This is the 2nd time in 3 years I've seriously considered

[omghidanielle]

moving to Central Florida.

We've been looking to move sometime within the next 5 years (currently, we live in Philadelphia) and I'm very unhappy with this process of looking in my area. Each area I am interested in has some sort of 'issue' ie, being too far or difficult to get to/from my work/my DH's work, too high property taxes, too crowded neighborhood/unstable neighborhood, lack of parking, ugly/old houses, prices too high for a house that needs wayyyyyyyyyy too much work aaand blah blah blah...

I just fished through a few listings for some pretty nice Condos in Orlando, Celebration and Kissimmee.

Anyone from the area want to give me a few pointers or bits of insight?

Maybe I'm being crazy, but my DH and I have joked about doing it before, so I figured I'd get my facts before I bring it up...

 

[olena]

My family moved there a few years ago and some their biggest complaints are:

horrible schools
bugs year round
high property taxes
tolls, tolls, tolls
summers are too hot for too long (and they're from the deep South so that's saying something)
snakes
hurricanes
difficulty finding and keeping affordable homeowners insurance
rising gang problem
lousy local/tourist drivers
economy not diverse enough to withstand downturn in tourism


Most of these are not unique to Central FL, but they are things I've heard them rave and complain about over the years. The insurance thing is a big one.


They like:
no sales tax on food
no state income tax
proximity to beach in both directions
mild winters
longer pool season
proximity to tourist destinations & WDW (though it has already gotten old to them)
great freshwater fishing
smoke-free public places

 

[ORMom2Four]

Does your Dh want to move too? I know he's joked about it, but does he really not like where you live the same as you?

If so, then I would say "Go for it!".

Dh and I hated Arizona and one day decided enough was enough. He found a job in Oregon, we had our house on the market the next day and were gone a few weeks later. Best decision we ever made. (though the first few years of adjustment were rough!)

 

[Caradana]

What industries are you and your DH in?

 

[omghidanielle]

I supervise a CU call center
he works for Lockheed Martin
so he could easily transfer, but I'd need to find a new place to work, but I'm pretty flexible.

How high are the property taxes? I was noticing on the ReMax website (which may not be right, I understand) that for a condo, it's somewhere around $2,000-$3,000, which isn't bad for us, considering right now we're paying $1,600 in Philadelphia, but where we looking to move in New Jersey, the property taxes are between $7,500-$9,000!

We have some issues off that laundry list of issues up here, sans the snakes and hot hot summers. That would probably be my roughest issue to overcome.

I guess we will see what happens when we visit in September.

Thank you, everyone, for your input!

 

[SandrA9810]

horrible schools - check... but celebration does have good ones, and there's a few good ones here and there
bugs year round - check... the love bugs are the most annoying. they start swarming in may and septemberish. I don't have problems with mosquitoes because kari attracts them away from me
high property taxes - dunno 'bout that...
tolls, tolls, tolls - check, check, check. Living in Kissimme it's easy to get to a lot of spots. But we lived on the east side of Orlando airport, and it cost kari 4 bucks a day in tolls. The expressway authority is evil and should not be allowed to operate.
summers are too hot for too long (and they're from the deep South so that's saying something) - check, but as a native floridian you get used to going from your air conditioned house, to air conditioned car, to air conditioned store. And you learn to enjoy disney during the off season, it's wayyyy to crowded otherwise.
snakes - most of them are harmless... but anywhere can have poisonous snakes.
hurricanes - they're fun to ride out. I've never evacuated for one. Rode out andrew at home, and that's the worst storm I've sat through. I like the peacefulness and darkness at night time with the power out afterwards. Just prepare early and be ready.
difficulty finding and keeping affordable homeowners insurance - check... there's always something in the newspaper. State Farm wants to drop it's home owners insurance. And always remember flood insurance is seperate from home owners, so be careful.
rising gang problem - I think that happens any where in the big cities and well orlando is still growing.
lousy local/tourist drivers - check, but much better than dealing with the crazy people of miami who think 80mph is too slow.
economy not diverse enough to withstand downturn in tourism - yeah but lockhead martin doesn't count on tourism... but don't they work with NASA?? that might be a problem in a couple years.
electric rates I find to be really high with o.u.c. and progress energy companies. Kissimme utility authority has had decent rates in the past 3 years. with decent bills for our size apt.

