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It doesn't matter what anyone says. Your getting a much better deal weather wise and lifestyle living in Florida versus the wicked winters in Massachusettes. For Orlando, I would look into the Apopka area for newer homes of that price. I think it would benefit you well just getting a nice 1 or 2 bedroom apartment. You would save money and time. Florida homes require you to take care of well water and the grass. You would have to buy a lawnmower, fertilizer, a hose, and regularly keep your grass in check. You would have to buy salt for the well water and keep that fresh. You have to buy snake powder to keep the snakes away. That's too much stress and added unecessary workfor 2 busy working couples. There's alot of nice apartments in places like Altamonte Springs, Winter Park, and Oviedo.
I have lived in FL for almost my entire life and have never heard of snake powder before this post. Also, I have never known anyone on well water. I think it depends on where you live in FL.
Agree that it must be something to experience personally and decide if it fits your lifestyle. However, anyone thinking of relocating to the southern U.S. must understand that it is hot in the south.
That is what people are looking for. Others experiences. But to state that its hot in FL is like saying "gee, it gets cold in Alaska". Should there be a question about that fact?
Quote:
Originally Posted by ipoetry
Yes, it is hot everywhere in the summer but the summers aren't usually from April through the end of October with steady heat and humidity. There's no way to get the "Truth About Living In FL" from city-data or any other site because everyone will post their own experiences, whether positive or negative, and it is 'true' to them. You need to experience it for yourself.
It is hot here all the time minus a few months in the winter......
Moderate amount of bugs? You made me laugh, there is no such thing as moderate anything here, it is hot and there are bugs everywhere, it's not like there this ghost city with less bugs! We have screen enclosures to keep them out.
And there is also no "moderate climate (for FL) "
The difference between Miami and Tampa is that Tampa gets colder in the winter...like in the 30's, 40's....Miami hangs out just above in the higher 40's and 50's at their worst...(cold wise) but as you move north through Florida it gets colder in the winter.
The question is what are you into? pastures? nightlife? theme parks? or just beach? you may find a condo by the beach at that price somewhere...not in Miami....beach front is still expensive. Unless it is a total shack that needs tons of remodeling, and generally (for God knows what reason) as you get closer to the beaches you will be welcomed by endless amounts of mobile homes...........
Sub divisions (a.k.a. planned communities do not have wells, they all have city water, we lived in Apopka and never had a well.)
In Altamonte Sprints the older homes may have wells, but all the new construction has city water.
I wouldn't recommend that area tho, BOOOOOOOORING.
Please do visit first. You will see we have bugs everywhere and the heat is the same everywhere with the south FL being hotter and even more humid.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Specval09
My husband and I are considering moving to FL from Central Massachusetts. I've done some research on both this site and others and it has only left me with more questions.
I guess my biggest question is where to move in FL. I've already searched the Orlando and surrounding areas for homes and found plenty that I would like and that are in my price range but i'm not sure that area is right for us. I know that things like crime rate, temp, and bugs can change dramatically as you travel through out FL.
We're looking for a 3 bedroom house with a 3 car garage (mandatory) for about $150,000. preferably a newer house. I realize that it will likely have to be a foreclosure and I'm okay with purchasing one.
We have no children and don't intend on having any. My husband works as a computer engineer and will be keeping the job he has up here and working remotely.
We would like to be in an area with a low crime rate, moderate climate (for FL) and preferably close to the ocean (either side) and a place with out an obnoxious amount of bugs.
Does any one have any suggestions on places that I should research further.
Also if anyone could explain some reason why we should consider NOT moving to FL I would love to hear them. I really want to make sure we're making an educated decision. I'm tired of just reading "well it's hot, there are no jobs, the crime rate is high" as i'm sure these statements are just blanket statements and don't apply to every town in FL. (ok well except for the hot one... i'm sure it's hot everywhere in the summer )
In my experience, the bugs don't really live up to their reputation and aren't something I particularly notice. My county sprays down our street every week in the summer for mosquitos; the pest control company sprays around the foundation of our house every quarter for cockroaches, and the wee lizards that live in our bushes love to nom on both the dying roaches any any other bugs that come near the house.
