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Old 01-03-2011, 04:16 PM
 
879 posts, read 1,944,943 times
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we left LI and are living in FL... need to make some big decisions and would like to read some experiences other people have had. thanks!
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Old 01-03-2011, 05:12 PM
 
Location: Inis Fada
16,966 posts, read 34,564,498 times
Reputation: 7722
There's one poster on the board who has done that. I forget her screen name, hopefully she will see this and give you some answers.
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Old 01-03-2011, 09:00 PM
 
1 posts, read 5,817 times
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I moved to the Ft. Lauderdale area in the early 80's and returned to LI after 2 years, go back from time to time. I can't say that I know many people that are truly happy in Florida. I always feel that some day, I'll end up back there!
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Old 01-03-2011, 09:31 PM
 
8,679 posts, read 15,223,226 times
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My sister has been down there for two years and cannot wait until her closing date to get out of there and come back. She is already paying rent on an apartment here, which she found online and I inspected for her. She says the people down there are unfriendly, to put it gently. I told her, "What did you expect? They're all from here, only older and more crotchety."
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Old 01-03-2011, 10:01 PM
 
136 posts, read 491,024 times
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Florida has the better weather obviously and life is a little less stressful. But the pace is slower and (South Florida) certainly is not all that cheap anymore. It's also less 'sophisticated' and lacks the overall cultural experience that is NY. You definetly have to weigh the pros and cons of each area. There are certain things you will probably say you "took for granted" about each place when you move to the other.
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Old 01-04-2011, 03:29 PM
 
592 posts, read 1,807,512 times
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Here is my experience with moving to FL:

We moved to Naples, FL almost 6 years ago now when my husband retired, but I was back on LI for a very looooong visit the very first summer because I missed it so much!!!!!! (I missed my family, friends, my life on LI and just LI itself.) The second summer I rented a cheap and tiny apartment on a year round basis and have been using it approximately 5-6 months every year since then.

I live in a large, fancy, new house in what is considered a gorgeous town in FL and drive a nice sports car there. I live in a ramshackled tiny and old spider filled apartment on LI and drove a 21 year old bomb here until recently. Regardless of that, knowing I'm going back to LI with all of it's problems, and my meager existence there, every summer is the only thing that gets me through living in my FL "luxury" the other 6 months! So, that's my take on living in FL!! I'm open minded, believe me, but it's just a weird place with odd people over all.

Why am I still in FL at all? Because we've lost well over $150,000 on our house, so selling it is hard to swallow and my husband loves FL. At the end of this past summer we finally moved to a nicer rental, not that I didn't love the other place, because I had a great landlord, it was cheap, and I did love it, warts and all. But now, I've declared myself an official snowbird. It's the best I can do and the closest I'm can get to moving back to LI for now. Being a FL resident and calling it "home" will just never happen for me.
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Old 01-04-2011, 05:45 PM
 
2,033 posts, read 3,186,279 times
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Yes, I recently mentioned that we did on another thread. Moved to S. Fla in 99 and left after 7 years and came back to LI. Now we actually are planning to leave LI again and move back to Fla. Everyone's situation and reasons are different and unique. Only you can make best decision for yourself. For us it is just like anyone else should realize..there are good and bad things about anywhere you choose to live. We have things we love about where we lived in Fla as well as hated..same goes for LI. Carefully look at everything before coming back to LI. If it is for family ...think carefully if those people are truly worth re-locating first. Think of YOURSELF first and foremost before making major decision. Everything here on LI is expesive ..rundown..old and not worth it unless you truly love it here!!
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Old 01-04-2011, 08:18 PM
 
Location: Central Florida
185 posts, read 455,823 times
Reputation: 82
I left Florida and live in NY now..... If I found a job in Florida I probably would move back in heartbeat. There's nothing for me here in NY. Everything's just crazy expensive here. Rent's too damn high but homes are too damn expenses and employers pay too damn little....
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Old 01-04-2011, 10:42 PM
 
Location: Nassau, Long Island, NY
16,408 posts, read 33,184,658 times
Reputation: 7337
Default The Hard Luck Song of Florida Has Been Sung MILLIONS of Times ...

... yet people NEVER learn!

Quote:
Originally Posted by JudiPatooti View Post
Here is my experience with moving to FL:

We moved to Naples, FL almost 6 years ago now when my husband retired, but I was back on LI for a very looooong visit the very first summer because I missed it so much!!!!!! (I missed my family, friends, my life on LI and just LI itself.) The second summer I rented a cheap and tiny apartment on a year round basis and have been using it approximately 5-6 months every year since then.

