New Jersey to Florida (Orlando, Kissimmee: foreclosures, new home, job market)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My wife and I are currently looking for a house in Florida. We both hate the northeast winters and always wanted to move to Florida. We are a black family with three children ages 14, 12, and 9. My wife is a school teacher and I'm a network engineer.
We currently own our home in New Jersey, and like many other home owners we are upside down in our mortgage. We didn't want to lose out on purchasing a home in the current Florida market, so we are looking to purchase a second home and make a slow transition to Florida. Until then the house will be used in the summers and when ever the kids are out of school.
We are looking to purchase a home in the $150K range, in an area with good schools, and a diverse neighborhood. Bellalago has grabbed our attention due to it being gated, has lots of amenities, and a large lake.
I'm looking for opinions on our choice and similar areas we should look into. Thank you in advance.
1)The Summers here are unbearable. It's Very humid until about October. If you like that type of thing then is good. If not (like me) then It's bad.
2) The job market is atrocious. Discrimination IN the workplace are practiced very OPENLY!
3) Orlando is fairly devoid of culture. It's a place of endless sprawl, sprawling into nothing.
4) The locals are not very worldly people as a whole. In fact many of them are fairly dunce . I'm surprised at how many have never been out of the south or Florida for that matter.
5) Never let anyone let you Orlando is a melting pot. It's an quietly developing sinkhole.There are many nationalities here but its heavily Puerto Rican and South American with many Haitians as well as some West Indians. However it's here but it's very much divided (Even among the Black groups they are highly suspicious so it's AA vs Haitian vs West Indian vs, all Latinos etc.). And I'm not talking about everyone being in love with one another either, I'm just talking about people cordial and decent toward each other. Most people are very prejudged toward Haitians. In Philly, Black was Black and there more functional and middle class Black people. But not here in Orlando. In Florida WAY too many Blacks are comfortable nothing and PROUD to be ignorant and slow. I'm not saying you couldn't find parallels anywhere in America, but here it's worst and somewhat upsetting upon moving here. If you come from the northeast this place will socially feel retarded in many ways. There are lot fakes here. If you're a brother or sister coming from NY/NJ get that Idea that and Puerto Rican or Latinos are friend out you head now before you come here. Florida is a entirely different place than the Northeast. In fact, things play out almost like a 3rd world country in many ways. You'll find folks a shade lighter (or darker) than you not only denying or down playing there obvious African ancestry appearance as if they were a Spaniard. Heartbreaking. Many Latinos are more racist that you're's stereotypical southern White.
6) Florida is a rest haven for pedophiles and underhanded employment practices by scammers posing as legitimate business people.
MOST especially to coming from the northeast). If you not Black the probably won't apply to you. Overall I would suggests seriously doing you're do diligence before you come to live here as with anywhere, but in all honest there are better places... don't even mention south Florida.
My wife and I are currently looking for a house in Florida. We both hate the northeast winters and always wanted to move to Florida. We are a black family with three children ages 14, 12, and 9. My wife is a school teacher and I'm a network engineer.
We currently own our home in New Jersey, and like many other home owners we are upside down in our mortgage. We didn't want to lose out on purchasing a home in the current Florida market, so we are looking to purchase a second home and make a slow transition to Florida. Until then the house will be used in the summers and when ever the kids are out of school.
We are looking to purchase a home in the $150K range, in an area with good schools, and a diverse neighborhood. Bellalago has grabbed our attention due to it being gated, has lots of amenities, and a large lake.
I'm looking for opinions on our choice and similar areas we should look into. Thank you in advance.
I would look to an area with good schools, which won't be the case with the Kissimmee area. I'd recommend looking further south at Wellington, in northern Palm Beach County. The schools are very good, the area is safe and family-friendly, diverse and has a good choice of homes in your price range.
My wife and I are currently looking for a house in Florida. We both hate the northeast winters and always wanted to move to Florida. We are a black family with three children ages 14, 12, and 9. My wife is a school teacher and I'm a network engineer.
We currently own our home in New Jersey, and like many other home owners we are upside down in our mortgage. We didn't want to lose out on purchasing a home in the current Florida market, so we are looking to purchase a second home and make a slow transition to Florida. Until then the house will be used in the summers and when ever the kids are out of school.
We are looking to purchase a home in the $150K range, in an area with good schools, and a diverse neighborhood. Bellalago has grabbed our attention due to it being gated, has lots of amenities, and a large lake.
I'm looking for opinions on our choice and similar areas we should look into. Thank you in advance.
I agree with Kyle about Kissimmee. Once again, as I always say, it's for vacation, not a place to live. If you want good schools, I'd check out somewhere in Seminole County. As for being gated, don't be fooled, anybody can get in unless it's manned. OTOH, many neighborhoods in Seminole County are not gated and they are very safe. We can leave our doors unlocked and nobody would bother us. We have the best neighbors as well. We stick together and if there is anybody strange around, we are on the phone immediately. It's a good sense of security.
Some areas you might want to check out would be Lake Mary, Longwood, Oviedo, parts of Sanford and Altamonte Springs. The schools are for the most part A rated.
As for lakes in neighborhoods, they are mostly retention ponds that have alligators. They are not like the lakes up north. You can't swim in them either.
I agree with you on wanting to purchase a home now. There isn't much inventory now and prices are starting to level off or even inclining. In your price range, it can be done. I'd stay away from foreclosures because whatever is left for the most part is garbage.