It is hot here all the time minus a few months in the winter......
Moderate amount of bugs? You made me laugh, there is no such thing as moderate anything here, it is hot and there are bugs everywhere, it's not like there this ghost city with less bugs! We have screen enclosures to keep them out.
And there is also no "moderate climate (for FL) "
The difference between Miami and Tampa is that Tampa gets colder in the winter...like in the 30's, 40's....Miami hangs out just above in the higher 40's and 50's at their worst...(cold wise) but as you move north through Florida it gets colder in the winter.
The question is what are you into? pastures? nightlife? theme parks? or just beach? you may find a condo by the beach at that price somewhere...not in Miami....beach front is still expensive. Unless it is a total shack that needs tons of remodeling, and generally (for God knows what reason) as you get closer to the beaches you will be welcomed by endless amounts of mobile homes...........
Sub divisions (a.k.a. planned communities do not have wells, they all have city water, we lived in Apopka and never had a well.)
In Altamonte Sprints the older homes may have wells, but all the new construction has city water.
I wouldn't recommend that area tho, BOOOOOOOORING.
Please do visit first. You will see we have bugs everywhere and the heat is the same everywhere with the south FL being hotter and even more humid.
Depends on where the planned community is as far as wells go. We live in a city of over 100,000 and a good share of the subdivisions do not have city water. The town grew so fast in the 80s and 90s the city could not put in water fast enough. Water is being added to areas now and this year my street got it. Cost us over $6000 to hook up. We still have a septic system because the city cannot afford to add a sewer system to all the areas. Hopefully that will happen before I die. LOL
In reviewing the OPs comments she needs a 3 car garage which isn't usually offered in homes that cost $150,00. Since she mentioned racing I am thinking her husband has a race car he needs to garage. Is that correct OP? Does he work on the car in your garage up there? Not all areas will let you do that down here. Also the noise from the engine would be against many ordinances in some areas.
You might want to consider a home not located in a town but near a town on an acre or more to ensure that the race car won't be a problem.
Another thing to consider is if there is racing in the area. Thinking around New Smyrna might be a good spot to consider because it has the speedway there, and is only a short drive away from Daytona International, Volusia County raceway, and the one on rt 50 just east of Orlando in Bithlo.
If you are correct about the garage need situation, the OP could look at something more rural as you suggested and put up a nice steel building of the required size to do the auto work. That more rural setting certainly could help with the noise generated by such a hobby as you suggested.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rabflmom
Depends on where the planned community is as far as wells go. We live in a city of over 100,000 and a good share of the subdivisions do not have city water. The town grew so fast in the 80s and 90s the city could not put in water fast enough. Water is being added to areas now and this year my street got it. Cost us over $6000 to hook up. We still have a septic system because the city cannot afford to add a sewer system to all the areas. Hopefully that will happen before I die. LOL
In reviewing the OPs comments she needs a 3 car garage which isn't usually offered in homes that cost $150,00. Since she mentioned racing I am thinking her husband has a race car he needs to garage. Is that correct OP? Does he work on the car in your garage up there? Not all areas will let you do that down here. Also the noise from the engine would be against many ordinances in some areas.
You might want to consider a home not located in a town but near a town on an acre or more to ensure that the race car won't be a problem.
Another thing to consider is if there is racing in the area. Thinking around New Smyrna might be a good spot to consider because it has the speedway there, and is only a short drive away from Daytona International, Volusia County raceway, and the one on rt 50 just east of Orlando in Bithlo.
Bugs... I saw a bug today! It was crawling across the mulch in the yard. It must have been 1/2 long!
Oh, ants. Saw a couple of ants crawling up the exterior wall too. I guess the rain this a.m. got them
upset.
As another poster said, the bug problem is highly over-rated. After all, most of the state is sub tropical.
I think I found more bugs as a kid under side walk meter covers in Brooklyn than I do here.
What type of auto racing? Florida does have a lot of venues. From drag strips, to small short tracks, to speedways such as Daytona and Homestead. Florida also has road racing at a street circuit in St. Pete and the world famous Sebring Int'l Raceway in Sebring.