I live in a large, fancy, new house in what is considered a gorgeous town in FL and drive a nice sports car there. I live in a ramshackled tiny and old spider filled apartment on LI and drove a 21 year old bomb here until recently. Regardless of that, knowing I'm going back to LI with all of it's problems, and my meager existence there, every summer is the only thing that gets me through living in my FL "luxury" the other 6 months! So, that's my take on living in FL!! I'm open minded, believe me, but it's just a weird place with odd people over all.

Why am I still in FL at all? Because we've lost well over $150,000 on our house, so selling it is hard to swallow and my husband loves FL. At the end of this past summer we finally moved to a nicer rental, not that I didn't love the other place, because I had a great landlord, it was cheap, and I did love it, warts and all. But now, I've declared myself an official snowbird. It's the best I can do and the closest I'm can get to moving back to LI for now. Being a FL resident and calling it "home" will just never happen for me.
Thank you for the cautionary tale!

The problem was you SEVERELY overpaid in order to lose $150,000 in 5 years on the value of your home. I am glad at least your husband likes it there, so it is not a total, horrible loss. I don't see Florida real estate recovering for over a decade and if you are both already retired, you don't have time to wait for a recovery. Since your husband likes it at least you don't "have to" sell it.

It always BOGGLES MY MIND why people will pay anything more than rockbottom for anything in Florida (okay, excluding places like Palm Beach mansions, etc.) because FLORIDA IS A TRANSIENT STATE. Real estate boom, my butt! THAT lasted long, didn't it (sarcasm)? It is a revolving door with people moving in and moving out like whirling dervishes. It has been like this since I was a little kid and would take the plane in the summer to visit grandparents. I always noticed "for sale" signs everywhere and new homes going up. There's always a new swamp to drain for a new development they can trick the northerners into overpaying for!

Would you pay top dollar to live in the Poconos? That place reminds me of Florida ... always trying to sell, sell, sell homes with the false promise of a "train" to NYC. Been going on for decades ... and will continue to be as such. Another transient place where people get burnt out on the bus ride to NYC (since, like Florida, decent jobs with benefits can be hard to find local) and will sell cheap (to the fresh new bus rider to NYC) because they are ready to check into an asylum if they have to commute for 4-6 hours one more day.

Anyone who moves to Florida should never pay top dollar for a middle-class home (aka deceives northerners with pockets full of money from selling their northern home into thinking it's "upper middle class" -- yeah just try and resell it for the upper-middle class price you paid) or ... especially ... a condo. Think about it, you in a building with 200 neighbors, all of you have just about the exact same thing to sell ... the only thing that will get you out of there instead of your next door neighbor when you have to sell is accepting bottom dollar. "Development" houses are similar. Plus, how do you compete with the next swamp draining builder who will put up new houses? Who wants your "USED" house when they can have one built for them?

Never, ever pay top dollar down there because it is so transient. There is ALWAYS somebody moving that absolutely needs to sell. If you want to move to Florida, DRIVE YOUR HARDEST BARGAIN! You will thank me for encouraging you not to be tricked into overpaying when (not if) the time comes that you too are desperate to unload one of the millions and millions and millions of homes (or worse, condos) for sale in Florida!

Last edited by I_Love_LI_but; 01-04-2011 at 10:56 PM.. Reason: Cannot warn people strongly enough ... sorry it's ALL true!
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Old 01-05-2011, 07:58 AM
 
764 posts, read 1,546,403 times
Reputation: 366
Default hmm

My grandparents are snow birds. they have a comndo on the beach in pompano beach.

I have been there for whole summers. I cannot see living there. The summers are ther equivalent to our winters . The weather is so extreme in the summers that its hard to be outside. 90 - 100 degrees 100 percent humidity and the ocean also at 80 degrees.

I also thought new york drivers were bad , florida drivers are 10 times worse.

It all depends on what you do for a living. If your in the tech industry then jobs will probably be better up here. If your in the healthcare industry or tourist trade then probably better off staying in florida.

I also moved from western suffol kto easter suffolk and everything got cheaper for me plus i can do all the wineries and hamptons stuff in the winter without all the people.

I now cannot even fathom living in florida. i have been there for long stretches and it got old real fast.
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