[monfrair]

My wife and I have 2 small children (4 & 1 years old) and are considering relocating to FL from Central, NJ. My income is in the 200k range and I work from home so do not have to follow work. We are fed up with the cost of living in NJ especially the property taxes (currently 11k) and the pace of life here. We live in leafy suburb in NJ which has very good schools and very low-almost no crime. We are looking for homes in the 600-700k range. We would like to find an area in FL which would be like the one we live in NJ. Are there any areas of FL you can recommend? We would like to be near the beach but not on it. Any advice would be appreciated.

[pianogal]

I don't want to be one that bursts your bubble. If you read many of the posts you will see that I like Florida. BUT....if your reason for moving is property taxes if sounds as if you're better off where you are. If you purchase a 600-700K home in Florida, your property taxes are likely to be in the 11K-14K range. Add to that HUGE HOI if you're anywhere near the beach IF you can find an insurance company. One other word...quality of education has gone down in many areas and crime has gone up in recent years. There are still good schools and low crime areas - but you have to do your research.

All that being said, with an income of 200K, you should have no problem should you decide this is the place for you. I live in the new east Orlando area - about 30 minutes from the beach. We are far enough inland that HOI is not too bad. There are some great communities here with good schools and low crime such as Lake Nona where the Nemours Medical Research center and the UCF Medical School will be built. There are also some pretty bad ones.

I'm sure there are other places that would suit your needs as well. Good luck!

[Team_Roberts]

I would check out the Tampa area. This is a nice area to live and since you work from home, you can be more selective on where to live without much concern about traffic. As far as crime and schools, like the person posted above, you just need someone to help you with the research and find a place that is right for you. Property taxes need to be taken into consideration in Florida, so we would need to calculate the tax. You can go to the following website to estimate your tax. Hillsborough County Property Appraiser - ONLINE TAX ESTIMATOR (http://www.hcpafl.org/www/search/tax_estimator.shtml# - broken link) On a $600,000 home, your estimated annual tax would be from $12,128.65 To $13,476.28.

I hope this information helps and just let me know if you have any further questions.

Mike and Tina

[JimKing]

Originally Posted by monfrair

My wife and I have 2 small children (4 & 1 years old) and are considering relocating to FL from Central, NJ. My income is in the 200k range and I work from home so do not have to follow work. We are fed up with the cost of living in NJ especially the property taxes (currently 11k) and the pace of life here. We live in leafy suburb in NJ which has very good schools and very low-almost no crime. We are looking for homes in the 600-700k range. We would like to find an area in FL which would be like the one we live in NJ. Are there any areas of FL you can recommend? We would like to be near the beach but not on it. Any advice would be appreciated.

That price range is the most over priced range in all of Florida. Check out Parkland, Jupiter, Palm Beach Gardens, Boca Raton.

Do not spend $600,000-$700,000 for a house in Florida right now. Grab one of the many, many great rentals available. You can rent a house of that asking price for $2000 or so. Negotiate the lease to your benefit. Check out the owner's finances and get your deposit money put into escrow. Landlords are very desperate and will tailor the lease to suit you. Don't worry about the list price for the rent, they will come down a ton. I know, friends have done it in all those towns.

You wait a few years and that $600,000 plus house will be a lot cheaper. Go check out all the information at the Housing Bubble Blog about Florida and you will rent and not buy without a doubt.

[FSU_Alum]

Originally Posted by JimKing

You wait a few years and that $600,000 plus house will be a lot cheaper. Go check out all the information at the Housing Bubble Blog about Florida and you will rent and not buy without a doubt.

Monfrair: JimKing is very, very correct.

The here is the link for the Housing Bubble Blog that he mentioned. Lots of great info, and there is usually a Florida-based story every day. Be sure and read the comments, as those are extremely informative.

[JimKing]

Originally Posted by FSU_Alum

Monfrair: JimKing is very, very correct.

The here is the link for the Housing Bubble Blog that he mentioned. Lots of great info, and there is usually a Florida-based story every day. Be sure and read the comments, as those are extremely informative.

There is a great thread from today about Florida. Posters go through historical models and name many Florida cities and housing price ranges.

So much real world evidence shows that houses in the $600,000 plus range will fall around 65-70% in many Florida markets.

If the original poster was my buddy or brother I would literally beg him not to buy a house in that price range right now.

[121804]

DITTO what JimKing said.

One can rent homes with swimming pools with pool care included & lawn care included right now & for the next several months, if not to a year will this be the case.

Buyer beware! Right now, that price range is like feeding the ravaging lions.

And I remember a stat JimKing put out a few posts ago: Cost of the home should be 120% rent. We pay $1050/mn [water & cable included] for a place that is listed for $399k. You do the math This is the norm, not the exception in many, many FL areas.

Also keep in HUGE consideration: What if this move doesn't work out? What if there is somewhere else in FL you'd rather be after living here for awhile? Guess what...that house you bought...it's never going to sell any time in the next 3-5 years in FL.

You are considering moving to state that ranks 48th in education & has one of the worst real estate markets in the country...

RENT RENT RENT

You will be saving yourself in the long run.

[aspirewire]

I don't plan on buying and am considering renting so it's good to know. I'm moving down with teenagers and determining the best high schools including public and private (the low cost of private). Money IS an object for me. Coming to be closer to my parents/grandparents. My kids are looking forward to dinners at their grandparents on Sundays and Nana hopefully doing the ironing :-)...etc (like how I grew up with my extended family when everyone lived close by). Any feedback on schools (see Public and Private Schools thread...)

Thanks again even though this original thread wasn't originated by me. The information is so helpful for many!

[lvmy3grls]

I would look into St Johns County, the schools here are very good, some very new, teachers are wonderful! There is a development called The King and the Bear that does have many huge beautiful estate homes, the monthly fees are very reasonable, and with all of the new shopping coming, the area will only get better and better. Check out zip code 32092. We are also from the Northeast (NY) and love living here! The taxes will be about 1.7% of your purchase price, less the homestead exemption. The wonderful thing about the homestead, is once you lock in the rates, they cannot go up more than a certain low percentage every year, they can't double in two years like they can up North. For example, a home appraised at $600K will have taxes of about $10,200. Your appraisal value is usually lower than the purchase price also. Good luck!

[GR82BAGATOR]

I live in Levy county, very small communties, but work in Alachua County. I have lived here my whole life and I'm not sure why FL is appealing to you but this is a nicer part of FL to raise children. Good luck with your move! Check out Gainesville but be aware it is a "younger" community with all the college students. I like Ocala too, that's Marion county.