I live in Clewiston which is near the southwest corner of Lake Okeechobee. We did have numerous nights this past winter where the temperature was below freezing, numerous mornings with ice on my cars windshields, ect. However, the last 3 Florida winters have been brutal for our standards.
Florida does have a lot of nice areas, it just depends on what you are into. We have our metro areas that are very cosmopolitan, and we have our rural areas with mostly rednecks. LOL!
Hey everyone, Thanks so much for the input I greatly appreciate it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by algia
The question is what are you into? pastures? nightlife? theme parks? or just beach?
Sub divisions (a.k.a. planned communities do not have wells, they all have city water, we lived in Apopka and never had a well.)
In Altamonte Sprints the older homes may have wells, but all the new construction has city water.
I wouldn't recommend that area tho, BOOOOOOOORING.
Please do visit first. You will see we have bugs everywhere and the heat is the same everywhere with the south FL being hotter and even more humid.
That might be the perfect place for me then. My husband and I like boring! We're definitely homebodies. We like to occasionally go to the beach and go out at night but if we do decide to, we have no problem driving a little ways.
I have visited the state multiple times and at different times of the year. I was in FL for the most recent Daytona 500, I stayed in both New Smryna and Orlando. New Smryna was great but The homes for sale there don't seem to meet my criteria. I've also stayed in Orlando and Tampa in August doing the whole amusement park thing and the heat really didn't bother me.
Also the bugs didn't seem bad at all but I just figured that was due to the fact that I was in such an urban area.
I've heard horror stories or HUGE banana spiders in trees and brown recluse in the bushes. That's what I'm really worried about. lol But I do realize that when you google for information like this you're only going to hear the bad things.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rabflmom
In reviewing the OPs comments she needs a 3 car garage which isn't usually offered in homes that cost $150,00. Since she mentioned racing I am thinking her husband has a race car he needs to garage. Is that correct OP? Does he work on the car in your garage up there? Not all areas will let you do that down here. Also the noise from the engine would be against many ordinances in some areas.
You might want to consider a home not located in a town but near a town on an acre or more to ensure that the race car won't be a problem.
Another thing to consider is if there is racing in the area. Thinking around New Smyrna might be a good spot to consider because it has the speedway there, and is only a short drive away from Daytona International, Volusia County raceway, and the one on rt 50 just east of Orlando in Bithlo.
Yes, my husband and I have a "race car" but it's probably not what you're thinking. The car is street legal and all work on it would be done inside the garage not to make an "i saw" in the community. Is it possible that doing an oil change or brake job inside the garage wouldn't be allowed?
In my search I am definitely including homes that have land and the possibility to build our own garage. also when I search in say a town i do a radius search of everything w/in 20 miles. I definitely don't need to be in the center of all the action.
Because of the market (unfortunately) there are many homes with 3 car garages that are in the $150K range. Almost all of them are short sales or Foreclosures.
I'm not worried about being close to a race way, I'm much more worried about being in a good neighborhood. The types of tracks we're interested in are Daytona, Sebring, Homestead, and Road Atlanta. I've come to terms with the fact that we'll have to drive a ways to get to the track. In the past we've driving from Mass to Virginia to race.
Thanks again for all of this information. Like others have said It is all about perception but this is very helpful to weed out the other research I've done to see what was legitimate and what was people just being super negative b/c they aren't happy.
What type of auto racing? Florida does have a lot of venues. From drag strips, to small short tracks, to speedways such as Daytona and Homestead. Florida also has road racing at a street circuit in St. Pete and the world famous Sebring Int'l Raceway in Sebring.
I live in Clewiston which is near the southwest corner of Lake Okeechobee. We did have numerous nights this past winter where the temperature was below freezing, numerous mornings with ice on my cars windshields, ect. However, the last 3 Florida winters have been brutal for our standards.
Florida does have a lot of nice areas, it just depends on what you are into. We have our metro areas that are very cosmopolitan, and we have our rural areas with mostly rednecks. LOL!
-Pat Healey
Road Courses are what we're in to.
I am from the Boston area where I'm use to every morning from Nov - april involves below freezing temps. I should be able to handle a couple of days like that
And the less rednecks the better. LOL
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