Thinking about moving to FL

[izzy]

My cousin lives in Venice on the Gulf side and loves it there. It is fairly laid back and beachy. It’s about 1/2 hour or so south of Sarasota. I’ve been with them to Sarasota several times and really like it there, too. It has a vibrant arts and culture scene. More stores and things to do. There is a smaller airport there, but the bigger airport in Tampa is only about an hour away.

My cousin also used to live in Port Saint Lucie, on the Atlantic side. He said that one thing he has noticed is that more people from the Northeast tend to move to the east coast of Florida, whereas the west coast of Florida has more people from the Midwest. I don’t know if that is really true, but those are just his observations.

I think either place you could get a nice house in a gated community if that is important to you.

 

[Stratman50th]

Just want to throw this out there, and it only applies to now. This could change in a few months. If you are going to rent, be prepared to pay top dollar. I'm talking Disney prices! My daughter and her BF have been living with us since May and they are having a terrible time locating something in their price range to rent. They aren't looking for some amazing property fit for a movie star, just something in a safe neighborhood that's reasonable. Hopefully we'll start to see demand go down so they can find a place they can afford (and get out of my house!).

 

[EllieJedi]

The replies so far have been very helpful. Many of the communities near Orlando that poster have mentioned are ones that I have been researching already. I need to spend a longer non-park focused trip in Orlando to be able to compare the feel of the different areas better. Clermont, Winter Garden, Lake Mary, Longwood seemed to be some areas I might want to look at. I like closer in areas like Windermere and Doctor Phillips as well but I’m thinking I would be priced out there.

I did more reading and watched some videos on St. Augustine last night and that is definitely worth a trip as well. I really liked that it has a historic downtown, and the beaches nearby. The arts culture seems a bit more prevalent as well. Even if I buy a newer home, it would be nice to have the historic feel.

I am familiar with Sarasota and Venice, as before I accepted my current job I nearly accepted a job in Sarasota. The timing was a little off unfortunately. I’m thinking I may need to adjust next summer’s vacation plans to do 2 weeks in FL to get a feel for the different areas.

I have heard that more East Coast transplants tend to move to the Atlantic side and Midwesterners tend towards the Gulf side as well, but I don’t have any statistics to back it up. I personally know Midwesterners on both sides.

As much as I love historic homes, the comments that were posted by Greeneyedchick about roofs needing to be fairly new, and the increasing difficulty in getting affordable homeowners insurance confirms a lot of what I have been reading as well. I would likely try to stick to an existing home built within the last 10 years.

I am wondering why the auto rates are so high though? Obviously, I’ve seen the way people drive around Orlando, including in the non-tourist areas but I still find it hard to believe that there are really that many more accidents than we would have here with our weather. I only have 1 car and it’s now 9 years old, and since I work from home I put on maybe 5K a year now. Are there a lot of auto thefts?

 

[Stratman50th]

As much as I love historic homes, the comments that were posted by Greeneyedchick about roofs needing to be fairly new, and the increasing difficulty in getting affordable homeowners insurance confirms a lot of what I have been reading as well. I would likely try to stick to an existing home built within the last 10 years.

I am wondering why the auto rates are so high though? Obviously, I’ve seen the way people drive around Orlando, including in the non-tourist areas but I still find it hard to believe that there are really that many more accidents than we would have here with our weather. I only have 1 car and it’s now 9 years old, and since I work from home I put on maybe 5K a year now. Are there a lot of auto thefts?

I've been hearing stories about problems getting homeowners insurance here and I have to be honest, I'm not really up on the issues. We didn't have a problem. Others might be better to advise. We built our house several years ago so it's up to the latest "hurricane codes". Some I know of, others I don't. For example, we have a hip roof rather than a gable roof. Supposed to be rated for 140mph sustained winds. All windows and glass doors are hurricane rated. Our exterior is cinderblock, filled with foam and covered with stucco. Maybe construction and materials make a difference with insurance?
As far as auto insurance, a large part is because of uninsured motorists which seems to be an issue down here. Tourists, the elderly, and junky hooptie cars might play into it as well. Oh, like you said.... people drive like nuts around here. Not enough time to give lots of examples. You'll just have to trust me on that.

