6 months there, we moved to Clermont and rented for another 3 years before buying our house. It takes awhile to figure out if you really love or dislike an area, take your time and find your spot.

**Edited to add more detail

 

[phorsenuf]

Definitely!! We started out renting and moved 2 times before we found the area we really wanted to live in, then rented an additional 2 years before buying. It takes awhile to figure out if you really love/dislike an area.

Yep. There is an area near me with some very nice subdivisions that my husband and I would drive through when the buying bug would bite us. Now that it's summer I'm pretty happy we waited since when the wind blew a certain way, boy does it smell like sewage. I would not have been happy if I had a bought a house in that area and then 4 months later started smelling it!

 

[palmtreegirl]

Yep. There is an area near me with some very nice subdivisions that my husband and I would drive through when the buying bug would bite us. Now that it's summer I'm pretty happy we waited since when the wind blew a certain way, boy does it smell like sewage. I would not have been happy if I had a bought a house in that area and then 4 months later started smelling it!

Ooh that would've been nasty!!

 

[blueiis99]

palmtreegirl said it right Like the old expression " One mans trash is another mans treasure" same thing with places to live I don't get anyone saying they would NEVER live in...pick a county/town/village Our home is Polk County.........

I haven't spoken to the schools, because I know nothing about them The only "kids" left in our home are 4 legged and the DDs were all grown and have their own families when we moved here But I can tell you this, for all the financial hardship we have had ( I posted previous ) I would NOT change a thing There is nothing like where we call home now We sit on just over 2 1/2 acres, my horse is in our backyard and can come to the window for treats
I sit on my back deck with a glass of wine in hand and listen to the tree frogs,
and whip-poor-will calls I am a native NYer we lived in 2 of the 5 boros and Long Island Houses were on top of each other and lawns were postage sized

This to US is heaven on earth May or may not be everyone elses cup of tea Can I food shop in my town..?.nope need to go to another area, there is really nothing here...small price to pay most of my neighbors are horses and cows, not many people at all but the ones that are here keep to themselves but will run out and band together if there is ever a problem

I just cannot stress enough find the job first THEN determine where to live

A little ot. But I love your description of where you are in FL. I too am a NYer. (East end LI) so I'm used to the quiet life and we are looking to move down there. Not right this moment but in a while. I was looking around the winter springs area but yours sounds even more to my taste. Would you mind pming me a more specific local? Just so I can look at the area on line.
Sorry if I sound forward. But it's so hard to figure where we want to begin and I don't like wasting our time or the real estates time either. If your not willing to I completely under stand.

 

[Luvchefmic]

A little ot. But I love your description of where you are in FL. I too am a NYer. (East end LI) so I'm used to the quiet life and we are looking to move down there. Not right this moment but in a while. I was looking around the winter springs area but yours sounds even more to my taste. Would you mind pming me a more specific local? Just so I can look at the area on line.
Sorry if I sound forward. But it's so hard to figure where we want to begin and I don't like wasting our time or the real estates time either. If your not willing to I completely under stand.

I have no problem telling you anything you want to know, My sister lives eastern Long Island, Mattituck area VERY nice, honestly the only places I miss about NY are NYC and eastern LI I will PM you shortly

For the OP, yes have to agree rent first Something else to consider FL has always been a "transient" state so even before the economy took a nose dive its very hard to establish yourself here Some banks give you a hard time even opening up an account if your credit score is not the best, and yes getting a mortgage because there have been so many foreclosures is going to be extremely difficult You're doing a very smart thing doing your homework first

 

[bigdsp]

We relocated almost 6 weeks ago. Like others, we decided to rent first as well. We chose to move about a 1/2 hour north/northeast of the parks for a couple of reason. We wanted our kids to go to school in Seminole County, my wife wanted to teach in Seminole County and we did not want to be right in the thick of the tourist. While visiting the area last Summer, we fell in love with the Winter Park/Oviedo area. Winter Park is mostly Orange County, however we are in the small part that feeds into Seminole County schools. We couldn't be happier. Small established neighborhood, great neighbors, great house and close enough to the parks for us.

 

[lucas]

I always wanted to move to the Dr. Phillips area. (And, I am still hoping to move up to the Orlando area when Dh retires.) Any thoughts on Dr. Phillips?

 

[ChristmasElf]

I always wanted to move to the Dr. Phillips area. (And, I am still hoping to move up to the Orlando area when Dh retires.) Any thoughts on Dr. Phillips?

Dr Phillips is a nice area. Dr Phillips High school is also a performing arts school-big on acting, chorus, etc but also sports like football.

There are a couple of high schools (depending on where in DP you are) Olympia is the other.

The areas closest to Sand Lake Rd are going to have more traffic as Sand Lake is busy with lots of shopping and restaurants. If you cross over Sand Lake Rd on Turkey Lake Rd down to Wallace. Turn left on Wallace and the areas here are older but nice. You will find a combination of apts on the left and houses on the right.
Firther down as you get closer to Dr Phillps Blvd and also the area of Conroy Rd and Apopka Vineland, houses are newer and a pricier.
(If you stay on Conroy past Apopka Vineland you will enter Windermere which is way up there on some of the houses. It's really a mixture as you will see little run down houses right next door to a fairly new mansion. You will also see that some roads will be paved and some will be still dirt roads.

