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We found our house on Craigslist FSBO. The kitchen counters are laminate and the carpet needs to be replaced (as soon as we decide on a tile color). But our house has a great "flow". We've been here a year and a half and still can't believe we got this house
My daughters 11, will be 12 by the time I get down there. She is more of a loner herself. She likes to stay at home, hates school, she does great if there is just one person to play of hang out with but has problems in groups, she was an honor roll student until 2 years ago so I will have to give some more thought to that online thing you mentioned, that might be something that would benefit her.
As for the houses, I am all about something that has the "bones" I'm looking for, I would actually prefer to purchase a home that's large, open with the yard I need and then give it the face lift it needs myself, I did the same with the one I'm in now, got it at a great deal cause it was cosmetically horrible and then redid it as I could, room by room, now it's all updated and everyone loves it. I have been looking online at listed homes in the area and was blown away at the price of some of them. Makes me want to come down and look in person, grab one up before I miss out. Lol.
As for a facility to work in, I have experience in ALF, physicians office, and the majority of my experience is in long term care, nursing homes, skilled and non skilled. Here the nursing homes pay more then anything else. The hospitals pay the least and offices and ALF are in the middle of those two and usually about same rate. I would probably either look for either a position in a nursing home or office. I like making more pay (who doesn't?)but love the office hours just the same. I checked the rate of pay on those online resources but I know what I make here and the online amount is about $10,000 higher so I thought I would check with someone that actually knows. I worked with an LPN years ago and she was from Flordia (not sure what part) and I remember her saying she made around $33 hr. Again I don't remember where she lived and worked and I'm sure she had more experience then I do so all that plays into it.
wARM wEATHER lOVER--- Happy Thanksgiving! If you are coming down please get a job first so you know what you will be able to afford. If you are planning on purchasing a house you MUST get pre-qualified first -- not later -- with the new job that must be in the field you are currently working in. They will ask your for 2 years of taxes, 2 years of bank statements, and 2 years job/income verifications. Minimum credit score would be 640.
No, a Homeowners Assoc is not what you are looking for. They will not accept your dogs or your tortoises.
Average size lot in PSL is 80x125 - a quarter of an acre. Some bought 2 lots = half an acre. Some areas do have acre lots.
There are 5 acre lots in the treasure coast area. It all depends on the price you are looking for.
Port St Lucie is a relatively quiet, no crime to speak of, low key area. Housing prices here are less than if you travel anywhere south of here. Yes, there are still houses on the market that are foreclosures, and there will continue to be, but if you see one that seems "too good to be true" ... as the old saying goes - IT IS. What you don't see on the listings is that it is full of mold or has Chinese drywall. Don't believe everything you see on line- photos dont always tell the truth.
Ask questions .... everyone here will be glad to help you
I have noticed some of the home listings stating "home has Chinese drywall" or " chinese drywall detected in home", and since these specific homes were 2000sqft or better and looked like new builds with very small asking price, I'm guessing the Chinese drywall is an expensive issue to fix. I also came across some home ads and the pics they had posted did look like there were some with mold on the walls. Is mold an issue in homes there or is it just certain homes, certain areas? I have kinda looked into the Chinese drywall thing but not mold.
I am planning on applying for a mortgage before I move, I have worked one credit for the last couple years and got it up to a place where I might still end up with a interest rate that's a little higher but I should qualify so I want to apply with a good long work history instead of it showing I just started a new job. Once I am qualified with an amount, then I will set up a trip down and look at some properties with a realtor. I don't see a point in looking before I know what I can get, that is just wasting my time, the realtors time, and I would hate to find a home I loved and then not be able to get it. I will have my current home paid off in April so i plan on saleing it and using that money to help purchase one there so depending on how mine sales, if it sales quick, I might look into something that has a lease to purchase option. I'm not sure yet.
