Canadian with job offer in Hollywood, FL, are we crazy to move there? (Miami: renters, house insurance)

[ontariopam]

My husband has received a job offer in Hollywood, Florida, we're from Ontario, thinking we'd love to live down south. We're in our late 20's with a 2 1/2 year old daughter. Any comments, thoughts would be great. We think we would love it (LOVE the heat, HATE winter), but safety, schools, traffic, housing costs (ins. and prop. taxes) concern us. Let us know what areas are great and anything we should know before moving, thanks!

[fauve]

Without knowing your budget, it is hard to answer your question.

[ontariopam]

The job is offering $80,000, but since we're Canadian, we'll be there on a work visa for my husband, I will not be able to work. Thanks for any info.

[fauve]

Do you like more of an urban area or a suburban one? How long of a commute do you think your husband would be okay with? How much would you guys want to spend for a house? Since middle school wont be an issue for awhile, you have a few choices.

[ontariopam]

He doesn't want a log commute, since he drives 1 1/2 hours EACH way to work in Michigan each day. So 15 min tops...but we've found a few places, like aventura yacht club...i guess we just want to know if it's an ok place to raise our daughter for a few years. Are prop. taxes and house insurance as high as we think. Are people as rude as some of these forums say? I dont believe anything I hear until I see it for myself, so this is quite hard to decide!

[alwaystraveling25]

Originally Posted by ontariopam

He doesn't want a log commute, since he drives 1 1/2 hours EACH way to work in Michigan each day. So 15 min tops...but we've found a few places, like aventura yacht club...i guess we just want to know if it's an ok place to raise our daughter for a few years. Are prop. taxes and house insurance as high as we think. Are people as rude as some of these forums say? I dont believe anything I hear until I see it for myself, so this is quite hard to decide!

I grew up in Michigan (very close to the Canadian border actually; one of the managers at the Target I grew up working in during High School was from Windsor, ON, and commuted in everyday from Canada actually).

South Florida is going to be a HUGE switch from living in Canada. I always like to tell people "living in South Florida is lot different then vacationing here." People see the palm trees and the balmy winter weather and think it's paradise. They don't think about the level of traffic in the winter (due to snowbirds/tourists), the sticky, humid summers (over 90 everyday and 70 or 80% humidity), and the generally high cost of living (unless you are coming from New York City or LA or another very high cost area).

Property Taxes and Insurance are very, very high. I pay double in Renters Insurance then what I used to living in Chicago. The closer you are to the ocean, the more you will have to pay. If you don't buy/rent a place with Hurricane Impact windows or Hurricane shutters your rates will be even higher. There's story after story in the news about rising Insurance Costs in Florida due to record claims...my car insurance keeps going up due to this (no accidents ever/no points on my license) and State Farm wants to raise insurance rates for homeowners 28% here.

I STRONGLY advise you to take a quick trip down here and drive around, work with some realtors, before committing to a job and relocating here. I luckily had a friend from college that lived in Miami and now Ft. Lauderdale that was able to give me the good, the bad, and the ugly about where to live in Broward County and what living here is actually like.

$80,000 might be doable, but it will be a stretch. Please, please visit before committing...it would be worth the money to make sure you will be really happy living here.

[Angel Calzadilla]

I assume that as canadians you are not american citizens niether legal residents to USA, so if you want to purchase a property in Florida and you want to finance the purchase , then you have to bring 40% of the purchase price as downpayment and you can not be self-employed. If one of you is american citizen or both are legal residents ( Alien Resident Card) then you qualify for any of the mortgage programs offered for any american citizens and legal residents buyers.

[JohnD_fla]

My suggestion would be to put off buying a house. Rent for a while first and see if you like the place or not. This will also give you the opportunity to get to know the place and to check out different areas you might want to live in before you invest in property.

[lauralei2]

Hollywood -- not impressed with the schools, at all. Homes east of US-1 are a mix. Run down, sketchy, and then art deco pretty (near Hollywood Blvd), and West Lake Village (newer homes off Sheridan St and the Intercoastal Waterway). There is the new Beachside Montessori Village in Hollywood, though. I myself live in Cooper City, and would just commute the 20 minutes. Because I favor schools a priority, with housing a close 2nd. I just don't think Hollywood lives up to that.

[Bideshi]

Can I trade places with you? I'd really like to have landed resident status in Canada. I'm too old to qualify though...