[Chrome Microphone]

My perception isnt from the news. I was born and raised in S FL. My perception isnt from "the news", I was just adding that to the fact of what Psouth said, that I heard what he was talking about on the news too. Good grief man.

Besides, in your above paragraph you mentioned that for people outside of constructiom, life goes on... right. Tell that to the teachers and everyone else getting laid off. I am in construction, all employees I work with are obviously. You saying we arent educated or "dont have the gall to get specialized training?" I went to college for 6 yrs. Nobody in the office I work in makes less than $45k, and almost ALL have degrees. Even the office manager makes in the mid $40ks with bonus potential. My boss is 33 or 34 or so, his base is 155k.

The "situation" is this. People in construction are probably more vulnerable right now, but so are teachers, police officers, etc... people are losing their jobs in all fields. So it isnt just peachy for people that "had the gall to get specialized training."

[TriMT7]

Originally Posted by Chrome Microphone

My perception isnt from the news. I was born and raised in S FL. My perception isnt from "the news", I was just adding that to the fact of what Psouth said, that I heard what he was talking about on the news too. Good grief man.

South Florida is not the Treasure Coast. Saying, "I heard it in the news as well" also does not change the fact that "the news" sells best when it's bad.

Originally Posted by Chrome Microphone

Besides, in your above paragraph you mentioned that for people outside of constructiom, life goes on... right. Tell that to the teachers and everyone else getting laid off. I am in construction, all employees I work with are obviously. You saying we arent educated or "dont have the gall to get specialized training?" I went to college for 6 yrs. Nobody in the office I work in makes less than $45k, and almost ALL have degrees. Even the office manager makes in the mid $40ks with bonus potential. My boss is 33 or 34 or so, his base is 155k.

Take that chip off your shoulder. Nobody is calling you uneducated. My comments were directed specifically to psouth, who has indicated in other posts that he should be able to find a job in South Florida making whatever he feels he's worth simply because he has a degree in whatever it is he went to school for. He expects a "Fortune 500" company to hire him at whatever he considers a "good wage" and have ample opportunity to work his way up through middle management or whatever until he's CEO or at least a Vice President, most likely by age 35. He whined that the medical and other professionals jobs that exist in PBC require "specialized training" and oh my, what a drag that is!

Originally Posted by Chrome Microphone

The "situation" is this. People in construction are probably more vulnerable right now, but so are teachers, police officers, etc... people are losing their jobs in all fields. So it isnt just peachy for people that "had the gall to get specialized training."

Way. Off. The. Mark.

But thanks anyway.

[Chrome Microphone]

No chip on my shoulder, I just wanted to make sure that's not what you were getting at. I know you werent calling me uneducated, I was just stating my case and my personal experience.

I know where PSL is. I consider it S FL still. I guess I dont know the official "cut off" line, where Central FL and South FL divide. But I consider the Treasure Coast as S FL.

The news might sell when it's bad, but they didnt make up their foreclosure problem, their unemployment rate. The news doesnt just pull things out of thin air. There is obviously some truth to it. I was never a fan of PSL anyway. Back to the OP, I feel like if you can afford it, then go with Sarasota over PSL.

[psouth]

What can I say, Tri? Your attacks just continue without relent. But that's OK. Just life on a forum these days.

Again you know nothing about me so stop making assumptions. Just because nearly one million people in Florida have lost their jobs with millions more severely underemployed does not make them losers or beneath you in any way. For all we know you could be living in your mother's basement somewhere. I could care less.

Yes I do get a lot of my information from the local news. How can it be lying when the cameras show foreclosed houses being stripped of appliances and copper piping, many houses with grass 3 ft high, home after home with bank foreclosure signs in the front yards? What about the fact the city ran out of water two years ago from sheer stupidity? What about the people who can't sleep in their brand new homes because of chemicals leaking from the Chinese drywall? By the way Chinese drywall was used mainly during the high growth years and during the real estate bubble boom so there are many thousands of homes and condos effected. It is not just a small problem. Many builders have gone bankrupt or out of business altogether so who knows what will happen. I feel for those homeowners.