I have spoke with a realtor by email, apparently signed up with something and they contacted me, this was when I first decided to look. She is on the west side of Flordia, Naples area, I gave her a list of my needs in a home, before I had actually looked at any listings myself, she too informed me home and land isn't the same there as it is here. I'm finding that a 10,000sqft lot is the average there and if the house is set up right, I believe I can make that work for my dogs and tortoises, here it's kinda different. My front yard is an acre itself plus I have a larger backyard that houses my dog runs, a koi pond, and my tortoise compounds as I call them. Then I have another 3 acres on the side of my house that I used as a pasture when I owned Belgians, course I no longer own them and it's just land I don't use and have to pay taxes on now. Lol. But yes I totally understand I will be down sizing on property when I move. As for home associations and such, NO, I keep a nice yard, always mowed and landscaped, I take great pride in the fact that my home/yard has great curb appeal, always have, but I don't like the idea of someone else being able to tell me what I can and can't do in a home/yard that I pay for. I understand they have these associations for the best interest of the neighborhood and there are times I wish someone would tell my neighbors to clean their place up but I couldn't do it, I couldn't dare give up my dogs or my tortoises, and I feel if I am paying for my home, I should be allowed to do as I want at my home, that's the great thing with owning not renting. Like where I live now, I have a country setting, I have a good property and only have neighbors to the left of me, the road I live on is dead after about 9pm, no one really bothers ya but I am 15 minutes from a grocery store, walmart, hospital, etc. Love the setting of it but hate the weather.
Is there any realtor or real estate company you would suggest using when I am ready to contact one? I have worked with some here and I have had some that didn't listen to a thing I said I was looking for, they showed me homes that where already sold, then I finally found one that was great. I am hoping once I'm ready, I can come down for about a week, I'm hoping since I have narrowed my area down that will be enough time to look at some properties.
Chinese drywall is expensive to fix -- you have to take the house completely down to the concrete block walls and start over.
I personally would not recommend you buy one to fix or buy one that says it has already been fixed or "remediated", replaced, or whatever. It gets in the a/c system etc. It isn't any specific house - nobody did it on purpose - it just depends on what builder got stuck with that drywall being delivered.
Mold- it happens - it happens anywhere in any house of any age.
What you are asking for is property with a house on it-- no just a lot. All of that depends on how much you have to spend, where it is, and what you will accept.
Yes, please get pre-qualified before you start to look so you know exactly what you can spend. You can't make a purchase without a pre-qual letter from a lender in hand.
Rent to own is not all everyone thinks it is. The sellers usually expect you to come up with a "down payment" in cash. That amount can be whatever he decides on or you two agree on. The house price is decided up front. You rent for a year or how ever long, and at the end of that time a portion of your rent is applied towards a purchase price. IF you decide that you don't want to buy the house, you lose the down payment money.
My front yard is an acre itself plus I have a larger backyard that houses my dog runs, a koi pond, and my tortoise compounds as I call them. Then I have another 3 acres on the side of my house that I used as a pasture when I owned Belgians, course I no longer own them and it's just land I don't use and have to pay taxes on now. Lol. But yes I totally understand I will be down sizing on property when I move. As for home associations and such, NO, I keep a nice yard, always mowed and landscaped, I take great pride in the fact that my home/yard has great curb appeal, always have, but I don't like the idea of someone else being able to tell me what I can and can't do in a home/yard that I pay for. I understand they have these associations for the best interest of the neighborhood and there are times I wish someone would tell my neighbors to clean their place up but I couldn't do it, I couldn't dare give up my dogs or my tortoises, and I feel if I am paying for my home, I should be allowed to do as I want at my home, that's the great thing with owning not renting. Like where I live now, I have a country setting, I have a good property and only have neighbors to the left of me, the road I live on is dead after about 9pm, no one really bothers ya but I am 15 minutes from a grocery store, walmart, hospital, etc. Love the setting of it but hate the weather.
HOA always get bashed on the internet. I don't get it. Why does it even COME UP? I can't speak for PSL it's not even in our county but it keeps coming up regarding Vero Beach/Indian River County.
IN FACT, there are very FEW HOAs directly IN the city of Vero Beach on the mainland and most of them are condos anyway.
Nobody is forcing ANYONE to chose that type of community. YET, PLENTY of people WANT what's IN the community without the rules.
You are living a TOTAL RURAL LIFE with 4 acres so it makes NO SENSE whatsoever to even CONSIDER any PLANNED COMMUNITY that will have an HOA.
