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In fact, anywhere in the state of HI better than South Florida for sea life? Not happening.
I could live anywhere in Hawai'i (or the world, for that matter) and chose Big Island to avoid the crowds...of course, if you read my original post above you would see that I'm trying to avoid "civilization". Oahu is one of my ideas of a personal hell.
Now, if SOMEONE in the Keys could kindly answer my original questions!!!
Oh well, I'll be there on vacay this summer, I guess I'll just have to discover it for myself.
People currently living in the Keys don't seem to be posting on this thread, so you might want to try posting to some of the other ones to see if someone's still around. I can take a stab at a few of your questions, but the thing is, you say you were just there 2 years ago, and you didn't find my answer to the only question I attempted - is Key Largo all strip malls and like Miami now - helpful. I don't know how different you expect it to get in two years, but change does not happen that fast there, it never did.
As for some of the other questions I know about:
>I fiddled around on the MLS tonight and I can't believe how cheap real estate
>is now. I know the bubble burst, but Keys real estate...something I've
>followed for decades...seems to be as low as I've seen it in maybe 20 years.
The prices are the same as they were in 2002-2003, and you will see people on other threads commenting on that. They are increasing again in the past few months, and should continue to rise as the economy recovers.
>But is there a reason for that? Are there no jobs?
Not exactly sure what you mean, but there haven't been much in the way of well-paying jobs in the Keys (like for a single job to support the cost of a nice house there) for a very long time. I would be surprised if you did not see that Florida has been the second-worst hit state of the recession consistently, with an outrageous number of foreclosures, and rampant unemployment and underemployment. The entire state has been in chaos, the upper Keys is overwhelmed with foreclosures, and add to that only a tiny percentage of the houses currently for sale are compliant with flood code - meaning they can only sell for cash, and most of the owners are bogged down with liens from violations - which is why most of them end up REO. Why should houses that are just as nice, and compliant, go for their original values when so many houses in the same neighborhood, that often are newer, are so cheap? It's the law of real estate - cheap deals bring the whole area down, more demand than supply brings it up again - and the upper Keys is finally hitting that end where in certain neighborhoods the demand is now more than supply, because all the best ones were already snatched up, so the prices crawl upward again. On the other hand, in the lower-end areas, there are still so many below-flood trailers for sale it is purely a buyer's market. But again, you were just there in 2011 so this shouldn't come as a surprise.
>Has crime risen?
Not really.
>Have other costs of living risen?
No.
>Is it that home/flood/wind insurance is impossible to buy?
The majority of Keys residents don't even care about this. I do, but I am clearly in the minority. You can get all the insurance you could before at high rates just like before, but you need to be compliant for flood - and as I mentioned in a previous answer, building illegal downstairs enclosures to cover the high cost of real estate and the low availability of living space for workers became a way of life. Meanwhile a search would bring you loads of threads of residents still arguing for their right to build below-flood structures. So now they can't sell their house and have a mountain of fees. Yes, flood insurance requirements are getting more stringent all the time, and I expect them to continue to do so - as a result, I will not pay extra for any pre-firm structure, since I think it is likely that when I try to resell Fed insurance may no longer cover those. Having just lived through Sandy up in NY, I can tell you the storm doesn't care what year your below-flood structure was built, the water is going to gut it just the same as your neighbor's, and pile the wreckage up into someone else's house. But that's me, few other buyers care other than their ability to get a mortgage or pay cash to live in paradise, and even fewer sellers care beyond their ability to sell for a high price before they foreclose [nearly all FSBOs are selling at 2007 prices, which is why many of them have been on the market for 4 years at the same price - if they want to wait another 4 years maybe they'll actually get it.] Again, since you've lived there quite a while and have been there in the past 2 years, you likely already knew all that.
So whether or not this info helps you, it will likely help others who know a bit about real estate and want to move to the Keys. If you are looking for rural life, moving to the Lower Keys is necessary, but then again unless you are right on the highway few of those homes will be above flood, if you care. Tavernier is a decent compromise, but for me most of the houses are too far out of compliance, or are landlocked and on a single-lane street that is rather dangerous to get into from the highway - just a personal preference, I don't like having to slam on the breaks and make a sharp awkward turn every single day with tourists whizzing around me.
As for part-time jobs, I consistently hear the same thing - times are hard and there is not much, but if you know what you're doing and can show up consistently on time, you have a better chance. You have experience that I would assume would be very valuable, if you're not picky and can stick it out long enough to get your foot in somewhere - especially since you probably already know some of the people still there. But I am no expert on it, this is just what I keep reading on other threads, and it sounds reasonable to me. It's still a tourist town, so there have to be service jobs at some point in the year, but I don't know if openings are more seasonal now because times are tough. For others who are reading here who want to make the move, don't do it if you need the income to survive here, unless you secured something in advance! I read too many threads where people with no savings think they'll just show up and find a job to pay the rent right away, and there will always be enough work after that, and it's definitely not like that. Save up a little first.
