[shideg]

Hello.

My wife and I are looking to settle in central Florida (coming from northern Indiana) in retirement. We are planning to move in the summer of 2021. We don't have a particular community in mind (We have toured the The Villages, and we have a friend that came from the same area and now lives in Stonecrest, just northeast of The Villages).

Anyway, we're thinking of doing the oft-advised renting first and to spend that time looking at various areas and communities and shopping for a home.

Has anybody here done this? I have some questions about the whole "rent first" scenario.

1. How flexible are lease terms? Is it possible to rent for, say, 6 months then go month-to-month after that? Or is a minimum long-term rental 1 year? If we find (and close on) a house well before our lease expires, is there a way to get out of a lease early, or am I just stuck?

2. Are certain types of rentals more flexible than others (apartments vs houses etc.)?

3. We are planning to visit the Ocala area in mid-to-late July 2020 and look around at places to possibly rent the following year (assuming we can visit places in this COVID-19 world). There seems to be a lot of places that rent. Does anybody have any recommendations or warnings? Granted, we need to settle on a price range, but any general guidance or opinions would be appreciated.

Any general advice from someone who has done the "rent first" thing would be appreciated.

[granola71]

I am going to follow this post as we are interested in the same.
Thank you
Patti

[Veniceman]

If you are planning on living in the Ocala area you might want to post this in the Ocala forum as renting requirements can vary depending on where you live in Florida.

Good luck!

[boy3365]

1. I just did a check of my apartment complex's website, which is of the big corporation-owned variety. They have options from 7 months to 13 months for new leases. My complex gives you two options that you choose from when signing the lease for how you can break a lease early. I'm not sure if that is specific to that complex/corporation or if that is the norm in Florida. They offer month-to-month for renewals, but I am not aware if new residents have that option.

2. No real answer from me, though I assume that a local real estate investor renting out a house, condo, or townhome may be more flexible than a Camden, Concord, or other big corporation-owned complex. It's like the local bank or credit union vs. Bank of America.

3. I know that a lot of real estate agents are doing pre-registration or appointments-only for open houses. I'd imagine apartment complexes may be doing the same thing for tours.

[shideg]

Thank you, boy3365.

[blueherons]

We went to Sarasota first and thought that was where we wanted to retire. We rented for 18 months.

We decided it was too slow and too white for us so we moved to South Florida.

We couldn't be happier in South Florida.

[wizrap]

We moved up from SFLA to Gainesville (not far from Ocala) and signed a one year lease on a SFH. Made an agreement with the landlord to go month-to-month after that which was fine with him as he decided he wanted to sell. We went month to month for about 6,7 months.

FWIW.

[Fredesch]

Florida has every possible rental market you can think of. Rental houses near the beach may have the most restrictive rules. For instance in my neighborhood, it is not legal to rent for less than 6 months. A mile away are high rise condos with much different rules. I sure some of the condos are VBROs. Property management is an industry in Florida. Wherever you decide to try, you should be able to find a property management company with lots of rentals in that area.

[cfenn006]

I have had experience doing this and HIGHLY HIGHLY advise against signing any lease. Landlords in this state can be very shifty and will make your life a living hell. It will end up costing you more in the long run, especially if you are prospecting a retirement location.


My advice:
Air B&B and Extended Stay Places are the way to go. You have more control over the situation, less likely of ending up in a situation with a slum lord in a Floridian Favela. Plus if you are trying to experience the area you want settle, you really don't need to stay put for 6+ Months. Most cities and towns in Florida you can get the feel for in 2 to 3 weeks.



You are going to want to come down in the Mid to Late Summer, experience the state at its worst. August in Central Florida makes death look good, but a mile or two from the coast just makes you b%$# and moan about the heat and humidity. Anything north of Ocala is basically "Little Georgia" climate wise the palm trees disappear and the winters are less Floriday.


If you decide on Metros like Orlando, Jacksonville, or Miami keep in mind that the difference between living like a King and dodging bullets can be separated by a few blocks, and the bad parts migrate too so no zip code is completely safe.



You have to watch your back down here too, people scam left an right. Never pay at the pump with your cards, never take surveys, never give "Just 10 minutes out of your day" to anybody on the street corner or knocking at your door. Find a lawyer your trust, and never sign a contract with anybody to do any work on your home without them reviewing it.



About the COVID-19, there really is no travel restrictions but that is not to say its safe here. Other states like NY and NJ are implementing mandatory 14 quarantine upon returning from Florida. There really is no way to get into the details of the COVID situation in Florida without bringing politics into it, so I'm just going to leave it at: "It hasn't been taken serious from the start, nor does it seem it ever will be."





Just being honest.
Stay Safe and watch out for Florida Man.

[boy3365]

Originally Posted by cfenn006

I have had experience doing this and HIGHLY HIGHLY advise against signing any lease. Landlords in this state can be very shifty and will make your life a living hell. It will end up costing you more in the long run, especially if you are prospecting a retirement location.


[Etcetera....]


Just being honest.
Stay Safe and watch out for Florida Man.

This post was amazing. One question.

Do you think that if they still choose to rent that they would be better off with the big corporate complexes as opposed to renting from an individual real estate investor when it comes to the shadiness thing? While short term leases would be few and far between, they would be able to investigate the company before signing if they go with a Camden, McKinney, etc. owned complex.