So I don't really get the rant about other people telling you what to do. The premise is that everyone has the same wants and needs and they PAY for the common areas and interests like the landscaping, or the pools or clubhouses, or gates or guards or whatever. The premise is they AGREE with the uniformity which can vary depending on the bylaws and after the builder turns it over, it's run by VOLUNTEERS and/or a PROPERTY MANAGEMENT company. They're created by the BUILDERS when there's a demand in an area and people CHOSE it.
An HOA is a LEGAL ENTITY and documents have to be filed with the state, and there are COSTS ie accountants, lawyers etc especially in a 55+.
OUTDOOR Dog runs/ KENNELS and BREEDING facilities with tortoise COMPOUNDS are NOT what people expect to see in that type of community.
It's math. You either can afford a RURAL lot and house or you can't if you want space. HOAs do not come with 1 acre let alone FOUR ACRES.
OR, plenty of streets here have all kinds of stuff in their yards. And in driveways. You even see 18 foot RVS parked in driveways full time. Boats, whatever.
In our MSA in Indian River County, the county seat - the city of Vero Beach is small and surrounded by many town/CDPS that are considered the COUNTY not the CITY. Here is the City Data reference and Wiki page scroll down the Wiki page to see the names of the places in the MSA under "Communities". Indian River County was always a RURAL area and the are thousands of acres undeveloped albeit, over the years especially NOW it's becoming a very popular place to live. You can't even get PARKING at the beach sometimes and the city/county have to address it now.
I have a dog walking client with TURKEYS that gobble right behind her house and nobody complains that I know of. It's around 62nd Ave off of 8th street. That area would be considered the West Vero Corridor.
I also noticed a house with mini horses right belowthe heart of Vero - Vero Beach South this morning right on the corner of 10th st and 6th Ave. In fact there's quite of few of those properties here but usually bigger than this one.
At the OPPOSITE North end, there are many many rural streets after around 37th st all the way West to I95ish. All the way up to Sebastian or Fellsmere.
That area would be considered either West Vero Corridor or Gifford.
There are a TON of rural streets here but since you've never been here, COMING here would be your first consideration. NOT criticizing how other people chose to live in HOAs in a place you've never been LOL- no offense.
Last edited by runswithscissors; 11-29-2014 at 09:56 AM..
Hello, my names Amanda, I have talked for years about moving and have finally decided to quit talking and start doing. Let me tell ya a little about me so I can get the best advice and info I can.
I am in my early 30's and work as a Licensed Practical Nurse. I also have a long work history in restaurant management too. I am a divorced mom of a preteen girl, I have a Rottweiler and a boxer that I will not part with and I also raise tortoises. I live on the Tennessee/ Virginia state line and have lived in this area my entire life. I have talked about moving "south" for years. I hate the winters here. Their cold and depressing, the weather isn't idea for my tortoises either. I have researched different areas for years, the main thing I look at is the weather and housing prices. I currently own my home now and would really prefer to buy a home at my new location and stay away from renting. I am comfortable with a small town/ country style place. I don't go out to bars or have what people call a "night life". I like to stay home and entertain there. A nice backyard bbq with a couple friends is my idea get together. Like I meantions earlier I have two big dogs that are trained, being inside sometimes and outside sometimes and they will require a little stretching room and a place to set up their 10x20 kennels. I also have tortoises which would be outside and require a "house", I would prefer enough area to build a small barn but I could make a large yard storage shed work if I had to. I also love having a koi pond, bigger the better, so with all these things I am looking for the biggest piece of property possible. During my research I quickly found out that a "yard" in Flordia is much smaller then a "yard" I'm use to here. I have discovered, after looking at hundreds of homes for sale pics that if the home is set up on property just right I could probably get away with half an acre which is drastically different then the 5 acres I'm use to. As for a home, I would need something that has good "bones". I can do just about any cosmetic remodel needed but I would need the electrical and plumbing, roof, heating and cooling in good condition. I am not scared of a good "fixer upper" if the major things are there and I can live in it while I fix it. My daughter has requested a pool, I'm not big on that idea but it's important to her so I will throw that in. I have actually seen a lot of places in the Port Saint Lucie area and Lehigh acres area that got me excited. I have always been told housing is to high in Flordia and I would never be able to buy there but these two specific areas have house prices the same if not better then my current location. So both these areas have the weather I'm looking for and housing prices that I can handle so I start researching each area and I start getting conflicting info on them. I read that both areas are great then the next article or thread will say "oh you get what you pay for", those places are the ghetto. I am not wanting a gated community or anything like that, but I do want to live someplace that I can go on an walk in the evening andale it back home unharmed. I don't want to worry the whole time I'm away from my home that someone is going to break in to it while I'm gone. (These last comments are things I have read happens in these areas, i am in no way assuming these areas are actually like this) I was told some city's and county's have band all residents from owning certain breed dogs and as I stated earlier I do own what is considered a "viscous breed dog" I would not even consider givingy dog up so I need to know if these areas are like that. I do plan on getting a Great Dane once I'm down there as well and I know some places don't like the mastiff breeds as well.
