[FreezinIL]

Okedoke. Here is our plan. Please do not tell me I am nuts because we are all different and to each their own. I have posted on here a few times reguarding our move to Florida and finally figured out how best to do this move. I am married with 5 children.

We are going to buy a moterhome (RV) up here in Northern IL and sell our home here too. Then we will either drive our stuff down in a truck or hire someone to do it for us and put it in storage.

Now the fun part. We are planning the move in June when my 3 children finish the school year here. We will rent a spot in the pinallas county area (that is where we plan to buy our home.) and live in our Motor Home for 3 to 6 months until we find our home.

So any friendly advice? Anything I may have overlooked? Anyone ever do a move like this before? Anyone live in a Moterhome type park in that area that you like and think we might too?

[blossum]

Have you checked out the jobs? I don't know what you do but wages are very low compared to the cost of living. The cost of housing here is very high now. The insurance has doubled and for those of you just moving here taxes are high. Gov is putting a vote up this Jan to do something about that. Are your kids school age. My friends with kids are very unhappy with the Florida schools. Most send them to privite if they can. We live in Ocala. We have been here for 13 years from IN. We are looking to move due to the cost of living. Ocala and areas north are very nice areas if you have a family. I would stay away from the Tampa area. Look more north

[daniellefort]

Sounds great. Alot of people do that though mostly retirees and during the winter months but you'll be moving in at the hottest time of the year so plan on spending a lot of time inside with the AC especially being your first Summer here. The beach is nearby but that will get old fast when the water isn't even cool enough to enjoy. The first summer is always a killer. Schools down here start in August so if you need to enroll the kids keep that in mind. Also keep in mind hurricane season will be here so be prepared to pack up and move on a moments notice.

[FreezinIL]

Originally Posted by blossum

Have you checked out the jobs? I don't know what you do but wages are very low compared to the cost of living. The cost of housing here is very high now. The insurance has doubled and for those of you just moving here taxes are high. Gov is putting a vote up this Jan to do something about that. Are your kids school age. My friends with kids are very unhappy with the Florida schools. Most send them to privite if they can. We live in Ocala. We have been here for 13 years from IN. We are looking to move due to the cost of living. Ocala and areas north are very nice areas if you have a family. I would stay away from the Tampa area. Look more north

I lived in Largo & Treasure Island about 10 yrs ago I know the area has changed but that is the area I like. Treasure Island is too expensive now but Seminole from what I have seen is affordable for us and I have checked out the school stats too and they look good to me. Thanks for your response

Originally Posted by daniellefort

Sounds great. Alot of people do that though mostly retirees and during the winter months but you'll be moving in at the hottest time of the year so plan on spending a lot of time inside with the AC especially being your first Summer here. The beach is nearby but that will get old fast when the water isn't even cool enough to enjoy. The first summer is always a killer. Schools down here start in August so if you need to enroll the kids keep that in mind. Also keep in mind hurricane season will be here so be prepared to pack up and move on a moments notice.

Yeah, I know it will be hot. I would rather it be too hot than too cold like it is here and so does my family so we will deal with it I guess. Uggh it is that time of yr here or almost and I am not looking forward to it at all.

I have followed the weather as far as Hurricanes and never noticed anything horrible in the Pinallas county area. Funny even when I lived there during Hurricane Opal they made it sound terrible on all the news reports but it did not seem so bad. I know there have been some real terrible ones but from what I can see you get quite a bit of notice.

Is it the end of August that the schools start?

[daniellefort]

Originally Posted by FreezinIL

I lived in Largo & Treasure Island about 10 yrs ago I know the area has changed but that is the area I like. Treasure Island is too expensive now but Seminole from what I have seen is affordable for us and I have checked out the school stats too and they look good to me. Thanks for your response



Yeah, I know it will be hot. I would rather it be too hot than too cold like it is here and so does my family so we will deal with it I guess. Uggh it is that time of yr here or almost and I am not looking forward to it at all.

I have followed the weather as far as Hurricanes and never noticed anything horrible in the Pinallas county area. Funny even when I lived there during Hurricane Opal they made it sound terrible on all the news reports but it did not seem so bad. I know there have been some real terrible ones but from what I can see you get quite a bit of notice.

Is it the end of August that the schools start?

