[goodman3]

One of 1000s of threads started about moving to FL am sure. Just had to start somewhere. FL is a big state and am just looking around for a place to settle down. Been looking at properties in Zillow and there are many especially in foreclosure. Never bought a foreclosed property. The price looks cheap but it appears that its not the actual price.

Coming from Great Lakes, I was looking around Volusia county close to the ocean if possible like Ormond or Smyrna. So many neighborhoods to choose from.

Prefer to be middle part of state close to coast either Atlantic or Gulf side. Will be renting a place by Ormond next year to see what its like.

Yes I know it will be hot in the summer but am pretty tired dealing with 6 months of snow.

Any input will be appreciated.

[Akremi9503]

Hello there! I am a Daytona Beach native so hopefully I can help you in your search! Not sure of the time line you’re looking to move, but my hometown of Port Orange is a great area, and Ormond and New Smyrna are also nice as you mentioned. We are actually planning a move to NC this summer, so if you’re looking for a nice rental property in the area we’ll have one available. Lol.

As far as the heat...coming from the Great Lakes it’s a HUGE difference. The heat itself isn’t so bad, especially with our coastal breeze. The humidity is what makes Florida so stifling. If you don’t mind sweating most of the year, this is the place for you. Haha. And yes, the summers are hot but so is the fall, spring, and even winter depending on the year. For the past few years, it’s started getting pretty warm around mid April/beginning of May and stays that way until November/December. Right now we have pollen on our cars and it’s in the mid 70s-80s. In January.

Feel free to ask any questions you have about the area and I’ll be happy to answer!

[kyle19125]

Bear in mind the Volusia County beaches if retired can be loud, and congested. The area is a favorite destination for bikers (and not only for Bike Week in Feb) which means a pretty consistent sound of motorcycle exhausts/revving especially on weekends, not to mention race fans in Daytona which represent a similar demographic that likes to be loud. This includes mostly Daytona and Ormond, extending on up to Flagler Beach. New Smyrna Beach is very much the "locals beach" for the landlocked living inland around Orlando especially, which creates large population surges in the warmer months (March-October) who spend time at their beach homes/condos or simply days at the beach...and the traffic headaches that go along with it. If looking more centrally located along the Atlantic coast I would recommend St Augustine Beach-Butler Beach-Crescent Beach to the north or the South Patrick Shores-Satellite Beach-Indian Harbour Beach-Indialantic-Melbourne Beach corridor to the south. These areas stay fairly consistent throughout the year minus the big tourist fluctuations (neither is very touristy) and traffic problems.

[goodman3]

Originally Posted by Akremi9503

Hello there! I am a Daytona Beach native so hopefully I can help you in your search! Not sure of the time line you’re looking to move, but my hometown of Port Orange is a great area, and Ormond and New Smyrna are also nice as you mentioned. We are actually planning a move to NC this summer, so if you’re looking for a nice rental property in the area we’ll have one available. Lol.

As far as the heat...coming from the Great Lakes it’s a HUGE difference. The heat itself isn’t so bad, especially with our coastal breeze. The humidity is what makes Florida so stifling. If you don’t mind sweating most of the year, this is the place for you. Haha. And yes, the summers are hot but so is the fall, spring, and even winter depending on the year. For the past few years, it’s started getting pretty warm around mid April/beginning of May and stays that way until November/December. Right now we have pollen on our cars and it’s in the mid 70s-80s. In January.

Feel free to ask any questions you have about the area and I’ll be happy to answer!

Thanks for the responses.

We are retired and ready to get out of snow country. Originally from the tropics but have lived in Michigan over 40 years so our bloods have thickened. I'd like to say we can put up with the heat bc when we visit the old country and stay for 3-4 weeks we don't seem to mind. But only time will tell.

Bottom line is we are ready to be out of the cold. Not necessarily looking to take dips in the ocean as we grew up 10 minutes from the beach but would just like the ocean to be close by like maybe no more than 30 min away or closer.

Was looking at properties on Zillow and realized sooo many foreclosures. If the price is right, I'm even willing to tear a house down an rebuild. Not looking for a large house but at least have the amenities we want especially kitchen area since we like to cook. The nice thing about a newer house is the codes now are much tighter for energy efficiency. Of course being in a safe area is important.

I appreciate the feedback on the on goings in the Daytona area. I just used Daytona as an example as its the closest large city to the surrounding communities. Not looking to live in Daytona though. Can be north or south. But is nice to have an airport close by.

