Grew up in Winter Springs/Oviedo and want to come back. Questions about work and area? (Orlando: short sales, real estate market)

[xtin]

Hello everyone. It's a blistering 4 degrees here in Maryland which is making me want to be in Florida all the more . Hope it's warmer for you!

Here is the situation
I grew up in Winter Springs/Tuskawilla from the late 80's to when I graduated from Oviedo High School in 1998 and left for college at FSU. I'm somewhat familiar with the area but it's grown leaps and bounds since my childhood where 434 was a one lane road, no Central Winds park and it was just orange groves! Everytime I visit I am shocked how many new housing developments pop up, it's always something new!

All of my family live in the area, more specifically The Highlands in Winter Springs, Tuskawilla or right over 17-92 in Longwood. I miss them terribly and would love to move back so that my young daughters would grow up with family around them. My husbands family lives near us now but they have no interest in our kids and pretty much do their own thing. I would love to live somewhere that I had family trusted to help with our girls. My husband and I haven't been away from them since 2008 for more than an hour or so. I think we would be happier if we could do normal married couple things and go on overnight trips or things just as a couple and not always mommy and daddy.

A little about us:
1. I am 30 and my husband is 34
2. I am a stay at home mom to two daughters ages 3 and 1. My husband is the lead Web developer for Discovery Channel and has been with them for 10 years, a huge feat in the dot com business!
3. I have a huge family in Central Florida who I would love to be close to. Visiting once a year isn't enough for me
4. Important factors of moving to Florida would be good schools, proxemity to family, lower cost of
living, warmer weather since my girls have eczema which is much worse in cold weather. Plus, I hate the cold and being stuck in the house all day with two very hyper kids is no fun for anyone.

Potential problems with moving
1. Job stability. Right now my husbands boss is telling him he can go but that it would mean giving up his title of lead. I worry about the whole "out of sight out of mind" with the job. He might be the first to be laid off (and he has seen about 15 major ones) if he wasn't at the HQ everyday and being seen.
2. Our ability to sell our house here. We live in one of the highest priced cities in the northeast and with the real estate market slumping, I worry we wouldn't be able to sell for enough to get us out comfortably. We are looking to buy a house in Central Florida for 200-300k and our house here is appraising for $345 (1500 sq feet, 3bed/2.5 bath with less than a quarter acre. Built in 1972)
3. My husband hates hot weather. It gets just as hot here in the summer but the humidity there makes it somewhat unbearable at times. It didn't Bother me growing up but he loves the snow and cold so he won't be a big fan of 120 heat index
4. If he lost his job what is the likelihood that he could find something making the 6 figures that he is now? Maybe another telecommute job since jobs I've found there pay between 50-70k with his experience

Any other advice would be great if there is something I'm not thinking about

So my main reasons for wanting to move back are

[jorgeg3d]

I think you can find way more bang for you buck here then you can in Maryland thats for sure. With 200-300k you can get a huge house, 3k+ square feet. The IT job outlook in Orlando is pretty good, its the Simulation capital of the world. So there should be plenty of IT type jobs for your husband, I'm sure the pay depends on the type of job etc.

[Crane's Rooster]

My straight from the heart honest opinion is that unless your husband can find a comparable job here that is stable, stay where you are. I grew up here around the same time you did and left for school also, only to return many years later. Much has changed here to make it a better community to live in, IMO. But many things have also gone wrong, among the worst of those things, the economy. FL as a whole has one of the worst situations whereas DC is in better shape than most areas. It seems that the family issue is a major consideration. I am single with no kids but given your husbands current employment and salary, I would tough if out up there until he can find something guaranteed down here. We'll always be here in CFL and it seems your family will too. Things are getting better here everyday, but just not good enough yet for your family to leave a sure thing. I wish you the best of luck in trying to find a job here and coming home, hopefully it will work out for you and your family.

[patrick32724]

WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD YOU WANT TO COME BACK TO SUCH A DUMP AS FLORIDA, I USED TO LOVE IT HERE, I LIVED ALL OVER CENTRAL FLORIDA, IM 59YRS OLD I GOTTA TELL YOU THIS IS THE MOST UNFRIENDLY COMMUNITY I HAVE EVER LIVED IN. THERE ARE NO JOBS, THE FORECLOSURE RATE IS ONE OF THE WORST IN THE COUNTRY, IS HAS A 13% UNEMPLOYMENT RATE, THE WEATHER IS JUST HORRIBLE IN THE SUMMER, THE ONLY MONTHS THAT ARE BEARABLE ARE NOV- FEB. I ALSO GOT TO TELL YOU THAT, THAT ORLANDO NOW HAS THE HIGHEST CRIME RATE IN FLORIDA. THE TRAFFIC IS JUST RIDICULOUS, THE RENTS ARE ALSO VERY EXPENSIVE FOR WHAT YOU GET. ALSO ORLANDO NOW HAS A SEVERE WATER PROBLEM EMERGING, AND KNOW ONE KNOWS WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT. THE INFLUX OF PEOPLE FROM UP NORTH, IS NOT CAUSING THE AQUIFER IN ORLANDO TO DEPLETE. ISNT THAT JUST GREAT!!!! IM LEAVING AND GOING OVERSEAS TO LIVE, I HAVE A 3 BEDROOM HOUSE, FOR 200 DOLLARS, I EAT FOR 10 DOLLARS A WK AND HAVE MAID SERVICE, AND I DONT EVEN HAVE TO COOK!!!! OR WASH DISHES. I HAVE A SMALL CAR AND MOTOR SCOOTER, IM LEARNING THAI, AND CAMBODIAN, AND CHINESE. I SPEAK ITALIAN, FRENCH AND ENGLISH, IF YOU CAN LEAVE THE US AND COME HERE, GET TO HELL OUT OF THE US, AND ESPECIALLY FLORIDA AND ANYWHERE DOWN IN THE SOUTH. PLEASE TO NOT COME TO FLORIDA, YOU WILL REGRET IT I GUARANTEE IT.

[xtin]

Well gee thanks for the input!!!!!

[jrogers]

It is bad all over the country and getting worse. There are unfriendly people everywhere. I know a lot of people say they are thinking about leaving the US, but not everyone can just up and leave. Florida is not all that bad. I have lived here all my life and also graduated from OHS in 1998. As a real estate agent I would recommend moving here to get a great deal on a home!! I'd secure a job for your husband first. Good luck and best wishes to you and your family.

[xtin]

Up here you cant leave your house from 4-7:30pm no matter what because doing so would mean HOURS of traffic and endless headaches.

I will take a few unfriendly people any day over that! Plus, its the northeast, not known for our hospitality!!! LOL

I found an AWESOME deal in Oviedo for $169k with 10/10 schools zoned. Now we need to get our house on the market and get out of this frozen tundra!!!!

66 degrees tomorrow in Oviedo and 30 here with 6-8" of snow on the way

[CardiffBaseball]

This is a total buyer's market right now. Definitely don't offer list price if there wasn't a history of dropping it, (unless it was priced well to begin with).

You can completely avoid all short sales and still find excellent values.

[xtin]

it was bought in 2005 for $330k
asessed last year for 237k

I dont know whats wrong with it, but its gotta be something big, right?

[Cigarboo]

I don't think there's anything necessarily wrong with the home. If it was bought for $330 at the height of the market. $169K asking seems about right considering the drop in the housing market since 2005. Oviedo is a great option as far as great schools and affordability goes.

But just don't be too hasty about the "great deal." There are plenty of great deals around. Just make sure this is really what you want to do as far as finances and careers go. I know one of your main reason to move is to be closer to family, so sometimes that trumps most other things.

Good luck on your search/move.