[Spring Hillian]

Originally Posted by kmarc

The question is, what's really attracting the people? There's more to this than weather. I'd be rich, too, if I had a penny for every time I heard the old razzmatazz from Northerners about how great "the change in seasons" is. Or used to be.

Its economics. Low paying jobs cannot carry anyone through in places like NYC where rents for small apartments are 1200 and up. The taxes and the cost of living do not allow a low wage earner a chance to make ends meet anymore. More now than ever. Its like being in the bowels of a sinking ship. All the people on the upper decks have sailed away safely but those way below decks get swallowed by the sea.
$16-$20 an hour in NYC is a pittance now days. 25 years ago it was a decent wage. The cost of everything has risen and yes, so have the lower paying folks salaries but not to the point where they can breathe easy.

[kmarc]

Originally Posted by Spring Hillian

Its economics. Low paying jobs cannot carry anyone through in places like NYC where rents for small apartments are 1200 and up. The taxes and the cost of living do not allow a low wage earner a chance to make ends meet anymore. More now than ever. Its like being in the bowels of a sinking ship. All the people on the upper decks have sailed away safely but those way below decks get swallowed by the sea.
$16-$20 an hour in NYC is a pittance now days. 25 years ago it was a decent wage. The cost of everything has risen and yes, so have the lower paying folks salaries but not to the point where they can breathe easy.

I agree. I don't buy many of the relocation posts here in the various Florida forums about "job transfers". Much of it is pure BS, IMO. Not all, but much of it. Military, nursing, that sort of thing I can understand. The big jobs news in Florida right now is Amazon warehouse stuff. Please. Like that's going to support a $300,000 home?

[Spring Hillian]

Originally Posted by kmarc

I agree. I don't buy many of the relocation posts here in the various Florida forums about "job transfers". Much of it is pure BS, IMO. Not all, but much of it. Military, nursing, that sort of thing I can understand. The big jobs news in Florida right now is Amazon warehouse stuff. Please. Like that's going to support a $300,000 home?

Its not that job transfers dont happen. There is a huge corporate presence in the state and corporations sometimes need to put their people where their skills and abilities are most needed. I have never seen a forced corporate transfer though. If you want the job that is someplace else, you can put your hat in the ring. If you are what they need for the position, great. You get to transfer.

Amazon's presence here is going to be a warehouse. Warehouse work is hard and demanding. The employer will have certain criteria to be met at all times. If you cant meet the criteria, you're in the wrong job. They will have to pay people right in order to get/retain employees. They are not going to be offering $8 an hour. Many of their jobs are skilled, equipment operators, mechanics, specialists in logistics, administrative staffs, etc.

Who needs a $300k home? An executive perhaps. The family earning an average wage of $40k
can afford a home, but may have to wait before they get the granite counter tops and stainless steel kitchens.

[jambo101]

My take from reading this forum is most people relocating to Fla. are doing so for the weather and the beaches, i'm just not seeing a whole lot of folks mentioning house prices or jobs as their main reasons for moving to Fla.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by Spring Hillian

Its not that job transfers dont happen. There is a huge corporate presence in the state and corporations sometimes need to put their people where their skills and abilities are most needed. I have never seen a forced corporate transfer though. If you want the job that is someplace else, you can put your hat in the ring. If you are what they need for the position, great. You get to transfer.

Amazon's presence here is going to be a warehouse. Warehouse work is hard and demanding. The employer will have certain criteria to be met at all times. If you cant meet the criteria, you're in the wrong job. They will have to pay people right in order to get/retain employees. They are not going to be offering $8 an hour. Many of their jobs are skilled, equipment operators, mechanics, specialists in logistics, administrative staffs, etc.

Who needs a $300k home? An executive perhaps. The family earning an average wage of $40k
can afford a home, but may have to wait before they get the granite counter tops and stainless steel kitchens.

The problem is that the average price for an average decent house in an average decent neighborhood with the better schools is not too far off from 300K in the more populated areas of the state. None of those criteria are limited to "executives" and would say what most would strive for when looking for a new place to live. The issue at hand which goes back to the original topic of "economic sustainability" is the decreasing lack of employment suitable for those who want that type of housing/neighborhood.

[LordHomunculus]

Originally Posted by kmarc

It's the US version of Soviet construction. Soulless, but with a little tile and faux stucco to relieve the tedium.

