Thinking about moving From NJ

[cerveza]

Originally Posted by Cheetah123

My husband and I are thinking about moving to Florida, we recently did a trip to Kissimee to visit my Sister in law and husband who moved down there from NJ 2 years ago. We really liked what we saw , and are seriously starting to think about moving out of Jersey. It seems like you can get more bang for you buck down there. We currently live in Union City , NJ in a small 2 bedroom apartment with our 3 boys whom are ages 5, 4, and 1. We would like to move to a bigger place , but rent has gotten so ridiculously high that buying seems like a better option so we started saving to buy.

After this trip to Florida though, we feel as if we may have a better chance at giving a better life for our family, but I do know that just visiting a place is very different from living there. I Like to cross all of my T and Dot all of my I's before making a decision so I have
1.) Work - My Husband is an IT tech for a Non Profit organization here in Jersey, and I work as a Front desk receptionist at a Dr's office and I am also currently studying Nursing ( should be done in 1.5 yrs ) . How difficult is it to obtain a job in these fields ? Would it be hard to find a job out there while still living in Jersey ? Or would we have to move first and then start looking for work

2.) Schools - How are Schools in the area? which towns would be best for schools? Is it wise to wait a little to move, or would it be better to move as soon as possible for the kids to adjust better?

3.) How bad is crime , are we talking about Newark, Nj or Jersey City , NJ Crime , or what ?

4.) Buying or renting - Ideally we would like to buy a home , but would it be wise to rent first and then look for a home to purchase while living down there , or Should we just start looking to purchase a home from here?

1) Work- For IT it depends on the skillset. Ive heard people say that some specialized it jobs pay wages similar to what could be made in NJ but others like low level windows it helpdesk pay much less. You can use a site like glassdoor to get a general feel for what jobs pay. I dont know what nurses make but they seem to be in demand as the last time I went to visit someone in the hospital a year ago I saw a sign that say they were hiring with a $10k starting bonus.

2.) Schools- I dont know because I dont have kids, however, having grown up in jersey Id say most of the schools in seminole and some in orange county are probably a vast improvement over what youd find in union city. I have heard the schools in kissimee arent that great but I dunno, your best bet is to use one of them school ranking websites.

3.) Crime- it depends where you live. Most of central florida is pretty safe and probably feels like nicer parts of bergen county crimewise. Then again, theres neighborhoods in Orlando such as pine hills where it feels like it can reach somewhere near newark levels of crime. Living in union city now youll probably be fine in 75-85% of Orlando.

The IMPORTANT thing to keep in mind is that looks can be deceiving around here and you need to do your research. For example, driving around a crime ridden area its kinda easy to spot that you dont want to live there due to certain indicators indicating a high crime rate such as delapidated property, bars on doors and windows, graffitti, and skeevy dudes that look like junkies roaming about. That being said, there are some areas such as parts of metrowest and millenia that look really nice and have fancy apartment complexes and shops that you wouldnt think are in high crime areas but are due to proximity to bad neighborhoods.

4.). Rent first, get a lay of the land and then buy. Try to secure a job first before you move down here tho.

Also, youre probably going to need cars because theres nothing like the independent minibuses on blvd east & bergenline down here and the buses that do exist are terribad.

[RunsOnCoffee]

Originally Posted by Cheetah123

So how much would be a good amount to save to leave with? We would need enough for the move , and to cover us while job searching in case we are unable to find some thing before moving.

I don't understand why you would move with no job! That to me is just insanity. Job usually dictates where you will be living. What if you move to Kissimmee, but get a job in Lake Mary? That is one horrific commute.

[cfbs2691]

Originally Posted by RunsOnCoffee

I don't understand why you would move with no job!

I agree.
Especially with (3) children.
If you come without jobs lined up it will be extremely difficult to get into a rental.
I wouldn't do it, but if you're set on it... I'd have at least enough money to cover all your expenses for 12 months + enough for all the deposits you'll need to get into a rental.

[Funatdisney]

We are from Toms river , N j and love it here for 5 yrs. now . We rented and hated apt. Life so purchased a nice home and settled in 32837 zip code since it is close to everything we need and has nice affordable neighborhoods . We work at Disney so commute is short 15 minutes .
1.- work- Should be pretty easy to find , especially in med. field with the new Medical city just built
2.-schools- schools are average in Orlando for most part , we send our children to public schools in 32837 zip and are pleased.
3.- crime- low in a lot of areas, another plus for 32837
4.- buy or rent- rent is high do to so many vacation homes and tourist so buying is better deal . You can get huge houses (6 bedrooms) for under $300,000 in this area. Rents for 1 bedroom apt starts around 1200.00 a month in same zip.
Good luck on you decision ! Check sites like Zillow and trulia for better info . on different areas.