 

[GeorgeG]

We've been down here for almost four years and love it. Some of the issues you've mentioned are commonn in most parts of Florida, but better in some.

Schools: Vary by area and charter schools (tuition-based) tend to be significantly better.

Bugs: We have found the bugs to be tolerable and less of a problem than in New York, at least where we live. Everyone has a regular pest control service and that keeps things pretty pleasant. We also have screened lanais. Love bugs can be a pain in May and September, but last September and so far this May we have had very few in our area. The coastal areas and Orlando tend to be worse. maybe it has something to do with our higher elevation.

Higher property taxes: Again, it depends on where you live. Ours are a lot lower than New York. I'm going to guess they will be higher near the coast and tourist areas.

Tolls: Again, it depends on where and how much you travel. The only tolls we see are closer to the Orlando area. We have a SunPass that saves a little for when we go to WDW and the airport.

Summers too hot: While some people do not get used to it, many do. I like the summers. You just learn how to deal with it, just like you learn to deal with snow and ice up north. I think the winters in my area are a bit too cold. Most of the time, the weather is great.

Snakes: Florida does have snakes, but so does New York, We see no more snakes here than we did in New York (my wife is terrified of snakes and she loves it here). If you have a big yard or a pond, you will see more. In almost four years we have yet to see a snake in our yard and have only seen a handful along the roads. The more populated areas will have fewer snakes.

Hurricanes: Anyplace you live will have some sort of storms. We see fewer hurricanes here than smow and ice storms in New York. Inland counties are at less risk and property insurance is significantly less because of that. The hurricanes we've had in our area have been non-events. Just make sure you buy a house built to the more recent codes and you will be okay.

Homeowners insurance: Living inland in a new code house saves a lot (40-50%). Just make sure you don't live in a flood plane (north of Orlando does have some higher elevations).

Gangs: There are plenty of areas with no gang activity. Like anyplace else, research the area.

Lousy drivers: Well, I have to agree with that, but drive defensively and it's not as bad as some make it out to be. That's another thing that will vary by area. Tourist areas (coastal and Orlando) will be the worst.

Economy: I suppose it's really no worse than most states right now. I'm retired (except for my music) so I don't see much effect. In fact, we see return to building (and selling) a lot of new homes in the area. If you can work at a decent job you will be okay.

Electric bills: Another thing that seems to vary by area and/or electric company. We have SECO and our electric bills, even though rising, are still a lot less than we paid in New York, and we didn't run central A/C up there.

 

[Ilivetogo]

HI ! I'm from Philly suburbs too!!

I'm originally from Florida (middle of west coast - south of Sarasota) and I'm planning on moving back to Central Florida myself in a few years. (Waiting for teen to get out of high school in 2 years.)

Not sure if you have kids, but if you do and I've read from the PPs all the comments on how bad the schools are ... I have found out that the schools in Florida are ranked in letters. The "A" schools being the best. About 15 minutes or so north of Orlando/Kissimmee is an area called Oviedo and Winter Springs, and they're in an "A" school area. This is the area I plan to be moving to once I go down. (The schools near Kissimmee and Orlando are C's and D's.) The area around Kissimmee is full of short-term rentals and your "neighbors" change over way too often and the schools are no good there.

Heat - After living in Florida for many years, I can tell you one thing about the heat. We moved there originally from Pennsylvania and when we got there, all the locals told us to give it a good year to get yourself used to it. It's true. After that, the heat was noticeable, but you DO tend to get used to it. It's really not bad after you're used to it. Give yourselves a year.

Drivers - I can tell you the drivers up here in Philly make me cringe every single day. I'm not sure it would be so different there - just different people.

Humidity and Bugs - This you have to get used to very quickly. You have to learn that your pantry things need to be enclosed. Tupperware-type containers are the best. Anything dry needs to be closed up. Your cereals/crackers will get soggy quickly if you don't contain them. Little bugs will find a way in stuff if you don't contain it.

Most of the reason I'm moving back down is because I just can't stand being so cold anymore.

Good luck!!!!

 

[GeorgeG]

HI ! I'm from Philly suburbs too!!

I'm originally from Florida (middle of west coast - south of Sarasota) and I'm planning on moving back to Central Florida myself in a few years. (Waiting for teen to get out of high school in 2 years.)

