Almost ready to make the move to FL...

[Parkers_girl]

Well, another crazy person from NE Ohio here, planning on moving down to FL in September. I think if you visit enough before the move, check out the neighborhoods, read the local newspapers you'll have a better idea of what to expect. As far as traffic, it can be bad, ( but not as harrowing as taking 3 hours to get the 12 miles home from work because of ice storms). We can all move down there and keep each other company!

There have been numerous times where it has taken me hours to go 10 miles on I-4 in central Florida..that road is horrible!

 

[Parkers_girl]

We're looking at a job transfer to the Orlando area ourselves. I enjoy the area we're at now, my husband - not so much. We've both moved quite a bit as a married (with kids) couple and as kids ourselves, and are not near family now so that part doesn't bother us. The heat & humidity doesn't bother us either, we spent several years is similar southern climates. The kids are homeschooled so the immediate school zone isn't a concern for us when renting. Being close to work is. We've visited Orlando too many times and lived in Atlanta previously to move to far from a job w/o knowing all the routes. It amuses me to no end when I hear people here (Williamsburg) complain about traffic and (gasp!) the tunnel.

From everything I've researched, cost of living will be less expensive for us, and the pay is higher for the job he was "one of two" offered. Rent is far less for comparable properties, grocery prices for the most part are the same or slightly lower for what we buy. Utilities and taxes - these seem to average out. VA taxes you for blinking. So for the most part, the living situation will be better.

I don't know how long we'll last in Orlando though. I think Dh is only considering the job because it's not here (where he doesn't want to be) and I flat our refuse to move anywhere that has a real winter. This quasi winter is bad enough. I am downright depressed for approx 4 months out of the year and it's not healthy. Plus it's a contract - 5 years. Who knows after that.

I've appreciated reading the experiances of those who have moved down with kids or who have suggested areas to live. I'm still trying to figure out the subsections/areas - but knowing names of ones that people have said are decent makes it easier when looking at the maps and real estate/rental website that have 'area' as an option. The job is in the area where 417 & 408 meet. What is this area called? Any opinions on it?

That intersection runs close to colonial ave..and I would personally avoid living near colonial (50), the traffic is a nightmare and it's a very busy road. Just a little north of that area there are some lovely homes, and a nice shopping center (waterford lakes), and just a couple more miles north of that is the university of central florida. We lived in winter springs which was about 20 minutes north of the area you mentioned. It's a great community, very clean, nice shopping areas and parks. I would avoid anything south of the intersection you mentioned.

 

[shrpgrl]

I would say rent til you get the lay of the land. We jumped right in and bought, really wished I rented first but I have cats and was afraid of not finding a place. Realtor said it was a nice area but found out later he did not know this town, he was from the next town over. If I would have waited I would not be in this neighborhood but I will deal.
Traffic can be tough, Sometimes takes longer to get there but I add 20 minutes to my time when going thru Tampa or Orlando.
One thing here I never saw was all the homeless coming door to door or approaching at the library, hospital and fast food places. Put a stop to it at the house when I found out my DH was giving money out ( and he was not even working either) when I was at work. Stopped him from that and it stopped.
Wages are a lot less here, but there is no state or county income tax so that helps. Also Plates or tags as they call them here are less than we paid in Indiana, so that helps too.

 

[KodakFigment]

WOW! You guys have given me sooooo much to think about.

I told DH that I think it would be best rent first so that we can get the "lay of the land" before making a commitment to or stuck in a house in a neighborhood we hate. I worry about moving my kids who were raised in the rural areas off of Lake Erie and exposing them to the completely opposite. I don't want any of us to have major culture shock. I am certain there are nice, family friendly areas with good schools in FL. I just don't know where I should be focusing.

Once we get job offers, how long do they typically give you to relocate???? I realize it's part of the negiotiation process, but we have never moved out of our county.

I guess I have a fear of the unknown, but I am more afraid of staying here more whole life and missing opportunities or looking back when my kids are grown and regretting the risks I never took?!?!

Thanks to everyone for their input!!!

There are some really great family friendly areas just north of WDW. The area you stayed in Clermont is very "touristy". It grew a little too quickly and that's where a lot of the traffic nightmares come from. Try looking at Winter Garden as a first step. It is a fairly large township - to use a Pennsylvania word- and it has a village and outlying areas. There are a lot of new developments with lots of families. The new Western Expressway (429) has brought a lot of growth. DH works in Celebration and it's 18 miles from our place on the Winter Garden/Windermere border. It takes him about 25 minutes using local roads, not expressways.

