Relocating to WDW?

[safetymom]

I have State Farm here in FL and find them quite reasonable. My auto insurance isn't any more here either.

 

[ANiceNurse]

We also have State Farm and I know the rates are much better than what we paid in NJ. I guess it's all relative as to where you are coming from. Our homeowner's had been very reasonable, but took big jump this year.

I guess I should just be grateful that we still have it and weren't canceled as many were.

 

[michvin]

What about Auto and Home insurance in Florida? I see some companies wont/ dont insure in Florida? Like StateFarm?

Assuming Home Owners is more expensive in FLA? Auto as well?

Thanks

Gerry

Hi Gerry...we just moved here from SE PA in May. We had USAA for everything and they WERE insuring new Florida Homeowners insurance the day we got an offer on our house in PA (I called to make sure), then when I went to call about the house we were buying in Florida a week later, they were no longer writing NEW policies. Lots of people have policies with companies that no longer issue NEW policies. BUT, after my period (okay, a day) of drama about insurance, I got insurance. Everybody here has homeowners insurance (obviously...to have a mortgage). We are in central Florida, so its different than if you are on the coast in a high risk area, and our house is all concrete construction, has a HIP roof, less than 5 years old, etc. We pay less here than in PA...the house is a bit smaller, but still, its 3000 sq. feet. You can get insurance. Everybody up home was saying, "you'll never get insurance", blah, blah....lots of drama. Now, there are BIG hurricane deductables. Usually a percent of the building price of your home, not the market value...ours is something like $6800 we have to pay upfront if a hurricane causes damage for repairs. But it has to be declared a hurricane. A bad storm is just whatever your deductable would be normally.

 

[Mai Ku Tiki]

Happy for you that things are working out. That is VERY encouraging news about your HO insurance. Even here in central NJ our ins co of 20 yrs is starting to send us "How to prepare for hurricanes" & "How to obtain flood ins" info.

May I ask how far you are to WDW and how do your new taxes compare to SE PA?

Thanks!

 

[Debby]

We have a home going up in Celebration, FL right now. We hope to close in April!

Congratulations! That's very exciting. I was just wondering, here in the east, Florida has a very bad reputation for bad schools. They say that if you want your children to get a good education, you have to send them to private schools. Even some friends in Florida agree with that statement. We have thought about moving to Florida, but were very worried about the schools. What do you think?

 

[captiva]

We relocated to Southwest Florida from New Jersey in Nov. 2001. We decided on this area of Florida because of what it has to offer--- cultural, entertainment, sports, varied age groups and of course the beaches. We did look at the Orlando and surrounding Orlando area but this location really won us over.
We took early retirement from our 'real careers' and didn't work for 2 years. After our home was built and decorated, we both decided to get FUN jobs and get back out in the work force. Our jobs are totally different from any other job we've ever had but we work at the beach and it is quite nice!
Our car insurance is much, much cheaper than in NJ, our property taxes are a little cheaper , homeowners insurance more expensive but the Florida living is priceless !!!!
I find that food costs are the same as NJ but great deals can be found when dining out (and I'm not talking about the early bird specials). Utilities are cheaper but gas is more expensive. I could go on and on but it gets boring after a while. Having no income tax is also a nice savings.
We enjoy our frequent trips to WDW, Universal and SeaWorld. We have been members of DVC since 1992 and really enjoy using our points for short visits.
On a good day, it takes us about 1 hour and 45 minutes to get to WDW---not bad at all!!
Of course, you become a very popular person moving to Florida ---it opens your door to a lot of out of state visitors, but can you blame them??????

 

[k5thbeatle]

Ok, I have read this entire thread now...whew!

A lot of good opinions. We are considering but would like to hear a few more comments regarding the following. BTW...We would not move soley because of Disney but just merely see that as a fringe benefit.

Not interested in necessarily living 10 minutes from WDW...where is good location within an hour or two?

Safety is big consideration...ok, I know...we live in an age where there is no assurance of 100% safety. Still we are accustomed to walking in evenings in relative safety.

Along same lines as safety (PLEASE, nobody take offense at this)...we are midwesterners. Live in a realitively large city but still people are not in a rush and overall friendly...we are concerned with maybe being confronted with a different mentality in Florida.

Would someone comment more on realistic costs of living? General economy? We are professionals, middle aged but still some years left to work. I know housing has been talked about but would like to hear more. Schools are not a concern for us.

I know weather is overall better (no winter yea!) but what is most unpleasant times (heat humidity) and how long does this last? Out of 365 days how many oon average would you say are pleasant?

Please all comments positive and NEGATIVE are welcomed. Again being near WDW would be a benefit but hardly our sole reason for moving.