I do plan on coming down and attempting to secure a job before I move permanently. I would also like to narrow down which area I want to move to so I could maybe arrange to look at some available property's while I'm there, perhaps secure a home as well. If anyone that lives in these areas could give me advise or info on these areas I would really appreciate it. Thanks in advance.
We spend a few weeks in Kingsport every year since that is where my husband's family lives. I think what you are looking for in Florida will have to be a property out in the country or a more rural area at the edge of a town at least. What type of tortoise are you raising in Tennessee? Might want to check to see if they are a species allowed to be brought into Florida.
I think depending on experience you probably should plan on a little less than $40,000 a year as an LPN. Some things will be more expensive down here than up in Kingsport. Putting a car on the road, home owners insurance and car insurance costs us more here than sisters in Tennessee. My nephews big house on a 3 acre treed lot which is close to Warriors Path(they can walk to the park) cost less than our smaller house on a 1/4 acre here in Brevard County. Their house is a lot more upscale than ours, too. Food is a little less expensive up there. Can't get 20 pounds of potatoes for $4 down here for example. You have to pull a lot more permits than you do in Tennessee to work on your property down here than in Kingsport, too.
One thing for sure....do not buy a house without seeing it and having a good inspection done. It was amazing sometime when we walked through houses that looked beautiful in pictures. Often there were holes in the wall, wild animals living inside, and even the kitchen sink and cabinets torn out.
HOA always get bashed on the internet. I don't get it. Why does it even COME UP? I can't speak for PSL it's not even in our county but it keeps coming up regarding Vero Beach/Indian River County.
IN FACT, there are very FEW HOAs directly IN the city of Vero Beach on the mainland and most of them are condos anyway.
Nobody is forcing ANYONE to chose that type of community. YET, PLENTY of people WANT what's IN the community without the rules.
You are living a TOTAL RURAL LIFE with 4 acres so it makes NO SENSE whatsoever to even CONSIDER any PLANNED COMMUNITY that will have an HOA.
So I don't really get the rant about other people telling you what to do. The premise is that everyone has the same wants and needs and they PAY for the common areas and interests like the landscaping, or the pools or clubhouses, or gates or guards or whatever. The premise is they AGREE with the uniformity which can vary depending on the bylaws and after the builder turns it over, it's run by VOLUNTEERS and/or a PROPERTY MANAGEMENT company. They're created by the BUILDERS when there's a demand in an area and people CHOSE it.
An HOA is a LEGAL ENTITY and documents have to be filed with the state, and there are COSTS ie accountants, lawyers etc especially in a 55+.
OUTDOOR Dog runs/ KENNELS and BREEDING facilities with tortoise COMPOUNDS are NOT what people expect to see in that type of community.
It's math. You either can afford a RURAL lot and house or you can't if you want space. HOAs do not come with 1 acre let alone FOUR ACRES.
OR, plenty of streets here have all kinds of stuff in their yards. And in driveways. You even see 18 foot RVS parked in driveways full time. Boats, whatever.
In our MSA in Indian River County, the county seat - the city of Vero Beach is small and surrounded by many town/CDPS that are considered the COUNTY not the CITY. Here is the City Data reference and Wiki page scroll down the Wiki page to see the names of the places in the MSA under "Communities". Indian River County was always a RURAL area and the are thousands of acres undeveloped albeit, over the years especially NOW it's becoming a very popular place to live. You can't even get PARKING at the beach sometimes and the city/county have to address it now.
I have a dog walking client with TURKEYS that gobble right behind her house and nobody complains that I know of. It's around 62nd Ave off of 8th street. That area would be considered the West Vero Corridor.
