It's not all doom and gloom! (condo, appliances, home)

[London Guy]

Originally Posted by Ken E

Welcome London Guy. I bet you can't wait to move in.

Hi Ken

We're really looking forward to it! Getting all the work done from the the other side of the pond is a bit tricky but we trust our contracters to carry it out as planned.

We're bleeding money at the moment but we're pretty sure the result will be worth it.

If not, we'll simply flog the place to a bunch of Cuban gangsters and drug dealers

[paulapoo]

Yay for you London Guy! We will also be moving down there soon too!

I'm confused about the less-than-positive posts on here. I do think that there needs to be some factual posts about crime, corruption, and other local drawbacks. But sheez, this forum is sooo negative for a location of the U.S. that's always been a desirable vacation and retirement destination! This forum is so much more negative than the St. Louis, MO forum(where we are from)... St. Louis was just designated the nation's "Most Dangerous City" for crying out loud! And yet, people on that forum are discussing restaurants, entertainment... fun stuff along with a few discussions about serious issues.

[Spring Hillian]

Now there's a guy who knows it when he sees it.

Originally Posted by London Guy

Well, to paraphrase you; can you discuss an issue without spouting off a load of bullcrap?!

[vaughanwilliams]

Originally Posted by seain dublin

There was a very interesting article about a year ago((I believe in the St. Pete Times) regarding foreign investors(many from China) who buy homes in FL and rent them out. They would do the bare minimum to get them market ready and rent them to whomever.

The homeowners who lived in the areas that were profiled were not happy with many of the renters. They also said it was frustrating because the owner not only didn't live in the area, they didn't even live in the country. There was no one to go to express their concerns.

Given the transient nature of FL I know many homeowners who would rather have an empty house across the street than worry about renters coming in. Not to say all renters are bad, but chances are good since they have nothing invested in the home they're less apt to take care of the home.

It is especially troublesome to older retired people who figure this will be their last home and buy in nice quiet area only to find they're surrounded by renters who are their for a year or less and have no regards or respect for others.

And BTW the renters are American, the issue becomes having the homeowner being out of reach and not really caring about who they rent to.

You've got a point about neighborhoods going rental-it's happened in mine and the results aren't pretty.
I have no problem with non-citizens buying property in the U.S. (except for my Bosnian neighbors-nasty hillbillies), but hopefully, they live there and not just rent it out. I'm sure the sellers are glad ANYONE buys.
Paraphrasing the book "Rising Sun" concerning the Japanese buying up so many American landmarks-"If you don't like us owning your heritage, don't sell it to us."

[Samiamnh]

That's why it's so important to walk the neighborhood before you buy.Durring the daytime,evenings and especially on the weekend.That way you can look at each house and yard and determine if there is pride of ownership and respect for property.Are there kids playing outside,retiree's walking dogs,people working in their yards? Are there lots of "for sale" ,or even worse,"for rent" signs? What do the vehicles look like? Newer and well cared for or beaters with big stereo's?Lots of fences mean lots of dogs and annoying barking.
It shouldn't take more than a couple of hours wandering around at different times of the day and evening to find out everything you want to know.

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by Samiamnh

That's why it's so important to walk the neighborhood before you buy.Durring the daytime,evenings and especially on the weekend.That way you can look at each house and yard and determine if there is pride of ownership and respect for property.Are there kids playing outside,retiree's walking dogs,people working in their yards? Are there lots of "for sale" ,or even worse,"for rent" signs? What do the vehicles look like? Newer and well cared for or beaters with big stereo's?Lots of fences mean lots of dogs and annoying barking.
It shouldn't take more than a couple of hours wandering around at different times of the day and evening to find out everything you want to know.

That's the bottom line. I have even knocked on doors, when looking for a house, and said, "Hi! I'm interested in the property for sale and I was wondering if you could kindly tell me about your neighborhood."

You'd be surprised how much info you will get, especially about the property. I've heard everything from how many insurance claims the owners put in to why they really, really have to sell.

[equalrightsforeveryone]

Originally Posted by London Guy

Hi Ken

We're really looking forward to it! Getting all the work done from the the other side of the pond is a bit tricky but we trust our contracters to carry it out as planned.

We're bleeding money at the moment but we're pretty sure the result will be worth it.

If not, we'll simply flog the place to a bunch of Cuban gangsters and drug dealers

I hope you are getting lien releases every time you make a payment to your contractor.
Better safe than sorry.

[London Guy]

Originally Posted by equalrightsforeveryone

I hope you are getting lien releases every time you make a payment to your contractor.
Better safe than sorry.

[Ken E]

Originally Posted by London Guy

Hi Ken

We're really looking forward to it! Getting all the work done from the the other side of the pond is a bit tricky but we trust our contracters to carry it out as planned.

We're bleeding money at the moment but we're pretty sure the result will be worth it.

If not, we'll simply flog the place to a bunch of Cuban gangsters and drug dealers

You must have a lot of trust in your workers. Good Luck

[Izmack]

Originally Posted by Ken E

You must have a lot of trust in your workers. Good Luck

I'm always amazed with this ability to get work done from long distances. When we were in Acapulco last year, there were many houses that had been purchased by foreign owners. Our tour guide explained the challenges involved with getting reliable local contractors paired with these new owners. Seemed pretty complicated and definitely required an occasional leap of faith!