Thanks

 

[Mai Ku Tiki]

Please DO NOT follow this link unless you want very realistic opinions about life in FLA...

http://www.city-data.com/forum/florida/

I found this site in my ongoing search for info about relocating...it contains forums for the state, major cities and within each locale, you can search certain counties or towns (ie...Lake, Osceola, Clermont or Davenport).

While there is ALOT of great info here and MANY love living in FLA, there also seem to be ALOT of VERY unhappy & disillusioned Floridians for MANY reasons.

All the DISers here have been VERY helpful but the above link accesses a HUGE number of threads/posts on this topic...

I hesitated before sharing the link here as I know many DISers may not want their pixiedust scattered to the winds...but so many here have helped me in the past so if you REALLY want to hear what SOME folks are saying about life in FLA today (weather, schools, colleges, employment, salaries, insurance, taxes, traffic, crime, real estate values, etc...) -the good, the bad, & the ugly- I hope this helps some fellow DISers. It helped me find GREAT info on Active Adult communities, for example.

PS...Another great source is the local newspaper. You can access the Orlando Sentinel, The Ledger (Polk County) and the St. Pete Times online.

PPS...Please don' shoot the messenger!

 

[N10CJT]

I feel compelled to chime in. My sister and her family moved down there a couple years back, from Long Island. They claimed that it was for other reasons, but we all know the truth..... they are crazy about Disney and wanted to move closer to it rather than taking multiple trips a year. That's okay by me, really.... I wouldn't make the same decision, but it's their lives. Anyway they talked about it for years and finally pulled the trigger.
And now we can tell that they are regretting it, at least in part (certainly it isn't like they had dreamed). They dislike their jobs. The schools aren't nearly as good.... in fact, my nephew moved back to live with my parents and go to the New York school, and then chose a college there. My niece goes to a Catholic school, which is a bit better. But she hates Florida..... she can't see my mother, who half-raised her, much at all. The food is nowhere close to what is available in New York. And they don't have the capital to consider a move back because their salaries are lower (in fairness, to coincide with the lower cost of living) and the neighborhood they once lived in is now above their market, and almost all of the houses there have tax rates way past what they were paying.
And you guessed it, Disney doesn't have the same magical appeal. It's an hour away, and they can take it for granted. They still go a lot, but it isn't with the same enthusiasm. I think that's what others are talking about when they say that you lose something, too.
I'm not saying that everyone's experience will be the same.... clearly from the posts a lot of people's aren't. But obviously this is a decision to consider through all angles. Sometimes the grass isn't greener. And maybe those tears when you leave are exactly what you want, because they remind you of the joy of being there and heighten the poignancy of your next arrival.

 

[KorieDWnut]

I feel compelled to chime in. My sister and her family moved down there a couple years back, from Long Island. They claimed that it was for other reasons, but we all know the truth..... they are crazy about Disney and wanted to move closer to it rather than taking multiple trips a year. That's okay by me, really.... I wouldn't make the same decision, but it's their lives. Anyway they talked about it for years and finally pulled the trigger.
And now we can tell that they are regretting it, at least in part (certainly it isn't like they had dreamed). They dislike their jobs. The schools aren't nearly as good.... in fact, my nephew moved back to live with my parents and go to the New York school, and then chose a college there. My niece goes to a Catholic school, which is a bit better. But she hates Florida..... she can't see my mother, who half-raised her, much at all. The food is nowhere close to what is available in New York. And they don't have the capital to consider a move back because their salaries are lower (in fairness, to coincide with the lower cost of living) and the neighborhood they once lived in is now above their market, and almost all of the houses there have tax rates way past what they were paying.
And you guessed it, Disney doesn't have the same magical appeal. It's an hour away, and they can take it for granted. They still go a lot, but it isn't with the same enthusiasm. I think that's what others are talking about when they say that you lose something, too.
I'm not saying that everyone's experience will be the same.... clearly from the posts a lot of people's aren't. But obviously this is a decision to consider through all angles. Sometimes the grass isn't greener. And maybe those tears when you leave are exactly what you want, because they remind you of the joy of being there and heighten the poignancy of your next arrival.

I have heard that from many people who have moved to FL. Most of the people I know who have since moved back here to MA didn't do thorough enough research before they moved. Many thought what could be bad? Warm weather, slower, friendlier culture, much better than North Eastern life! And that is all it takes to get them to move, of course they are going to be miserable, they only thought about the upsides.

