Moving to Florida for the parks.. am I crazy?

[VandVsmama]

Update:

I am officially moving to Winter Garden in April! Following my dream, but I’ll be far enough away from Disney (30mins or so) and in a nice town to where I have other entertainment options, if desired.

YAY!!!

 

[Dakota731]

Congratulations to you! You are young and unencumbered so enjoy your freedom and your fresh start! Florida is an amazing state with so much to offer. It’s in the top ten of fastest growing states for a lot of reasons so enjoy this next chapter of your life

 

[mrodgers]

Florida is amazing (minus Miami - the traffic is insane). The weather alone is worth living here.
Unless jobs and family are major factors, I'll never understand why ppl live in the frozen wastelands of the north.
Life is too short to suffer through cold weather 1/2 of the year - and effectively half of your life.
Do it.

I live in the frozen wastelands of the north because as much as the winter is lousy, suffering through the skin melting heat for half of the year is effectively half of your life. Huddling up in the house in the AC all summer isn't any different than huddling up in the house with the furnace in the winter.

I can bundle up and be warm. I can only do so much to stay cooled down before I'm arrested for indecent exposure. Something office mates don't understand as they keep cranking the AC up to 78 because it's cold outside, yet still 90° in the "outside" of the office.

 

[Alicefan]

my only advice is to make sure you spend at least a few weeks here between July to early Oct - the hottest, most humid time of the year. And understand that it is SWELTERING here a good 8-9 months of the year. Some love it, but many who move here leave because they didn't realize how much they'd hate hot weather year round. If you're good during this time, you're good!

That is 100% the reason why I could never ever live there. We only go to the parks between November and March and sometimes, those months are too hot for my liking. I don't know how people do it. When I think of working at Disney, I always think, "Yeah but imagine just walking from your car to where you work", then I'm done imagining. lol

 

[Alicefan]

I say go for it if you love hot hot hot weather. You have to do things while you're young or you risk life happening to you in a place you don't want to be....like me...and probably most of us. Once you get older, you tend to get stuck where you work and life just happens to you, making it a big big deal to uproot yourself. Do it while you're not tied down to a place!

 

[shh]

That is 100% the reason why I could never ever live there. We only go to the parks between November and March and sometimes, those months are too hot for my liking. I don't know how people do it. When I think of working at Disney, I always think, "Yeah but imagine just walking from your car to where you work", then I'm done imagining. lol

Yeah...I absolutely hate living here for that reason...I just can't take this incessant heat almost every day of the year - no seasons or variation. But for a variety of reasons, I can't leave. So I just deal with it.

 

[Alicefan]

Yeah...I absolutely hate living here for that reason...I just can't take this incessant heat almost every day of the year - no seasons or variation. But for a variety of reasons, I can't leave. So I just deal with it.

Ugh, I know exactly how you feel. I'm stuck in Myrtle Beach. I loved it when I was a teen and tourists and traffic and all that come with that were fun, but at 50...no no and no! I hate the weather here and would loooove to be in the Mountains where it's not humid and the seasons change. I imagine Florida is like this place on crack! My skin crawls when I hear the Northerners around here complaining every time we get a chance of snow flurries. It's like, oh please shut up, you won't even see it if you don't wake up early enough, and ain't nobody going to be shoveling anything, let us have our couple of hours of winter!

 

[LuvOrlando]

Congratulations! I hope you share the journey.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Sounds like a great decision. Have a wonderful time in Florida!!

 

[scpratt]

Congratulations! I often tease my husband that once we retire, we’re moving to Florida.

 

[JimMIA]

The thing people don't understand about Florida heat -- and especially the heat in Central Florida -- is that it's not the temperature or humidity that gets to you. It's not the heat on a particular day or week while you're visiting WDW.

As @shh said above, it's the heat late in the summer -- August and September especially. And it's not that it's hot and humid -- it's that you've been dealing with it since June and over time it just wears you down. Living here is very different from visiting in this regard.

The temps may not be any higher in September, but you just get exhausted by day after day, week after week, and month after month of it. On or near the coast, you have sea breezes and it's not bad. But inland, like Orlando, it can be brutal.

 

[shh]

The thing people don't understand about Florida heat -- and especially the heat in Central Florida -- is that it's not the temperature or humidity that gets to you. It's not the heat on a particular day or week while you're visiting WDW.

As @shh said above, it's the heat late in the summer -- August and September especially. And it's not that it's hot and humid -- it's that you've been dealing with it since June and over time it just wears you down. Living here is very different from visiting in this regard.

The temps may not be any higher in September, but you just get exhausted by day after day, week after week, and month after month of it. Onor near the coast, you have sea breezes and it's not bad. But inland, like Orlando, it can be brutal.

Couldn't have said it better. Sept is the worst month for me.. because you see all this gorgeous fall weather everywhere...stores fill with boots & sweaters... pumpkin flavored everything emerges....and best case scenario - we're still sweltering in 100+ feels-like temps. Worst case: we're in gas lines to fill generators and putting up shutters praying the cone shifts or the power isn't out for more than a few days.

