L.A. to Orlando? (Miami, Tampa: budget, apartment complex, rent)

[gypsystar]

My husband and I lived in Miami for 4 years and then moved to L.A. in 2005. Although we wouldn't live in Miami again, we love Central FL and are considering a move to Orlando. My husband is a union carpenter and work has been very hard to come by for him. He has a great reputation and a lot of contacts, but construction work is waaaaay too slow around here.

We moved here so that I could work in entertainment, but just like the million of others that move here for the same reason, I have been let down. The pay is awful and the work hasn't been satisfying at all. I am currently pursuing a freelance writing career.

We aren't looking to buy a house anytime soon and need to move to a place where rent is cheaper. We pay $1400 for our tiny 1 bedroom apt. right now and are having a hard time keeping up with all of our bills. I would be interested in living in the Mt. Dora area and the rent seems pretty reasonable there.

Does anyone have any insight into carpentry work in Orlando? My husband would like to join the Orlando union, but we need to figure out if there would be work there for him or not. He works on commercial projects.

Thanks in advance for any insight. I do love L.A., but I miss FL as well and could really see us moving to Orlando soon. I am just worried about the financial situation, like a lot of other people on this forum. I know it isn't easy living anywhere nowadays.

[gypsystar]

Does anyone have any advice for us???

[AONE]

you will be able to find more apt for less money here. Mt. Dora is not the place if you have school age kids. It so far from the beaten path Im not sure its right for anything. For the work you are looking at I suspect you will be better off staying closer in Orlando. Altamonte Springs, East Orlando, Winter Garden to name a few may offer more interest and opportunity.

Ken Anderson,
An Orlando based Realtor

[gypsystar]

Thank you, Ken. I was thinking Mt. Dora because we love Micanopy (as small as it is) and it just seemed like a nice place to live. I am wondering if we would be really bored there after living in L.A., though. It isn't that far of a drive from Orlando, right? I am guessing that is where we would have to go for malls and shopping.

I know we could get a lot more for the money there, but my husband's pay would be a lot less, too. Union carpenters in L.A. make about $38 an hour and Orlando carpenters make about $22 an hour I think. We don't have kids yet, but the thought of paying $1800 for two bed apt. here when we do seems disgusting.

I just called the union office in Orlando and it seems that construction is very slow there, too.

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by gypsystar

Thank you, Ken. I was thinking Mt. Dora because we love Micanopy (as small as it is) and it just seemed like a nice place to live. I am wondering if we would be really bored there after living in L.A., though. It isn't that far of a drive from Orlando, right? I am guessing that is where we would have to go for malls and shopping.

I know we could get a lot more for the money there, but my husband's pay would be a lot less, too. Union carpenters in L.A. make about $38 an hour and Orlando carpenters make about $22 an hour I think. We don't have kids yet, but the thought of paying $1800 for two bed apt. here when we do seems disgusting.

I just called the union office in Orlando and it seems that construction is very slow there, too.

Gypsystar, I don't live in Orlando or know the construction situation there, but we live in Lakeland which is Polk County, and there have been recent articles in our newspapers which say that despite the downturn in residential construction, there is plenty of commercial construction going on. Maybe you would like to check into one of the charming towns here in Polk, many of which are an easy drive to Orlando. If you want a great bang-for-your-buck, beautiful small city to live in, Lakeland fills the bill, lots to do here, plenty of arts and entertainment, good restaurants and shopping, and anything we lack here is an easy drive to the bigger cities of Tampa or Orlando, since Lakeland is almost smack in the middle. Also an easy drive to either coast, and I might add, this city is clean and drop-dead beautiful (IMO).

Anyway, a little tip from one "gypsy" to another!

[Alphaman]

It`s hard to believe that construction is slow here, every where you go you see houses and buildings going up.

[gypsystar]

Thanks, gypsy! I appreciate the information and will look into Lakeland. I like the fact that it is within driving distance of a lot of other towns and cities so that my husband could take projects in different areas. The receptionist in the union office said that there were a lot of Orlando carpenters out of work and that their unemployment list is long. I keep hearing about a lot of construction in the Orlando area, so it baffles me, too.

I would like to be able to find a decent 1 bedroom in a safe area for about $800 a month - I know I wouldn't be able to find that in Orlando, but I will check out Lakeland. I did find a few in Mt. Dora, but that town doesn't seem to have many apartment complexes.

Thanks so much for the help so far. I really miss Florida and really want to go back. I am one of the weird ones that love the humidity and feeling like I am living in a tropical rainforest! I love living in L.A., too, but think I need to move to a place that is a little more laid back. I figure I can freelance write anywhere.

[vincero]

gypsychic (great name!), What do you think of the schools in Lakeland?

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by vincero

gypsychic (great name!), What do you think of the schools in Lakeland?

Hey Vincero - it's hard for me to say, because we haven't lived here too long yet, and also have no kids. I have heard that there are some great schools, and some not so good ones. There are also a lot of charter and magnet schools for the arts, etc. which are EXCELLENT. Many small colleges here as well - it's all pretty good for Florida, actually. I'm not sure what will happen now with some of the tax cutbacks, but a few months ago I read that Polk County had a huge budget to build new schools since our school enrollment was BOOMING (unlike other counties). But we'll see what happens, I guess.

[gypsystar]

I have another question - would it be impossible to live in Orlando on about $45,000/year? If we moved there, my husband would be taking a major cut in pay, and although I will be working, I am not sure what I would be able to find right away. We would have full benefits, so we wouldn't have to worry about that, but $45k just seems so low. Is this decent pay for Orlando? Thanks.