We came from Upstate NY and thought we wanted a yard too, but I sure don't want to take care of an acre down here! As far as timing we had only three weeks for DH to get here. I stayed in NY and got things settled. A vacation home is a really good inexpensive option if you have to do the 2 location thing for a while.

Lots to share - I've learned a TON since we got here. Feel free to PM. And yes, the family thing is absolutely the hardest. The deal I made with DH is we built a travel "home" category into our budget. That way I can take quick trips when I need a family fix without worrying about spending the money or can we afford it right now. It gives me peace of mind. And Orlando is a great airport for flying cheaply. And where you are you have a choice of 3 or 4 airports for low fares. Last trip to PIT was only $130 RT

 

[manhattan]

All of the talk about crime in the Orlando area has me concerned, also how do you know if you're moving to a good school district? Is there a way to research this? Or can someone in Florida tell me what school districts are the best?

School districts are based by the county, so if you are looking in Orange County, you would go to the Orange County Public School webiste. Schools are graded A-F, if you pull up one school, it will tell you its current grade and previous years. You will notice that many of the elementary schools are A schools, most middle schools are A or B, but most high schools are C, unless you are trying to get into magnet schools. As I mentioned in my previous post, we did our research, looking at what school districts we thought would work for us, then we planned a week long trip and went to the schools and spoke with the office. This helped us tremendously when we finally decided what school we wanted our children to attend.

 

[rumrunnergirl]

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[Disfamplan]

We moved to Naples (3.5 hrs from Disney) 6 years ago with our two kids 8 & 5 at the time and we still love it and will never move back up North. We have embraced the FL lifestyle and wouldn't trade it for anything. I agree about securing employment though. We moved for my DH's job, and I got to keep my job from up north but work from home.

First big piece of advice is let go of any ideas about keeping the same lifestyle you currently have - after all what would be the point of moving - it is a huge lifestyle change. So forget the 1/2 acre, forget about living within 30 min of driving to Disney, don't put so much criteria on yourselves. Look for opportunity and quality of life. Rent 1st and then buy.

Second piece of advice - if your not having fun on the journey then don't take it. Every part of our move may have been a little hectic and not easy, but we had fun the whole time. From getting kicked out of a hotel because of our dog, to evacuating because of hurricane Rita just after we got here. We feel like we are still on vacation. Have a hurricane plan that involves going somewhere you want to be.

Last advice - Only think happy thoughts and it really will be the happiest place on earth.

Good luck!

 

[dd50]

I am sure that the choice of companies that write homeowners policies in FL is much more limited than many other states, but I KNOW that there is more than one choice. My parents just bought a house in FL last October. They are less than 10 miles from the Atlantic Ocean. They had multiple quotes from different insurers for their homeowner's policy. Citizen's was not one of them. I believe they went with Nationwide or All State. And my Inlaws are Gulf coast and they have All State or did last year (2010). It is crazy expensive, but there are choices.

Not all the time. It also depends on how old the house is, where it is located, etc. Some people have no choice because I know many. Thankfully, I am not one of them.

 

[dd50]

I know this is really personal, but, if you don't mind, I was wondering what renters pay in Cape Coral? The reason I ask is that we want to move to Cape Coral in 7 years when my son graduates. We want a canal home with sailboat access and a pool. We could, feasibly, buy it now and rent it out. I am willing to get a local property manager to take care of things. I was mostly just curious what a 3 bedroom, canal front home could possibly rent for.
Thanks.

You may want to look at rentals on realtor dot com as they seem to be any where from $700 to $1800. It depends on the size, age, pool, water and location.

I don' know if I would buy and rent out for 7 years tho unless you plan to come down to check on the property and property manager.

 

[dd50]

I moved to FL in the early 80's and did think about leaving after all the hurricanes but then couldn't find any place I really wanted to go.

I find that people either love living here or they hate it. My brothers friend came to visit about 8 months after we moved here and said he would be back to live within 6 months and he was and is still here. His sister moved down here years later and only lasted about 6 months and hated every minute of it. Every one is different. I don't mind the heat and stay inside much of the summer. Do love the winters and wouldn't trade them for snow again.

I would suggest that you have jobs lined up because you may get lucky and get a job fast but it sure can get stressful if you don't. I would also rent at first to get more of a feel for the area before you commit to buying.

It is always a hard decision because we never know if we are making the right choice.

 

[angwill]

Theres a ton of negativity about Florida here as well as another site that I frequent, all I heard is how the economy is terrible and there are no jobs to be found.

I worked on Wall Street in NYC and moved to Charlotte Nc after being laid off in 2008, received a good salary here until Wachovia closed up shop and became part of Wells Fargo. I was laid off again.

