List of costs of Florida living - what'd I forget? (Sarasota: 2014, health insurance)

[macrodome2]

Originally Posted by Cardiff by the Sea

Then in January, the cost of my coverage jumped from $544 per month to just under $1100 per month.

That's awful. I thought my jump in NJ was bad. It went from $965 to $1066.

[03bluecoupe]

Thanks macrodome2, we won't even consider a condo. Single family home with pool is our only thing being considered.

Haircuts, etc I'm not really worried about it's more of the big ticket/annual kinds of things. The CDD fees aren't in play as we probably won't by new anyhow but will be a 2003+ home.

Being in Poughkeepsie, NY our ins. (about $1100/year) is nowhere near what it is in the coastal areas that got nailed by Sandy. This is probably the biggest concern of ours. I have feelers out to insurance agents but haven't heard back from any yet.

MAN - electric costs like that?!? You must of had a mansion! ;-) Our humble abode here has about 2500 sq feet under heat and air and we've never come close! Our gas and electric bill (budget plan) runs $250/month here all year. If we can contain that given AC and heated pool that'd be great. If where ever we buy doesn't have solar heat for the pool, it will.

Thanks for the insight.

[Cardiff by the Sea]

It is not just condos that have HOA fees. And the CDDs are passed on to buyers as a obligation that spans a number of years--20 years I think. Just because you are not buying new doesn't mean that some of the 2003 houses you might consider won't have CDD fees.

[sware2cod]

In Sarasota county, your real estate taxes also cover weekly garbage pick up which also includes recycle and yard waste (palm fronds, grass clippings, sticks, leaves, etc).

Also with the garbage service if you have a large item like sofa or appliance, etc just call them and they will schedule a free pickup.

You can get a discount of 4% on your annual real estate tax bill if you pay early. In Sarasota county you get the bill in Oct or so. It is officially due in March. If you pay by end of Nov you get a 4% discount; pay by end of Dec get 3% discount, Jan get 2% discount, Feb get 1% discount.

-------Some restaurants in this area can be pricey compared to restaurants in other states.

[03bluecoupe]

Dang, thanks Cardiff - I knew about the HOA fees. A LOT of neighborhoods down there have them and I know to read them VERY carefully. The CDD fees being passed on at closing I was not aware of.

Glad I started this thread - some excellent info coming from it!

[macrodome2]

Cardiff is right about the CDD fees, she beat me to the answer. When we started looking at houses we noticed they started showing up about 2005-ish. In a few instances, people paid the CDD up front, so if you buy that particular house you would only have to pay the maintenance part. The vast majority however opted to pay it over 20 years, so if you purchase a house that has a CDD and it was built in 2006, then you will still have to pay the next 12 years. (Taxes for 2015 will be paid at the end of this year so there will be 12 more years including this one)

And the electric costs are only in July and Aug when we have the a/c on. PSE&G rakes us over the coals for electric. The house is a 3000 sq ft two story colonial- thermostat set to 75. Just put in a new a/c unit last year and the costs weren't any different. Didn't have to pay that much last year as the summer was not particularly hot, but get a really hot summer- like July 2013 where we had a number of days over 90 degrees and watch the bill go up.

[Sunshine Rules]

The bond portion of the CDDs expire at a specific date. However, if there is also a portion typically titled Operations & Maintenance, that portion generally does not have an expiration date as O & M expenses continue into the future. You have to check the specifics of the CDD fees as they are not all the same.

[03bluecoupe]

I was just funnin' ya about the mansion macrodome2.

Will definitely be on the look out for CDDs though!

[macrodome2]

Originally Posted by 03bluecoupe

I was just funnin' ya about the mansion macrodome2.

I know, but you were just funnin' but once I saw the difference between the two states it made me angry that we pay so much more AND yet we were without power for 12 days when Sandy hit. They're not taking care of the infrastructure for all that money. Since we're on well water in NJ we had no water with no electric too! Had to go live with my sister for a week as hotels were full. Another reason I wouldn't buy a house with well water. (For irrigation its is OK)

[03bluecoupe]

I hear ya. That's another large part of why we're bailing out of NY. It'd be a great place to live if it wasn't for the idiots running it. Raise taxes and do nothing constructive with them. But I digress.