cost of living in Orlando?? (Oviedo, Winter Park: relocate, property taxes, homeowners association)

[Juliefootiechick]

We are hoping to move from England and I would really appreciate guidance on what our monthly outgoings may be. We will be looking to live in a 4 bed single family home around $250-300,000/Winter Park, Maitland, Oviedo area. How much are taxes, property insurance, electricity water rates etc. Any help really appreciated, thanks.

[GregTraub]

You can figure taxes by multiplying the millage rate (just a fancy term for tax rate) by the purchase price of the home you were looking to purchase. A good rule of thumb is to take 80-85% of the purchase price and the average millage rate is 1.8% a year for yearly property taxes. This is just a guide of course as the home may have higher or lower taxes the first year of living there as it will still be taxed at last years rate until the new year.

As far as insurance, this will range greatly depending on location, whether you are in a flood zone, age of home, and construction of home. For a 250-300K home though, a conservative estimate would be between 150-200/ month, maybe less.

Electric isn't too expensive since you won't be getting a 3000+ sq ft home in that range in those area's. But will range from 200-350 depending on how much you use your A/C, the bill will be substantially less though in the winter when you don't have to use the A/C too much.

Water is also pretty cheap depending on family size it should be between $50-100.

Cable, I pay about $110/mo for digital cable and high speed internet.

HOA's in Single family neighborhoods are usually pretty low depending on neighborhood amenities. Could be as high as $40-50/ month, to $0 if not in an HOA, and everywhere in between.

Petrol is about $3 / gallon nowadays, and you will usually have to take a toll road to get around the area. I drive quite alot and use about $30-60/month in just tolls depending on how much I have to get around town.

Hope this helps. What size and kind of home were you looking at purchasing?

[VaNative]

Originally Posted by GregTraub

Electric isn't too expensive since you won't be getting a 3000+ sq ft home in that range in those area's. But will range from 200-350 depending on how much you use your A/C, the bill will be substantially less though in the winter when you don't have to use the A/C too much.

Water is also pretty cheap depending on family size it should be between $50-100.

Cable, I pay about $110/mo for digital cable and high speed internet.

Just to add...my cable is $116/mo for the same services with BrightHouse.

If you move to an area that is serviced by Progress Energy, you might want to consider the budget plan. I have that and LOVE it!

[Fnix]

Winter park maitland and oviedo are expensive areas so $300,000 may not get you much. I'd look at some other cities and compare sq/ $

[AliceT]

Think a smaller house and settle on Winter Park. Very nice community and big on restorations and historical districts. There is a little something for everyone in Winter Park. And yes, there are very nice and very suitable houses in your price range in Winter Park, but don't wait too long.

[krock67]

You should rent for a year or two before buying anything here, especially since prices are falling back to earth/fundamentals.

[SouthernBelle3]

Don't forget to factor in the cost of health insurance. If it is being provided through your employer, you should be fine. Otherwise, private health insurance is very expensive, up to $12,000 a year for a family.
Also, if you are buying, Florida neighborhoods often have homeowners associations with yearly or monthly fees. Make sure you know what your fee is to be. Some, like mine, are around 150 a year. Others pay that much every month.
Auto insurance varies so shop around. I pay about $55.00 a month for each of my 2 cars. If you have a teen driver, it triples.
Cell phone plans vary also, but if you shop around, you can find a reasonable plan for under $100.00 a month for family plans.
Land line phones aren't necessary as long as you have a cell phone. I have a land line phone and I pay around $48 a month. I use my cell phone for long distance calls.

[xtranaut]

Besides gas (high everywhere) your biggest personal expense besides rent - will be ELECTRICITY. IT is hot and very humid in the summer so people even buy overly-adequate de-humidifiers for their homes. CEILING FANS are a worthy investment. Remember that if you store things in your garage that are sensitive to heat, you will need to insulate and AC your garage or it will easily collect moisture and mildew. THat is why DAMP RID sells so well in Florida.

If you have GUNS,for instance, you will want to dehumidify the place where they are kept and put DAMP RID moisture collectors in the immediate area -but caution -- these are open containers and the substance is corrosive.
I put one on a shelf,went to empty it and spilled in down the barrel of a mini-14, rendering it a useless piece of junk.

INSULATION is one of the best investments you can make in FLorida -- then a good programmable digital thermostat.
If you have the extra dough for a five year return - invest in, at least, solar hot water -- a great deal in Florida as well as for heated poolsto swim in winter. GAS HEATED POOLS ARE EVERY EXPENSIVE AND HEATING POOLS WITH ELECTRICITY IS JUST STUPID unless money is no object.

BUGS are a fact of life. You will ALWAYS bear the expense of pest control. If you live around citrus, there are RATS. They love the fruit. Don't let it fall on the ground and rot. Seal soffits and put bait in attic areas.

CRITTERS ofall kinds are normal. Accept them and don't try to kill them. They are important to the balance in Florida. Opossums, raccoons, armadillos, gators, spiders snakes and lizards are good things and have lived there lots longer than people. Snakes and lizards eat bugs and rats...spiders take care of a lot of garden pests..and on it goes. LIzards in your house are good things also - if you dont have cats!

You will want to WASH YOUR CAR more often. Even though Orlando is inland, SALT is still a damaging factor to EVERYTHING corrosive. If you have a newer car particularly, you will want to wash the undercarriage at least twice a month.

Having lived in Florida since the 60s, all over, I can tell you almost anything you want to know and provide tips if you want. JUst ask.

[Juliefootiechick]

Originally Posted by Fnix

Winter park maitland and oviedo are expensive areas so $300,000 may not get you much. I'd look at some other cities and compare sq/ $

I've looked at these areas because we have young kids and these seem to be safe family neighbourhoods with the best schools. I will hopefully be working at the Arnold Palmer childrens hospital so will need to be within reasonable commute. If there are any other recommended areas to live do let me know..I'm coming from England so we need all the help we can get!

[Brasstec]

Winter Park/Maitland would be a great choice. Check out the "Windsong" subdivision in WP - it's still a bit of a drive from the hospital, but not impossible - and has some great homes. Of course, Baldwin Park is always an option - and probably closer to the hospital than most.

If you're working at Arnold Palmer, driving from Oviedo could be quite a commute - I would guess it could be as much as an hour each way. There is a subdivision - most of the homes are built in a Victorian style - that's just off Kaley, near Delaney St. Some of our realtors on this site could probably point you in that direction. Also, just a few blocks south of the hospital (in the Gore/Delaney area) are some pretty nice homes - I don't think they are new, but the neighborhoods are well established.

Note that most of the homes right around the hospital are probably not places you would want to relocate. And definitely stay on the east side of I-4!