[ChrisA70]

Wear sunblock as much as possible, that is important. Too much sun is not good. Also an issue no matter where you live!

[ChrisA70]

I like Florida and MA. They both have a lot to offer for me. I have opinions about both places, good and bad. When I am in MA I miss Florida things, when I am in FL I miss MA things... I need to hit the lottery!!! I can live in both.

Originally Posted by Keeper

I agree gypsychic although I never really had a problem with what we called german cockroaches in our house, the palemetto bugs are a different story. They don't normally seek to come in the house but I have had them fly into my house at night.

To the OP.. there is good and bad about every place. What bothers me, might not bother you.

I also agree you can't take every person's opinion as fact, it is just their opinion. If you lived where they live under their circumstances you might have a different opinion or the same opinion. It is all boils down to what is important to you.

[Lily15]

Originally Posted by compelled to reply

Here, pick your choices in safe areas, from north to south. This is just around Ft. Lauderdale which isn't that big...

Parkland, Coconut Creek, Deerfield Beach, Coral Springs (get mugged in the festering slums by armed gang members who don't speak English every day on those 17th safest streets in the US), Margate, Tamarac, North Lauderdale, Sunrise (west of University), Plantation, Davie (west of University from here on), Weston, Cooper City, Pembroke Pines, and most of Miramar...

Take your pick. Those areas range from extremely upscale to no-frills working class type areas, but they are all at least relatively safe (and yes, by national standards, not by "Florida" standards). A 2 bedroom condo in a "safe neighborhood" could be had for under 200k in just about all of these areas except for Parkland. If all you need is safe, check out ANYTHING west of University Dr. There are plenty of safe areas east of that street too, but west is VERY consistent and leaves you a vast area.

Thank your for the info.

[Tungsten_Udder]

(Sorry OT for a second): For the person who sent me a comment about living in Royal Palm Beach in response my post above, the system doesn't tell me who you are (I think you have to write your name as part of your comment), so I don't know who to answer.

[TANaples]

Originally Posted by ChrisA70

Wear sunblock as much as possible, that is important. Too much sun is not good. Also an issue no matter where you live!

I developed a skin allergy. Even though I never go to the beach, I still developed a tan just from walking to and from my car, etc. Well, now that my skin rash is gone, I am left with POLKA DOT skin. If I had used sunblock from the start every day of living here, I would not have white dots all over right now.

Well, I am wearing long pants and long sleeves now anyway. Hopefully, what is left of this tan will fade and I will NEVER go without the sunblock again while I have to live in Florida.

[Margel]

Originally Posted by ChrisA70

I like Florida and MA. They both have a lot to offer for me. I have opinions about both places, good and bad. When I am in MA I miss Florida things, when I am in FL I miss MA things... I need to hit the lottery!!! I can live in both.

Hey I am with you! Wouldn't be nice to take the best parts of everywhere we've been and be able to live there without any reservations or regrets? Oh, to dream...

[RMD3819]

Floridaor bust-Don't worry about the bugs or lizards. Follow the advice about trash and pest control and you will be fine. They are a part of living here and no big deal. My dogs chase the lizards. There are a bunch around my home with half their tails gone.

Lily-There are plenty of safe areas in Florida. Just like every other town on the planet there are places to avoid. Research and visit where you want to move and you'll be fine.

[KathyA11]

Good questions - here are some of my answers:


Questions to ask yourself before moving to Florida

1) Am I putting the interests of my family first?
Yes -- my husband and I are childless, and we need to retire somewhere warm because we both have back problems/arthritis. We want more land than we have here -- for less money than it would cost here. We're tired of 5 months of rotten weather, and we hate to shovel snow.

2) If I lose my job will I be able to find another one that pays well?
He's got a pension, I'll be getting one. I'm hoping to find a job in the Thoroughbred industry in Ocala, but part-time work in Barnes and Noble (to satisfy my book addiction) will suffice.

3) How long are the private schools waiting lists?
Immaterial. Dogs don't go to school.

4) Can I handle the ungodly humidity?
We get long periods of horrid humidity in NJ, but I'm sure it doesn't compare.

5) Do I want to move to a state filled with sex offenders?
Not particularly.

6) Do I know what MY property taxes will be ? [not the previous owners]
Very good question, one I need to research. Here in NJ, property isn't reassessed on sale. Then again, the tax rates never seem to stop rising. We have a 50 x 100 piece of property with a 53-year-old 4-room ranch (no garage) -- and our taxes are over $8K yearly.

7) Do I want to deal with Hurricanes?
This is why we want to move to Ocala. House insurance is lower there, too.

8) Do I want a high cost of living?
We live in the NYC area -- it can't be much higher.

9) Can I handle the influx of snowbirds every winter?
Another reason to move to Ocala.

10) Do I want to pay high insurance premiums?
Home or car? Our car insurance for 2 cars (no accidents) is over $2000 a year.

11) Do I want to live in a transient state where I will never know who my NEW neighbors will be?
That's pretty much standard here. With the rising property values here over most of this decade, houses have been flipped repeatedly. There are a lot of multi-family homes in our very crowded municipality, with tenants moving in and out.

12) Do I enjoy rude people?
Rude is relative. I've worked with the public for 8 years, 31 of them with our municipal government. Before that, I worked in a supermarket in high school and college. Believe me, I know from rude.

13) Will I miss my family and friends back home?
I have very little family left, and my husband's brothers are living in South Florida. Friends -- I connect with most of them via the Internet, since they're all over the country.

14) Do I like sharing my home with giant cockroaches after it rains?
Okay, this might be a very big problem. I don't deal with roaches well.

15) Do I like living in a drug infested state?
I live near NYC -- 'nuff said.

16) etc,etc,etc, I could go on and on!
Feel free.

[Lakeland Yankee]

Excellent post KathyA11 . Best of luck on your move.

[KathyA11]

Thanks, Yankee. I'm not leaving my job until the end of June '09, and then we'll need to sell this house (though it's possible a local developer will be interested because it's a double lot, and there is very little available vacant lad in the city proper -- one bought the house on a similarly-sized lot behind us, and we're hoping he'll be interested in ours).

We're still doing the research -- part of the problem is, I don't know what questions to ask. My in-laws want us to move down by them (and if we did, they'd have a lot of the answers we'd need), but we're not interested in being that far south or that close to the coast.

We're still trying to figure out whether to buy an existing home, or to contact a builder and start from scratch (and I've read so much good and bad about the big builders, like Holiday and Adams, my head is spinning). Then that raises the question of a subdivision/HOA or a standalone piece of property. Each has its own attractions (though HOAs are uncharted territory for us -- we don't have them here). We definitely don't want to deal with anything but municipal water/sewer.

Any and all input is very welcome.