[Rabflmom]

Originally Posted by Donna-501

I love living in FL but it is not for everyone. Some people can't take the humidity. If you could find a job then I say to give it a try. I moved to FL in the early 80's and never regretted it.

Like someone said it isn't like being on vacation. When I was planning to move here I had the thought that everyone was tan and went to the beach all the time. It seemed that the only ones that were tan were the vacationers.

I was a teacher in Illinois and before I moved down in 1976, I had dreams about moving to Florida. In my dream someone would come down to visit or I would go back up North for a vacation.....every dream I would show my arm that was tanned and say" I may not make much money, but hey, look at this tan. " I am a very light skinned blonde so never had a tan up there even with 3 months off in the summer. We have always spent a lot of time at the beach and outside down here raising boys who liked to surf and play sports so we did go to the beach a lot. Probably even more now to take our daily walks. My skin has changed as I age and now that I am semi-retired I don't seem to burn as easily and I do tan a little.

[gypsychic]

To the OP: - the two big keys to making a successful move (no matter WHERE one wants to move) are -

1) Having a good job making enough money

2) Having the right house in the right neighborhood in the right town for you.

I have read and posted on these forums for years, and many unhappy posters fall into one or both of those categories above (no job, wrong house, town, etc.)

At any rate, as has been said, Florida may not be for everyone, but it is the 3rd (or 4th) most populated state in the country for a reason; and the majority of people love it here. So my advice - try to get a good job lined up first, THEN come and rent for awhile and give yourself time to see what house or neighborhood "fits" for the longer term. Good luck to you!

[algia]

The houses are cheap for a reason, or another:
short sales
foreclosures
bad areas
areas without good schools
overbuilt areas on pastures with nothing around
and so on...you definitely don't want to buy a house in a bad area here.

Check greatschools.net for school ratings, sort for the highest rated, then retrieve those zip codes, and THEN look for homes. THAT will tell you a right price range for a good area for kids and all.

Originally Posted by Sam_J

After turning the big "40"... you view life a lot differently. The wife and I recently took the kids on vacation to Tampa and Orlando. We had a wonderful time. We stopped in the Palm Coast area on the way home and love the beautiful miles of beaches. I have always wanted to live on or near the beach. Growing up in So Cal, beaches were an integral part of the family bonding experience. My wife grew up in the Brunswick, Ga. area and she grew up with the salt in her nose as well. I would be happy if I never see an ounce of snow again.
Driving the 6-8 hours to enjoy the beaches can be monotonous at times, especially if you want to just go for the weekend. We have looked at housing all up and down the Palm Coast area and are wondering why such a beautiful area has unbelievable low housing prices. The price of homes here in the mountains verses homes in Florida is a lot more expensive. Moving to Florida we could easily afford a home and still enjoy the weather and beaches with our children.
Working at the paper mill, I see a lot of older employees getting ready to retire and they have worked their life away in the mill. Shortly after retiring they usually wind up in poor health and have passed away due to a life of working in extreme conditions and don't get to enjoy the fruits of their labor.
We are seriously considering a move into the northeast section of Florida, but I'm not quitting a job, if i don't have a guaranteed job lined up. Our other plan is to also continue our education. We both gave up college early in life to raise families and work to support them. Our little one is starting Kindergarten this year and the wife is ready to continue that education full time.
Any thoughts, comments or info is greatly appreciated.

[algia]

.....and even ONE subdivision over can make ALL the difference here...

Originally Posted by gypsychic

To the OP: - the two big keys to making a successful move (no matter WHERE one wants to move) are -

1) Having a good job making enough money

2) Having the right house in the right neighborhood in the right town for you.

I have read and posted on these forums for years, and many unhappy posters fall into one or both of those categories above (no job, wrong house, town, etc.)

At any rate, as has been said, Florida may not be for everyone, but it is the 3rd (or 4th) most populated state in the country for a reason; and the majority of people love it here. So my advice - try to get a good job lined up first, THEN come and rent for awhile and give yourself time to see what house or neighborhood "fits" for the longer term. Good luck to you!

[Sheepie2000]

I think you have a great plan! Just like what we did. My husband spent 2 years looking for a job in the Orlando/Daytona/Jacksonville triangle and ended up with a nice job here in Palm Coast, just minutes away from my parents. We absolutely love it here. The schools are great. I have no worries at all that my children aren't getting a great education. While it might not be the same as being on vacation, the occasional dinner outside at a beachside restaurant makes you forget that you live just a few miles up the road.

I don't believe that housing prices are low because of location. It's because Flagler County was the number one growing county in the U.S. and so many jobs were related to construction. Not just construction workers, but plumbers, electricians, mortgage lenders, architects, etc. The sudden burst of the housing bubble destroyed so many jobs here. During the boom, there were tons of people buying investment properties and then suddenly they were losing money on them and had to unload them. The house market was flooded and hence the low prices. You'll see in this link that Palm Coast is supposed to be the 2nd best housing market in the next 5 years.

The 15 Best Housing Markets For The Next Five Years - Business Insider

[Sam_J]

thanks for all the feed back, good and bad... there is a lot to consider. Like I have said the main factor is the job market. I'm not leaving this job for "no" job. All though we may love the thought of living in Florida(which is the goal), we will have to check into all aspects. Our main goal is to be within an 1hour/1.5hours from the Brunswick area. Will be broadening our search into the Savannah, Ga area as well. Having been in the military, I may try to get on with one of our federal agencies hiring in those areas... at least my military service will count towards retirement. I have a few application/resumes turned in, just waiting to hear from them. Again, thanks!!!

[TXRyan23]

Originally Posted by gypsychic

At any rate, as has been said, Florida may not be for everyone, but it is the 3rd (or 4th) most populated state in the country for a reason; and the majority of people love it here. So my advice - try to get a good job lined up first, THEN come and rent for awhile and give yourself time to see what house or neighborhood "fits" for the longer term. Good luck to you!

Notice that 3 of the top 4 most populous states are sunny, warm, and have a coast ?

(1. California, 2. Texas, 3. New York, 4. Florida)