Even the Soviet Union had more interesting construction than a lot of Florida.

Some of the ugly areas in Florida are those incomplete suburban developments like Palm Bay, Lehigh Acres, Poinciana, etc. etc. They look incomplete (many of them don't even have sidewalks), a lot of houses are generic and there are a bunch of random empty lots (you'll have a random forest in the middle of two houses).

[Travelassie]

Originally Posted by jambo101

Put yourself in the position of some one who lives in the snow belt, its mid January its been freezing cold for a couple of months and will continue to be that way for a few more.Then through whatever means they hear of the fun people are having in Florida,No winter, warm sunny days on the beach, Amusement parks ,a veritable paradise, life so carefree we wished we'd moved down sooner mantra etc.
its only natural for these northerners to give serious thought to moving to Florida after hearing all these positive accolades,many do make the move, its odd logic to then give them grief for following the dream and coming to Florida and getting in on their piece of paradise.

IMO someone who moves to a location, any location, based only on a "grass is greener" scenario, buying into the claims of a carefree, sun and fun, no worries lifestyle, without checking it all out firsthand, doing the necessary research into the good and the bad, and determining how he/she can make it in this new location, is only reaping the consequences of their own actions if they fail in the new location.

I couldn't put myself in the position of someone that foolish.

[Spring Hillian]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

The problem is that the average price for an average decent house in an average decent neighborhood with the better schools is not too far off from 300K in the more populated areas of the state. None of those criteria are limited to "executives" and would say what most would strive for when looking for a new place to live. The issue at hand which goes back to the original topic of "economic sustainability" is the decreasing lack of employment suitable for those who want that type of housing/neighborhood.

I dont know what world you were raised in or live in now but the fact of the matter is you live within your means.

That means that you do not expect to own a 300k house when your income is $40k a year.

"for those who want that type of housing/neighborhood"

Everybody wants everything right away but that is not how real life works. Everybody cant have the 58" TV, hot tub, 300k house, private schools (or the top public schools), drive a new car every couple of years, have everyone in the family carrying a smartphone, lawn and pool maintenance and the other trimmings that higher wage earners can and do have. If it can be done, more power to them but there is simply not that many of those folk around as their are people in a $25-60k bracket.

Sure, anyone can have it all and be in debt up to their eyeballs and just walk away when the going gets tough as thousands and thousands of people did after the housing bubble burst. They traded in those BMW's, Audi's, et al and now sit back in their rented abode and complain how they got mislead by the lenders who financed their lives.

The $40k a year guy may have to make due with a 3 bedroom 2 bath home, a new car every 10 years, have the kids go to a school that is the neighborhood, not be in a neighborhood surrounded by $300k homes, cut coupons out of the papers and be happy. If he increases his salary over the years he can make changes to life of his family.

Why do so many people feel that luxury is something that they should have dropped in their laps?

[Spring Hillian]

Originally Posted by Travelassie

IMO someone who moves to a location, any location, based only on a "grass is greener" scenario, buying into the claims of a carefree, sun and fun, no worries lifestyle, without checking it all out firsthand, doing the necessary research into the good and the bad, and determining how he/she can make it in this new location, is only reaping the consequences of their own actions if they fail in the new location.

I couldn't put myself in the position of someone that foolish.

Absolutely. I would think most people dont use the "grass is greener" scenario, but there are obviously some. If that is what they want they'd better come from very rich families or be lottery winners.

Anyone who relocates anywhere on a dream and prayer is certainly a candidate for failure. Then they complain about how lousy the place they choose is a dump, etc and finds it impossible to reverse the mistake due to no financial resources.

[Travelassie]

Originally Posted by jambo101

My take from reading this forum is most people relocating to Fla. are doing so for the weather and the beaches, i'm just not seeing a whole lot of folks mentioning house prices or jobs as their main reasons for moving to Fla.

Maybe they're the ones talking about it.

Maybe this doesn't count, but I moved to Florida almost 40 years ago because I got a job here after I finished graduate school, my DH landed in Florida when he was assigned to Homestead AFB when he was in the Navy. He left the Navy when that tour was up, and decided to stay in Florida, and got a job there.

Most people, when they decide on a location where they want to live, will consider the weather, the natural surroundings in their decisions- if I wanted to move to NC, for instance, I'd consider the mountains, the change of seasons and the natural resources there. It's no different for the folks who decide to move to Florida, for any reason.