[Jenericjr]

I am looking for realistic thoughts and information about making the move from Maryland to Florida. I've always wanted to leave MD but my husband never wanted to. We've been visiting Florida for 4 years now, mostly Key West and Pompano/Ft Lauderdale areas, but have spent time in Key Largo and Tavernier. About 2 years ago my husband finally decided he was ready to move so I immediately started planning our departure. I have "friends of the family" in KL who have been there about 10 years now and are quite successful and very supportive of our desire to move to the Keys. However, the more I research, the more worried I am about the housing situation. We wouldn't want or be able to buy straight away so we would be renting. My husband is a restaurant manager at a very popular casual dining seafood restaurant chain. He will stay in this field when we move but he is weary of being employed by a restaurant that isn't a chain considering the failure rate of restaurants. I am currently in commercial insurance (NOT the sales side) but we are hoping that if he is offered enough money I would work more in the service industry in the Keys (snorkel boat would be my preference but I have no experience working on a boat so that may take a while to get a foot in). If we wind up in SoFlo I would probably stay in my 9-5 office job setting until we became more established in FL. I also have family in the Pompano/Ft Lauderdale area and have visited frequently since she moved 2 years ago. She loves it there and I really like that area as well. I have always thought when we move though I want to be in the Keys, we just love that laid back life and the beauty. Since spending time in SOFlo though, I have become more and more open to the idea of moving there as long as I am a short weekend drive or maybe even day trip to the Keys. Housing seems more reasonable and the restaurant my husband works for now has several locations as far down as Homestead which he likes the idea of staying with the company and transferring (so much that he is even talking about commuting to Homestead from KL if that worked out). My husband also pointed out we could start in SoFlo and have moving to the Keys be the ultimate goal but I sort of feel like that will just mean we settle for SoFlo and never make it to the Keys. I guess what I am looking for is just an idea from locals of what the restaurant management industry is like in the Keys, estimate of pay possibly? Our friends that live there say he would be a shoe in because of his experience but I've also heard in research the locals get the edge in the job market compared to transplants. What's the best way to get accurate housing rental info (real estate agents, zillow, craigslist)? I am very much a planner so we wouldn't move down without jobs secured and a place to stay. We will have to reevaluate our finances in the summer months but right now we are hoping to make the move in November 2017. We currently own a house here and would likely rent it out through a property management company. We are 29 & 32 with no plans to ever have children. We would prefer 2 bedrooms for visitors but then again if the price is right 1 wouldn't be a deal breaker. Any thoughts, ideas, additional information on our move to the Keys' vs. SOFLO would be greatly appreciated.

[cfbs2691]

Have either of you started doing your homework looking on job websites to see what your careers pay down here or?
Have you looked at rentals in your price range when you're down here?
What homework have you done to this point?

[Jenericjr]

The family member I mentioned in Pompano has an equivalent job to what I do now (we actually used to work at the same company when she was still here) and she is making about the same (a bit more) and has worked for 2 different companies down there doing the same thing. So, I know if we moved more SOFLO what my pay might look like. She also uses a "head hunter" that found both jobs and continually tells me when there are openings at her office. There are plenty of restaurant management positions posted online the issue is, they VERY seldom post a pay range, which is why I inquired above if maybe anyone was in that industry could give insight to expected pay.
I look at zillow "for rent" and "for sale" in both locations regularly but was wondering how people who have actually done it found their home and what other ways there are, other than what I can see on zillow, especially considering from experience in home buying here, zillow can be a bit unreliable as far as pricing and actual availability. We haven't looked at anything in person, we would probably do that when we know for sure we are ready to move financially (possibly this summer when we reassess). I don't see the point in looking and possibly finding something well before we are ready when it will likely not still be around by then.

[Whereitwent]

Visiting and vacationing in an area, even frequently, is no comparison to living in an area.

Many made the same mistake and are now back up where they started because they thought the above two things are the same, then discovered reality.

[Ms. Intelligence]

yep! /\

[LifeIsGood01]

Originally Posted by Jenericjr

The family member I mentioned in Pompano has an equivalent job to what I do now (

Pompano Beach is near Fort Lauderdale, in fact one part borders it but it's cheaper to live there. The Keys are very expensive, Key West being the most expensive. Key Largo would be cheaper and better than that in case of an evacuation due to a hurricane you are not that far from Miami Dade county, whereas people in Key West would have to drive 2 hours to get there.

[jghorton]

There's plenty of food service/management work throughout Florida's high tourist traffic areas. This includes Key West and the Miami area. You will also discover that the people who work in the food service sectors of these areas, cannot typically afford to live reasonably in the same immediate areas.

The distance of your commute and relative housing value per dollar will decrease in proportion to your distance from these areas. As others have suggested, vacationing is not the same as living here; and you will do well to line-up your employment and housing before moving down.

[Shortbus901]

Originally Posted by jghorton

There's plenty of food service/management work throughout Florida's high tourist traffic areas. This includes Key West and the Miami area. You will also discover that the people who work in the food service sectors of these areas, cannot typically afford to live reasonably in the same immediate areas.

The distance of your commute and relative housing value per dollar will decrease in proportion to your distance from these areas. As others have suggested, vacationing is not the same as living here; and you will do well to line-up your employment and housing before moving down.

There is no shortage of food service work here in Key West, you could probably have a few jobs lined up in a day just walking around with resumes. Unfortunately you're going to need a few of them to have even a chance of being able to afford living here. Key Largo is a bit cheaper as cost of housing goes but with a subsequent decrease in job opportunities and money to be made in the service industry.

[Ms. Intelligence]

Living in the Keys is not all that folks. I tried, never again! Boring, rich and poor, no middle class and so many alcoholic loser men!

[cfbs2691]

Originally Posted by Jenericjr

I don't see the point in looking and possibly finding something well before we are ready when it will likely not still be around by then.

You don't want to know what you're getting in to?

Yes, it probably won't be around.. but at least you'd see what to expect in your budget.
(Not only a rental itself.. but what kind of neighbors to expect.)