Lovestimone here again,
I thought about a few more things ...
You will want to rent when you first get here, make sure that the complex has a large pool. Renting only makes sense you need to figure out what type of lifestyle here in FL. you want to live and where you want to live, in the area, just because the realtor says its a great area doesn't mean it is, or it will fit your lifestyle.
Having a pool or a community pool would be a top priority on the list when you are ready to buy a home.
Pool$ cost money to maintain, chorine, test kits, allege, pool pumps, solar heating, cleaning equipment, and then you still might want to have a pool company come for maintenance like a lawn company. A screened enclosure to be able to use your pool at night and keep the critters out is a necessary thing and a fence around the yard for safety are mandatory, I think that also now children safety fences are mandatory. Having a pool is extra on home owners ins.. If your go the community pool route, check your HOA rules to see what is allowed, and what the cost are. We are building a house and the HOA is going to be over 2000 a year. If you live in a gated community it's higher due to the road fees.
Florida is a hospitality state and is our biggest source of revenue. So with that in mind, Construction is booming right now, restaurants servers, kitchen help cooks, chefs, nurse's are always in high demand. Publix and Wal-Mart both have warehouse here. A guy that works with my DH was transferred here, and his wife was a paralegal, she could not find a job in her field, she had to take a job serving, that was 4 years ago and she is still serving, she has gotten a couple of offers but only for partime and no benefits package and basically for no money. My girlfriend moved here and she was a teacher, and could not find a job for 2 1/2 years, she ended up serving at a high end restaurant, even after getting her teaching job she was making so much less money, she had to keep serving on the weekends, she decided to quit her teaching job as they offered her a management job at the restaurant she works in.
Also your credit score is very important, if you are going to rent, they really do a background check, with so many people moving in and out here... they want to make sure you will pay the rent, and not just disappear overnight. Plan on Frist, Last, and deposit.... rent here for a small 2 bedroom 2 bath is 1000 dollars easy a month that's what my DD and SIL pay for there apt. They got there apt through a friend at work, so they know them they did not raise the rent. To live in a good area meaning safe, you will need to plan on 1200 to 1500 a month. Living outside of Orlando, in one of the small cities, Clermont, Kissimmee, Ocoee, Davenport, Winter Garden, will be a lot less. Living in Lakeland, Auburndale, Winter Haven are all very nice cities with a more family feel and only about an hour away for WDW. Also Utilities are expensive and have large deposit, some are based on your credit score what the deposit is.
While I am sure you think I am trying to discourage you from moving here, I am not, you need to understand what its like to live life here daily. Living in Florida is not like anywhere else in the country. Things move here at a different pace....like beach time and city time rolled into one but with a slight southern drawl, but we still have a lot of old southern roots, ideas, and traditions, the Good ol' boy system is alive a well, just fancied up and is camouflaged better.
I live my life in Flip Flops, and shorts...I am part southern girl, beach bum, river rat, and Disney lover. Nothing is better than sitting on the beach watching the sun rise, or putting our boat in the gulf for a day of scalloping and watching the sun set, or casting off on the St. Johns river for a boat ride or driving under the Disney sign to welcoming me back. with my magic band on my wrist... So I am a Florida girl... 100%
If you have any question please PM me and I will try to answer them.