Yeah they do make a well in advance notice to be on the lookout about the hurricanes, same as a blizzard up north, but because it takes so long for people to evacuate and theres SOOO many people to move especially from the tampa area. Actually Pinellas county is the worst place to have to evacuate because there's only 3 bridges out to move inland and i remember a few years ago they were all deadlocked with people trying to leave stuck on the bridges for hours and people even running out of gas trying to keep cool with their cars running the AC. They all may not sound too terrible but all it takes is for one tree to fall on your own home or your roof blown off and all of a sudden it's terrble for you even though the rest of the storm wasn't so bad. School started August 20 this year but i think down south is a week earlier than us.

[macguy]

Originally Posted by FreezinIL

Okedoke. Here is our plan. Please do not tell me I am nuts because we are all different and to each their own. I have posted on here a few times reguarding our move to Florida and finally figured out how best to do this move. I am married with 5 children.

We are going to buy a moterhome (RV) up here in Northern IL and sell our home here too. Then we will either drive our stuff down in a truck or hire someone to do it for us and put it in storage.

Now the fun part. We are planning the move in June when my 3 children finish the school year here. We will rent a spot in the pinallas county area (that is where we plan to buy our home.) and live in our Motor Home for 3 to 6 months until we find our home.

So any friendly advice? Anything I may have overlooked? Anyone ever do a move like this before? Anyone live in a Moterhome type park in that area that you like and think we might too?

It's doable but don't paint yourself into a corner. Once you sell your house it's going to be 7 of you in a motor home with no looking back. My wife and I have lived in a motor home for more then a year traveling around but not with 5 kids, just two cats that hated each other. The difference was, we had a home to go back to, you won't. You better really be sure you want to do this. I wouldn't do it, at least I would not sell the house right away.

[FreezinIL]

Originally Posted by macguy

It's doable but don't paint yourself into a corner. Once you sell your house it's going to be 7 of you in a motor home with no looking back. My wife and I have lived in a motor home for more then a year traveling around but not with 5 kids, just two cats that hated each other. The difference was, we had a home to go back to, you won't. You better really be sure you want to do this. I wouldn't do it, at least I would not sell the house right away.

Thanks for the input. Yeah I actually look at it as a long vacation. The work of a family with 5 children in an actual home is unbelievable. I dont want internet or cable. Just something to watch a video now and then. I want to spend 3 to 6 months just enjoying my kids and doing family things together. Back to family walks board games and other outings. If worst comes to worst we will buy a home sooner as when our house sells we have a good amount of equity built up in it so we are really not in a corner. We just want break from the huge bills and lawn mowing 2 acers of grass for a bit. My husband has a job so it will be ok.

I imagine it a bit more fun/relaxing for you and your wife with just the cats though

[macguy]

Originally Posted by FreezinIL

Thanks for the input. Yeah I actually look at it as a long vacation. The work of a family with 5 children in an actual home is unbelievable. I dont want internet or cable. Just something to watch a video now and then. I want to spend 3 to 6 months just enjoying my kids and doing family things together. Back to family walks board games and other outings. If worst comes to worst we will buy a home sooner as when our house sells we have a good amount of equity built up in it so we are really not in a corner. We just want break from the huge bills and lawn mowing 2 acers of grass for a bit. My husband has a job so it will be ok.

I imagine it a bit more fun/relaxing for you and your wife with just the cats though

You just go with the flow and when you look back even the bad times were an adventure and you only live once. I remember being in Virginia broke down in a parking lot with a bad water pump. Riding my bike like 4 miles to get a new pump and putting it on a Sunday. I was lucky I found a place open. Did I mention it was 35 degrees. You really look back and would not take anything for the memories. We went virtually everywhere on the east coast from the Keys to Canada. Bikes are great to bring because when you get somewhere it's nice to explore on a bike and see things up close.

[lndmvr]

We are sorta on the same plan but invested in a diesel truck and 31' 5th wheel so when we are set up, we can get around the area. The hardest part has been looking for a lot to set up in by the month. Online has been a trial of no answers with postings on craigslist. We consider this to be our winter home and hope to buy again when we find our "last" home.

[cariad]

There are several RV parks in palm harbor-north pinellas-along alt rt 19, close to the gulf. They are very close to Honeymoon Island, the pinellas trail for biking and about 10-15 min. from clearwater beach.

Several rent by the week/month/season but I don't know anything about them, they look pretty nice-the area is nice.

You can google rv parks palm harbor fl.