thinking of moving to orlando area is it worth raising a family here (Davie: real estate, rent)

[MovedfromFL]

Rent is very expensive here. You get what you pay for in terms of school zones. If you want to be in a good school zone, you are going to pay. Plan on $1,400 for a 3 bedroom house, 1,500 sf. (.14 acre "lot") Electric rates are higher than the national average. Again, plan on $300/mo. Then add phone, internet, and one TV with cable = $120 or more. Then water/ sewer.

I'm not even sure you will find any landlords who will rent to you without a means to pay that rent. Also, security deposits will be one month's rent + $100 for water + could be up to $500 for electric company. Just keep that in mind for your immediate out of pocket expenses. Then you're looking at hundreds more to get your driver's license and register your car + get plates. We did all of this 2 years ago.

What about health insurance?

Also, you will have less competition for rentals if you come down after school is already in session in August.

Auto insurance is sky high too.

Florida used to be a cheap place to live. That is no longer the case.

I worry about people who come here to go $30-60k in debt for degrees in motorcycle mechanics or culinary arts based on what some smooth talking admissions counselor says. (my husband has that motorcycle degree and found that he couldn't make more than $8/hr with it. Luckily he "only" paid $12,000 for it. I hear the cost is triple that now) Things are tight all over. What kind of jobs will you be able to get with a newly minted degree? You really need to research this because student loans follow you forever. You cannot discharge them in bankruptcy. Rates are set to rise from 3% to 6% for new loans unless Congress acts. That is something to think about as well.

You will have to work your way up before any kind of chef job pays off. I know two guys who make a good living as executive chefs. Both are in their late 30's to early 40's. One has to commute to Ocala from Orlando every way. The other started on a cruise ship, then managed a chain restaurant, and is now EC at a country club up north. (both of these guys are at country clubs)

Honestly, with your wife not having steady work either, I don't see how you can support 4 kids and pay off your loans once you are out of school. I have two kids of my own and I know how tough it is.

[FloridaNative35]

I'm usually a positive poster... but seriously...

I pay monthly:

rent - 1200
electric/water - 250-500 depending on season
auto insurance - 100
cable - 140
cell phone - 40
food/gas - 650 (and this is with growing my own vegetables and buying cheap and in bulk)
car payment - 300

With no extra expenses or medical expenses listed, no daycare, and half your kids at home, I spend 3000 per month.

How can you possibly afford that without jobs? Assuming one of you gets something right away at 10 per hour, that is only about 1700 per month before taxes and not including lunches, work clothes, whatever.

You need 6 months rent and electric saved up before you move AND one of you (minimum) needs a job secured. MINIMUM. And you BOTH have to willing to take any job you can find until something better comes along, even if that means working retail for 8 per hour or cleaning public toilets.

[culinaryjoe]

well we have money saved and I will work and if my wife so chooses she will work also the school has start dates that are really work friendly

[culinaryjoe]

I appreciate all of your replies but I have to wonder if it’s all true or if some of the posts are because outsiders aren’t welcome. I know what expensive is I pay more than anybody’s posted on here trust me it’s a hell of a lot more expensive here on west coast than florida is I’ve done enough research to know that I have friends that live in the orlando area and have not given nearly the negativity that some of the post on here.like I said I appreciate the honesty but if your posting because you don’t like outsiders then please don’t post on my thread cause for the most part I’m getting an unfriendly vibe from the majority not all but majority.

[brinkofsunshine]

Originally Posted by culinaryjoe

I appreciate all of your replies but I have to wonder if it’s all true or if some of the posts are because outsiders aren’t welcome. I know what expensive is I pay more than anybody’s posted on here trust me it’s a hell of a lot more expensive here on west coast than florida is I’ve done enough research to know that I have friends that live in the orlando area and have not given nearly the negativity that some of the post on here.like I said I appreciate the honesty but if your posting because you don’t like outsiders then please don’t post on my thread cause for the most part I’m getting an unfriendly vibe from the majority not all but majority.

They're not giving you this advice because they're wary of outsiders, they're saying these things because they're being honest. Many people move here because of the appeal of the "endless vacation" and realize that once they move that it is a lot more expensive and not as easy to live here as they thought. Sure, you can find what you are looking for here, but it will cost you.

What kind of home do you want, and what do you imagine your budget for rent will be?

[seain dublin]

Originally Posted by culinaryjoe

I appreciate all of your replies but I have to wonder if it’s all true or if some of the posts are because outsiders aren’t welcome. I know what expensive is I pay more than anybody’s posted on here trust me it’s a hell of a lot more expensive here on west coast than florida is I’ve done enough research to know that I have friends that live in the orlando area and have not given nearly the negativity that some of the post on here.like I said I appreciate the honesty but if your posting because you don’t like outsiders then please don’t post on my thread cause for the most part I’m getting an unfriendly vibe from the majority not all but majority.

