[SouthFloridaNative]

Been to PA..and I could imagine stepping out of one of the houses and tripping and falling into the street below and getting run over. The homes I saw were built up on hills and they were very steep..kinda scary.

[vpcats]

Originally Posted by myfask

is it just me or does the pgh house look crooked ?
maybe its just the angle or maybe thats why it is only $55k

hahahahaha. Yeah, it's crooked, but if you just tilt your head a little, it will look almost right

[macguy]

Originally Posted by vpcats

hahahahaha. Yeah, it's crooked, but if you just tilt your head a little, it will look almost right

Tha picture was taken out the window of a car and the camara is not straight. I hope the guy taking the picture wasn't afraid to get out of his car.

[Need_affordable_home]

Originally Posted by RedWingsFan

That $55k house is considered nice?
I think the Gainseville one looks nice.

Personally I like the cookie cutter homes and cookie cutter neighborhoods. I wouldn't buy in a community that wasn't like that. But that's just me, I like things matching, uniform, etc.

I like the style of the early 1900s with two(or even three!) stories and basement. But thats just me I dont like cookie cutters. When I can confuse my neighboors house as my own and try to enter the "wrong" house

Originally Posted by VaVet96

Thank goodness for the real estate market that we all are individuals with different preferences. I have a friend who bought one that looked just like the Pittsburgh house in northern VA to save $10-$15 grand in the purchase price. It was about 25 years old and "needed some work", but hey, he was handy so what the heck. Within 3 years, he'd spent over $30K in repairs and remodelling costs. His wife almost divorced him because of the unending state of disrepair. They thought they'd use the equity to move to a nicer place closer in, but guess what? All the nicer houses kept soaring in price too, and even faster than their now much older house. Now, 15 years into it, they are still there.
The Florida house may lack character, but, barring hurricane damage, it'll be relatively trouble free for many years.

A better comparison might've been a new home in Pittsburgh vs the one shown in Florida. Still a big difference I'll bet, but that's just what people are willing to pay for warm temps and all the rest.

My condolences for the bad experience. In my opinion saving $15k doesnt justify the repairs. If I buy a house that needs repairs, I will factor in the cost and time(how much I could make working instead of repairing) and pay accrodially less. Say theres a house for $35k that needs $20k of repairs and takes 6 months for repairs. If I make $40k a year working then my time is "worth" another $20k doing the repairs. Therefore any similar house costing $75k or less that doesnt need repairs would be the better deal and any costing over $75k wouldnt be a good deal over the $35k house needing repairs. Many people dont correctly take this into factor and overpay for a house needing repairs.

New houses are very overpriced in cheaper locations where you can get a slightly older house for half the price in perfect condition. My comparsion is the cheapest house vs. the cheapest house.

Originally Posted by cariad

I just moved from Pgh. You don't indicate where that house is but I can say with certainty that if it is "nice", in move in condition, liveable as is, it is NOT in a neighborhood where you would want to live.
Pgh. housing is a bargain compared to a lot of places, but not that much of a bargain. I won't even mention high taxes, potholes, and lack of palm trees/beaches.

The crime is even worse in south FL, I would be safer living in Pittsburgh. I know the tax percentage is higher but the total taxes is still reasonable for how much house you get. Potholes? Drive carefully. Lack of beaches? I dont go to the beach so its a nonissue. Palm trees? You can grow palmettos and windmill palms up north.

Originally Posted by JimKing

I don't agree with many of your comparisons. I have lived in the northeast, and both north and south Florida.

The weather is not a tie in my opinion. I am in PA now and it has been cold and gray for the last 4 months except for a 2 week break around Christmas. Another ice storm is coming on Sunday. My 2 year old is bouncing off the walls as she is an active, outdoors kid. Every indoor play place is packed with everyone trying to exercise the kids. When we lived in Florida, we were outside pretty much every day.

Cost of living is a tricky subject. You have to be silly not to rent in Florida right now. You can rent a great house for $1500-3000, depending on your needs and budget. The same houses would cost $400000-800000 to purchase. I have no idea why so many people on this forum are even considering buying houses instead of renting. The numbers make no sense whatsoever.

In comparison, we had to buy for our 2 1/2 year stay in PA as we could not find a house to rent. But when we return to Jupiter in a few months, I will have 40 suitable rental homes to choose from, all prices negotiable as the inventory of homes for sale in Florida is off the charts. People are stuck renting out their houses that will not sell at these unreasonable prices.

You are entitled to your opinion and I wont argue this. In my opinion I will gladly trade the long hot Florida summers for short, cooler summers in exchange I get winters with snow, a new experience for me actually. Id like to build snowmen and ice sculptures and make my own ice skating rink I can exercise in the winter too, ya know

Rent in FL is a ripoff, I can get rent in CA for around 20% more and I consider CA a much better location. $1500 a month to rent a great house? Thatll be the deal of the year if you can find someone willing to rent out his $400k house for only $1500 a month. 2/2 apartments are going for $1500 a month! I for one would never rent, I can buy a house in the northeast for a fraction of the cost of renting and have equity


*see next post below*

[Need_affordable_home]

Originally Posted by SouthFloridaNative

I guess I am partial to South Florida b/c I was born here. It is more tropical. My skin dries out everytime I go to North Florida or anywhere else. I love the native Cabbage Palms, the Everglades, anything natural. To me, South Florida has a pre-historic feel. Driving on US 41 from Naples to Miami you can almost picture dinosaurs roaming the area.