I guess that doesn't look quite as sexy on a post card or insta post.) lol

 

[White Cat]

Update:

I am officially moving to Winter Garden in April! Following my dream, but I’ll be far enough away from Disney (30mins or so) and in a nice town to where I have other entertainment options, if desired.

Not the area of central fla that I would choose but I’m not you. Congrats on your move!!!

 

[lovin'fl]

About a year ago we began the search for a cheap-ish townhome we could use certain times and rent out when not using. We had several cruises and other vacations that were cancelled due to covid and DJH's job went full WFH on permanent basis so we decided we wanted a vacay place to spend time at instead of staying in our NE home day in and out for another year of covid. We chose FL to also get away from the cold NE winters. And we're big Disney goers and cruisers. ALso like beaches once in a while and going to pro sporting events...all that can be easily done in FL.

We started looking but wanted close to Dinsey for A) renting and B) being able to go to parks often to get walking in. We realized the hot market was a tough one pretty quick. We made many offers and got outbid. Prices began to climb and we had to move our search a little farther out in order to get the pricepoint we were looking to spend. In April we finally closed on a 4BR townhome in Davenport part of the Four Corners area. We had to go above list price and do no contingencies (which is still happening, specifically in the lower price point short term rental communities as many are grabbing for investment properties).

We set up with a property manager to do rentals. We blocked what times we wanted for our use. We visited our place 3 times now. When we closed and stayed for 3 weeks...then in the fall for a month...then after Xmas for 7 weeks (had planned 9 but cut it short 2 weeks). The renting hasn't been great for us. It rents decently well but cheap and then folks leave it a mess and break stuff and things go missing as well as things get put in places they don't belong. The PM fees are a lot. Just adds up (charges for everything). After arriving this time we planned to discontinue the renting.

The resort too is made for vacay stays and not conducive to us staying here for weeks at a time. There are even some living here full time and it's really not conducive to that. It is gated and we have to check in every time we come so we can get a parking pass and activated bands to use gates and amenities. We pay high high HOA dues and our guests (those who rent from us) have to also pay $22.50 a day resort fee for use of the amenities. If our family, kids/parents/siblings, come when we are not here (like my son-25 did) they have to pay that resort fee as only the names on the deed get to stay without paying it. We can only park on our driveway (not in road or we get towed) so folks living here full time have trouble hosting holiday gatherings and whatnot. Can only fit 2-3 cars on every driveway so if you have 2 teens living at home and have 4 cars, no dice. There are other issues that make this situation unfavorable for what we want. So we started looking around at single family homes in non-rental communities.

We also got to know the roads and drive to Disney. Where we are is 25-38 mins from Disney. The traffic is awful. We have to fit 192 a little. There are ways to avoid most of it but those can be bad in spots too with 4 way stops that get sooooo backed up. When coming home one night I nearly peed my pants due to the wait in those 4 way stops as it took way longer than normal. 25 mins turned into 40. I was cursing where we chose to buy. It is really best to be north of 192. But if not, at least be right at 192 and not much farther south. Route 4 is also a crap show. There is a new upcoming area north of 192 between Avalon and 429. Shoots you right into WDW. And should really rise in property value as it is coming up as the next big area, IMO. Up near Flamingo Crossings, Horizon West and Windermere. (I see OP above and Winter Garden is nice and right there too).

We ended up in a 50+ community and signed a contract for a new build in there (we are only 48 so we had to go new and not resale). We sold our townhome by happenstance. We had a vendor in to repair something and mentioned we were going to sell and he knew someone. Had signed offer the next day. Plan to sell our big northern home and do a swap out by buying a condo/townhome up there. Will spend 7 months at our FL house and 5 up north. The new house will be a 15 min drive to WDW.

We have friends who also own in the area. We both bought our townhomes the same time (were aiming to buy in same resort but didn't work out that way). And they also just sold and bought in Celebration. We went there and looked at it twice and really REALLY loved it there. We were super close to trying to buy a condo there. But it would be an older dated 2BR 1200SF condo and not a brand new 3BR 2200SF SFH for the same cost. And Celebration HOA fees are $700 (our 55+ is $400) and may not get you all the amenities the 55+ gets us (gym, clubhouse, pool, tennis courts...etc). Plus there are weird restrictions to condo buying (with a mortgage) in FL. We are, though, buying closer to our friends in Celebration. And the both of us are near areas we will frequent together so it will be nice.

 

[_19disnA]

Going someplace on a vacation for a week or so is a LOT different from living there full-time regardless of where that is. Communities configured as a vacation destination are probably not the best choice of someplace to live full-time. Traffic/noise/partying from those on vacation gets old really fast when this is your permanent residence. Make sure to look into the year-round weather as others have mentioned, the cost/affordability of housing and cost/availability of home owner's insurance and what all else you will do besides going to Disney. Major weather events can do serious damage since no matter where you live in FL, you are never that far from either the Atlantic Ocean or Gulf of Mexico. Climate change is likely to make that worse going forward and part of the reason some home insurance companies no longer sell policies in FL.

If relatives all still live in some other part of the country, how often will you want to travel there and need to consider the cost/practicality of flying/driving as you get older.

