Thinking about moving to FL

[roselark]

I know there are several folks on this board who have made the move over the years, so I thought this might be a good place to post my questions. Hubby and I are so done with cold Wisconsin winters. We are seriously considering moving to Florida...not immediately but within the next year or two. For those who have made the move from the cold northern states, have you been happy with your decision?

Right now, we are going to focus on paying off our credit cards and fixing up a few things in our house to get it ready to sell. Any other advice? I want to start looking at the job market too. Besides Disney, who are some of the other large employers in central Florida I should look at? I have product management and project management experience, so that experience can transfer to a lot of places.

Hubby wants to move now, but I am talking him down from that ledge. I was laid off from the company I worked 12 years for in November and received a decent severance (30 weeks). I have a good paying contractor position right now, but it is only a 6 month contract and I don't want to dig into that money until I find something more stable. Our house is NOT in the condition to sell right now, so if we tried that, it would be at a considerable loss. I am not willing to do that. Also, we do have a lot of credit card debt from when he was out of work (except for temp jobs) for nearly 5 years. I want to get out from under that before doing something new and risky like moving to a new state.

I would appreciate any suggestions, advice, or warnings from anyone with "the big move" experience.

 

[Bete]

I agree with you. Pay off your debt before moving.

If you and hubby can learn and do some house projects on your own then do so. You can learn from u-tube video, asking questions at Lowe's and Home Depot and Menard's. Get your hands a little dirty.

Since hubby is anxious maybe he can set up some job interviews when you are ready and take a trip to Florida to see how it goes with getting a job before moving. He'll need to use his vacation time.

Orlando is a tourist town; so, that's were most jobs are likely to be. Other amusement parks and restaurants and resorts are everywhere.

 

[FortForever]

We moved to FL from a snowy mountain location just about 10 years ago. No regrets. I could never live anywhere else now without going into a major depression. I am used to sunshine every day of the year. I had honestly not realized that my life in the north didn't include daily sunshine, as I had gotten so used it. Even when it's cold here, it's sunny. If it rain, it only does so for 5-15 minutes and the sun comes directly back out.

Visiting family who still live up north, the overcast sky was very depressing. I never realized it was like that most of year, other than summer, because I was born and spend my first 40 years of life there. Once you experience the Sunshine State, I believe it would be very difficult to leave.

What I will say is that it took about 3 years for my body to fully acclimate to the climate. Now that it has, I have very little cold tolerance. I sweated my butt off those first couple of years and even carried deodorant in my purse to reapply several times per day. Now, it has to be 100 degrees and high humidity to make me sweat.

The climate was the biggest adjustment. We lived in a rural area up north, and moved to a similar rural area down here in Florida. Some things that take no getting used to at all - sweet prices (and monthly payments) on Disney Annual Passes, Florida resident discounts at Disney and on cruises, being able to drive to all the cruise ports, no state income tax, low property taxes, no car inspections of any kind. There are probably things I'm missing, but those some of the perks.

Because real estate was so much cheaper down here, we were able to pay cash for our home with the proceeds from the sale of our home up north. No mortgage is very nice.

 

[Traveling on cc points]

We moved to FL from a snowy mountain location just about 10 years ago. No regrets. I could never live anywhere else now without going into a major depression. I am used to sunshine every day of the year. I had honestly not realized that my life in the north didn't include daily sunshine, as I had gotten so used it. Even when it's cold here, it's sunny. If it rain, it only does so for 5-15 minutes and the sun comes directly back out.

Visiting family who still live up north, the overcast sky was very depressing. I never realized it was like that most of year, other than summer, because I was born and spend my first 40 years of life there. Once you experience the Sunshine State, I believe it would be very difficult to leave.

What I will say is that it took about 3 years for my body to fully acclimate to the climate. Now that it has, I have very little cold tolerance. I sweated my butt off those first couple of years and even carried deodorant in my purse to reapply several times per day. Now, it has to be 100 degrees and high humidity to make me sweat.

The climate was the biggest adjustment. We lived in a rural area up north, and moved to a similar rural area down here in Florida. Some things that take no getting used to at all - sweet prices (and monthly payments) on Disney Annual Passes, Florida resident discounts at Disney and on cruises, being able to drive to all the cruise ports, no state income tax, low property taxes, no car inspections of any kind. There are probably things I'm missing, but those some of the perks.

Because real estate was so much cheaper down here, we were able to pay cash for our home with the proceeds from the sale of our home up north. No mortgage is very nice.

