I am moving to Port St. Lucie but will be working in Boca Raton....Is this a good idea? (Stuart: sale, renter)

[heydade]

the prices are still falling. I am considering moving to PSL....I did a search for homes between 150K and 200K and there are 1,495 homes listed for sale in that price range. I saw some really nice 3/2's on decent sized lots for 150K.

[NV626]

Originally Posted by heydade

the prices are still falling. I am considering moving to PSL....I did a search for homes between 150K and 200K and there are 1,495 homes listed for sale in that price range. I saw some really nice 3/2's on decent sized lots for 150K.

I agree with heydade--the prices in PSL are still falling. While on vacation the first week in May, my family and I checked out some model homes in PSL. Brand new single family homes were going for as low as $167,000, and brand new townhomes were going for $129,000. My mouth dropped. We live in NJ, and you certainly cannot get anything like that up here.

My husband and I are considering relocating to FL, and our biggest concern is the difference in salaries. Has anybody recently relocated to FL from the Northeast? Was the salary difference significant (e.g. $20 or $30K less than what you made in the Northeast?). Florida's food, clothing, and gas prices are comparable to the Northeast, so how do you manage with the salary difference?

[Lilybeans]

Originally Posted by NV626

Florida's food, clothing, and gas prices are comparable to the Northeast, so how do you manage with the salary difference?

That is the $64,000 question. Cost of living is the same (except that you don't need winter clothes or snow tires) but salaries are much lower. Good paying jobs are hard to find. A lot of people commute to points south where the pay is better, but gas prices are starting to hurt. This is one of the reasons for the problems we are having now.

[ipanema121]

Don't do it.

reasons:

1) gas
2)1 1/2 driving (one way)

[Bob Goldstein]

I too have seen the market pick up a little. Once all the foreclosures and short sales are sold, this may take awhile i believe things will turn around pretty fast. If you find a home now that is priced right Do you homework I would purchase it. I would not like the drive everyday to boca. It will be costly and very time consuming and should be a factor in your job.

[TriMT7]

I wouldn't recommend living in PSL and working in Boca. I wouldn't recommend anybody live further North than West Palm Beach and work in Boca, given the commute time, traffic, and gas prices.

Look to Royal Palm Beach.

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by TriMT7

I wouldn't recommend living in PSL and working in Boca. I wouldn't recommend anybody live further North than West Palm Beach and work in Boca, given the commute time, traffic, and gas prices.

Look to Royal Palm Beach.

Two things (this is for everybody)

1. The poster hasn't returned in a while. There are some really nice well thought out responses here, but don't be disappointed if the OP never reads it!

2. Why would you suggest as far as Royal Palm Beach if you consider the commute time, traffic, and gas prices to be of importance. I wouldn't live any further than Boca Raton, and if I couldn't afford Boca I would look immediately south in Coconut Creek. It is a total misconception that crime is higher and there are more rude people when you head south of WPB.

[Tiffanyp83]

I know that you all are wondering what happened to the OP, well here I am!! After reading all of the responses, I decided to remain in close proximity (Boynton Beach - 15 minutes) from work and rent for one more year;next year if the market is still in the same condition, I will purchase something in North broward or even West Boynton where I currently reside. After seeing the major increase in gas prices, I knew that I would not have been able to drive there and back everyday. In addition, I stayed in PSL one Sunday night and drove to work on Monday morning and it was one of the most awful drives that I have ever had - Traffic was awful. The prices of homes in PSL are very attractive, but the salary range isn't and commuting to Boca is not easy. I hope that I can find a beautiful, low cost home in this area next year. Also, I was told that it is very hard to sell your home in PSL and in the event that I have to move, I don't want to have two mortgages. Thank you all for your posts, but I will stay in the area for a while. Thanks!

[LoveSunshine]

I found estrange to live at 1.5 hrs from work each way, unless you do not have any other option. I sold the house I used to live in because i was spending a lot of time driving and i mean only 35-40- minutes each way plus gas and tear. I now can walk to my office if i want to. My insurance, gas, car maintenance have gone down big time and best of all, i enjoy more free time for me and my family. I wouldn't do any thing like this. There are choices better than that.

[Synergy1]

Tiffany83,
I believe that you should just make an educated "guess" on what to do...Real estate prices in PSL will probably fall as the rest of the country with few exceptions. Just keep in mind that no one and I mean absoloutely "No one" has a crystal ball on Real Estate pricing. We all have opinions and most are educated but when the market follows nothing we knew of in the our past experiences or documented opinions, the direction of the RE market remains a guess....

If I were you and I am not wealthy but I do have substantial income I would follow a systematic plan to decide. I cannot afford to purchase RE in an area where others get enjoyment living and I may not like. Consider where they enjoy the nightlife and easy rights of way to travel and my personal likes are not the same....So, I believe you have several issues on the line that needs to be resolved by you...Below is just my educated opinion and could provide you with a plan so here it is.
-I would first Rent for a short term and visit the area I like or would enjoy living.
-Visit where you would like to live both night and day including weekdays and weekends.
-Collect Crime reports from the PSL Police
-Keep track of areas that seem to stress the securest living conditions along with the parks and walkways with lighting.

I am not a RE person but I did buy-sell RE in PA for 28 years and had a home in Ft Lauderdale since 1984... I also traveled to the Univ of Miami in Miami from PSL to receive my Appraisal Schooling and it is tough traveling. It was during my 4th week of traveling I decided to stay in a Holiday Inn in Sunrise because my home was rented...Traveling from PSL to Boca is very tough in the PM and if you are like me then you give your wok 110% and very tired on the way home....So PM traffic from Boca will probably make it tough to relax when you get home in PSL...

Good luck..