Anyone moved from Midwest to Florida??

[SlightlyGoofy]

tinkerbell9227, if you should get two offers like that would you please let me know as I have another friend who is trying to escape, er I mean move, from Illinois.

Back to packing for me. Cannot take much of my Disney stuff with me as I will not have as much room but heck I will be near enough to visit often so I will no longer need things to remind me of my Happy Place.

Slightly Goofy

 

[shrpgrl]

Moved down to Winter Haven, Fl. 3 years ago from South Bend In. area. Think the costs are pretty similar. Only problem for me is I still have not sold my house up there yet. Love being 45 minutes from WDW.

 

[angwill]

Hey SG,
I see you are trying to get rid of my house in IL for me. lol I am so glad that yours has sold so quickly. Now to get mine sold but since it just went on the market I am sure it will be a while.

On the other side of having a teen and moving, my son is going to be a Junior next year and can't wait to move. His thought on it was that there is always facebook to keep in touch with his friends here and he wants to make friends in Florida before he graduates from high school. Plus by the time he graduates he will be a resident to lower the costs of college. I don't think I could move if he didn't have a positive outlook on it. Another thing we plan to do is rent in an area where the schools are better and then decide where we want to buy once he graduates.

We own our own business and can run it from anywhere but I want to work outside the home when down there so we will see what I can find when we get there. I live in the NW section of IL where the most jobs were lost of anywhere in the state and the unemployment rate is higher than anywhere in FL. So are the taxes both personal, home, and especially business. Once our governor raised the taxes on business here to the highest in the world we knew it was time to make the move.

Ang

 

[Sinderelly]

tinkerbell9227, if you should get two offers like that would you please let me know as I have another friend who is trying to escape, er I mean move, from Illinois.

Back to packing for me. Cannot take much of my Disney stuff with me as I will not have as much room but heck I will be near enough to visit often so I will no longer need things to remind me of my Happy Place.

Slightly Goofy

I wish you well with your move. We are in Greensburg so very close to Columbus. FL is my dream place to live but DH would have to pass the bar in FL in oder to work. I would love to live near Cocoa Beach.

 

[angwill]

Hey SG,
I see you are trying to get rid of my house in IL for me. lol I am so glad that yours has sold so quickly. Now to get mine sold but since it just went on the market I am sure it will be a while.

On the other side of having a teen and moving, my son is going to be a Junior next year and can't wait to move. His thought on it was that there is always facebook to keep in touch with his friends here and he wants to make friends in Florida before he graduates from high school. Plus by the time he graduates he will be a resident to lower the costs of college. I don't think I could move if he didn't have a positive outlook on it. Another thing we plan to do is rent in an area where the schools are better and then decide where we want to buy once he graduates.

We own our own business and can run it from anywhere but I want to work outside the home when down there so we will see what I can find when we get there. I live in the NW section of IL where the most jobs were lost of anywhere in the state and the unemployment rate is higher than anywhere in FL. So are the taxes both personal, home, and especially business. Once our governor raised the taxes on business here to the highest in the world we knew it was time to make the move.

Ang

 

[jm-mom]

We have toyed around with the idea of moving to Florida and always come back to the same questions: How bad are the bugs in the warmer climate and how scary are the hurricanes. I would love to live near the ocean but am terrified of having a hurricane. Equally I'm also terrified of having spiders, termites and snakes in my home and yaed. And then in my mind, I also think of there being alligators on the loose everywhere we go.

 

[angwill]

The way I look at the bugs and other critters are like this. I live in the country so mice in the house and trying to keep them out are a way of life. We have black widows and brown recluses but I have never seen either. We do however get spiders and their webs on our house outside as well as in our house. We have water moccasins, copper heads, and one other poisonous snake but rarely encounter them unless near the water and then they are just as afraid of us as we are of them. We have had gardener snakes in the yard though. There are termites everywhere as well. As for the alligators again they are not going to bother you as long as you don't bother them. Here we have coyotes and coydogs here that will come in the yard. As for hurricanes I figure at least you get advanced warning that one is coming but where I live we get tornado warnings and not with much advanced notice. We have also had one that we were never warned about that took out a tree in front of our house, jumped over the garage, and took out a tree in back. That said I have a husband that is terrified of the same things you are but that is because they are the unknown and not something he understands. Now whenever I find a show on TV about snakes or alligators etc. he watches them and is less afraid of them because they are not so unknown now.