You say life goes on for those not involved in construction in PSL. PSL never had much of an economy beyond construction. That was pretty much it. The only reason why people moved to this town in the middle of nowhere is because it was much cheaper than Palm Beach County. If it weren't for that fact there would be no one there. Most people made the commute every day. Sure there are more schools and stores now but nothing near what it takes to sustain a population of 130,000. Again most jobs are low paying dead end retail, restaurant, call center such as Liberty Medical (whoopee). If you think you can just move there and make $50,000 with some general employment job then dream on. If you are a doctor or highly trained medical professional then that is different. The medical field is booming everywhere in the country though. Nothing unique to PSL.

If you are a teacher, fireman, policeman, or other infrastructure worker in PSL good luck. They are laying off teachers and these other jobs in droves. Not that they paid much to begin with. Teachers were lucky to be making $40K. As tax revenue continues to fall there will be many more. I guess that has something to do with why they declared a state of emergency yesterday. I've never heard of this being done before unless there is a natural disaster.

No I do not expect a fortune 500 company to hire me or any one else to become CEO in a few short years. My main beef is that Florida in general has not progressed like many other states mainly in the Northeast. Florida put all its eggs into one basket so to speak in real estate, construction, mortgage brokering, and tourism. It never moved on or planned for anything else. Prices have caught up to most everywhere else while salaries and benefits remain in the 70's or 80's. The state never diversified and attracted large corporations or fortune 500 companies like Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Austin, Seattle, etc. have done. Some of these corporations could have employed many thousands if not hundreds of thousands of educated and ambitious and uneducated Floridians. Jobs such as administrative support, information technology, sales, marketing, managerial of all levels, executives, manufacturing, and even janitorial. They usually offer training programs and advancement in different areas of your choice. It's called opportunity. Florida never did this and now is paying a huge price. Low paying retail, call center, restaurant, and tourism jobs just don't cut it for such an expensive state to live in. It was doable years ago when things were dirt cheap in Florida but not now. That is why educated people are leaving in droves and being replaced by illegals and poor Hispanics. You don't see them flooding the more progressive areas of the country. It is not happening in Florida for nothing.

I wouldn't expect you to understand any of this especially when it comes to mobility and opportunity if you were raised in Port St. Lousy. It sticks out like a sore thumb if you lived in a booming city with lots of different industry and good-paying general employment. And I'm talking about hundreds of thousands of jobs not just 8,000 or whatever PSL has. Yes other cities offer this atmosphere and not all just big cities. Even Las Vegas has different industry to offer and good paying jobs while still being a tourism mecca. Of course it is hurting now like everywhere but not its fault.

I guess I would say get out of your grandparent's basement and look around once in a while and maybe read the paper or watch the news. Then you will know what is going on around you.

[ddlove01]

Originally Posted by TriMT7

TODAY, people are taking advantage of the bargains. Heck, I bet even you could afford one on a call center salary.

Yep that's all you will need to afford a home in PSL in this market. You can get a 3/2/2 for 89K, that's less than $800 per month including taxes and insurance if you have decent credit. That is why we will be buying in a few months, not overextend ourselves like we did in NC, and be able to afford to live in PSL even if something happens to our employment.

Most of my friends and family live in PSL and it isn't as bad as psouth puts it. There are lots of foreclosures but there were lots when we left in 2007 so whats the difference? I dont buy it that entire streets have empty houses. Lots of homes are for sale but not all are empty. psouth do u live in psl, travel to psl on a regular basis? Then you really can't comment like you are a local or used to be one. I lived in PSL for 14 years...moved to where we thought the grass would be greener but our job situation here in NC didn't work out as planned. I have secure employment waiting for me come June 22nd in Fort Pierce for a great software company. Very stable, never had layoffs ever. Can't wait to go back home.

[ddlove01]

OMG, the news the news the news...of course the news are going to show the overgrown lawns,etc. Its for viewer shock. Not every home is unkept, please!!!!

BTW - Port St Lousy is a term all locals hate. Call it the pizzle thats what the locals are calling it now.