Not sure if you have kids, but if you do and I've read from the PPs all the comments on how bad the schools are ... I have found out that the schools in Florida are ranked in letters. The "A" schools being the best. About 15 minutes or so north of Orlando/Kissimmee is an area called Oviedo and Winter Springs, and they're in an "A" school area. This is the area I plan to be moving to once I go down. (The schools near Kissimmee and Orlando are C's and D's.) The area around Kissimmee is full of short-term rentals and your "neighbors" change over way too often and the schools are no good there.

Heat - After living in Florida for many years, I can tell you one thing about the heat. We moved there originally from Pennsylvania and when we got there, all the locals told us to give it a good year to get yourself used to it. It's true. After that, the heat was noticeable, but you DO tend to get used to it. It's really not bad after you're used to it. Give yourselves a year.
Drivers - I can tell you the drivers up here in Philly make me cringe every single day. I'm not sure it would be so different there - just different people.

Humidity and Bugs - This you have to get used to very quickly. You have to learn that your pantry things need to be enclosed. Tupperware-type containers are the best. Anything dry needs to be closed up. Your cereals/crackers will get soggy quickly if you don't contain them. Little bugs will find a way in stuff if you don't contain it.

Most of the reason I'm moving back down is because I just can't stand being so cold anymore.

Good luck!!!!

Yes, the people who complain most about the heat are "snowbirds" who don't spend the whole summer so they can get used to it. We were advised to move down in early fall so we would be a little better prepared by summer. That was good advice. It's important to understand that it's a lot hotter in the sun than the actual ambient temperature is in the shade. I'll take a Florida summer over a northern summer anytime.

 

[Ilivetogo]

It's important to understand that it's a lot hotter in the sun than the actual ambient temperature is in the shade. I'll take a Florida summer over a northern summer anytime.

I agree.

 

[C.Ann]

We've been down here for almost four years and love it. Some of the issues you've mentioned are commonn in most parts of Florida, but better in some.

Schools: Vary by area and charter schools (tuition-based) tend to be significantly better.

Bugs: We have found the bugs to be tolerable and less of a problem than in New York, at least where we live. Everyone has a regular pest control service and that keeps things pretty pleasant. We also have screened lanais. Love bugs can be a pain in May and September, but last September and so far this May we have had very few in our area. The coastal areas and Orlando tend to be worse. maybe it has something to do with our higher elevation.

Higher property taxes: Again, it depends on where you live. Ours are a lot lower than New York. I'm going to guess they will be higher near the coast and tourist areas.

Tolls: Again, it depends on where and how much you travel. The only tolls we see are closer to the Orlando area. We have a SunPass that saves a little for when we go to WDW and the airport.

Summers too hot: While some people do not get used to it, many do. I like the summers. You just learn how to deal with it, just like you learn to deal with snow and ice up north. I think the winters in my area are a bit too cold. Most of the time, the weather is great.

Snakes: Florida does have snakes, but so does New York, We see no more snakes here than we did in New York (my wife is terrified of snakes and she loves it here). If you have a big yard or a pond, you will see more. In almost four years we have yet to see a snake in our yard and have only seen a handful along the roads. The more populated areas will have fewer snakes.

Hurricanes: Anyplace you live will have some sort of storms. We see fewer hurricanes here than smow and ice storms in New York. Inland counties are at less risk and property insurance is significantly less because of that. The hurricanes we've had in our area have been non-events. Just make sure you buy a house built to the more recent codes and you will be okay.

Homeowners insurance: Living inland in a new code house saves a lot (40-50%). Just make sure you don't live in a flood plane (north of Orlando does have some higher elevations).

Gangs: There are plenty of areas with no gang activity. Like anyplace else, research the area.

Lousy drivers: Well, I have to agree with that, but drive defensively and it's not as bad as some make it out to be. That's another thing that will vary by area. Tourist areas (coastal and Orlando) will be the worst.

Economy: I suppose it's really no worse than most states right now. I'm retired (except for my music) so I don't see much effect. In fact, we see return to building (and selling) a lot of new homes in the area. If you can work at a decent job you will be okay.

Electric bills: Another thing that seems to vary by area and/or electric company. We have SECO and our electric bills, even though rising, are still a lot less than we paid in New York, and we didn't run central A/C up there.

-----------------------

The area you live in - and my sister (a couple of miles down the road) is great..

There are other areas of Florida I would never, ever want to live in - for a number of reasons..

If a move is in the making, right now would be a good time (depending on the area) because the housing market is in such a slump..

Good luck with your decision..