Fast forward a year, and after sending out 2300 resumes in Charlotte (yes I counted) I began sending out resumes in Orlando about 2 weeks ago, in less than 2 weeks I received an offer for more money in Fla. My fiance also found a job at the higher end of the salary spectrum in Orlando.

I keep hearing how the economy of Fla is horrible and there are no jobs to be found, speaking from experience this doesnt seem to be the case. I sent out 25 resumes in Orlando and I received 10 call backs. She sent out 30 and received 15 calls and 2 offers.

Do what you think is right for your family and dont let other people dissuade you from your decision.

This is my experience as well. There are a heck of a lot more jobs to utilize my skills at in Florida than here. Unemployment is higher and a lot harder/impossible to find where we currently live. Top that with our outrageous housing costs and housing taxes and it is actually less expensive in Florida. The insurance for a car and house are higher but with the lower cost of the house and tax it is still lower than where I live. You have to compare it to where you currently live and what you job skills are.

 

[angwill]

Don't be jealous that you're stuck up North still!

The reasons you stated are exactly why the market is great for buyers (I didn't say investment properties)! The market crashed here because houses were so over priced to begin with. This leaves the buyer being able to buy a 1800SQ/ft 3br 2ba pool home which has every upgrade imaginable (granite countertops, upgraded fixtures, stainless appliances, high quality tile floors, etc.) for under $150,000.

It is all about perspective. We came from Pittsburgh, PA & the city's set-up/way of life is totally different down here. There may be a 30% unoccupied rating, but have you ever google-earthed the area? There are a gazillion houses here. None of the homes on our block are vacant. Just like every other city, there are 'good' & 'bad' areas.

And yes, school choice is hard to deal with, but if you follow all the guidelines & get into the lottery in the first batch, you have a good chance of getting into the school that you want.

Good Luck to OP to wherever he/she decides to relocate. You might want to check out city-data to get statistics & then compare them to your current city.

When do they first let people get into the school lottery? What time of year?

Thanks

 

[BeccaGrace]

Good luck! Our new governor is going to run Florida into the ground, so good luck finding a decent school. Hope you don't have any special needs kids they won't have a chance.

Uh oh This makes me nervous. We are looking into a move into the Orlando area due to a transfer with my husband's job. Is it really that bad? My youngest has special needs and we are currently in a good district where she is in resource for her academic subjects; has a shared aide in her other classes and gets speech 3x week.
Also, my oldest is active in performing arts...are there any districts that have a good performing arts program?
We are looking for a similar price range to the OP ($175-$230k) and my only priorities are safe area with good schools.

 

[angwill]

Uh oh This makes me nervous. We are looking into a move into the Orlando area due to a transfer with my husband's job. Is it really that bad? My youngest has special needs and we are currently in a good district where she is in resource for her academic subjects; has a shared aide in her other classes and gets speech 3x week.
Also, my oldest is active in performing arts...are there any districts that have a good performing arts program?
We are looking for a similar price range to the OP ($175-$230k) and my only priorities are safe area with good schools.

I know of a district just outside of Tampa near I-4 with an excellent special needs program. If you want the info on it let me know. Special needs programs are funded seperately from other programs so just like any other state how good the programs are depends on how the district uses those funds and how their programs are structured as well as the teachers teaching them.

 

[jmskinner]

supermommyof4 We live in the Tampa area and have been very happy. Sadly we are getting ready to move to the DC area, but I am excited about this move. Just sad to leave Mickey and all the great Dis'ers I have been fortunate enough to meet.

I also have a special needs child and I know what works for one, may not work for all. But this is true of all children. If you would like to PM me, I will be happy to answer any questions and try to help you out.

I'm currently researching schools in the DC area, so we can then figure out where to house hunt. It's a challenge!

Good luck in whatever you decide.

I know of a district just outside of Tampa near I-4 with an excellent special needs program. If you want the info on it let me know. Special needs programs are funded seperately from other programs so just like any other state how good the programs are depends on how the district uses those funds and how their programs are structured as well as the teachers teaching them.

Hi Ang

 

[kidsister]

I've been looking into buying a house near Disney after losing my home here (not to poor economy or foreclosure, but a nasty x and crooked judge).

I'm not interested in a stepford retirement community tho I do love the constant activities that many are known for. If I could just find a tennis doubles group, I'd be a happy camper.

So while schools aren't a major concern for me, nor is a job (retired), I just found a good reason to move there: Give Kids the World will be a lovely place to volunteer!

I'm hoping some posters here will be able to clue me in on some costs tho:
(1) for an 1800 sq ft home, how much will summer A/C cost?
(2) for same home in Osceola county, what would homeowners insurance cost?