Wow, you really made me want to pack up my house here in Connecticut and move tomorrow. We too are thinking of retiring to florida in about 7 years. We are also coincide ring out west. To say I hate the cold weather is the understatement of the year. When people are complaining about the heat on a 95 degree muggy day I always say it's better that being 10 degrees out

 

[lpereira]

We just made the move last August. In general I am pleased with it. We actually moved into Seminole County for the schools. Three things:
1. Everyone Ive met here complains about traffic. Where I'm from if your car is still moving you arent in traffic.
2. If you are used to your Disney fix being on vacation then you are going to have to re-educate yourself and everyone in your household. $100 meals are fine when it is vacation but not when it's Tuesday.
3. You won't go to Disney World as much as you think. With school and work and doctors appointments life gets in the way. However I have had my daughter doing homework at various locations in the parks.

 

[FortForever]

We just made the move last August. In general I am pleased with it. We actually moved into Seminole County for the schools. Three things:
1. Everyone Ive met here complains about traffic. Where I'm from if your car is still moving you arent in traffic.
2. If you are used to your Disney fix being on vacation then you are going to have to re-educate yourself and everyone in your household. $100 meals are fine when it is vacation but not when it's Tuesday.
3. You won't go to Disney World as much as you think. With school and work and doctors appointments life gets in the way. However I have had my daughter doing homework at various locations in the parks.

1) Totally agree that people here have no clue what REAL traffic is.
2) We are two hours away, so still don't do day trips. If I'm not staying at a Disney resort, I can't feel the magic.
3) Ten years out and we still go a week every other month.

 

[luvavacation]

My family moved here one year ago from the Chicago area. I could write a novel on what we have experienced, but I don't believe anyone wants that, so I shall try to condense...

If you hire a contractor, check the licensing on your county's website. You can Google this. There are a lot of shady contractors out here, and the laws are set up to protect them when things go wrong. We did not learn this until our contractor took off with our money and didn't finish the work on our home. Also, check for multiple names. Many contractors use different last names, family member names, or variations. Things are really shady down here.

Regarding the overcast days - we just had two overcast days in a row. The weather reporters on the news were even complaining about this. My husband and I just smile, because up north we could go a whole month without any sunshine! But yes, we did indeed notice the dreariness. You do get used to the sunshine every day, and you will notice when it is gone for a day or two!

We have not acclimated. We walked our dogs yesterday with long sleeved shirts when it was sunny and 61. Our neighbours wore winter coats, hats and gloves. I am willing to be cold in the winter if I would just not sweat so much in the summer! Looking forward to when we acclimate to the summer weather!

A pool is a must. My pool is the best investment we have ever made.

Traffic is nothing down here. Even rush hour is easy-peasy compared to where we lived near Chicago. And toll roads were a way of life up north, so we have no problem with them down here. We stay off of I-4, where the majority of accidents seem to happen, and just scoot along on the relatively clear toll roads.

Cars down here are not sold with turn signals. I think those are an option.

It is possible that Driver's Ed does not exist. Everyone blames the tourists and old people as the bad drivers, but I beg to differ.

Disney is great, but we have discovered so many other things to do that are not Disney or theme parks. Exploring is fun!

If you like those cozy winter evenings with hot cocoa and a fire, you will find yourself missing them. I am enjoying the "cold front" we are having right now because the fire place is going and the tile floors make my feet cold, so I had to find my slippers. I also opened the windows last night because it was still too warm in the house from the fire. Maybe next year we will feel cold?

Divest yourself of winter sweaters. Also, socks. I have worn a sweater three times in the past year. I have worn socks maybe 5 or 6 times. It isn't all in a row, either. Sweater and socks one day, t-shirt and flip-flops the next. Though I do hear this is a record warm winter here in Central FL, so maybe next year I will be wearing more of the 30 some sweaters I absolutely had to bring with me from IL.

I miss the variety at my grocery store up north. I don't care how big the Publix is, it does not have the variety.

If you live in rural FL, which isn't far at all from downtown Orlando, and you are used to a more "city" way of life and living, you will have culture shock. From politics to what is acceptable to have in your yard to treatment of animals, well, it's different. I still jump when the neighbour kids set off tannerite explosions. Not sure I will ever understand the purpose for that.

