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Location: now in Ft. Lauderdale, originally from Buffalo, in process of moving to Raleigh
1 posts, read 3,761 times
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My husband has been in Raleigh since Sept. due to job transfer and my 9 yr. old & are are still in Ft. Laud trying to sell the house - with no luck so far. Since he's been there, we're finding out more about the area. Is it true you pay a tax on your car every year and also your dogs? I like the family-oriented area picture I'm getting, but I wonder if I'm expecting too much. I hear the schools are so crowded that the kids don't stay at the same one - is this true? I'm beginning to think maybe not selling the house is some kind of sign that we're not supposed to move! Any comments are appreciated. Thanks.
Not much is selling in Ft Lauderdale at the moment, so I wouldn't take that as a sign.
As far as the schools go, It depends on where you are, Wake county is having issues with shuffling, rezoning, overcrowding, and year round school debate, but there are many places not in wake but close that are lovely, and a wonderful place to raise a family.
(like the distance from N Lauderdale to Lauderdale, is the distance from Raleigh and Clayton) or Raleigh and Cary. Raleigh's not as big as Lauderdale, and it doesn't take too much looking to find areas that fit all your criteria, no mater what criteria that is. Coming from Lauderdale, I can tell you without a doubt, in my experience NC is a better place to raise a child than FL.
Less traffic, quieter more peaceful settings, scenery, less concrete, and seasons. and polite people. It truly is a world of difference.
In FL our kidscould play outside, but it was not the kind of play outside you really like, it was right outside the house. always nervous of speeding cars, and strangers.
Look at every community you can find, search everywhere, and when you find the one that's right you'll know. But, there are more than enough to choose from.
Let me know if you need pics of anything and I'll see if I can help out.
I'll tell you right now that it's nothing like S. FL, and in my opinion S FL is no bargain at all, fiscally and quality of life-wise (I am a Dade County native, parents still live there). Yes there is a Personal Property Tax on your car that is based on its tax value that you pay every year. It decreases as your vehicle depreciates. However, you will pay a lot less in auto insurance and fuel is slightly less expensive here, not to mention homeowner's insurance and property taxes are lower.
School overcrowding here doesn't appear to be close to what it was when I was attending school in Dade County nearly ten years ago (I can't imagine what it's like down there now). My high school was built for 2500 and had about 4000 by the time I graduated. I don't think Wake is quite at that point yet, but the area is definitely growing fast.
S FL is a great example of how not to handle growth (water restrictions, traffic, school overcrowding, etc.), and I hope that the Triangle (as well as other growing areas) can learn from those types of mistakes...sadly, though, it seems it's taking a little too long to catch on.
ok, understood.
Crowding is a big problem in Ft Lauderdale, the houses are piled one on top of the other, and there is no room to move. No room to spread out either due to the beach and the everglades, therefore, as more people moved into the area, the houses just got more and more clustered.
I think more of the point of what I was saying was the kids can play in yards, they can play in woods, they can spread out a bit more than down there, where a lot of the times it's patio, or street.
I agree you always must look out for your children and be on guard, but the children themselves are able to be a little more carefree here, which is the the point I was trying to make.
Sorry to give a false impression.
My husband has been in Raleigh since Sept. due to job transfer and my 9 yr. old & are are still in Ft. Laud trying to sell the house - with no luck so far. Since he's been there, we're finding out more about the area. Is it true you pay a tax on your car every year and also your dogs? I like the family-oriented area picture I'm getting, but I wonder if I'm expecting too much. I hear the schools are so crowded that the kids don't stay at the same one - is this true? I'm beginning to think maybe not selling the house is some kind of sign that we're not supposed to move! Any comments are appreciated. Thanks.
Never heard of tax on your dog.....the car tax isn't bad.
And the school issue is being sorted out. Remember what you get in the news is the very worst...or the most disgruntled with good propganda skills.
The area is not perfect.....keep your eyes open, but really....it's not bad here.....we had a chance to move...and didn't even really consider it.
We're having a real dilemma with our property taxes in Florida... if people move from their home now, they will most likely get a huge increase on their property taxes, because the tax breaks only work in the home you are currently in. That could be why not much is selling at the moment.
Remember what you get in the news is the very worst...or the most disgruntled with good propganda skills.
You have an excellent point on this. News is always that way. Even the weather channel does the worst case scenario now. Given that, WRAL news is still much better than what I got back in Massachusetts. At least WRAL adds in some good stuff and they keep you up to date on new "good" things coming.
As with anywhere, there are better and worse areas around here. You really need to be here for a year or two, to get a real good idea of where you want to be. There is no place I would rather be than here.
"You have to license you pet yearly ($7 for spayed/neutured or $14 for fertile) But you need to do that most places."
I've lived in the area eight years, got both of my dogs from the local SPCA adoption center and use a local vet. Not once have I ever heard of this requirement.
We're having a real dilemma with our property taxes in Florida... if people move from their home now, they will most likely get a huge increase on their property taxes, because the tax breaks only work in the home you are currently in. That could be why not much is selling at the moment.
Propety taxes and insurance are what is forcing me out of Florida. I can afford to pruchase a nice home, but the property taxes and insurance (if you can get it) double your house payment. I'll miss living near the gulf more than I can express but, I want to own a home and have a comfortable life. More importantly, I want that for my children. NC here I come!
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