I am all about the lower keys myself cant say much about living life in the the upper keys but I do know some of the stuff happening in the upper keys. All the upper keys now have sewers a few towns waited for 18 months for everyone to hook up after finishing the main line and are now starting to issue fines if you refuse try to stall connecting to the sewer. This now makes for another monthly bill. apparently there are so many illegal rentals in the upper keys I think its islamorada or key largo is going to hire to hire a full time employee to track down illegal rental properties. I also know turkey point nuke plant is trying to build a new pipe and to draw water "just in case" from Biscayne bay. FPL is also trying to float plans to build new nuke reactors at the plant too. we might see close Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park and the Lignumvitae Key Botanical State Park and Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park due to state budget cuts.
i would love to live in the Keys when I'm near retirement age, maybe even by 40.
LOL!! Why not?? I turn 40 this year and am dreaming about the idea of living it out with my sweet younger euro wife. Although she might leave me for the allure and artificial decadence of South Beach. But who cares?? The fish will never leave me!
Hello all,
I have heard horrible stories about the cost of living in Key Largo, I am single, no children and moving from another part of Florida. I am looking to relocate. I am a bartender/server and will be coming with another bartender/server in two months. Can I get some feedback on this decision?
Hi scubalisa! I can't give you a lot of specific suggestions as perhaps others could who are currently living there, but since I was recently living nearby and will soon buy a house there and be there full-time, I can list a few things you should be cautious of:
1. As far as cost of living, I found it to be essentially the same as living in Miami-Dade for nearly everything but owning a house. Publix costs were surprisingly the same, and gas only a few cents more, than in Miami. You don't mention buying and I assume you will be coming seeking local employment, so I'm assuming you would be renting. I looked into renting a bit, and found that aside from paying the same for a bit less space, it was comparable. I heard about basic 1 bedrooms costing somewhere around $1100, and small 2-bedrooms costing around $1300. I can't be sure of those prices now of course, but it was about the same as I was used to. Fancier accommodations with water views and with all kinds of amenities or updated appliances would certainly cost much more, and homelier accommodations would likely cost less. I hear that there is a shortage of cheap rental space, such that there is always a problem for construction and other temporary workers with housing. Also, some businesses are going under due to exorbitant back costs of hooking up to sewer, so perhaps that limits the options a little further. But then again, there are hordes of illegal downstairs apartments to choose from, and
I found that being friendly with some of the locals and asking around will easily get you a few options. I personally would caution you against living in the illegal enclosures long-term, though - people won't tell you that the space is illegal, but if it is on the first floor and not right next to the highway, it is likely below flood. This means that the owner may be racking up huge fees and could suddenly go into foreclosure, leaving you without a place. It also means that during hurricane season, your place may not be safe to live in if there is a bad storm. Paying a little more for a condo rental or an upstairs rental like in a house on a canal, might be worth it, especially if you can share the cost with your friend.
2. I don't know about the availability of bartending jobs. My guess would be there is no shortage of people willing to do the work you do, but I hear that people who are solid dependable workers with decent skills have a better chance, since so many transients come in with no job and get too lost in the party life to be bothered showing up to work on time. If you are really dependent on this working out, I would make sure I have a few other marketable skills or some extra savings if I were you.
3. I hear that this life is not easy to keep long-term. If you are not independently wealthy or do not work remotely from your job/work from home, most people cannot manage it more than a few years. Some manage to fit in enough with the community that they find consistent work and stay a long time, but I gather that's not too many. Some others are happy enough with a very minimal lifestyle, so it's worth it to them to be near the sun and water even if they have to live in poor conditions and work many hours in changing jobs. I am lucky that I work out of home, have some savings, and also am happy enough living in minimal surroundings just to be near the water and sun so I think it's worth the risk. But also, while you don't mention how old you are or if you are involved with your friend who is coming too, the reality is that women who are relatively young are going to be socially limited there. There are not many other younger women, nor people who might make suitable romantic partners of the same age, compared with other places. My sense is that the majority of residents there are 50 and up, and mostly men - quite a few of whom have lived a pretty hard life. I love the Keys, but I will need to leave a few times a year to supplement what I am giving up in social and cultural connections to be there.
Hopefully we will both like it. It sounds like you have given it some serious thought which is more than most people do, and at least you are actively asking questions. I think that means you have a better chance than most, many of whom are homeless or jobless and who picture themselves bumming it on a beach with some drinks, not realizing that their problems will follow them and may even be worse on an island where resources are limited and word gets around about your habits quickly... not to mention there are not a lot of naturally occurring beaches you can go to without being a member of something. If you search the internet, responses to questions about moving to the Keys are overwhelmingly negative, which is why I write so much, to try to put more unbiased and current information out there. I think all the negativity stems from how many people have moved down there looking only to take what the Keys can give, without any thought to giving something back to the community and environment there. I get the impression that people who are looking to be a contributing part of a community, and who are resourceful and flexible, do well. Those who are looking to drink it up, ask for a bunch of favors and not offer any in return, and who are not able to bend out of their comfort zone to adapt - not so much. The same reasons they didn't get along on the mainland are the same reasons they don't get along on the Keys, you can't really escape your problems there, they come with you.
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