Florida vs. the Northeast....REALLY! (Jacksonville, Miami: sale, apartment, rent)

[Tampa Red]

Originally Posted by Leelee

Hi, i have been researching and i am hopefully relocationg to florida from england.
I have researched on the net and if you want to live in Miami, Hollywood or Fort Laudredale, It is quite expensive, if you want a 3/2 house, it will be very expensive in those three cities and maybe Orlando too. If you are searching for Tampa, Bradenton, St. Petersburg, Pensacola, Tallahassee, Jacksonville, Port St. Lucie or Mount Dora it is quite reasonable. I am hoping to relocate to Port St. Lucie, Pensacola or Brandenton and they are very reasonable. Also, Mobile in Alabama a is very cheap city to live in, It is only a couple of miles to Northwest Florida and is really nice.

Here are my Average House prices.

Average house price for a 3 bed house in Miami: 300,000


Average house price for a 3 bed house in Tampa: 120,000


Average house price for a 3 bed house in Mobile: 100,000


So you can see the difference compared to Miami

Hope I have helped, Leelee

Average price for a three bedroom in Tampa $120,000???

You've got to be kidding. Where did you get that from?

That could be for the average crack house.

[tampaguy03]

my mom just moved from Long Island to Hillsborough County. Brand new community, just south of Riverview, they call the area "South County". Anyway, brand new constrcution, 2300sq ft, 110X80 lot back up to preserves for $295k. Great Home and Gated Community, lush landscaping. South County area of hillsborough is averaging 210-310k for modest 3/2 brand new homes.

[clearwaterlargodude]

jerseys way overpriced for the horrible winters they have up there and the dirty water terrible crime ( Newark camden paterson etc) and beaches, florida is a l ot better but just avoid miami area too expensive too much crime

[HolidayFL]

There is no comparison between what it costs in NJ vs. FL. Florida is less expensive hands down. I'm from NJ. When I moved here 7 years ago, my taxes in NJ were almost $10,000, my homeowners ins was $600, and I sold my house for over $200,000. That house in NJ that I sold 7 years ago is now on the market for $350,000 and they haven't done a thing to it in 7 years. Now, in FL, when I got here 7 years ago I paid well under $100,000 for my house and it's now worth at least twice what I paid for it. My homeowner's insurance is $1,800 and my taxes are about $600 (with the homestead exemption and Save our Homes) So is FL less expensive than NJ? I sure think so. I had a huge mortgage payment in NJ. In FL, I don't have a mortgage payment. When I say Holiday, FL is one of the best places to live, I am not kidding. I love it here, and I have thrived. I wouldn't change a thing.
Mary

[FLBoy]

Originally Posted by HolidayFL

There is no comparison between what it costs in NJ vs. FL. Florida is less expensive hands down. I'm from NJ. When I moved here 7 years ago, my taxes in NJ were almost $10,000, my homeowners ins was $600, and I sold my house for over $200,000. That house in NJ that I sold 7 years ago is now on the market for $350,000 and they haven't done a thing to it in 7 years. Now, in FL, when I got here 7 years ago I paid well under $100,000 for my house and it's now worth at least twice what I paid for it. My homeowner's insurance is $1,800 and my taxes are about $600 (with the homestead exemption and Save our Homes) So is FL less expensive than NJ? I sure think so. I had a huge mortgage payment in NJ. In FL, I don't have a mortgage payment. When I say Holiday, FL is one of the best places to live, I am not kidding. I love it here, and I have thrived. I wouldn't change a thing.
Mary

I love this post...why? Its a factual comparison of REAL facts. Many, many people complain on this board about taxes, etc... and have zero comparison basis for thier complaints other than "its expensive." Yep... and its expensive everywhere. Comparing apples to apples its not out in left field. I have experience in 2 other states. Both had state income tax, 1 had lower property taxes and a personal property tax (car tax...2% of blue book annually) and the other had property taxes very similar, maybe slightly less than Florida. Seriously folks...most other states have a tax structure that is at best a wash with Florida's property tax. My bet is net/net you wind up better in Florida. Of course, everybody differs some, depending on what factors affect you most (high income, expensive house, expensive cars, etc...).

[kwflconch]

The NE has more of the small town feel and has less sprawl. Florida has less small town feel and is the leading state in the U.S. in sprawl, Florida grows 300-400 thousand people a year.

[Sunscape]

Originally Posted by LHBR702

We were very excited about the idea of relocating from NJ to Florida until I started doing some research and heard that it is very expensive to live in FLA. BUT...what does "very expensive" actually mean? ... in comparison to where? I'd love to hear from someone who owned a home here in NJ and has relocated and purchased a home in FLA within the past year. How do things really stack up as far as home prices, h/o insurance, taxes, auto insurance, salary and cost of living. That would be really helpful!! Thanks!

We moved here from Monmouth County, NJ(yes, the northeast) and bought a house here for half what we sold in NJ. It is not a large house, 1600sq.ft. It does not have a pool , but it is in Oldsmar, which is a nice area with houses from mid-low to high high.Our auto insurance is not as high as NJ which has the highest auto insurance in the country.Our home owners insurance is half what it was there, and we are in a flood zone which makes it higher than others. Cost of living is significantly less than NJ. Hope this gives you an idea of the cost in FL. Feel free to private mail me with any specific questions you might have.

[Sunscape]

Another thought: Tampa has a wide array of areas to live in . Some are not very nice, and some are just fantastic. You can find something new or something old. I disagree with a previous posting about the average price being $120,00. It is much higher than that.

[Floridasunshine]

NEw homes in Tampa subdivisions are 1300 sq ft 200 +
You could buy a home in non subdivision older sections maybe seedy area for 120 maybe. RIverview is nice but the prices have jumped, I sold my home
1600 sq ft for 207 with 1 acre in Dec 2004. I see they have it on market for 289. So see how the prices have jumped.
I keep telling everyone I moved to Lakeland because you can still build a brand new home over here in subdivison for 170. and Taxes and Insurance are cheapest county around. ALso near Ocala there are some reasonable home building going on .
But I like middle of state as it does get cooler in northern florida sometimes.

[Jonathan28]

Hey sunshine, do you know the names of those subdivisions in Lakeland for 170's. I was there visiting parents in 2005 and could not find much in the 170's. Are they in north or south Lakeland.