There is an old saying "you can't tell people what they don't want to hear".

Most of the people who live in Orlando and FL in general came from somewhere else. So they're not natives trying to keep "outsiders" from moving here.

FL is not cheap. I have lived in 5 states, including CA and OR. Yes CA is more expensive when it comes to housing, but salaries are also higher, and that is true of the PNW.

I can tell you I pay more for car insurance in FL and it just went up $200 with a clean driving record, utilities are more than the PNW and CA because you will be running the A/C most of the year, I also find groceries to be more.

Homes cost less in FL, but the homeowner's insurance is high.

When I moved to CA in the 80s there was no Internet to log onto with sites like CD where you could get advice. You're lucky that people took the time to tell you about how much things cost.

Even with savings you can't arrive in FL and get a $10 an hour job and try and support a family. Especially when you ask about extra activities for your kids like sports and ballet lessons.

Saying things cost more on the West Coast is a poor argument when you arrive somewhere else without jobs lined up. There is nothing more stressful than watching your savings deplete while no money is coming in.

And it seems that when people aren't working that is when the car breaks down, a child needs braces, etc.

I guess you only want to be told "come on down, everything is really cheap, jobs are plentiful"....rather than the truth.

[CoreLysium]

Originally Posted by culinaryjoe

I appreciate all of your replies but I have to wonder if it’s all true or if some of the posts are because outsiders aren’t welcome.

Go to any forum for any city here and find people who are planning on the move to that city w/o a job. They will be discouraged. FL, however, is unique (in a way) due to the "Sunshine Tax" which makes jobs pay less, things cost more, and the desire to live in the nice climate cause a glut, though not a horrific one, in the job market (labor surplus.)

I've been poor. It is not "the simple life." Though I only heard a three shot burst once in my neighborhood. But the drunk wannabe thugs like to shoot their 22s at the dumpsters, cause it makes a louder noise. Advice: Turn your stereo down as you enter the apartment parking lot, don't own anything nice, as if you could.

(insert cliche, "Man, I'm cynical. Haven't had my coffee." cause it's true)

Edited to add: I'd rather be a poverty statistic in San Diego. Man, have you looked at that wonderful climate. I think they're pretty cool to the homeless there too.

[chopchop0]

Originally Posted by CoreLysium

Go to any forum for any city here and find people who are planning on the move to that city w/o a job. They will be discouraged. FL, however, is unique (in a way) due to the "Sunshine Tax" which makes jobs pay less, things cost more, and the desire to live in the nice climate cause a glut, though not a horrific one, in the job market (labor surplus.)

They say you get "half you pay" in sunshine, but part of that means that things do cost less. Having been around many parts of the country including out west and in the NE, FL is cheaper for a number of things including state taxes, less toll roads (outside of Orlando/turnpike), gas, and property taxes. Milk is REALLY cheap in upstate NY, but everything else seemed more expensive outside of housing which was cheap and stagnant in price appreciation (thanks to the sky high property taxes there).

[Spring Hillian]

Winter Park may be a good choice for you and your family.

I think most of the costs listed here are fairly accurate.

Overall, yes, it is certainly worth coming to Orlando for your schooling and a nice place for your family.

Hey, you may decide to stay after school or go on else where.

Funny how a lot of the negative posters here are always worried about ones financial standings. They are always under the impression that
anyone who relocates here is uneducated, poor, criminal and will wind up homeless in Florida.

Originally Posted by culinaryjoe

I’am considering relocating me and my family (wife and 4 kids) from washington state to around the orlando area to attend le cordon bleu culinary school but I need to make sure they have good schools for my children and a good youth soccer program for my oldest son and good ballet for my daughters can anyone tell me is it worth coming here?

[Soup Not See]

Originally Posted by Spring Hillian

Winter Park may be a good choice for you and your family.

I think most of the costs listed here are fairly accurate.

Overall, yes, it is certainly worth coming to Orlando for your schooling and a nice place for your family.

Hey, you may decide to stay after school or go on else where.

Funny how a lot of the negative posters here are always worried about ones financial standings. They are always under the impression that
anyone who relocates here is uneducated, poor, criminal and will wind up homeless in Florida.

Winter Park is generally more expensive than other areas and not exactly close to the culinary academy off John Young Parkway.

I'd recommend Dr Phillips or Hunters Creek. Dr Phillips has YMCA soccer, little league baseball/football, and there is a dance school in Windermere a few miles away. However, the YMCA soccer programs end here in early June and do not resume until October.

Assuming you will need at least a 3-bedroom, rents in DP run $1400 and up. I would think they would be slightly lower in Hunters Creek. DP definitely has more going on with Restaurant Row and being close to I-Drive. I would certainly find a complex or a house with a pool or your kids will be miserable here.

The biggest shock of all for you will be the weather ...