[robrelo]

The wife and I work from home and make pretty good money ($300k total /year). If we sell our Colorado home we can pay cash for a home in Florida, and then save a ton of money per year, thanks to no house payment and no state income tax. We figure we can easily bank $100k per year. In 5 years we will be set, considering what we have now. The issue is, how easy is it to live in Florida full time? And what expenses don't we know about that could harpoon the savings plan?

We also considered Nevada but Florida sounds a lot better to us, as we want to be doing water activities. We would most likely get a boat membership as opposed to buying one, as it would be much cheaper. We are both in our mid 50s.

Any thoughts on this plan?

[marc3565]

A few random thoughts.
-If you can do it.. try renting for a year where you think you want to end up. Get to know the area better and fine tune where to live and then you are local when shopping for a home
-Be ready to downsize. Many people move to Florida with their large basements and garages full of stuff. You won't have a basement here and you will be happy if you learn to live with less. Many end up putting things in storage then eventually purge anyway when they get tired of that bill for stuff they never use.
-"how easy is it to live in Florida full-time?" Many millions of people do so .. You will not have the full four seasons you are accustomed to. It is hot and humid for a summer that is longer than you are used to. It gets really nice in my opinion in the spring and fall. You will need to travel back to Colorado if you want to see sknow.
-Expenses.. Pest control. depending where you live hurricane insurance
-Boot clubs are not always what you hope they would be. Many complaints of not being able to book on weekends. Check reviews carefully for any you are looking at.

[robrelo]

Originally Posted by marc3565

A few random thoughts.
-If you can do it.. try renting for a year where you think you want to end up. Get to know the area better and fine tune where to live and then you are local when shopping for a home
-Be ready to downsize. Many people move to Florida with their large basements and garages full of stuff. You won't have a basement here and you will be happy if you learn to live with less. Many end up putting things in storage then eventually purge anyway when they get tired of that bill for stuff they never use.
-"how easy is it to live in Florida full-time?" Many millions of people do so .. You will not have the full four seasons you are accustomed to. It is hot and humid for a summer that is longer than you are used to. It gets really nice in my opinion in the spring and fall. You will need to travel back to Colorado if you want to see sknow.
-Expenses.. Pest control. depending where you live hurricane insurance
-Boot clubs are not always what you hope they would be. Many complaints of not being able to book on weekends. Check reviews carefully for any you are looking at.

Thanks Marc. Good info!

[Gypsy3n8]

Make 3 lists - needs, wants, and must haves. Then take some time to explore different areas of FL. The further north you are (panhandle, Jacksonville) the more seasonal climate differences you'll have.


Do you want to be able to walk to the beach, restaurants and stores or is living inland and driving to the beach ok?


How large or small of a home do you want? Is reasonable proximity to a major airport a concern? Big city? Small town? In between? Modern or historic?



Florida is a very large state with a wide variety of differences from north to south.


My immediate family have all been in central Florida for years. My husband and I have traveled and vacationed all over, from Destin to Key West, and decided in 2016 on Cocoa Beach. We bought a condo in 2018 and will be retiring there full time in 2024.


I also agree with marc3565 to rent for a year after you find a place you think you might like. Vacationing somewhere is a lot different than living somewhere.

[robrelo]

Originally Posted by Gypsy3n8

Make 3 lists - needs, wants, and must haves. Then take some time to explore different areas of FL. The further north you are (panhandle, Jacksonville) the more seasonal climate differences you'll have.


Do you want to be able to walk to the beach, restaurants and stores or is living inland and driving to the beach ok?


How large or small of a home do you want? Is reasonable proximity to a major airport a concern? Big city? Small town? In between? Modern or historic?



Florida is a very large state with a wide variety of differences from north to south.


My immediate family have all been in central Florida for years. My husband and I have traveled and vacationed all over, from Destin to Key West, and decided in 2016 on Cocoa Beach. We bought a condo in 2018 and will be retiring there full time in 2024.


I also agree with marc3565 to rent for a year after you find a place you think you might like. Vacationing somewhere is a lot different than living somewhere.

Thank you! These are the type things we need to get straight.

Must haves:

- Not in frequent major hurricane area.
- Safety and away from chaos. We want a buffer zone between us and the BS.
- Home with a pool.

Needs:

- Within a hour of a major airport.
- Reasonable distance to water for boating.

Wants:

- 2500-3000 sqft.
- Close to restaurants/shops
- Small city.
- Walking friendly

Details:

- Not in frequent major hurricane area.

We looked at a historical hurricane map. St. Augustine to Jax seems pretty good, and on the west coast the Clearwater area isn't TOO bad. We understand it's Florida, but there is a huge difference in risk between The Keys and Jax.

- Safety and away from chaos. We want a buffer zone between us and the BS.

There is a lot of craziness going on, so we want to live in a safe city with safe cities around it. We looked at Ormond Beach, for example, but the proximity to Daytona was a deal breaker.

- Within a hour of a major airport.

We are eventually going to get back to flying and having visitors, so an airport within an hour is important.

- Home with a pool.

If we are going to full-time Florida we need a pull. That is critical.

- Reasonable distance to water for boating.

Boating is going to be something we get into pretty seriously, so not being too far from the water and good boating spots is important. We will do cruising and fishing mostly. Not planning any trips to the Bahamas anytime soon.

- 2500-3000 sqft.

We don't need a massive house, but a single story home with 2500 to 3000 sq. ft. would be fine.

Our budget would probably be around $400k to $500k.

[wizrap]

OP, I think you’ve done good research and I vote for the St. Augustine to Jacksonville corridor as well. We vacation there and love the beaches of St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra and Jacksonville.

I’d post your Must Haves, Needs and Wants in the Jacksonville forum to get ideas on specific neighborhoods.

[robrelo]

Originally Posted by wizrap

OP, I think you’ve done good research and I vote for the St. Augustine to Jacksonville corridor as well. We vacation there and love the beaches of St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra and Jacksonville.

I’d post your Must Haves, Needs and Wants in the Jacksonville forum to get ideas on specific neighborhoods.

Thanks! Will do.

[Gypsy3n8]

With inland towns, it's not so much hurricane damage as it is tornadoes that are spawned by the hurricane. We have elderly friends who had an RV in Umatilla that got upended in a tornado from a hurricane a couple years ago. The entire park was severely damaged.


That being said, Astor, FL is nice and right on the St. John's river, with Lake George just north of it.


If you are looking to be closer than that to the beach, check out the Melbourne, FL area. There is an airport in Melbourne, but you are still only an hour away from Orlando International. Downtown Melbourne is a really nice, walkable, historic area and you have access to the river and the ocean.


We had looked at the Gulf Coast, but between tourists and snowbirds found the traffic and cost of living horrific. And even a few miles off the coast could take you forever to get to the beach in certain seasons. Also, there always seem to be more and stronger storms in the Gulf because it's so shallow and warm.

[HarryWhom]

I wouldn't worry as much about hurricanes as I would finding a place where you'll be really happy. I think the Stuart/Jupiter area would fit nicely. Nothing wrong with North Florida, but boating, fishing, and the beach are better down south. Find a well built house and if you feel anxious about an approaching storm, leave. Mini vacation.

[lluvia]

Maybe Citrus county but walk ability will be an issue.