 

[Stratman50th]

By way of a little clarity, being close to Disney in no way played a part in where we decided to live. To be honest, we really have other places to see and spend our money at than Disney World.
We moved here because we have a motorhome and we like to travel. The community was designed around people who own RVs. They might be snowbirds, or live here full time like us, but there isn't a lot of communities where you can have a garage attached to your house to park the RV in. The fact that it's 30 minutes from WDW property never played into it.

 

[EllieJedi]

By way of a little clarity, being close to Disney in no way played a part in where we decided to live. To be honest, we really have other places to see and spend our money at than Disney World.
We moved here because we have a motorhome and we like to travel. The community was designed around people who own RVs. They might be snowbirds, or live here full time like us, but there isn't a lot of communities where you can have a garage attached to your house to park the RV in. The fact that it's 30 minutes from WDW property never played into it.

Disney has become pretty expensive so my trips aren’t as frequent or as long as they used to be. Off topic, but since you have an RV, do you still go to FW for Halloween or Christmas/New Years? My family stayed at FW on our very first Disney trip in 1978 and that’s what started my Disney habit. My kids laugh when I tell them how much my brother and I loved. River Country.

I've been hearing stories about problems getting homeowners insurance here and I have to be honest, I'm not really up on the issues. We didn't have a problem. Others might be better to advise. We built our house several years ago so it's up to the latest "hurricane codes". Some I know of, others I don't. For example, we have a hip roof rather than a gable roof. Supposed to be rated for 140mph sustained winds. All windows and glass doors are hurricane rated. Our exterior is cinderblock, filled with foam and covered with stucco. Maybe construction and materials make a difference with insurance?
As far as auto insurance, a large part is because of uninsured motorists which seems to be an issue down here. Tourists, the elderly, and junky hooptie cars might play into it as well. Oh, like you said.... people drive like nuts around here. Not enough time to give lots of examples. You'll just have to trust me on that.

Google is telling me that nearly 1 in 4 FL drivers is uninsured. I guess adding that number in to the elderly, tourists, etc and amount of traffic could lead to the higher rates. It might make sense before I move to see if it possible to compare auto and homeowners insurance rates for the different areas in addition to real estate prices, crime stats, and the other statistics I might normally look at.

 

[greeneyedchick]

The replies so far have been very helpful. Many of the communities near Orlando that poster have mentioned are ones that I have been researching already. I need to spend a longer non-park focused trip in Orlando to be able to compare the feel of the different areas better. Clermont, Winter Garden, Lake Mary, Longwood seemed to be some areas I might want to look at. I like closer in areas like Windermere and Doctor Phillips as well but I’m thinking I would be priced out there.

I did more reading and watched some videos on St. Augustine last night and that is definitely worth a trip as well. I really liked that it has a historic downtown, and the beaches nearby. The arts culture seems a bit more prevalent as well. Even if I buy a newer home, it would be nice to have the historic feel.

I am familiar with Sarasota and Venice, as before I accepted my current job I nearly accepted a job in Sarasota. The timing was a little off unfortunately. I’m thinking I may need to adjust next summer’s vacation plans to do 2 weeks in FL to get a feel for the different areas.

I have heard that more East Coast transplants tend to move to the Atlantic side and Midwesterners tend towards the Gulf side as well, but I don’t have any statistics to back it up. I personally know Midwesterners on both sides.

As much as I love historic homes, the comments that were posted by Greeneyedchick about roofs needing to be fairly new, and the increasing difficulty in getting affordable homeowners insurance confirms a lot of what I have been reading as well. I would likely try to stick to an existing home built within the last 10 years.

