[Kevin Whitehead]

Hi. Just found this interesting forum. I'm an English guy living in France, coming to live in Florida with my American wife. We are in our 40's. My wife from Ohio has not lived in the states since being a small child.She loves everything American and I am really looking forward to a new life in a great country. Apart from a holiday in CA I know nothing about Florida or the rest of the USA. My wife tells me Florida is incredible and I believe her. I've just seen all these negative comments on this forum regarding crime through to housing. Has my wife got it wrong? Are we making a huge mistake or is it just human nature to knock ones own 'back yard'.
can someone offer any positive reasons to come? Can it really be that bad?

The UK is too dangerous to move back to. Here in France, it is a beurocratic nightmare and very dull. There many good reasons to live in France but it's time for a change.
Thanks for reading.
Kev and Anne in France

[Racelady88]

Like most places, there will be good and not so good. In the big cities the crime will be worse. Florida has some beautiful places and some awesome people. I do not know how to compare it to Europe, as I have never been there.

Take what you read here with a grain of salt. Some people are moving away (for various reasons), some on this board have homes for sale and will tell you it is all sunshine & roses. Somewhere in the middle lies the thruth.

Florida is very diverse. There may be a place for you. Have you considered heading over for a visit and looking around? That might be the best way to tell. Are you looking for nightlife? Jobs? Waterfront property? Farmland?

Help us to help you figure out what part of Florida to point you towards.

[citydata2006]

Originally Posted by Kevin Whitehead

Hi. Just found this interesting forum. I'm an English guy living in France, coming to live in Florida with my American wife. We are in our 40's. My wife from Ohio has not lived in the states since being a small child.She loves everything American and I am really looking forward to a new life in a great country. Apart from a holiday in CA I know nothing about Florida or the rest of the USA. My wife tells me Florida is incredible and I believe her. I've just seen all these negative comments on this forum regarding crime through to housing. Has my wife got it wrong? Are we making a huge mistake or is it just human nature to knock ones own 'back yard'.
can someone offer any positive reasons to come? Can it really be that bad?

The UK is too dangerous to move back to. Here in France, it is a beurocratic nightmare and very dull. There many good reasons to live in France but it's time for a change.
Thanks for reading.
Kev and Anne in France

First, I was very surprised that a foreigner would marry an American woman, but then I noticed that your wife was raised outside of America. Well, that's a whole different topic.

Your wife's view of Florida is outdated. Florida was very different 20 years, 10 years, or even 5 years ago. Housing is way too expensive in South Florida and Southwest Florida while wages stay low. I think in the past few years, wages increased less than 10% while housing cost increased something close to 100%.

[PHINSFAN]

Originally Posted by Evey

Like most places, there will be good and not so good. In the big cities the crime will be worse. Florida has some beautiful places and some awesome people. I do not know how to compare it to Europe, as I have never been there.

Take what you read here with a grain of salt. Some people are moving away (for various reasons), some on this board have homes for sale and will tell you it is all sunshine & roses. Somewhere in the middle lies the thruth.

Florida is very diverse. There may be a place for you. Have you considered heading over for a visit and looking around? That might be the best way to tell. Are you looking for nightlife? Jobs? Waterfront property? Farmland?

Help us to help you figure out what part of Florida to point you towards.

We have lived here over 11 yrs, and can honestly say that its not a bad place to live (orig from NJ), In all the time we've been here the only complaints we've had is TRAFFIC the roads are not very direct, you have to go out of the way to get were you want to go, but OK and schools are very crowded, but at least some area's are trying to correct this.
We've never had a problem with crime (pinellas & pasco county).
POSITIVES:
NO SNOW
sun, beaches, warm weather(sometimes to warm), PLENTY of surrounding attractions to do things, MIAMI DOLPHINS, and some might think this is crazy but, even hurricanes can be enjoyable.(but the wood up take the wood down, up - down)

[Jammie]

Kevin, find the thread listing the good things about Florida. The good definitely outweighs the bad. We don't live there, but have visited and it's an absolutely beautiful state. Yes, the traffic isn't pleasant at times like on I-4 while you're trying to get back to the airport. We're looking at the Ocala/Silver Springs area. It sounds like it can be very expensive there, but you can rearrange your lifestyle. Since we can't afford 300,000 for a house, we plan on renting an apartment, which seems to be reasonably priced. Your wife isn't wrong. She may be remembering a different Fla, but it still has a lot of beauty. Take a trip there. Visit Cypress Gardens and Seaworld. Check out the Kennedy Space Center, etc. You'll fall in love with the ocean and the palm trees and the plush greenery and the beautiful flowers there. They basically have no winter at all compared to a lot of the U.S. I really hope you get a chance to at least go there and see what you think. Bet you'll like it.

