Boca Raton area vs Sarasota area? (Miami, Tampa: HOA fees, condos, townhouse)

[JOSU]

We have been thinking about moving to Florida for several years and may make the move this summer. We currently live in Southern NH and work in Massachusetts. I am 46 and work in the accounting industry (not a CPA) and she is 43 and works as a manger in the social services industry. We have no children and will need to find new jobs once in Florida. We know the job market is bad but have about 1 year living expenses saved. We have been to Sarasota many times and like it very much. We have also visited Boca Raton about 10+ years ago and thought it was also very nice. We have been told the Boca area has more job opportinities than the Sarasota area. We are looking for opinions regarding employment, housing and overall quality of life for both areas. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks.

[THX 1138]

Boca has changed a lot in the past 10 years, you may be in for a shock. I would say your opportunities are probably better in Southeast Florida. Sarasota and Palm Beach county have around similar unemployment figures (Sarasota 12.5% vs Palm Beach County 12.4%), Broward County has the best numbers for lower unemployment figures, being located in Boca would also make it easy to work in Broward and live in Palm Beach County.

I don't know much about Sarasota County and the job market, I would suggest you post in that forum. I know one thing, Lee, Collier, Manatee and Sarasota Counties got hit hard after the market went south. So in essence, I would say the economy is worse there than here, but that depends on what you do for a living and the line of work.

I would highly not suggest moving to Florida without a job lined up, savings will go quick as the cost of living is very high, alone look into what it will cost to register your cars, get your license, these fees have gone up astronomically in the past year. You may be able to do it, but it's a risk that you may not want to take. If you can't get a job that you want or one that pay's a livable wage, you may find yourself in a bad predicament.

[mayorhaggar]

Sarasota and Bradenton are much smaller than the entire PBC area. PBC is connected to Broward and Miami-Dade which are even bigger and will have more opportunities as well. PBC doesn't have a ton of professional jobs considering its fairly large population, but I would think it would have more than Sarasota, not to mention Broward and Miami. I went to college in Sarasota and the town itself is pretty small and quiet and suburban, and the barrier islands are covered in ritzy condos, so it's not really a diversified economy at all. Sarasota is near Tampa though but it's a bit of a drive.

If I were you I would wait a year or two and see if the economy improves, the job market anywhere in Florida is pretty bad, and moving so far would be a major undertaking and you don't want to end up there with no work.

[South FLA Relocation Pro]

Hi Josu,

its very easy as Sarasota is a retirement area more or less and Boca is a retirement area yes, but also the Tech capitol of Florida. The employment in Florida is as bad as anywhere else. The housing market has taken a hit so prices are down and value buys are up. Boca is also a great family area with so much to offer in education, sports and arts. ***MOD CUT***

[THX 1138]

Originally Posted by South FLA Relocation Pro

Hi Josu,

its very easy as Sarasota is a retirement area more or less and Boca is a retirement area yes, but also the Tech capitol of Florida. The employment in Florida is as bad as anywhere else. The housing market has taken a hit so prices are down and value buys are up. Boca is also a great family area with so much to offer in education, sports and arts. ***MOD CUT***

"Tech Capital" Boca? What? Maybe when IBM was there, not anymore.

[JOSU]

Thanks thx, mayor and south fla for your comments. Would like to hear more about living and working in Palm Beach County ( Boca Raton area) from long time residents and new arrivals. Would it be a good idea to live somewhere in between the Fla Turnpike & I95? As our first home purchase in Florida we were thinking about a 2/3 br townhouse ($200K +/-) or 2/3 br condo ($150K +/-) in gated subdivision with a community pool. Not looking for golf. We want to try and keep HOA fees and taxes low, if possible. Any suggestions on subdivisions?

[THX 1138]

There are some nice developments west of the Turnpike, but a lot of people don't like living that far west due to the distance which isn't bad. You can easily live between 95 and the Turnpike pretty much all over Palm Beach County and find some nice places. In Boca, the main drag is Glades, but you can also use Yamato or Clint Moore Rd to go east to west.

HOA fees can be high here, really look hard and shop around. Also a lot of places here have mandatory country club membership which is a yearly fee of often insane amounts. There are lot's of options. I would suggest you come down for a week and have a list of places prior to check out. I would prefer West Boca if I lived in Boca, but I'm in Wellington and content since it works out to be Central PBC, I can got north or south with ease.

[Swimmom32]

West Boca will be less money than Central/East Boca...Further West Boca does not have alot of country clubs like they do in this area of Boca..From our Experience as we lived in West Boca and just wasn't a fan of the area and the schools...we prefer Central/West I guess is what they call it..lol..We are east of the Turnpike..and a few miles West of 95... We didnt care for the schools opposed to where we are now...You can still find a nice home here but it will cost you more and you will get less bedrooms and sq footage than opposed to Further West boca...Like Glades and 441 area...There is alot of shopping restaurants all over Boca so that isn't a problem...