I also was born here and am tired of it. Never had a problem with dry skin. Theres palm trees up north too!

Originally Posted by SouthFloridaNative

Been to PA..and I could imagine stepping out of one of the houses and tripping and falling into the street below and getting run over. The homes I saw were built up on hills and they were very steep..kinda scary.

Many houses are built on the flat areas


Ok guys, keep the comparsions comming. Some of you did not give the full reasons why you prefer one location over the other. What do you see in south vs. north FL that you dont see in the northeast or is it equal? Ive given my good reasons why north FL is better, do you agree?

[sunrico90]

[quote=Need_affordable_home;397997]I am curious to see what you think of south FL vs. north FL vs. the northeast states.

I am trying to understand why some people prefer south FL. I consider north FL much more desirable because:

1. Houses cost 1/2 to 2/3 and the land itself is much cheaper.
2. Lower hurricane risk, cheaper hurricane insurance
3. One third the crime, very important for my safety and should be for your family
4. Better weather, the summers arent 9 months. Save on a/c and sweat less
5. Less traffic
6. Prettier plants and trees
7. Fresh air, less pollution
8. Friendlier people
9. Lower costs of living overall

I like the north part of the state better than the central/south part of the state, have lived in both areas. I also like our area better than northeast.

Your comparison is very accurate and true. I like to avoid the more populated areas which are prompt to many social problems. Smaller communities are more traditional and this one provides security, great education, lower taxes, and advantages that larger communities can't provide.

[firemed]

[quote=sunrico90;399726]

Originally Posted by Need_affordable_home

I am curious to see what you think of south FL vs. north FL vs. the northeast states.

I am trying to understand why some people prefer south FL. I consider north FL much more desirable because:

1. Houses cost 1/2 to 2/3 and the land itself is much cheaper.
2. Lower hurricane risk, cheaper hurricane insurance
3. One third the crime, very important for my safety and should be for your family
4. Better weather, the summers arent 9 months. Save on a/c and sweat less
5. Less traffic
6. Prettier plants and trees
7. Fresh air, less pollution
8. Friendlier people
9. Lower costs of living overall

I like the north part of the state better than the central/south part of the state, have lived in both areas. I also like our area better than northeast.

Your comparison is very accurate and true. I like to avoid the more populated areas which are prompt to many social problems. Smaller communities are more traditional and this one provides security, great education, lower taxes, and advantages that larger communities can't provide.

By far north Florida ! South Florida is a mess right now.

[coltoncity]

I didnt like N. Florida and was there for 11 years growing up. Keeping in mind I have not been back in 15 years but my Dad has. All my Dads family is there and it is absolutely beautiful. What I liked better was the woods and different plants mixed with the palm trees and sandy beaches. It is just different then S. Florida. North Florida is not tourist, its a stop on their way to the tourist places, which is pretty self explanatory as to what you will find there. It is much more 'traditional south', as many peoples family came there from Georgia several generations before. Its seems a little bit meaner then other areas of Florida and more extremes as far as political, economical, racial, etc. Gainesville is a nice place to live from what I heard and to me Central Florida I loved. (I have never been to South Florida.) This is terrible to say but true ... Since N. Florida is not a tourist area then it is not as important for the powers that be in that state to make sure you have enough cops etc. to show major safety to people on the outside. Money spending and money making is the reason to go there and they know it. This mostly happens in S. and Central Florida. One thing that was also prevalent in N. FLorida was that it seemed people got stuck there. They go to Florida and stop at the first city they could get a job, thinking they will move on, but get caught in a financial hole. There was also a huge amount of divorce and families stuck there because one parent took off after the quick divorce they could get, leaving a struggling single Mom and kids. A lot of military so there was jobs there but not as much elsewhere so a lot of competition for them. You could lose a lot of money by getting ripped off anywhere in Florida by not knowing the locals. We didnt because my Dad was going back home. I dont know how many people moved there dumping huge amounts of money on these enormous homes in basically a swamp or hire someone to do something and never see them again. Remember you are sitting mostly on swamp, if you have a beautiful lakeside home and the water floods you will have 'company' slithering on your porch. The higher elevation is what you want even if the whole place is flat you can find it if you look. Trust me, you will be hot no matter where you are in Florida and your body will aclimate.

[jeremykbrandi]

Originally Posted by myfask

is it just me or does the pgh house look crooked ?
maybe its just the angle or maybe thats why it is only $55k

looke like the tower of piiza

[jeremykbrandi]

Originally Posted by macguy

You have to think twice about that statement. Cookie cutter homes doesn't refer to them all looking alike but they are built almost assembly line like. I worked construction and I can tell you, those projects are all bottom line, build the project as fast and as cheap as you can. Cut corners where ever you can get away with it. You want a custom built home if you can get one. It still will not guarantee a great home but neighborhoods with rows of identical houses are almost certainly built to the lowest standard codes would allow, maybe with a little gingerbread to make them more attractive.

anyone familiar w/ wolf homes? Please post