Orlando FL to COS (renting, home, to buy)

[aurora303]

The first thing you'll notice when you arrive is the in-your-face mountains including Pikes Peak which make Colorado Springs one of the most beautiful cities to live in in my opinion. The other thing is that is SUPER dry compared to FL; humidity remains relatively low and yearly precip is only about 18 in compared to Orlando's 60ish. You can drive that Corvette any time of the year as long as your not worried about getting it dirty with all the snowy road grime or having fun with the RWD on the (occasional) icy days. Getting a Subaru is a nice idea but any car, even just a FWD is usually enough if your staying in the city. Have fun adjusting to the area and welcome to CO!

[MrsMac]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

Same here, asphalt. Many of us have the heavier grade of asphalt shingle that carry a 50-year warranty and are more hail resistant. If I were buying a new home, I'd do my best to get this better grade.

A number of pricier homes have tile roofs, which "should" be relatively hail proof.

We are building a new home in Grey Hawk Estates in Northgate and we were worried about the requirement for builders to use tile roofs...until we found out recently that had changed due to recurrent "issues" with them (oh, like hail damage, perhaps?) and builders were switching to regular shingles. I've seen what he wind and hail here can do. You can bet we'll be asking about the quality and warranty of the asphalt shingles they are now using at our first construction meeting!

[lockmart]

Thanks for the info everyone. I'm training for a marathon as well, luckily will be done with all but 3 weeks of the training before the move. But should be interesting, I saw it warmed up to 63 the other day which is good for running. Hopefully I'll have more days like that.

[Carrera32]

Don't expect 63 degree days throughout the winter, but you should be able to maintain your training. You'll need to acclimate to the elevation here (you'll probably be out of breath after even minimal exertion for a short time, especially coming from sea level), but if you're in marathon shape anyway, that situation won't last long and you'll be piling up the miles in short order. You'll also need to invest in some cold weather running gear, but that's about it.

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by MrsMac

We are building a new home in Grey Hawk Estates in Northgate and we were worried about the requirement for builders to use tile roofs...until we found out recently that had changed due to recurrent "issues" with them (oh, like hail damage, perhaps?) and builders were switching to regular shingles. I've seen what he wind and hail here can do. You can bet we'll be asking about the quality and warranty of the asphalt shingles they are now using at our first construction meeting!

We had to replace our roof again this year due to hail, the upgrade from the 30-year to the 50-year added $1.8k to the total bill. Small price to pay IMO for avoiding the hassle and the $1k deductible on the policy.

Speaking of building a new home, I'd pay a little extra to get a fully finished garage, as the "code" does NOT require them to insulate and install wallboard on any garage wall that faces the outside/weather. Garage walls that face interior space are finished, so most folks are left with one garage wall that is unfinished and a eyesore that lacks much utility. I'd also have good lights and electrical outlets added to the specs for a new garage, and consider the having the garage floor painted with a good deck paint or the ribbed (think "corduroy") roll-up flooring that you can roll up, take outside and hose down after all that winter gunk gets on them. Here's my full set of tips for spec'ing out a new home; anyone can add to THAT discussion in that thread if they wish.

[lockmart]

I decided on Meridian Ranch for first year at least. Got a nice 3020 sq ft rental for a reasonable sum with 3 car garage. Looking forward to moving in a week from Fri. I got a Jeep Wrangler to be on the safe side. I've kinda always wanted one so good excuse. It did perform perfectly in the snow before Christmas.

[beezle1]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

We had to replace our roof again this year due to hail, the upgrade from the 30-year to the 50-year added $1.8k to the total bill. Small price to pay IMO for avoiding the hassle and the $1k deductible on the policy.

FYI, I replaced my roof with hail 'resistant' shingles in 2006 after a hail storm destroyed it. My insurance company reduced my premium as a result and I re-couped the extra cost within a few years.

[lockmart]

Originally Posted by beezle1

FYI, I replaced my roof with hail 'resistant' shingles in 2006 after a hail storm destroyed it. My insurance company reduced my premium as a result and I re-couped the extra cost within a few years.

How much is insurance here? I was paying $700 a year on a 1825 sq ft house in FL when I bought it and it steadily increased to almost $3K by the time I sold just over 7 years later. Due to the hurricanes etc, I had zero claims.

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by lockmart

How much is insurance here? I was paying $700 a year on a 1825 sq ft house in FL when I bought it and it steadily increased to almost $3K by the time I sold just over 7 years later. Due to the hurricanes etc, I had zero claims.

Below is an old posting from another FL person who moved here and saved over a thousand dollars a month on property taxes and homeowners insurance. Now, there are apples and oranges here in that FL has high property taxes, high homeowners insurance, but no income tax. Here in COLO we have low property taxes, low homeowners insurance, but 4.63% income tax. Your insurance here will probably by about half of what you pay in FL.

Here's that old post from 2007:

Originally Posted by shopsafe

Mike (et al) -

You are 100% correct. Since we are self-employed, we just assured ourselves of a $14k per year raise simply by moving to paradise! That even factors in paying the CO income tax!

Just to give everyone a summary, here is our location for location comparison (Palm Harbor, FL vs Monument, CO) -

In FL, we:
1. own a $575k home (3400 sq ft) that we purchased in 2005 for $550k (so after netting out real estate commissions and moving costs we lost about $25k on the house);

2. pay $6k per year in property insurance just for the privilege of NOT living in a flood zone; this was an increase of 72% since last years bill.

3. pay $10k per year in property taxes. This was a 120% increase over the last 2 years.

4. pay almost $500 per month during the Spring and Summer months for electricity and $200 per month in the shoulder months and winter. St Pete Times article recently said our utility rates (which USED TO BE among the lowest in the nation) are going to skyrocket next year as they start to build new plants including a nuke.

5. pay a a few thousand $$ per year for bug control, termite protection, lawn disease chemicals and pool chemicals.

6. pay almost $1600 per year in car insurance even though we drive older cars and have not had a ticket in 20 years!

In CO, we:
1. paid $499k for a dream home in Monument that is nearly 4,000 sq ft and has a great view of the mountains;

2. pay $600 a year in property insurance;

3. pay $2400 per year in property taxes;

4. most certainly pay lower utility bills than in FL;

5. no bugs, no termites, no lawn chemicals!

6. pay $1000 per year for car insurance.

Add all of that up and you have a $14k per year raise simply by moving to Colorado. Oh and by the way....I also get to introduce my kids to AFA football games, Sky Sox baseball and some of the some of the friendliest and kindest people we have ever met in our lives. In addition, how about all of the outdoor adventures, National Parks, clean air and great cooking!

Yahoo!


Rick

[beezle1]

Originally Posted by lockmart

How much is insurance here? I was paying $700 a year on a 1825 sq ft house in FL when I bought it and it steadily increased to almost $3K by the time I sold just over 7 years later. Due to the hurricanes etc, I had zero claims.

I believe the insurance costs will vary greatly based on how much coverage you have and how high a deductible you are willing to live with, age of the home, as well as if you carry your auto insurance with the same carrier, etc. I have never heard that homeowners insurance here is high compared to other areas. Mine is about $1400 per year. The discount they gave for the approved roofing was 20%.