[Kerry322]

Here is my situation in a nutshell: My husband and I met in Key West 11 yrs ago. I was a Navy dependant, he was tired of "cold" winters in Tennessee. We married, had a child, and returned to his hometown in TN to raise our family. After a few years and another child, he got fed up with the weather and me and took a job back in Key West, leaving me with two kids and a mortgage. Now, he says he wants us all to live together in Florida. The Keys are out of the picture for a few reasons($$$$, schools and atmosphere). We are looking at the Port Charlotte/Sarasota area. Hubby loves to fish, we want good schools, we are in debt from a failed business, so middle class, clean home is all I ask for. Any ideas about neighborhoods/ school districts??? We are in our 40's, kids 10 and 8 yrs old. I have experience in banking/consumer loans. He is an electrician. Help us get our family back together, please!

[FreezinIL]

I am looking for that same type of home in Florida too. Only I have 5 kids ages 2, 3, 5, 9 &10. We will be moving next spring. I was sad to read your story and happy to hear you 2 are going to be a family again. I hope your hubby truely realizes what a blessing his family is and sticks with you and your children this time.

I am looking in the panhandle area. Some schools there are good some not just depends what town you move to. Just like here my dist. is good but a few miles down the road just horrible.

I will be reading all the advice as it will be helpful to me too. Our finances are a mess. I am just glad we have a house to sell and some equity in it. We will be skimping for this next year so we can have $ to move. I had to tell the kids no more extra curricular (sp sorry) class's this year. It's rough I have never been so broke I know things will get better though.

Good luck to you

[macguy]

Originally Posted by Kerry322

Here is my situation in a nutshell: My husband and I met in Key West 11 yrs ago. I was a Navy dependant, he was tired of "cold" winters in Tennessee. We married, had a child, and returned to his hometown in TN to raise our family. After a few years and another child, he got fed up with the weather and me and took a job back in Key West, leaving me with two kids and a mortgage. Now, he says he wants us all to live together in Florida. The Keys are out of the picture for a few reasons($$$$, schools and atmosphere). We are looking at the Port Charlotte/Sarasota area. Hubby loves to fish, we want good schools, we are in debt from a failed business, so middle class, clean home is all I ask for. Any ideas about neighborhoods/ school districts??? We are in our 40's, kids 10 and 8 yrs old. I have experience in banking/consumer loans. He is an electrician. Help us get our family back together, please!

I don't see any mention of what you want.

[Kerry322]

What do I want in a house? A neighborhood? I need to be in a warm area, since my hubby breaks out in hives when the temp drops below 65 degrees. We live in a ranch style on 5 acres now. We are paying mortgage and rent at this point When I look at real estate online, I look at homes between $125,000.00 and $225,000.00. Single story, 3+ bedrooms, 2+ baths, large kitchen. I have around 1700 sq ft at this house, with a basement as large, so I know I would be downsizing. I just don't know enough about the West coast of FL. to look at houses online. Yes, I can drive down, but I have a fulltime job and two kids in school. I don't want Tampa, so we are looking south of there. Specifically, I want to be in a "neighborhood", good schools, family oriented.

[LeavingFlorida05]

Your husband breaks out in hives when the temperature drops below 65 degrees? What is his condition called? How could he have survived in our non-climate controlled past?

You want a basement? Florida is the wrong state to look. Florida homes have no basements.

You want to find "family oriented" in south Florida? Again, you are looking in the wrong place. There's no such thing. South Florida is all about money. You have the filthy rich. You have the dirt poor. You have retirees. You have illegal immigrants. You have a disappearing middle class, that's leaving the state. Family oriented is something you won't find in south Florida.

[FreezinIL]

Hi Kerry, I am looking into Largo. Seems nice to me and very reasonable. And it is in the middle. I lived there for a bit (I was renting) and really liked it there. Just a regular middle class neighborhood. And close to alot of pretty places and work and fun stuff. Look it up on the city-data part of this site.

[Kerry322]

until we can decide where to go.

As for my husband's condition: He hates cold weather, he gets bumps all over his extremities when it is cold and dry. A cousin of his has a similar condition, but I don't know the name of it. That is not the big issue here. He likes to deep sea fish and be on the water, not much of that in the Tennessee Valley.
I know that there are no basements in Florida homes. I was simply stating that I won't be able to get the square footage there like I have here. It is a trade off. My Grandparents lived in Winter Haven until the mid 1990's and I visited there often, I lived in the Keys for 15 years. I know that South Florida is not the ideal for some people, but surely there is an area that is still family oriented.

[javamdnss]

Originally Posted by Kerry322

What do I want in a house? A neighborhood? I need to be in a warm area, since my hubby breaks out in hives when the temp drops below 65 degrees. We live in a ranch style on 5 acres now. We are paying mortgage and rent at this point When I look at real estate online, I look at homes between $125,000.00 and $225,000.00. Single story, 3+ bedrooms, 2+ baths, large kitchen. I have around 1700 sq ft at this house, with a basement as large, so I know I would be downsizing. I just don't know enough about the West coast of FL. to look at houses online. Yes, I can drive down, but I have a fulltime job and two kids in school. I don't want Tampa, so we are looking south of there. Specifically, I want to be in a "neighborhood", good schools, family oriented.

If it doesn't have to be South Florida you should check out Brandon, a Tampa suburb. It has tons of restaurants, B&N and Borders, big movie complex, is very family oriented, and nice people. An already good sized mall that they are expanding right now also. Other nice towns next to it are Valrico, Lithia and Riverview, but Brandon has the most to offer I believe.

[vineyardimporters]

Originally Posted by Kerry322

until we can decide where to go.

As for my husband's condition: He hates cold weather, he gets bumps all over his extremities when it is cold and dry. A cousin of his has a similar condition, but I don't know the name of it. That is not the big issue here. He likes to deep sea fish and be on the water, not much of that in the Tennessee Valley.
I know that there are no basements in Florida homes. I was simply stating that I won't be able to get the square footage there like I have here. It is a trade off. My Grandparents lived in Winter Haven until the mid 1990's and I visited there often, I lived in the Keys for 15 years. I know that South Florida is not the ideal for some people, but surely there is an area that is still family oriented.

Look at Lake wales, bartow, lakeland, mulberry, frostproof, all have lakes, affordable homes, low taxes, good schools, great neighbors, also still under market value as far as pricing goes for homes.

[eaglecall]

I am sorry to tell you that Florida is in a very critical situation. I live in Miami and have traveled all over the state. From the last Rebel settlements in the Georgia border, to the freak third world Miami. Life in this state is very expensive. There are still a few good places but they are far from big cities and that means no big companies for a good job or not enough citizens for business opportunities. Every American should start looking at a nice suburb in a big city; however, the situation here is "non-American" People here have invaded, overcrowded, degenerated and extinguished every single American characteristic in the big cities. So basically those who make big bucks and millionaires can afford the few remaining old neighborhoods; the rest, the poor class, which should be the middle class but just like in south america the middle class is dissapearing, live in the suburbs where crime is high, education is bad quality, traffic is INSANE, not to mention how these special people drive, there is no values in people here, no respect, no family values. Miami is lost, courtesy of the "fallen angels from the sky who came here to save us and do what Americans don't want to do because we are lazy and have everything done just because God prefer us" I am affraid the same will happen in every single city across the state. That will keep Americans relocating to another states, creating new big cities and then "they" will arrive over there again to do their artistic part.