I am wondering why the auto rates are so high though? Obviously, I’ve seen the way people drive around Orlando, including in the non-tourist areas but I still find it hard to believe that there are really that many more accidents than we would have here with our weather. I only have 1 car and it’s now 9 years old, and since I work from home I put on maybe 5K a year now. Are there a lot of auto thefts?

Auto rates are high because there are a ton of lawyers that like to sue here.

 

[Stratman50th]

Auto rates are high because there are a ton of lawyers that like to sue here.

Well, there is that too I guess....

 

[DisBud]

We moved from Central MN to Florida two years ago. LOVE it! My husband and I originally grew up in the Eagan/Burnsville area of MN, so close to the downtowns. We live in Winter Garden and love the vibe here. We are in the Horizon West/Hamlin area of Winter Garden. We can see the Magic Kingdom fireworks from our porch, I never imagined we would be this close to the theme parks, but I was drawn to our school district. There are so many things to do and the people are very friendly and laid back. Also a wide variety of home styles, some with property, some on lakes, some right on top of eachother.

Yes, I-4 is a pain, but I can easily avoid it for most of our needs. We only go into Orlando for concerts and sports so far. My mom moved at the same time and she is about 45 minutes away from us, she wishes she was closer. I love our Winter Garden area, but Clermont and Minneola area nice too, that is where I am house searching for my mom.

Good luck with your move, we are very happy we did it. They will tell you it costs a lot to register cars in FL, but it is about the cost of one year of tabs in MN and then it is only $30-40 annually. I had budgeted $1500/car as I was used to MN rates and was told it was expensive!!

 

[misskitkat]

If you aren't dead set on FL I might suggest looking in NC. You'll still get seasons and, if you stay out of the mountains, the winters are pretty mild. Auto insurance is cheaper in NC than many other states. I have a friend who live south of Charlotte, just across the border in SC and she loves it. Her neighborhood is family friendly and safe and she's only 30 minutes from Charlotte International airport. I wouldn't recommend living in the city because of traffic but there are some nice places outside the city. Same with Raleigh or Greensboro.

 

[shh]

He said that one thing he has noticed is that more people from the Northeast tend to move to the east coast of Florida, whereas the west coast of Florida has more people from the Midwest. I don’t know if that is really true, but those are just his observations.

Yup. 100% true. Definitely a diff culture and vibe west coast vs east coast. And another totally diff vibe south vs central/north. That's one thing about Florida I find so fascinating - even after living here my whole life.

Geographically it's a snoozer for me: beach, lakes, islands, beach beach beach. lol. After decades, I'm tired of it. Weather wise - heat. heat. little less heat. whoops back to heat.

But from a sociological/cultural standpoint, it's amazing. So many different microcultures thrive here - from spicy Latin/International sizzle to rural country charms to folksy midwestern to spirited NY/Jersey/Philly. A single state with almost every possible culture to choose from.

 

[mousefan73]

Can I put the idea in your head to maybe look for a location that’s not so extreme weather wise in the other direction? Our niece has RA her body goes crazy with extreme heat and humidity. Temperature wise California would be perfect but has a higher cost of living. You seem to have a pretty good budget so regardless where you pick you’ll be OK. Just my advice - visiting a place and loving it there is a lot different than actually living there. I love to visit Florida but could never live there for many reasons ( I have kids in school so that brings other things to look into ) . But having theright Budget can make most places livable.

 

[mousefan73]

I am wondering why the auto rates are so high though? Obviously, I’ve seen the way people drive around Orlando, including in the non-tourist areas but I still find it hard to believe that there are really that many more accidents than we would have here with our weather. I only have 1 car and it’s now 9 years old, and since I work from home I put on maybe 5K a year now. Are there a lot of auto thefts?