 

[MKCP1984]

For about the same cost of a townhouse here in IL, a person could buy a very nice home with a pool (in some areas) in Orlando. I've been daydreaming about that very idea for years, but the logistics of the move scare the daylights out of me!
So, I commend you all for your brave, long-distance moves, and OP, I wish you well in your new life in my happy place -- FL.
Enjoy and good luck to you!!!!!

 

[angwill]

For about the same cost of a townhouse here in IL, a person could buy a very nice home with a pool (in some areas) in Orlando. I've been daydreaming about that very idea for years, but the logistics of the move scare the daylights out of me!
So, I commend you all for your brave, long-distance moves, and OP, I wish you well in your new life in my happy place -- FL.
Enjoy and good luck to you!!!!!

Very true about the home value in Florida compared to IL. Those same 2-4 bedroom homes with pools cost upwards of $350,000 several years ago too.
It is sad for those who are losing so much on their homes in Florida but good for those who live in areas that are still over priced and want to move.

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

I have been in Largo for nearly two weeks now. Selling our old home was the easy part but I am finding buying is a bit more difficult. There are lots of places for sale but few that fit my needs. I am researching one today and if it pans out we will make an offer tomorrow. Might take up to a month for it to close though. We are paying cash! Do they have to check each bill to see if it is counterfeit? Nope, we are giving a certified check so that is the banks problem.

Sinderella, we lived very close to you in a small town called Hope but shopped in Greenwood often.

Ang, you know I am always watching out for my friends. I need good neighbors down here.

If anyone has an information on this area or tips for me please let me know. It is a condo we are looking at. Location is great but HOA fees are something I am not familar with. It includes many things and when I add it up it makes sense but trusting someone else to take care of such things is foreign to my Mideastern nature.

Slightly Goofy

 

[Traveliz]

I have been in Largo for nearly two weeks now. Selling our old home was the easy part but I am finding buying is a bit more difficult. There are lots of places for sale but few that fit my needs. I am researching one today and if it pans out we will make an offer tomorrow. Might take up to a month for it to close though. We are paying cash! Do they have to check each bill to see if it is counterfeit? Nope, we are giving a certified check so that is the banks problem.

Sinderella, we lived very close to you in a small town called Hope but shopped in Greenwood often.

Ang, you know I am always watching out for my friends. I need good neighbors down here.

If anyone has an information on this area or tips for me please let me know. It is a condo we are looking at. Location is great but HOA fees are something I am not familar with. It includes many things and when I add it up it makes sense but trusting someone else to take care of such things is foreign to my Mideastern nature.

Slightly Goofy

We paid cash too and it took a month to close and even then the real estate lady had to stay on top of them. She said it was because it was a foreclosure and the banks just piddle about, don't seem to care if it gets done or not...and it wasn't a short sale so that was't the hold up. Good luck!

Liz

 

[DisneygirlTeacher]

The alligators don't run loose and aren't bugs everywhere? Just know that although Florida is a beautiful state, people that have lived here a long time know that we "pay for the sunshine everyday." Meaning, wages are low for many jobs. Umemployment is very high, even people with professional degrees find there is little work. The heat and humidity started in April and will last until after Thanksgiving. Our school has a revolving door...people coming here for the "good life" find they can't find a job and can't afford to live here. So, the students come and are soon moving back. Homeowners insurance is very high, and Citizens (one of the few you can get in Florida) is soon to have a huge rate hike (because of hurricanes.) Now, to be fair, those are all not very good things. Florida is pretty, does have Disney World and gorgeous beaches. Just weigh all options and don't come because you like heat (and I do mean heat!) Have a job first, line up housing, and really check out the area. It can be a great place to live, but it isn't all Mickey ice cream bars and palm trees.

 

[dunbarfamily]

A friend of mine moved from Northern Michigan to Orlando area a few years ago. She loves having no snow! The only "complaint" she has is the summers are so hot. They adapted though, and she explains that just like we tend to stay indoors more during the winter, and go from heated place to heated place, they stay indoors in the air conditioning during the summers.

Best wishes as you make this life change!!

