Considering moving to FL

[Bev J]

...should have noted in my reply earlier that we have tons of family and friends in Orlando. We wouldn't be moving into strange new territory. I agree with all the posts about making sure you know what you are getting into, first. Traffic stinks. It gets really. Really. Hot. Etc. But the good news is, it's 70 degrees in January and if you are in Nebraska...you might be happy to deal with traffic in exchange for that!

I will be happy to take 70 in Jan! 6" of snow on the ground, more to come this weekend and -6 plus windchills, don't even want to walk to the mailbox
we figure if we move late fall or early winter it will help us gradually get into the heat/humidity.

 

[L&Lfan]

Realistically the whole country can’t move south and west. Where will it end? Having said that, I hope to leave NJ as soon as I retire.

 

[kdonnel]

Realistically the whole country can’t move south and west. Where will it end? Having said that, I hope to leave NJ as soon as I retire.

That’s the beauty of climate change. The climate is moving north!

 

[Minnesota!]

We are looking in the St Augustine/Jacksonville area. Beaches, healthcare, lots of options as far as jobs (for our fields), and the Amtrak will take us from Jville to Orlando for $30/person!

 

[Deb & Bill]

We are looking in the St Augustine/Jacksonville area. Beaches, healthcare, lots of options as far as jobs (for our fields), and the Amtrak will take us from Jville to Orlando for $30/person!

Until it's no longer subsidized.

 

[kdonnel]

Until it's no longer subsidized.

Public transportation is almost always subsidized. That $2.75 subway fare for the NYC subway does not cover the operating costs.

 

[Minnesota!]

Until it's no longer subsidized.

Then we will drive

 

[MrsDuck]

I'm from South Florida but my in-laws live in Orlando and FIL works in Entertainment at Disney. I went to school in Gainesville so feel fairly well versed in the state.

My advice is to look into Newberry/Archer/Gainesville. About 1.5 hours north of Orlando but not in all the crazy. Ocala too but you won't get a house for $150k.

 

[CT15]

Hello, I hope someone here can shed some light on this for me... we are considering moving to FLA. and would like a pool, but Im reading that its expensive, and that you need to heat it 9 mos out of the year so you can use it all year.. does anyone know, is a pool worth it?? .. I would be northern Florida, and about 10min inland from the coast.
thanks for your help!!

 

[Deb & Bill]

Hello, I hope someone here can shed some light on this for me... we are considering moving to FLA. and would like a pool, but Im reading that its expensive, and that you need to heat it 9 mos out of the year so you can use it all year.. does anyone know, is a pool worth it?? .. I would be northern Florida, and about 10min inland from the coast.
thanks for your help!!

We live in SW Florida, at the end of I75 before it turns east towards Miami. We're on an island and are about 1.7 miles from the Gulf Coast. We heat our pool probably Dec through March tp 86 degrees. We never get to freezing, we wear shorts and tees most of the time, very seldom need to wear long pants or jackets. Our winter lasts maybe a week or less and it gets to about 50 degrees during that time. When we lived in Montgomery, AL, we had a pool and it was covered and unused except for the summer months. This cover had water weights that we laid on top of the edges of the cover, so it was not on the surface of the water. We did get freezing weather during the winter. We didn't have a pool heater for that pool.

The pool we have now was already part of the house we bought. It was in great condition except for a heater that needed to be replaced and no pool cover (we cover our pool during winter months and open it up if we want to swim). This cover floats on top of the pool and keeps the heat in. We replaced the pool heater and purchased the cover and reel for about $4k. We pay about $95 a month for weekly pool service that cleans the pool and maintains all the chemicals. We do skim it ourselves every day. We haven't gotten much rain lately and our pool level is dropping right now. We put the pool cover on each day to help with evaporation and are hoping to get some nice rain in the very near future. Rainy season is mid-May through October/November.

All in all, we love having our pool even though we are 1. 7 miles from great beaches.

 

[doxdogy]

Then we will drive

 

[doxdogy]

Amtrak is a railroad and not public transportation per se. We don’t have subways or rail service like you do up north. In Jacksonville it is city bus, taxi, uber or lyft.

Until it's no longer subsidized.

 

[tguz]

We are looking to relocate to FL in 6 years......has anyone else bought a condo and rented it out for several years until they were ready to retire? What are the pros/cons? Also, can a 2 br condo be had in Doctor Phillips for 150-200K?

 

[Feralpeg]

That may be difficult to find in Dr. Phillips. It is a very sought after area with very little new construction. You might want to look in areas such as Winter Garden, Ocoee and Clermont.

Please keep in mind that rentals under six months are not allowed in Orange County.

 

[tguz]

That may be difficult to find in Dr. Phillips. It is a very sought after area with very little new construction. You might want to look in areas such as Winter Garden, Ocoee and Clermont.

Please keep in mind that rentals under six months are not allowed in Orange County.

Thx for the info on the 6 months. We would do yearly rental contracts leading up to our retirement. We really want a condo in Dr Phillips so we may need to expand the budget.

 

[BrinkofSunshine]

Thx for the info on the 6 months. We would do yearly rental contracts leading up to our retirement. We really want a condo in Dr Phillips so we may need to expand the budget.

There’s not a whole lot of condos in Dr. Phillips. Are you including townhomes too? The cheapest one I see on Trulia is $230k.

 

[Nayan]

Florida real estate prices are sky-high and it's insane. My little house in an older, established neighborhood that's not near anything (not walkable, car needed) would sell for close to $200K. If you want something cheap then your looking for a Property Brothers type that needs major work in not-so-good neighborhoods.

 

[tguz]

There’s not a whole lot of condos in Dr. Phillips. Are you including townhomes too? The cheapest one I see on Trulia is $230k.

Honestly, I am not sure of the difference between condo and townhome....I thought they were the same. We will be looking for 2 br unit where all outside grounds are taken care of i.e. no mowing grass/trimming trees/trimming hedges or bushes. We do want to own so we can pass it along to our children.

 

[tguz]

There’s not a whole lot of condos in Dr. Phillips. Are you including townhomes too? The cheapest one I see on Trulia is $230k.

I just looked up the difference between condo and townhome. We would definitely want a condo.

 

[Eeyore daily]

Florida is nice to vacation in, not as nice to live here. If you don't have to work a full time job you might enjoy it more. I don't live next to Orlando but I do know that any cheaper housing is going to be in rough areas or far away from anything decent.