You will find many of the towns have plenty going on for the kids. Sports are popular as well. There are YMCA's with pools and various activities. There are also summer day camps for the kids.
Have you done your homework on pay scales for those jobs around here? Your wife will take a 35-60% cut (and no pension) depending on where she is teaching now, you could take up to a 75% cut--if either of you can find jobs to begin with.
Sorry I can't post anything helpful but I'm with you. Although those muggy miserable summers don't sound nice, freezing here all winter is no longer an option for me either.
I have job apps in Florida and S Carolina. Good luck and watch for me in your rear view mirror.
Don't listen to "Philly Stress" - anyplace has something negative about it, even Hawaii. If he's so unhappy here, he should leave. Then he can gripe about his new home location.
I've been here for several months now and love it. I'm in the Tuscawilla area on the NE side of town, and it's very nice and has a tucked-away neighborhood feel, along with lots of shopping areas nearby. It's far enough away from the city to not feel congested, but not too far to feel like you're not in the city, if you know what I mean. I bought my 3-br house here for just under $130k.
1)The Summers here are unbearable. It's Very humid until about October. If you like that type of thing then is good. If not (like me) then It's bad.
2) The job market is atrocious. Discrimination IN the workplace are practiced very OPENLY!
3) Orlando is fairly devoid of culture. It's a place of endless sprawl, sprawling into nothing.
4) The locals are not very worldly people as a whole. In fact many of them are fairly dunce . I'm surprised at how many have never been out of the south or Florida for that matter.
5) Never let anyone let you Orlando is a melting pot. It's an quietly developing sinkhole.There are many nationalities here but its heavily Puerto Rican and South American with many Haitians as well as some West Indians. However it's here but it's very much divided (Even among the Black groups they are highly suspicious so it's AA vs Haitian vs West Indian vs, all Latinos etc.). And I'm not talking about everyone being in love with one another either, I'm just talking about people cordial and decent toward each other. Most people are very prejudged toward Haitians. In Philly, Black was Black and there more functional and middle class Black people. But not here in Orlando. In Florida WAY too many Blacks are comfortable nothing and PROUD to be ignorant and slow. I'm not saying you couldn't find parallels anywhere in America, but here it's worst and somewhat upsetting upon moving here. If you come from the northeast this place will socially feel retarded in many ways. There are lot fakes here. If you're a brother or sister coming from NY/NJ get that Idea that and Puerto Rican or Latinos are friend out you head now before you come here. Florida is a entirely different place than the Northeast. In fact, things play out almost like a 3rd world country in many ways. You'll find folks a shade lighter (or darker) than you not only denying or down playing there obvious African ancestry appearance as if they were a Spaniard. Heartbreaking. Many Latinos are more racist that you're's stereotypical southern White.
6) Florida is a rest haven for pedophiles and underhanded employment practices by scammers posing as legitimate business people.
MOST especially to coming from the northeast). If you not Black the probably won't apply to you. Overall I would suggests seriously doing you're do diligence before you come to live here as with anywhere, but in all honest there are better places... don't even mention south Florida.
I agree wholeheartedly with #1, #3, #6, and possibly #4. Not only is summer unbearable, so is spring. Not sure about #2 and #5.
1)The Summers here are unbearable. It's Very humid until about October. If you like that type of thing then is good. If not (like me) then It's bad.
2) The job market is atrocious. Discrimination IN the workplace are practiced very OPENLY!
3) Orlando is fairly devoid of culture. It's a place of endless sprawl, sprawling into nothing.
4) The locals are not very worldly people as a whole. In fact many of them are fairly dunce . I'm surprised at how many have never been out of the south or Florida for that matter.
5) Never let anyone let you Orlando is a melting pot. It's an quietly developing sinkhole.There are many nationalities here but its heavily Puerto Rican and South American with many Haitians as well as some West Indians. However it's here but it's very much divided (Even among the Black groups they are highly suspicious so it's AA vs Haitian vs West Indian vs, all Latinos etc.). And I'm not talking about everyone being in love with one another either, I'm just talking about people cordial and decent toward each other. Most people are very prejudged toward Haitians. In Philly, Black was Black and there more functional and middle class Black people. But not here in Orlando. In Florida WAY too many Blacks are comfortable nothing and PROUD to be ignorant and slow. I'm not saying you couldn't find parallels anywhere in America, but here it's worst and somewhat upsetting upon moving here. If you come from the northeast this place will socially feel retarded in many ways. There are lot fakes here. If you're a brother or sister coming from NY/NJ get that Idea that and Puerto Rican or Latinos are friend out you head now before you come here. Florida is a entirely different place than the Northeast. In fact, things play out almost like a 3rd world country in many ways. You'll find folks a shade lighter (or darker) than you not only denying or down playing there obvious African ancestry appearance as if they were a Spaniard. Heartbreaking. Many Latinos are more racist that you're's stereotypical southern White.
6) Florida is a rest haven for pedophiles and underhanded employment practices by scammers posing as legitimate business people.
MOST especially to coming from the northeast). If you not Black the probably won't apply to you. Overall I would suggests seriously doing you're do diligence before you come to live here as with anywhere, but in all honest there are better places... don't even mention south Florida.
Pretty funny coming from someone from Philly. The ghetto underdog of big northeast cities. You couldn't pay me to live in parts of philly, or most of NJ.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
