West Palm Beach or Ft. Lauderdale

[runswithscissors]

I saw plenty of apartments in FLL in your price range (just making it) on realtor dot com. Mostly in Imperial Point Condos and there's nothing wrong there especially crime wise. It's around 65th and Fed. Go on there and put in 33308 just to start out. It's the northern-ish zip code of FLL. There are about 20 in 33304 even one in Vic Park which is not "ghetto".

Of course it depends on where the job is, the commute can be a half hour or more depending.

Rents are coming down in these condos quickly. Imperial Point may be 55 plus I forget. Even so, they are taking tenants under 55 everywhere and theres a 20 percent rule that is followed alot of the time. There are about 10 listings 700 and under on realtor dot com in 33307 and 20 in 33304.

There's a 1 bed 1 bath for 500 on Bougainvilla in Lauderdale by the Sea and that's a very good area right near the beach. There's an efficiency with a full kitchen on Bayshore Drive in 33304 for 700 that overlooks the pool and it's right on the Intracoastal. Very tropical and the ICW view is beautiful. A million dollar location for nothing.

Worst case scenario you can get an efficiency which sounds crappy at first but no.. there are awesome ones right on the BEACH or Intracoastal Waterway with million dollar views. Galt Ocean Mile for one.

I'd go for an efficiency on the water over a 1/1 in a blah or bad neighborhood. Less cleaning, less clutter, great views and no low life neighbors usually. Throw your junk you don't need out, move with the minimum you need and start over sorta. There's also plenty of furniture here second hand from all the old people who buy new stuff then don't live long enough to enjoy it. As long as the job is DEFINITE without the risk of ending up jobless.

ALSO, you can OFFER LESS. People are doing it all the time.

[NJB88]

TiredofSFL- I don't recall seeing in any of your posts on this thread WHERE you think in Florida is a good place to live- would you mind shedding some light for those of us anxious to move?

Thank you

[TiredOfSFL]

I'm afraid I cannot be of help in telling anyone where it would be good for them to live. Everyone has different needs, preferences and tolerance levels and I cannot presume they are like mine. I can only give a real opinion about the places where I've lived and they have been Miami Beach, where I would've stayed out of ignorance but I'm glad God led me to Wilmington, DE instead where it was easier to raise my kids. From there I moved to Orlando many years ago but my stay was brief because I quickly found out the grass was not really greener there. It took 6 more years for me to be able to move back to FL, here to WPB and at first I loved it but one cannot live on "sunshine" only (which is actually overrated...) so I'm really ready for a change of scenery and life.

I considered Boynton Beach a few years ago, but it's gotten pretty bad and not really cheaper to live in anymore. Because of the "vibes" I've received nothing else south of here has ever appealed to me nor anything north either, only Tallahassee because I once rode through it and I liked what little I saw but I tried to research this city and quickly got discouraged, I really feel that if I want a real change I just have to leave this state.

I'm not usually a pessimist but I recently read somewhere that the economy in all of FL gives little hope of substancial improvement during the next several years and that is hard to ignore. Besides, I learned the hard way that any area which mainly caters to tourists, retirees and/or seasonal residents does not have a stable economy or much to offer for a large number of the permanent residents.

Now, can I ask you why you are anxious to move here?