All in all, we do love it down here. It is different than the life we had up north, but I am the type of person that likes change and embraces it. If you or your spouse prefers things to be the same all the time, you may not enjoy life down here all that much. I do suggest coming down for a week, renting a hotel room in a town away from the theme parks, and exploring. NO theme parks on the exploration visit. Just get out and learn about the area you think you might like. And use City-Data.com for the particulars of crime, schooling, etc. It was very helpful for us. Good luck!

 

[SandyinMonterey]

We almost moved to Florida in 2006. If I recall, it was the Lighthouse Point area. At the time we were living in California (Central Coast) but were born and raised in NJ. Husband got a job offer and the company really wanted him. It was practically a done deal. In 2006, home prices were really high. Maybe it was just the area? A million dollars for a house on the intercostal waterway and it needed A LOT of work (not much done to it since 1966). But I can tell that in that area, people were just buying up homes and then tearing them done and building mini-mansions. I was warned about the schools in Florida, that public schools are in general really terrible, by many. When I looked into insurances (home owner/ car) I found out that my insurance that I've been with for 30 plus years doesn't write insurance for hurricane/flood and our car insurance went up dramatically. Fast forward to 2016, I now live in Georgia and I love it here. I have a 5th grader so schools were very important to us. As far as the physical move, find strong people from excellent references. Start getting your house in order. Don't wait till last minute to get hardwood flooring refinished. But don't over do it. I big tip I received from a realtor....do pest inspection on your own. That way if there is a problem you can use something like the "electro-gun" instead of waiting when in escrow and having to tent which cost thousands. That way when house is on market, you can show that you already did inspection and hopefully there wasn't a problem. TIP: make sure when it's done it doesn't expire before home sells. Find a GOOD realtor. Easier said than done. I interviewed 5 and went with the one who did professional pictures, who sold homes in my area and she was the only one that made comments about getting house to sell when it comes to appraisal. Just because you sold it for "x" amount doesn't mean it will appraise for that. We had a list of all the improvements/upgrades we did throughout the years. When picking a mover, again research. I was very pleased with the moving company on the California end, not so much on Georgia end. We packed most of our stuff minus large items like furniture and TV's. In our experience, the boxes that were packed by us got listed on the sheet as "Large Box" and "small box" even though on every box it specified kitchen and what was in it. They did put little stickers on them but most fell off during transport so have a market ready and write every number in marker on your boxes. Take pictures of your more valuable items. If you're not moving until a couple of years, take as many trips to the area as you can. Get to know the area. Tap into the job market. You can never do enough research.

 

[jen7233]

We do not live in Florida (we live in the Midwest), but have recently experienced a move situation and have a house still for sale in another state. I would recommend to be debt-free to the best of your ability before moving. Also, as we are currently experiencing, sometimes a house doesn't sell right away.

 

[QueenIsabella]

If Disney is your only reason for moving to Florida, you might want to give consideration to other southern states, for better job prospects. You would still get the warm weather, and be close enough to drive for your Disney fix.

We moved to NC, 18 months ago, due to DH's job. We'd always lived in the Northeast. Here, at least, it does get down to freezing, maybe half a dozen times each winter. Other kids think mine are "exotic" because they can ski! Interestingly, schools still have 5 "weather days" (versus snow days), because of hurricanes and what they consider to be extremely cold weather (below 20 degrees). Most things we like. I have one kid who misses the cold, but he's a weirdo.

 

[Rusty2rules]

I'm going to add my two cents worth. We moved from northern Indiana in 2011 to the Tampa area and moved away in 2013. I drove through Orlando several times a year to visit a client in Daytona Beach. And we'd weekend in Orlando ocassionally.

I really enjoyed Florida...for the most part. My wife haaaaaaaated it. She couldn't wait to leave. It's muggy...almost all the time. For me, winter was paradise. But it's really hard (for us anyway) to get into the Christmas spirit when it's 75 degrees and sunny every day. I remember sitting in a Long John Silver's eating lunch in my shorts and t-shirt. There was a nativity scene in the corner. I thought "That's odd." Then I remembered it was December. LOL June, July, and August it's like living on the sun. It's ungodly hot and humid. There aren't any seasons, my wife missed that, and so did I a little. I mentioned that to a friend there. He said "What do you mean no seasons? We have really green, a little less green, brown, and a little more brown." LOL

A couple of posts have mentioned traffic. One word. BRUTAL! I think Orlando's so bad because (A) the population has exploded and (B) so many tourists who don't have a clue where they're going. For me, Tampa was the worst I've ever seen. I told clients in downtown Tampa I'd rather drive through Chicago every day. Along with the traffic and the amount of people on the roads, it was my experience that auto insurance rates are OUTRAGEOUS. When we moved I had a 2004 Monte Carlo, so 7 years old. My insurance for minimum state coverage was $1,200...every 6 months! And that's with a clean record.

