safe less pricy places near ft lauderdale for young couple w./out kids?? (equity)

[njay]

I currently live in arizona and love it but my sister and her family recently moved to sunrise, fl and eventually, my mom and dad would love for me to move there as well since i am so far from my neices and all my family, all on the east coast... here are some of my concerns and questions....

My husband and I LOVe arizona for the dry weather and lack of rain and also for the scenery... we love to travel and take day trips and there is so much to see in AZ, other than flat land. I also have a medical problem and have alot of trouble in rain and humidity (understatement!!) Anyway... I WOULD love to be closer to my family, as I miss them dearly but some of our concerns are:

-We currently have a house and if we moved near my sister, that part of florida is much more expensive than where we live in AZ and we'd have to go back to condo or apartment living (not to sound snobby but i lived in an apartment my whole life and having a house has allowed me to live more calmly for many reason).....

-My sister currently lives in sunrise and hates it due to the lack of young people and kids. My husband and Ihave no kids and would want to live in a younger neighborhood that was safe and affordable (we can't move too far from sunrise, otherwise we'd be too far from my sister and to me, would defeat the purpose of moving (my husband doesn't even want to move to florida so if we did, it better be close to my sister (within 30 minutes or so)

-We are used to travelling on day and weekend trips and love the gorgeous scenery and changes in climate in AZ (you can drive 2 hrs and be in 20 degree difference weather wise). We are afraid we won't have half as many options to visit living in Fla (sorry,. no offense.. i guess it's just the type of scenery you like that is difference).

-We are really into music but not bars (we have lots of casinos and other music venues here that are not bars but are tons of fun)... we are afraid we won't get the same type of culture, which is even less than where I am from, NY.

Anyway... so basically... if we move (and this is the future because we are so upside down in equity right now, we couldn;t even consider for like 3-5 years but figured I'd start getting info), we are looking for a younger neighborhood that is affordable (perhaps single family house) and safe but not directly in sunrise... within 30 minutes or so.

Thanks for any info you have. And, sorry if I come off negative about florida... i think it's beautiful but i have always loved the west coast (so does my body, weather wise and we would only be moving to be close to family so we'd be sacrificing alot to get alot.

[njay]

we are young, but not young young,... in our late 30's... we cannot have kids so we wouldn't want a neighborhood with only those w. kids... like we have now and we can't make friends because we have nothing in common with them and they only want to befriend those whose kids can become playmates. just wanted to clarify. I know it sounds like alot.. wanting a place not with old people but also not specifically for those only w/ kids but maybe something in the middle, if there is such a thing

[runswithscissors]

I got all the way down to the bottom and you threw in 3-5 years LOL. We can't tell you what the neighborhoods are doing in 3-5 MONTHS let alone years. Things are changing now. Better you forget about it until the time comes, there are plenty of neighborhoods around.

It seems to me your sister would be a better resource. She knows you.

You realize that it's all about humidity here, rains everyday a bit and without any change of scenery or climate in 2 hours, right?

Don't be afraid you won't have as many options to visit. It's definite you won't ...we don't have mountain or climate changes etc. Beaches, lakes, boating, fishing, cities, towns, horse and cattle farms and the mouse. That's about it.

[njay]

yes i know it's a long way off but i wanted to see if it were even a possibility.... my sister has only been there a short time and doesn't know too much about neighboring areas... for me, i think the prices will be pay too high even now but if i knew some good surrounding areas, it might help me even let my sister know if it would even be a possibility in the future because she's really hoping we move

yes, i know about the humidity and rain and i will be miserable physically but i am here anyway due to the nature of my illness so i'd rather be miserable but be near family.

thanks for the info

[njay]

is it humid even in winter?? (my sister can answer this but want an objective opinion.

also... our price range is so low... i doubt when we move we can buy even a condo and we have a beautiful single family house here

[runswithscissors]

Yes it's humid in winter, it's usually over 50% humidity year round. Can be 90% by dawn some summer days. The reason I say don't worry about it now is the housing market is crashing down and not hit bottom yet. Depending on where you live, yep there can be a big shock but the jobs are the thing, you can always find a house. If you're working or in the house in the daytime the humidity is lower with the AC on.

[njay]

to be upfront. my husband and I paid 200k for our house in 2006 so we could never buy a house there, maybe not even a townhome... my sister's friend is a realtor and she said we can never touch a house there unless we got major major equity in our home, like if it doubled... right now our home in az is worth 130k (it's beautiful 3 bedroom den and new.... my husband is not handy and we don;'t have alot of money for improvements so we bought a new house... anyway... my sis realtor said we could never touch a house anywhere near my sis so i know we;'d have to go back to apartment living or a small condo so if we WERe able to buy a home, it would probably be in a crack ridden neighborhood , even a townhome

[runswithscissors]

Originally Posted by njay

to be upfront. my husband and I paid 200k for our house in 2006 so we could never buy a house there, maybe not even a townhome... my sister's friend is a realtor and she said we can never touch a house there unless we got major major equity in our home, like if it doubled... right now our home in az is worth 130k (it's beautiful 3 bedroom den and new.... my husband is not handy and we don;'t have alot of money for improvements so we bought a new house... anyway... my sis realtor said we could never touch a house anywhere near my sis so i know we;'d have to go back to apartment living or a small condo so if we WERe able to buy a home, it would probably be in a crack ridden neighborhood , even a townhome

Well, you can find single homes in the 100,000's range now maybe not new and fancy like yours but you're stuck there being upside down like so many other people. Maybe your sister will decide to move to Az instead

[njay]

mine isn't fancy at all. just new... very basic. but by the time we move there it would be crazy.... no way my sis is moving to az ;(