[pslOldTimer]

I don't know why forums like this tend to attract negative people; that could be an interesting discussion in the proper place. But, suffice it to say that there are something like 1400 people per day (according to some reports) moving to Florida and most have never heard of this forum. They just come and are, for the most part, happy and too busy to voice even minor complaints. So, as said above, take the negative comments with a grain of salt. I'm sure there is some truth to them for the individuals concerned but they are not typical.

Yes, things have changed in Florida in the past 20 or 30 or 40 or 50 years. This is a vibrant, gowing place. It's possible that many of the negative comments come from people who prefer the stability of a more settled area. But, Florida is alive!

The greatest changes are along the coast, where there is more and more development, and where the development is getting more extensive and expensive. To explain that remark, when we moved to Florida almost 35 years ago, most people were buying typical Florida retirement homes of less than 1200 S.F. with 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom and a carport, usually with a low-pitched or flat tar & gravel roof. Today, even the smallest homes are much more elaborate, have many more amenities and are much more expensive to build. Additionally, the sizes continue to grow. This is a big part of the reason why home prices have risen so much.

Another reason affects construction costs everywhere. Material costs are continuing to go up dramatically. All of the rebuilding after the last two years' hurricanes have driven up costs. The Chinese are taking all of the scrap metal and cement they can get their hands on, driving up costs and creating shortages. The dramatic increases in oil costs have driven up the prices of plastics such as PVC pipes, synthetic fibers, etc.

Finally, there is the simple equation of supply and demand. As long as demand remains high (because if the influx of new residents), supply will remain low and prices will remain high.

Last year, there was a "blip" in the prices. This was caused by the same sort of behavior that results from shortages. I remember a rumor about 20 years ago that toilet paper was in short supply. There was such a huge rush on the part of everyone to acquire and hoard toilet paper that the rumor was self-fulfilling -- toilet paper did become hard to find, and prices rose quickly! The same thing happened with housing last year. There were so many stories about amazing profits and short supplies that people jumped in without regard for reality. Prices were bid up to astronomical heights and people placed their financial futures at risk in the rush to buy -- anything at any price!

Of course, that blip, or bubble, had to burst. The actions and the prices were unrealistic and could not be sustained, The people who took risks beyond their ability to handle them now have to bail out. There is a temporary glut of properties at higher than normal prices. The correction is taking place.

Theneat part for homeowners who did not fall victim to last year's lemming-like behavior is that once it all sorts out, market values will still be higher than they were 3 or 4 years ago. Of course, this is not as good for buyers as it was back then, but exercising a little caution and common sense will help you to make a good deal.

Florida is many things. It's impossible to characterize the state in any cohesive way. I think that only California may equal Florida in the diversity of life styles that are available. When one thinks of New Hampshire or Kansas or Idaho or Minnesota, one has a cohesive picture of the general characteristics of the state. That's impossible in Florida. You can find almost anything you want in Florida, with the possible exception of really cold weather. You're going to have to think about what you like and provide more information about the life style tyou prefer to get some good recommendations.

[milano]

Kevin, I sent you a private message! I hope you will read it! Good luck!

[SunnyDog]

As an aside observation, I've noticed that other high-growth areas like Phoenix and Las Vegas are getting whacked bad in their own forums, and you'll need Prozac after reading the SoCal forums. All the people moving out there and down here are nuts??
There are large European communities in Dade/Broward/Palm Beach counties as well as the Orlando area (especially British). I'd suggest visiting both.

[pianogal]

Florida has its problems but what area doesn't? Having said that, my husband and I dream of moving in a few years when we reach retirement. BUT in the meantime we have put down roots here and hope to stay in SPITE of the high cost of living. Which....while it seems high to us, is nothing compared to some parts of the USA. The only thing I really HATE about Florida is the HUMIDITY!

[rkumar3]

I have been to France, UK and most of the western Europe (certain places more than once) and all I can say is life is much more easier here in USA. You don't have to deal with lot of beurocratic mess... in fact almost everything is privatized. Houses are bigger, financing is easier etc. Ofcourse if you are coming from a major city like London/Paris, the traffic is going to be a breeze. I guess I don't have to tell you about the beautiful sunny weather

I am in my early thirtees and having seen most of FL, I personally like the South Florida (Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Miami) area due to its cultural diversity, option of things to do (beaches, museum, theatre, restaurants, barc etc) but you will need to define what is important to you and narrow down the search from there. Please feel free to ask more questions and I am sure we will be able to help!!

Don't get hung up on the negative comments, most of these people have been here for a while (or never been to FL at all) and as you mentioned 'Grass is always greener on the other side'

Good Luck