We know some friends who have a vacation rental property in the SE near the ocean and much of what others have mentioned above has also been their experience. While the idea of renting it out when you aren't there sounds good in theory (if you only want to live in FL part-time) it also brings with it a lot added expenses and complications. Coordinating needed maintenance/repairs from hundreds of miles away is a challenge and can involve a lot of your time. Renters often don't take care of the place since they are only there on vacation so there will likely be a lot more wear/tear on things. The bottom line is living part-time in FL you will at best break even and probably would be better off to just rent someplace whenever they want to go on vacation and avoid all of the other hassles associated with owning.

 

[disneychick0412]

I live in the frozen wastelands of the north because as much as the winter is lousy, suffering through the skin melting heat for half of the year is effectively half of your life. Huddling up in the house in the AC all summer isn't any different than huddling up in the house with the furnace in the winter.

I can bundle up and be warm. I can only do so much to stay cooled down before I'm arrested for indecent exposure. Something office mates don't understand as they keep cranking the AC up to 78 because it's cold outside, yet still 90° in the "outside" of the office.

I think I would be happiest somewhere that is 75 year round. I see your points, but i've also never fell down because I slipped on the heat or had my car slide off the road because the road was covered in heat. I've also never shoveled heat out of my driveway to get my car out.

 

[Cadiewampus]

Update:

I am officially moving to Winter Garden in April! Following my dream, but I’ll be far enough away from Disney (30mins or so) and in a nice town to where I have other entertainment options, if desired.

Just read this thread. So how's the move gone?

 

[NotUrsula]

That is 100% the reason why I could never ever live there. We only go to the parks between November and March and sometimes, those months are too hot for my liking. I don't know how people do it. When I think of working at Disney, I always think, "Yeah but imagine just walking from your car to where you work", then I'm done imagining. lol

The answer is that your body adapts to it over time as long as you actually go out in it regularly. (The colloquial expression is that your blood thins, but that's not really what happens; it's a gradual endocrine adjustment.) I grew up in that climate, and I was fine, but then I moved to the midwest and have been here for 30 years now. These days when I go home for short visits in summertime I'm just like all the Yankees; too easily overheated and miserable.

My DS has been living near the Florida coast for 7 yrs, and he customarily keeps his home A/C at 80 in summertime. He couldn't have done that without dripping in sweat when he first moved there, but now he's comfortable with it. When he visits here in winter, however, he's always shivering.

 

[footballmouse]

If you do want to start at Disney YouTube vlog, watch a bunch of the other ones out there and try to find something that will be different or unique to theirs. I follow quite a few of them and like each person's for different reasons.

Good Luck!!!

 

[lovin'fl]

Neat that this popped up today. I posted up thread about us buying the townhouse and then selling and buying a single family home in a 55+. I posted at the beginning of our selling and signing contract on new build house. We signed in early Feb. Closed and moved in on July 7th. Here now. LOVE it here. Not the specific neighborhood or area but being 12 mins to Disney. And close to our friends in celebration too. Plus being in a single family house in a no short-term rental community is a huge plus. And we are a hop to Sunset Walk area (Margaritaville) with so many places to eat and drink.

Traffic...sucks. Going to grocery store can be a slog. Just have to know flows of when to go which way. But it's rarely smooth sailing. Though everything we need is within 25 min drive traffic times (9-15 mins in low traffic times) and that's not bad. Just rarely is low traffic. Lol.

Our neighborhood...house is nice but has had many things not up to par that we have to get repaired. And the things we had to get done (lanai screens and gutters and window treatments and ceiling fan installs) are done...um...half butt. It all takes weeks to get done (with many delays) and costs way more than we paid in past and then is done shotty. Then you spend tons of time trying to get them back to fix what they did crappy. It is very tiring.

But...we are in shorts right now. And will be the whole year, pretty much. And low taxes. And tons to do. Anything we want is so close at hand. And, though I griped about our shotty home build, it is a new one story home with little up keep needed. They do lawn care (don't really weed so I have to but that's minimal compared to the work our old MD home required). And the new home with the upgrades we got...it is lovely. Just don't look too closely or you'll see the not-square molding and incomplete stucco on one side outside. Or feel the one bedroom with seeming to be no air flow (like 88 in there while other parts of house is 74). Or look at the daylight shining through the left side of front door...that we had fixed once and still is bad (along with doorknob taking brut force to open). Brand new house...looks pretty if you don't look super closely...but has all these things that makes it feel like its 10 years old to me. Oh, best thing was the gutter guys (we had to hire out ourselves since house came with no gutters which we never heard of before) told us our roof wasn't finished shingled. An entire strip on a peak was not shigled...in back corner. Turns out our neighbor also had that same exact situation and found out they ran out of shingles. Still waiting on ours to be finished. House was roofed around April....how long can missing shingles go before things leak and rot?

So...that's my experience thus far. Still happy to be here. And never want to go back north (which we still have to do like 4-5 months a year total out of 12 months...over 3 trips up...to see family).

I can talk about so much more. Will have to post back another time.