Of course you are not going to go to liberty medical and immediately make 50K but eventually there is a good chance you will be promoted and make somewhere close to that in years with ANY company. Just depends on work ethic.

[mquintana]

PSL has been called the PIZZLE for many years. I can tell you I have been using that name for at least 6 years now...

And I have MANY friends there in the pizzle and they express to me all the time how bad things have been there-yeah, maybe the housing is cheap but the employment is far from abundant. I know a lot of people struggling there on a daily basis-trying to make ends meat.

Originally Posted by ddlove01

OMG, the news the news the news...of course the news are going to show the overgrown lawns,etc. Its for viewer shock. Not every home is unkept, please!!!!

BTW - Port St Lousy is a term all locals hate. Call it the pizzle thats what the locals are calling it now.

Of course you are not going to go to liberty medical and immediately make 50K but eventually there is a good chance you will be promoted and make somewhere close to that in years with ANY company. Just depends on work ethic.

[psouth]

ddlove01, all I can say is you get what you pay for. They will probably give me a house in Guatemala but I still wouldn't want it. I'm sure the prices will be falling much further to where they were many years ago so I would think twice about buying now. In another year most houses will probably be back to around the $50K mark where they belong. By the way, I have friends and travel to PSL quite often. They only bought there because it was much cheaper also. Other than that there isn't much to do there and PSL has little to offer. They constantly commute to Palm Beach County for nightlife, work, and for decent shopping. As I stated before PSL seems very poorly planned hence the nickname Port St. Lousy.

I'm not saying Port St. Lucie is all that bad but it's not what it's cracked up to be or how it was falsely promoted. No city could live up to the way Erik Estrada promotes it on those stupid infomercials. By the way, I am not sure if you are familiar with Fort Pierce but I wouldn't go there without packing some major heat.

[Chrome Microphone]

Originally Posted by ddlove01

Yep that's all you will need to afford a home in PSL in this market. You can get a 3/2/2 for 89K, that's less than $800 per month including taxes and insurance if you have decent credit. That is why we will be buying in a few months, not overextend ourselves like we did in NC, and be able to afford to live in PSL even if something happens to our employment.

Most of my friends and family live in PSL and it isn't as bad as psouth puts it. There are lots of foreclosures but there were lots when we left in 2007 so whats the difference? I dont buy it that entire streets have empty houses. Lots of homes are for sale but not all are empty. psouth do u live in psl, travel to psl on a regular basis? Then you really can't comment like you are a local or used to be one. I lived in PSL for 14 years...moved to where we thought the grass would be greener but our job situation here in NC didn't work out as planned. I have secure employment waiting for me come June 22nd in Fort Pierce for a great software company. Very stable, never had layoffs ever. Can't wait to go back home.

But there is reason why PSL is so cheap. You have to be careful buying a foreclosure.

A good example were my next door neighbors. They bought a big house that was foreclosed on. They got a pretty good deal, but listen to what was wrong with the house they bought from the previous owners: they took all the appliances, all the fixtures, all the cabinets, and they even took the electrical outlet plate covers off the walls, holes in the walls, etc... the house was a wreck.

[mquintana]

I agree, you do get what you pay for-so you can find a forclosed home for $89,000-but where's your job to pay that mortgage, right?? The job market is crap there!

Originally Posted by psouth

ddlove01, all I can say is you get what you pay for. They will probably give me a house in Guatemala but I still wouldn't want it. I'm sure the prices will be falling much further to where they were many years ago so I would think twice about buying now. In another year most houses will probably be back to around the $50K mark where they belong. By the way, I have friends and travel to PSL quite often. They only bought there because it was much cheaper also. Other than that there isn't much to do there and PSL has little to offer. They constantly commute to Palm Beach County for nightlife, work, and for decent shopping. As I stated before PSL seems very poorly planned hence the nickname Port St. Lousy.

I'm not saying Port St. Lucie is all that bad but it's not what it's cracked up to be or how it was falsely promoted. No city could live up to the way Erik Estrada promotes it on those stupid infomercials. By the way, I am not sure if you are familiar with Fort Pierce but I wouldn't go there without packing some major heat.