We are planning to move somewhere in Sarasota county in June of 2009. This has been a carefully planned out process and has been in the works for about 3 years now. We go down every so often and check various things out, we tour neighborhoods, meat with RE agents, do our research online and through newspapers. I have the FL Department of Education in my favorites. I have 1.5 more years of school left and then we begin the home search.

Obviously, since where we want to move is 2-3 hours away from WDW that is not the reason for moving. Dh has family there and has a fragile back. My kids despise the cold and they are all miserable here. Of course there are serious downsides as far as weather goes down there but I think every area has some bad climate situations. I am flexible. if dh thinks this move is a good idea then I will be behind him 100%. We have a strong family support system here and they all know what we are doing. My inlaws are all planning moves down south as well.

 

[Mai Ku Tiki]

Well, it's been a year...anyone want to share an update?

 

[KorieDWnut]

The people we bought this house from 3 years ago bought a house in lakeland. Their number one reason for moving was to be closer to WDW. I didn't even think it was weird at all, I was jealous!

We are preparing our own move to Florida. our timeline is by the end of 4 years. We are moving to the west coast though. We live literally next to a harbor here and there is no way we could live anywhere that isn't like, right next to the ocean, it is just how we are. But I can deal with living 2 hours max from Orlando. Dh said the first thing we are buying once we move are our WDW annual passes.

HAHA...I didn't even realize what an old thread this has been AND I already responded to it before!!! amazing!! Wow..a year has gone by and look, my timeline has gotten longer. Sigh.

 

[Metro West]

I have State Farm here in FL and find them quite reasonable. My auto insurance isn't any more here either.

I have my car insurance through SF and my rate took a BIG leap from what I was paying in Virginia...even when I had my old car. When I bought my house, they were WAY too expensive on the homeowners so I went with Nationwide.

 

[DisneyGerry]

Looks like I may be finally able to relocate to the Orlando area. Looks like a house-hunting trip at end of month.

 

[DisneyGerry]

One place we are looking is Summerport--How do you like it?

Gerry

 

[toledo13]

I've given it serious thought- but I don't think DH wants to. Although it would be good- we wouldn't have to JUST vacation in WDW to keep me happy if we were closer...

 

[pilesoflaundry]

Dh and I have talked about it once the kids are out of the house because he has family in FL and there is a lot to do in Orlando. But I wouldn't do it with small kids, groceries and stuff are higher than anywhere else I have seen, schools are not good in the areas we could afford to live (and we can't afford to live in the other places!) and the nice houses are expensive. I don't want a trailer or a tiny little house.

It's just not my thing. We are close enough right now in GA but there is no way we are coming back here once he's done with his time in this state.

 

[tjlamphere]

My family and I just returned from 15 days in Florida, 11 of those days in Orlando, with 6 spent at WDW. I LOVE the Florida weather in January, February and March. I was there once in May and it was hot. Can't imagine June, July and August ! And I agree that, if you live near WDW, it would lose much of the "magic". It is a long 21 hour drive to WDW for us (one way), but that is part of the excitement. I wouldn't want to do that drive monthly, but once a year is not bad at all, especially driving South and watching the seasons change before your eyes. But that last 12 hours in Orlando is tough, knowing that we have to go home. But driving home, we talk about our next "Disney Adventure". My dream is to be able to have the health and finances to spend January - March in The Villages near Ocala. A Disney World for Adults !!! WDW withdrawal is very tough, going from 80 degree to 20 degree weather, but in the absence of winning the lottery, annual trips will have to do for now.

 

[Mai Ku Tiki]

Looks like I may be finally able to relocate to the Orlando area. Looks like a house-hunting trip at end of month.

Wonderful news! Best wishes, DisneyGerry!
We are still in the wishin' & hopin' & thinkin' & prayin' stage.

 

[disnee4mygirls]

I actually did just that! I worked for the Disney Stores (back when it was fun to work in them) and was going to Disney every month (also back when round trip flights were only like 99$!) and decided to just move down there. I got a transfer with my job and went down and worked part time for Disney World! I loved it. It wasn't until I tried to take off for my wedding that they refused me twice, that I had to resign. But I loved it there (working at Disney)! Had I not had to quit (though I guess I could have reapplied) we would probably still be down there. And working 7 days a week (5 at my 'real' job and 2 at Disney, it got pretty tiring sometimes). I lived down there almost two years and moved back home. Now my DH and I find ourselves wishing we were still there and asking ourselves 'why did we ever leave'! It is so nice to be able to go down there and know our way around so that helps a little but we still have a void that can only be filled by visiting Disney! We feel like we are going 'home' when we are down there....It does get crazy if you have to use I4 for any reason to get to work though so choose where you live carefully....GOOD LUCK with the house hunting!!!