Also at the corner of Apopka Vineland and Conroy there is a shopping center and a plaza that has a pediatricians office that is very good if you need info. on that.

Your best bet is to call a realtor in an area that you think you want to live in.
There are areas in central florida that are nicer than others and you will have to feel the realtor out as they will say that they aren't allowed to really talk about crime and what certain areas are like- but I will be more than happy to tell you! LOL
I have lived in the area for more than 20 years and have watched it grow and change, slow down, more change and then grow again.

Generally, you won't have any problems in DP area though. IMO

*I just saw that you wanted to move down when your dh retires. Although there are retired folks that live in Dr Phillips, you might also want to consider areas that are maybe a little quieter traffic wise as well. Talk to a realtor about this as well. Maybe an active adult over 55 area would be more fun. There are a few of these out in Clermont on Hwy 27 that my parents are looking at over near Kings Ridge. Nice, reasonably priced and close to shopping.
The people that live in there take their golf carts to Publix and do their grocery shopping, its so close.

http://www.55places.com/florida/communities/kings-ridge if you want to see where I'm talking about here is a link!

 

[ChristmasElf]

I've focused my search for now (without physically driving the area to personally check it out) on the Winter Garden/Windermere area around the Daniels Rd. area south of the turnpike and north of Magic Kingdom. I do remember briefly driving through there and commenting on how nice it was.

I talked to a real estate agent yesterday and found some not so good news. The mortgage companies have severely tightened up of requirements for getting a loan. One thing I had not considered was changing careers/jobs. Apparently you have to have a minimum of 2 years in the same career field in order to qualify for a loan. Looks like we may be renting for a couple of years.

Check into maybe some home rentals in this area as it is a very nice area to live as well as a great location for both the WDW parks as well as the Fl Turnpike, the 429, 408, etc.

Daniels Landing is townhomes-young families
The subdivisions just south of the 429 on both sides of cr 535 are all decent areas with great schools. You may find that there are either rentals available and maybe even a lease to own situation.
I know many people that live all in this area and love it for both the schools, shopping and the location.

 

[lucas]

Dr Phillips is a nice area. Dr Phillips High school is also a performing arts school-big on acting, chorus, etc but also sports like football.

There are a couple of high schools (depending on where in DP you are) Olympia is the other.

The areas closest to Sand Lake Rd are going to have more traffic as Sand Lake is busy with lots of shopping and restaurants. If you cross over Sand Lake Rd on Turkey Lake Rd down to Wallace. Turn left on Wallace and the areas here are older but nice. You will find a combination of apts on the left and houses on the right.
Firther down as you get closer to Dr Phillps Blvd and also the area of Conroy Rd and Apopka Vineland, houses are newer and a pricier.
(If you stay on Conroy past Apopka Vineland you will enter Windermere which is way up there on some of the houses. It's really a mixture as you will see little run down houses right next door to a fairly new mansion. You will also see that some roads will be paved and some will be still dirt roads.

Also at the corner of Apopka Vineland and Conroy there is a shopping center and a plaza that has a pediatricians office that is very good if you need info. on that.

Your best bet is to call a realtor in an area that you think you want to live in.
There are areas in central florida that are nicer than others and you will have to feel the realtor out as they will say that they aren't allowed to really talk about crime and what certain areas are like- but I will be more than happy to tell you! LOL
I have lived in the area for more than 20 years and have watched it grow and change, slow down, more change and then grow again.

Generally, you won't have any problems in DP area though. IMO

*I just saw that you wanted to move down when your dh retires. Although there are retired folks that live in Dr Phillips, you might also want to consider areas that are maybe a little quieter traffic wise as well. Talk to a realtor about this as well. Maybe an active adult over 55 area would be more fun. There are a few of these out in Clermont on Hwy 27 that my parents are looking at over near Kings Ridge. Nice, reasonably priced and close to shopping.
The people that live in there take their golf carts to Publix and do their grocery shopping, its so close.

http://www.55places.com/florida/communities/kings-ridge if you want to see where I'm talking about here is a link!

Thank you SO much for the info! Much appreciated.

My dh has a childhood friend who has lived on Kilgore Rd., on a lake, for over 30+ years. That road is officially in Windermere, I believe. But, Dr. Phillips starts about a block over from him. (We could never afford his street. Even he says he couldn't afford to buy in now, but he has been there forever. At one time Joey Fatone lived on the street!) We have driven around the area and I have found Dr. Phillips to be very nice, kinda homey. And, close to WDW! I guess I narrowed my search down to that area as it is the only one we have been to and we like it very much. It is just dh (mid-60s) and myself (mid-50s), no kids.

 

[ChristmasElf]

Thank you SO much for the info! Much appreciated.