I also noticed a house with mini horses right belowthe heart of Vero - Vero Beach South this morning right on the corner of 10th st and 6th Ave. In fact there's quite of few of those properties here but usually bigger than this one.
At the OPPOSITE North end, there are many many rural streets after around 37th st all the way West to I95ish. All the way up to Sebastian or Fellsmere.
That area would be considered either West Vero Corridor or Gifford.
There are a TON of rural streets here but since you've never been here, COMING here would be your first consideration. NOT criticizing how other people chose to live in HOAs in a place you've never been LOL- no offense.
I'm not real sure where you misunderstood what I wrote, but by no means did I bad mouth anyone. I honestly don't care if someone wants to live where there is an HOA in place or not. Yes there are benefits to the program and I'm sure plenty of people benefit from the program. I was simply saying a community is not what I am looking for. Here where I live there are neighborhoods that have the HOA programs, and they do make set certain rules for that community. My aunt lives in a place like this and she isn't allowed to have but a certain amount of cars in the drive, she isn't allowed to have any type of dog that's "they" consider dangerous. She wanted to put a pool in but couldn't till the HOA members voted in it. This is what I know of a community that has the HOA programs. I am completely aware that I know very little about Flordia due to me never living there nor have I ever visited. That's the whole point of me coming to the forum to ask ask questions. I am attempting to research what I can and learn as much as possible since I will have limited time when I do make a trip down.
I currently live on 4 acres, that's how people live in the area I am located in. I do not breed my animals, both my dogs are male and both are neutered and trained. They are my pets, no they are part of my family. As for my tortoises, it will be ateast another 15-20 yrs before any of them reach sexual maturity and they are housed separately so I seriously doubt that will be an issue. I have been very open in the fact that I have clue how most anything works in Flordia, I simple give details of my currently living situation in attempt it will help someone else help me. I am very aware that I am most likely not going to be living on acres of property in Flordia.
I was replying to an earlier post, I simply stated my personal opinion about HOA programs as I understand them.
We spend a few weeks in Kingsport every year since that is where my husband's family lives. I think what you are looking for in Florida will have to be a property out in the country or a more rural area at the edge of a town at least. What type of tortoise are you raising in Tennessee? Might want to check to see if they are a species allowed to be brought into Florida.
I think depending on experience you probably should plan on a little less than $40,000 a year as an LPN. Some things will be more expensive down here than up in Kingsport. Putting a car on the road, home owners insurance and car insurance costs us more here than sisters in Tennessee. My nephews big house on a 3 acre treed lot which is close to Warriors Path(they can walk to the park) cost less than our smaller house on a 1/4 acre here in Brevard County. Their house is a lot more upscale than ours, too. Food is a little less expensive up there. Can't get 20 pounds of potatoes for $4 down here for example. You have to pull a lot more permits than you do in Tennessee to work on your property down here than in Kingsport, too.
One thing for sure....do not buy a house without seeing it and having a good inspection done. It was amazing sometime when we walked through houses that looked beautiful in pictures. Often there were holes in the wall, wild animals living inside, and even the kitchen sink and cabinets torn out.
Thank you for the info. I love to hear from people that know both areas.
Colonial heights is a beatiful area. I expected expenses to be higher in Flordia. I have read different things that say the home owners insurance is crazy high in Flordia. sounds like salary will be about the same as here.
I have seen a lot of homes listed online that are missing cabinets and walls, I wondered about those. Here that would be considered a cash only purchase in most cases, didn't know if that would be the case there or not.
As for the torts, fortunately none of mine require permits to go across state lines, I do have all nesscasary paperwork for animal control and a new vet tho. I am trying to cover all my bases so when I can make a trip down to check out the housing and things I will know exactly what will work and what won't.
ok.... I understood you as: no HOA.....gimme some land if you can for your dogs and tortoises. LOVE Belgins- kind of wish you still had them. Love to see them.
Anyhow... without knowing what you expect to spend to purchase a house with some kind of property with it.... and the fact that you need a job here unless you plan on paying cash ------everyone here is shooting in the dark.
Private message me if you want
Okeechobee might be an alternative area for you if you want to be left alone and much more "rural"
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