Speaking of cars...okay, so Florida doesn't have a personal state tax. Don't let that fool you. They get you everywhere else. My son bought a car for $1,500. It cost him something like $900 for tax, title, and fees. While you're driving, make sure you look at how many out of state license plates you see. Maybe not so much in Orlando, but in Tampa they weren't tourists. They were people who had property in another state and kept their car licensed and insured there because it's so much cheaper. However, I did renew my driver's license while there for something like $50 and it was good for 10 years.

The bottom line is, for me, I'd move there as a snow bird (live there in the winter) if I could afford to keep my "main" home (I currently live in Oklahoma). But that would only be if my wife has passed or we're divorced because she has made it very clear that she will NEVER live there again under ANY circumstances. Be forewarned that everything in Florida is more expensive.

It's not for everybody. Like I said, I would consider living there again but only in the winter months. Good luck!

 

[QueenIsabella]

I'm going to add my two cents worth. We moved from northern Indiana in 2011 to the Tampa area and moved away in 2013. I drove through Orlando several times a year to visit a client in Daytona Beach. And we'd weekend in Orlando ocassionally.

I really enjoyed Florida...for the most part. My wife haaaaaaaated it. She couldn't wait to leave. It's muggy...almost all the time. For me, winter was paradise. But it's really hard (for us anyway) to get into the Christmas spirit when it's 75 degrees and sunny every day. I remember sitting in a Long John Silver's eating lunch in my shorts and t-shirt. There was a nativity scene in the corner. I thought "That's odd." Then I remembered it was December. LOL June, July, and August it's like living on the sun. It's ungodly hot and humid. There aren't any seasons, my wife missed that, and so did I a little. I mentioned that to a friend there. He said "What do you mean no seasons? We have really green, a little less green, brown, and a little more brown." LOL

A couple of posts have mentioned traffic. One word. BRUTAL! I think Orlando's so bad because (A) the population has exploded and (B) so many tourists who don't have a clue where they're going. For me, Tampa was the worst I've ever seen. I told clients in downtown Tampa I'd rather drive through Chicago every day. Along with the traffic and the amount of people on the roads, it was my experience that auto insurance rates are OUTRAGEOUS. When we moved I had a 2004 Monte Carlo, so 7 years old. My insurance for minimum state coverage was $1,200...every 6 months! And that's with a clean record.

Speaking of cars...okay, so Florida doesn't have a personal state tax. Don't let that fool you. They get you everywhere else. My son bought a car for $1,500. It cost him something like $900 for tax, title, and fees. While you're driving, make sure you look at how many out of state license plates you see. Maybe not so much in Orlando, but in Tampa they weren't tourists. They were people who had property in another state and kept they're car licensed and insured there because it's so much cheaper. However, I did renew my driver's license while there for something like $50 and it was good for 10 years.

The bottom line is, for me, I'd move there as a snow bird (live there in the winter) if I could afford to keep my "main" home (I currently live in Oklahoma). But that would only be if my wife has passed or we're divorced because she has made it very clear that she will NEVER live there again under ANY circumstances. be forewarned that everything in Florida is more expensive.

It's not for everybody. Like I said, I would consider living there again but only in the winter months. Good luck!

We found the bolded to be true in NC, as well. We joke about having "one week of winter", when it gets down to freezing. DS19 wears shorts and sandals year-round. DS10 actually went swimming in our (heated) pool on Christmas Day. My roses flowered until mid-December, and we have birds year-round. OTOH, summers are brutal, even with air conditioning everywhere.

The other thing I look at with the OP is, so many people on these boards seem to want to move to Orlando to "be bear the magic", and then they find Orlando to be less than magical.

 

[afan]

I've seen comments about getting used to all the sun a few times and have to disagree that not everyone gets used to it. I grew up near Seattle, I'm used to the gloom. I went to college in San Francisco and the campus sat in the fog belt so if I didn't leave campus I could go a week without seeing the sun despite it being sunny less than 2 miles from school. I stayed in San Jose after college for a few years and it would rain and be cloudy enough there that I never had problems.

I lived in NC near Charlotte for 6 years and while I loved the heat, part of why I moved there, I would long for clouds in the summer. Day upon day of nothing but blue sky and sun got so boring. Thunderstorms helped break it up sometimes, but I didn't enjoy the sun all the time. Though I will say, that whole Carolina blue is totally a thing. The sky is such a different color blue there than it is here in the PNW.

