[Lynnus]

We are a young family (my husband and I and girls 2 and 5) who currently live in Southern California. We love it here but the real estate prices to live in a good school district are eye watering and we just can't afford it. We love the year round sunshine, beaches and warm temps here in CA and we are considering a move to South Florida. We're looking for a nice quiet suburban town where we can get a 4 bedroom home for around 450K. Somewhere with low crime and good schools. My husband will mostly work out of our home but he will travel to Miami twice a week for meetings. Our budget would buy us nothing in SoCal. Would Florida be a good fit? Is our budget realistic? Which towns would you recommend? Will the humidity and the bugs kill us?

Thanks in advance for any local advice you can give us.

[macrodome2]

Anywhere from Venice north to Palm Harbor will fit your school needs and budget. There may be pockets you want to stay away from, but Venice, Sarasota, Palm Harbor have excellent schools and you should be able to find something in your price range. Don't know if would work for travel to Miami twice per week. May need to get something on east coast.

[Elbig]

It certainly might work for you. You can get housing for that price. Having lived in SoCal in the past and now FL, I will say that they are quite different both in weather and overall environment. Pros/cons to each. COL in SoCal is clearly a big negative as can be smog and traffic. I suggest you spend some time in the area to decide for yourself. I can take the humidity but not everyone can. As for areas, again you would need to spend some time checking out your options. Good schools would probably be a factor. As a suggested starting point, Parkland is a very nice area to raise a family. It's safe and has good schools. Much of it is above your price range but there is housing in your range. It's about 45mins- 1hr from Miami depending on where you are going and traffic. It is located a bit west so the beach is a further away if that matters. Otherwise I think it's nice there. If you are interested I can recommend a good realtor in that area.

[allenk893]

I think you should stay in California. I don't think you'll like Florida. You have to have lived in the south to be used to everything that comes with it. I know prices are high in CA but with faith I think you will make it and be able to buy a home somewhere down the line. You just have to keep believing better things are on the way.

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by allenk893

I think you should stay in California. I don't think you'll like Florida. You have to have lived in the south to be used to everything that comes with it. I know prices are high in CA but with faith I think you will make it and be able to buy a home somewhere down the line. You just have to keep believing better things are on the way.

You're kidding, right? Just believe that they can buy a home on that budget in soCal? I don't think so.

Anyway, OP, you really need to make some trips to Florida and check it out yourself. These are two very different states. There are many places that could work for you, but come and check it out and see what town's vibe suits you. I would stay on the east coast if your husband needs to travel to Miami every week. I will say Florida has really beautiful warm beaches, but you do realize it gets much hotter and more humid than California.

[PDF]

South Florida is actually a great alternative to SoCal, and I've lived in both. You'll certainly get a lot more for your money.

[Papillons2]

On the southeast coast, check out Weston and Parkland in Broward County, and Wellington, Palm Beach Gardens and Jupiter in Palm Beach County.

If you go to the Fort Lauderdale forum, you'll find a lot of Weston fans -- it's a very low-crime area with top-notch schools.

Yes, it is very humid during the summer, but winters generally are dry. We might see rain once a week when cold fronts approach.

As for bugs, they're no worse than anywhere else I've lived, except that we have them year-round because of the climate. I grew up in the Chicago suburbs, and I thought the mosquitoes in the summer were worse up there.

[wvtraveler]

Originally Posted by allenk893

I think you should stay in California. I don't think you'll like Florida. You have to have lived in the south to be used to everything that comes with it. I know prices are high in CA but with faith I think you will make it and be able to buy a home somewhere down the line. You just have to keep believing better things are on the way.

Outside of it's geographical location, South Florida is about as far away from "the south" as you can get in my opinion.

[Native ny]

I agree, you need to go there and explore. There will be compromises! So you don't say where the rest of your family is, very expensive to travel with a family - to see family. And, is your everyday life here in Cali not workable? We are east coasters going back to east coast to retire. We live in paradise right now, but weather and cute town isn't everything. We are moving for affordability and to be closer to family. Housing here is ridiculous, but we managed to buy a condo when it was rock bottom. We ask ourselves how we want our everyday life to be, and we are getting closer to defining what we expect this move to do for us. But having said that, we are risk takers- well thought out risks LOL.... So after you and your spouse have logically defined what you want, do it. You should have what is important to you.

[InGateway]

In a simple answer, no you should not. Especially if you complain how you're only in FL because you cant afford CA. I can already tell you wouldn't be a good fit. I am a realist and some people like gypsychic are not always realistic. They are overly optimistic to a fault. She told this African family they would have no problems in Lakeland.. (ya right).. I am seen as negative at times but so be it and from the time I spent in CA, its best you stay if you're going to be just like everyone else from there.