I recall reading there’s a database we can look up auto accidents. I believe State Farm start this because not all accidents are not reported to the police. I could be totally wrong but I have this in the back of my head. But I have to say is someone who has traveled globally and has driven myself in many major cities around the world and grew up in Chicago- Florida drivers are the worst. Now I can’t say if these are locals or tourist driving but I have never feared for my life driving as much as between Jacksonville and Tampa. Honestly it’s come to the point that I cut back on my driving when I go to Orlando. It’s simply airport – WDW - outlet malls and back. I avoid the roads.

 

[EllieJedi]

If you aren't dead set on FL I might suggest looking in NC. You'll still get seasons and, if you stay out of the mountains, the winters are pretty mild. Auto insurance is cheaper in NC than many other states. I have a friend who live south of Charlotte, just across the border in SC and she loves it. Her neighborhood is family friendly and safe and she's only 30 minutes from Charlotte International airport. I wouldn't recommend living in the city because of traffic but there are some nice places outside the city. Same with Raleigh or Greensboro.

NC was actually the other area of the Southeast I was primarily considering. I have not spent as much time there as FL, but I would still get away from the extreme cold. It might mitigate some of the FL issues such as the insurance and hurricanes as long as I was inland again. NC is still pretty humid in the summer but I haven’t visited in July or August to know how it compares to most of the areas of Florida I’m considering. I will need to do more research to compare Charlotte to Greensboro to Raleigh.

Can I put the idea in your head to maybe look for a location that’s not so extreme weather wise in the other direction? Our niece has RA her body goes crazy with extreme heat and humidity. Temperature wise California would be perfect but has a higher cost of living. You seem to have a pretty good budget so regardless where you pick you’ll be OK. Just my advice - visiting a place and loving it there is a lot different than actually living there. I love to visit Florida but could never live there for many reasons ( I have kids in school so that brings other things to look into ) . But having theright Budget can make most places livable.

My plan was to visit Florida for a few weeks in the summer to get an idea on how my leg would respond at that time of year before I would make any firm plans. I do enjoy visiting California, but the cost of living and real estate prices really scare me.

 

[Stratman50th]

@EllieJedi
I assume you already know this, but Florida has no state income tax.

 

[EllieJedi]

@EllieJedi
I assume you already know this, but Florida has no state income tax.

Yes, that is certainly a plus. MN is not quite NJ but our taxes are not exactly low.

 

[Stratman50th]

Yes, that is certainly a plus. MN is not quite NJ but our taxes are not exactly low.

But to be fair, they get you in other places.
My daughter just moved here from Tacoma and while she complains (about everything) it has been cheaper.
They just tagged and titled 2 vehicles and I wish I could remember what they paid total. Funny, when my wife and I moved here six years ago, we tagged and titled our 45' motorhome for the same price as a car. Go figure.

 

[EllieJedi]

But to be fair, they get you in other places.
My daughter just moved here from Tacoma and while she complains (about everything) it has been cheaper.
They just tagged and titled 2 vehicles and I wish I could remember what they paid total. Funny, when my wife and I moved here six years ago, we tagged and titled our 45' motorhome for the same price as a car. Go figure.

Tags on my 9 year old car are finally down to around $100 a year here. I think I’ve mentally blocked out how much they were when the car was new as it was pretty painful.

 

[mousefan73]

@EllieJedi
I assume you already know this, but Florida has no state income tax.

Just because you’re not paying state income tax doesn’t mean you’re getting more Net in the long run. To compare apples to apples you need to go through everything with a fine tooth. Property taxes, what services or “fees” do you have to pay for. Just replace the word “fee” with “tax” there you got it.What is state doesn’t get via income tax they’ll get through other means (charging more for garbage, water etc. insurance tax things like that).

 

[RamblingMad]

You're swapping some problems. When I lived in the southeast, I had terrible sinus issues due to the high humidity, and the rain made home maintenance much more expensive. I can't imagine the impact of hurricane weather on home maintenance and insurance. Those are things I would worry about living in FL.