Akremi9503 - will PM you.

[beach43ofus]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

Bear in mind the Volusia County beaches if retired can be loud, and congested. The area is a favorite destination for bikers (and not only for Bike Week in Feb) which means a pretty consistent sound of motorcycle exhausts/revving especially on weekends, not to mention race fans in Daytona which represent a similar demographic that likes to be loud. This includes mostly Daytona and Ormond, extending on up to Flagler Beach. New Smyrna Beach is very much the "locals beach" for the landlocked living inland around Orlando especially, which creates large population surges in the warmer months (March-October) who spend time at their beach homes/condos or simply days at the beach...and the traffic headaches that go along with it. If looking more centrally located along the Atlantic coast I would recommend St Augustine Beach-Butler Beach-Crescent Beach to the north or the South Patrick Shores-Satellite Beach-Indian Harbour Beach-Indialantic-Melbourne Beach corridor to the south. These areas stay fairly consistent throughout the year minus the big tourist fluctuations (neither is very touristy) and traffic problems.

^^^This is excellent information from what I know of these areas. I'd stay clear of Daytona, and anywhere the bikers go due to the noise. I was unkowingly nearby during bikers week a few years back, and it was awful.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by goodman3

I appreciate the feedback on the on goings in the Daytona area. I just used Daytona as an example as its the closest large city to the surrounding communities. Not looking to live in Daytona though. Can be north or south. But is nice to have an airport close by.

As an FYI, Melbourne also has an airport which has daily flights on AA and DL to Charlotte and Atlanta respectively along with new service on AA to Philadelphia. Orlando Melbourne International Airport|Airports Orlando Area

[Wisertime]

Originally Posted by goodman3

One of 1000s of threads started about moving to FL am sure. Just had to start somewhere. FL is a big state and am just looking around for a place to settle down. Been looking at properties in Zillow and there are many especially in foreclosure. Never bought a foreclosed property. The price looks cheap but it appears that its not the actual price.

Coming from Great Lakes, I was looking around Volusia county close to the ocean if possible like Ormond or Smyrna. So many neighborhoods to choose from.

Prefer to be middle part of state close to coast either Atlantic or Gulf side. Will be renting a place by Ormond next year to see what its like.

Yes I know it will be hot in the summer but am pretty tired dealing with 6 months of snow.

Any input will be appreciated.

As a once frequent visitor to Ormond/Daytona, I think Ormond is certainly a good choice. I guess it all depends what your priorities are in housing/activities/amenities, but Ormond Beach area on up to Palm Coast is nice and more quiet than Daytona for sure. I grew up in the NE and left the long winters and lived in the SE and found the NE coast of FL more tolerable (at least near the coast) than central NC summers, but it's been awhile. Now Tampa/St. Pete...that is godawful humidity in the summer. If I were to move to FL, Ormond is up on my list, because I'm familiar with it and have family in the area. They love it there.

[Fredesch]

I live in Ormond-by-the-sea zip 32176. We love it here. This is a great place to be if you do not need employment or can work from home. Getting a good paying job here is very difficult.

We bought a forclosure and have been very happy with our house. It took 4 months to close. Forclosures go at their pace, not yours. We have a VA backed mortgage. If you qualify for a VA loan I would recommend using it with a foreclosure instead of paying cash or a conventional loan. The VA inspected our house, recommended some fixes and Fannie Mae did them all and paid for them. I believe if we paid cash or used a non-VA loan, Fannie Mae would not have paid for and done the repairs.

We like living beachside. In the summer there is a significant difference in comfort beachside vs the mainland. When the land is warmer than the ocean we get a breeze from ocean that makes it more comfortable. In the summer, I don't have any problem hanging out on the beach, but I don't like to go to Lowes 6 miles inland as Lowes can be hot and muggy. If you plan on being here in the summer, I recommend renting or at least visiting during the summer before buying.

There is beach driving south of SR 40 (Granada) and no beach driving north of 40. To get to a beach we use a wooden structure called a dune walkover. In our area most of the parking near public dune walkovers were wiped out in hurricane Michael. So most of the folks at the beach are neighbors and the beach is not crowded where we are.

[aax]

Stay out of Deltona, Orange City.

[sculptr]

My mother has a home for sale in a 55 and older community in Edgewater, which is connected to NSB to the south. Very quiet community. If you're interested in hearing about this please pm me. If this message is not acceptable here please remove it and I won't post again. Thank you.