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

DisneygirlTeacher, you are right on the money with your comments. The cons are that the cost of insurance is about twice what it was in IN and if we needed a job it would be hard to find and probably not pay a lot. I have not had to handle any really bad weather yet so that might be another con.

On the upside the price of this home versus what we sold for is much less, our property taxes actually went down, the utilities are about half of what they used to be, everything is within a mile or so, no snow, doctors seem much better and more versed in the conditions that we 'old' people have, and so much else. Of course a lot of that is based on the fact that we sold a huge old home and moved to a condo. That means a whole lot less work. No place is perfect but then neither am I.

Traveliz, the banks perplex me as it would be in their best interests IMO to get these places off their books. I refused to look at another short sale/foreclosure. I also could not bear the thought of taking someone else's home.

dunbarfamily, thank you for your kind words and true, you adapt. Back in IN I would wait to do big projects in the winter, here, if I have any, I will do them in the summer. Loving it more and more each day and have already made one Disney trip and planning others.

SG/Linda

 

[happygirl]

This post is very intereting. We are thinking about moving to the Orlando area

How are jobs down there?
How hard is it to find houses in good areas

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

happygirl, we are an older couple with no need of jobs so this has been great for us because of the low housing costs. From what I read it does not seem like the job prospects are very good unless you are in certain professions, medical among them. The schools seem a bit iffy but I imagine that is all in where you live.

There is a website called citydata where you might be able to get better information for your circumstances.

Best wishes, SG

 

[happygirl]

happygirl, we are an older couple with no need of jobs so this has been great for us because of the low housing costs. From what I read it does not seem like the job prospects are very good unless you are in certain professions, medical among them. The schools seem a bit iffy but I imagine that is all in where you live.

There is a website called citydata where you might be able to get better information for your circumstances.

Best wishes, SG

Thanks, I would figure there was a lot of job with all the restaurants and shows and asument parks

 

[Traveliz]

DisneygirlTeacher, you are right on the money with your comments. The cons are that the cost of insurance is about twice what it was in IN and if we needed a job it would be hard to find and probably not pay a lot. I have not had to handle any really bad weather yet so that might be another con.

On the upside the price of this home versus what we sold for is much less, our property taxes actually went down, the utilities are about half of what they used to be, everything is within a mile or so, no snow, doctors seem much better and more versed in the conditions that we 'old' people have, and so much else. Of course a lot of that is based on the fact that we sold a huge old home and moved to a condo. That means a whole lot less work. No place is perfect but then neither am I.

Traveliz, the banks perplex me as it would be in their best interests IMO to get these places off their books. I refused to look at another short sale/foreclosure. I also could not bear the thought of taking someone else's home. dunbarfamily, thank you for your kind words and true, you adapt. Back in IN I would wait to do big projects in the winter, here, if I have any, I will do them in the summer. Loving it more and more each day and have already made one Disney trip and planning others.

SG/Linda

All the foreclosures we looked at were long empty. I guess I would have felt odd if the homes were occupied. As far as short sales though - I would not have hesitated (if I wanted to spend the kind of time involved with a short sale) as typically the residents are part of this arrangement and want the short sale to go through versus being foreclosed on.

Liz

 

[angwill]

Thanks, I would figure there was a lot of job with all the restaurants and shows and asument parks

From my research compared to where I live there are a lot more jobs especially entry level jobs. The issue is that most pay minimum wage and it is impossible to live off minimum wage especially with a family.

Another thing to keep in mine is those restaurant and amusement park entry level jobs make it virtually impossible to get a second job with varied hours. Another issue is when the college program people come in they tend to take hours away from the full time employees to make room for them which makes it even more impossible to live off that minimum wage.

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

happygirl, as usual Ang knows her stuff. 60 Minutes did a story a bit ago about all the homeless unemployed right outside the gates of Disney. With the economy being down the tourist places have cut staff and folks do not have the money to eat out much so those jobs are down as well. Tips are not what they might be either.

Traveliz, with my luck if I had bought a foreclosure the original family would have shown up after I moved in and I would have had to invite them to move in with me. The person who owned this before me moved to fancier digs right behind here. The person who bought our old home had grown up in it and dearly loves the place. I am blessed.

Hi there Ang, hope you are keeping warm. I know where you could get away for a bit.

SG/Linda