I think you can get used to the heat and humidity. 70 becomes jeans and sweatshirt weather But really I was in and out of air conditioned places when it was hot out it wasn't that big of a deal. Except for having to take the dog outside.

 

[adisneyaunt]

I've not looked back, once. I LOVE FLORIDA....and the Beautiful Bright Warm Sunshine ...that graces just about Every Single Day ( we re below the Tropic line so it's warm All year round) And I get my "fill" of snow when our town celebrates the Holidays with the Fake stuff, lol
...the never ending profusion of flowers, All Year round and the Smell of those flowers
and the Hummingbirds that visit me outside my window just about every day.

I get a chuckle when people say "snowbirds are making terrible traffic". The traffic is Nothing like we were used too, nothing. ( but I will concede that many don't use blinkers, nor allow cars to get in their lane) and not a huge fan of 70 mph so people drive 80 like it's 50!

I have not worn a pair of socks or closed shoes for that matter ... in a long time ( except for sneakers to exercise)
No winter coats, gloves or hats ( well except for my Sun Visor!)
It's the Overall Feeling of Sunshine and Brightness that has Literally Changed my life...
I do wish I could hop over to Disney on a whim..but it's 3 1/2 hours north of me, longer than when I flew. But I've spent Many trips there already! Yippee resident rates!

Food prices are comparable or More, water is more but electric and tv/internet is less. Others listed some additional perks.
Feeling Fortunate and Blessed to have made the move as it's had a BIG impact on Quality of life for our family.
OP: clear up that debt, get that house prepped n staged, get your network and feelers out to help with employment and Make That Move.
Best of luck to you!

 

[katyjeka]

My family moved to Clearwater when I was 15. I enjoyed it when I was a teenager and was a little upset when my husbands job transferred him North. I have come to love Pa. and yes even the winters.(I know, we are strange!!) We love skiing, sled riding, and snowy winter days. My parents still have a place in Palm Harbor and we visit quite often but I've come to love where we are at and have no desire to move south. We love WDW and certain parts of Orlando but I don't find Orlando magical either. We have been spending a lot of time in Arizona lately and I will admit we are a little tempted to give it a try.(husband was offered a job transfer but we just were not ready)Love, love, love Arizona!! The only advice I can give, pay as much debt off as possible and do as much of the work on your home yourself. I would hate to move and take a lot of credit card bills with me. Good luck

 

[ellynsoh]

I have a strange question for you Florida residents. Do you get mice or rats in your home? I have a bit of a phobia. Thanks

 

[Southernmiss]

I have a strange question for you Florida residents. Do you get mice or rats in your home? I have a bit of a phobia. Thanks

Not Florida but a similar climate. The simple answer no.

Take normal precautions to live in a clean house like you would anywhere and viola no critters.

 

[Happyinwonerland]

I have a strange question for you Florida residents. Do you get mice or rats in your home? I have a bit of a phobia. Thanks

You can get mice or rats anywhere. As a former Florida resident, I can tell you they do have problems with small lizards, palmetto bugs, ants, and sometimes snakes.

 

[TwoMisfits]

And gators...both of my Florida family live near water and have had these in their literal backyard...couldn't pay me enough to live with that, so their desires for me to move anywhere near them fall on deaf ears...I'd have to live in the "no water" Florida area if I ever went to Florida...

 

[flateacher]

I have a strange question for you Florida residents. Do you get mice or rats in your home? I have a bit of a phobia. Thanks

You can get fruit rats if you have fruit trees in the yard. They will live in the yard and you see little holes eaten out of the fruit. They can get in the house if you aren't careful.... we had a hole in the soffit and one got in. We had a cantaloupe on the counter and woke to a hole chewed in it! ACK!

Lots of lizards... but they don't bother anything. The Palmetto bugs are the worst and ants can get bad too. We put almost everything in the fridge or tupperware in the pantry. Its hard trying to explain to visitors why you can't leave bread out (gets stale in a day) or sugar (ants) or any other food (other bugs).

We have had snakes in the garage and pool. Our neighbor had an alligator in his garage and you need to be careful on the golf courses.... they are everywhere.

In Florida it really has nothing to do if your house is clean = lizards, palmetto bugs and ants are coming in anyway... especially during the rainy season... they want dry land. Other creatures are coming in if you give them a way in... even on accident!