My dh has a childhood friend who has lived on Kilgore Rd., on a lake, for over 30+ years. That road is officially in Windermere, I believe. But, Dr. Phillips starts about a block over from him. (We could never afford his street. Even he says he couldn't afford to buy in now, but he has been there forever. At one time Joey Fatone lived on the street!) We have driven around the area and I have found Dr. Phillips to be very nice, kinda homey. And, close to WDW! I guess I narrowed my search down to that area as it is the only one we have been to and we like it very much. It is just dh (mid-60s) and myself (mid-50s), no kids.

I know exactly where Joey and Kelly live. I actually know Joeys parents Joe and Phyllis very well. His sister Janine and I have had many conversations on where to find just the perfect sponge cake recipes

 

[lucas]

I know exactly where Joey and Kelly live. I actually know Joeys parents Joe and Phyllis very well. His sister Janine and I have had many conversations on where to find just the perfect sponge cake recipes

Small world! (Oops, now I have that song in my mind!)

 

[phorsenuf]

Small world! (Oops, now I have that song in my mind!)

I'll make it a little smaller. My neighbor across the street sang with Joey's dad in a band up until recently. They played in some local places. Never got a chance to go see them though.

 

[2girlsmom]

OP, you mentioned health care industry, and I know you are currently talking about central FL, but I feel I should mention the Tampa Bay to you. Tampa General is one of the best hospitals in the country, and the Tampa Bay has literally dozens of hospitals and hundreds of clinics, so would think the job opportunities might be better. Tampa is approx 70 miles west of Orlando area, and the gulf beaches are close by. Phors used to live over here in Clearwater until fairly recently so she could speak to Pinellas County area. I live in Pasco County, rent a 3 bed townhouse with 2000 sq feet for $1200 monthly. I will second that many jobs pay significantly less. We moved here two years ago when I got a transfer with my job, so my income actually increased, but dh left a job in Iowa making $62K in electronics for the city and now is a MANAGER of electronics for the county and makes roughly $40K even though he is in a position that is above the job he was in back in Iowa. However, we have found that cost of living for us is definitely NOT higher than it was in Iowa, gas prices are about the same to maybe a bit lower and utilities are actually lower here than they were there. Groceries are slightly higher but not enough to make a major difference with the other things being lower. My dd goes to LOL HS which is rated in the top 10 high schools in the nation, too, so we have some great schools around.

 

[Princess_Nikki]

2GirlsMom, glad to hear about Tampa. That's where we have been thinking of relocating to. My DH is a commercial diver and is currently looking for a job that direction before we make the final decision. We currently live near Destin, FL, and we love the Gulf of Mexico side of Florida but kinda over the Panhandle area.

 

[lakelandgal70]

BIG myth, this is what everyone thinks but not true ok property taxes are lower but eveything else is comparable, price of food, utilities, etc was a lifetime native NYer I didn't buy into the myth of cheaper to live in the south and glad I didn't or I would have gone into shock when we moved here looking for the lower cost of living Yes, Paychecks MUCH lower

As a person who has lived in Lakeland for 30plus years I totally agree with this. And honestly I don't think the cost of living is all that much cheaper. The pay down here is horrible.

 

[Tinkerboy00]

OP, you mentioned health care industry, and I know you are currently talking about central FL, but I feel I should mention the Tampa Bay to you. Tampa General is one of the best hospitals in the country, and the Tampa Bay has literally dozens of hospitals and hundreds of clinics, so would think the job opportunities might be better. Tampa is approx 70 miles west of Orlando area, and the gulf beaches are close by. Phors used to live over here in Clearwater until fairly recently so she could speak to Pinellas County area. I live in Pasco County, rent a 3 bed townhouse with 2000 sq feet for $1200 monthly. I will second that many jobs pay significantly less. We moved here two years ago when I got a transfer with my job, so my income actually increased, but dh left a job in Iowa making $62K in electronics for the city and now is a MANAGER of electronics for the county and makes roughly $40K even though he is in a position that is above the job he was in back in Iowa. However, we have found that cost of living for us is definitely NOT higher than it was in Iowa, gas prices are about the same to maybe a bit lower and utilities are actually lower here than they were there. Groceries are slightly higher but not enough to make a major difference with the other things being lower. My dd goes to LOL HS which is rated in the top 10 high schools in the nation, too, so we have some great schools around.

We've been thinking of checking out the Tampa area. Id love to be near the ocean, and seems like there are more larger companies with better paying jobs in that area as opposed to Orlando.

We are also keeping an eye on Jacksonville. Closer to family, but further from Disney. LOL

 

[EpcotMatt2]

Love reading everyone’s input & advice on this topic. Regarding the Winter Garden-Windermere area, would anyone happen to know a ballpark monthly rental amount for a 2BR condo type place? Or a 3BR? I know that’s pretty vague, but just trying to get a general idea of what to expect.

 

[Swissdog2010]

This was an interesting thread to read. One thing is obvious, no one situation is typical but the advice to do homework is very apt, especially where a family is concerned, even a family of two. The wife and I are considering a move down at retirement and after 35+ years as an Army Civilian, there will at least be a 'floor' in terms of income so that would make life easier but all the discussion on jobs was very enlightening, thanks for sharing.