I'm moving from 9200 feet, no need for A/C ever, 7 acres and no other houses in my view.....so Im finding it a little hard to adjust but need a pond view and lots of windows to keep me sane. I agree with the poster who said that a home with a pool, @ 1800 sqft, in a friendly, safe neighborhood can be found for under $150k.

Thanks!

 

[angwill]

supermommyof4 We live in the Tampa area and have been very happy. Sadly we are getting ready to move to the DC area, but I am excited about this move. Just sad to leave Mickey and all the great Dis'ers I have been fortunate enough to meet.

I also have a special needs child and I know what works for one, may not work for all. But this is true of all children. If you would like to PM me, I will be happy to answer any questions and try to help you out.

I'm currently researching schools in the DC area, so we can then figure out where to house hunt. It's a challenge!

Good luck in whatever you decide.

Hi Ang

Hey my Tampa friend thanks for finding me. I have been gone all day and just got online. Sorry, I was not one step ahead of you.


Ang

 

[Disney4aLifetime]

I have lived in FL, PA, OH, CA, and most recently LA. We moved to central FL last July to maintain our jobs. We live in Altamonte Springs about 30 minutes from Disney in Seminole county. We had to rent due to the short notice from our job. We are looking into buying within the next year or so. We love it. Is there crime? Of course. Are there government issues? Indeed. Budget cuts where there should not be? Always. For me this is nothing special about FL though. All the negative things said about it can generally be said about most of the country. Not saying everywhere, but in general. If you found a piece of perfection elsewhere than by all means stay put. Should someone move here for their love of Disney alone? I dont think so. Disney does not gaurantee happiness. There are good schools here and there are good jobs here. There are also great family communities. I am still doing my research, but areas that have been recommended to us so far are Davenport, Hunter Creek, Deltona and Altamonte. We really enjoy our area as we are in a great location and the cost of living is not as high as some areas around us. I think if you have a good secure job, and are generally happy you will do just fine moving to FL. I think the move itself was the worst part for us. It is insanely expensive and stressful to move across country. I am glad we were forced to rent because there are so many areas that differ greatly that it is nice to get a lay of the lands before buying a home. I would not be discouraged by this thread if you are moving to FL. It was the best thing we ever did and I left my entire family who I am SO close to back in LA which was devastating for me. You can feel free to PM me as well. I will be happy to help in any way I can.

Thanks for your great posting... I am planning our move now, even though it won't be for 2 years... I would really appreciate the insight on your comment that your move was "insanely expensive". I'm budgeting everything out, including a scouting trip, and landed around $5000 (moving everything myself in a UHaul, and NOT including the expenses of utility deposits, etc.. JUST the cross country move).

Any info on your status now would be sooo appreciated!

Thanks!

K

 

[Disney4aLifetime]

I have to say that under the right circumstances a move can be a good choice. The number one issue is securing employment. If that can be done then it might be the right thing for your family. We recently bought a townhouse and love it. It is a retirement home for us and my parents currently live there. We moved them last October. They are very happy. Our particular community is a beat off the beaten path which is what I consider a good thing for Florida. You have to be very careful there are alot of areas that most people would prefer not to live in. There is plenty of crime in the Orlando area. However I still prefer our second home to our main house and can't wait to be there more and more each year. I worked with a wonderful trustworthy realtor who worked very hard for us to get the right property. If you would like his name I will pass it on to you. Whatever you do just make sure you do your homework. There is alot to know about FLorida. Make sure the community you live in ( a concept I didn't even get when I first started looked) has a strong HOA so your fees don't keep going up and up. Most homes are in an association in the Orlando area.

As far as schools I hear Osceola county is good.

Good Luck
I would be happy to help answer any questions if I can.
Jamie

Hiya Jamie,

I would love the name of the realtor you worked with, and the company he works for. I'm putting in my research and would really like to meet with realtors based on referrals rather than finding someone on the web.

Thanks a million!

Ken

 

[Disney4aLifetime]

(( so discouraging.


But it's not like things are better anywhere else in the USA.

Is there a state that's screaming 'COME HERE, WE HAVE JOBS, GOOD ONES THAT PAY GOOD SALARIES AND LOW HOUSING PRICES AND GREAT SCHOOLS'.

Is there?

That's exactly my thinking.. I'm in Phoenix, Arizona. It's unbearably hot here, too... but I'm trading DISNEY, beaches, lakes, and theme parks for desert and cactus.

The unemployment rate in Phoenix is TENTHS of a percentage different from Orlando... Can't get a job here, either.. Stuck in my menial, $12 an hour job. I may as well be stuck in one near Disney.

We're in a recession, darn it! And we're not recovered yet... I am following my heart.. I'm going to be smart about it, but my heart says Orlando.