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I assume you think RV snow-birding is like living somewhere or having a second home. Nope, an RV snow-bird comes and goes and doesn't have the the responsibility of a second property with all that that entails.
I think the premise was that you seem to not like FL so much, why bother to go there at all?
Folks,
Let's be nice and respectful here. Everyone is different, and that is a good thing. If we were all the same it would be quite boring.
It is nice to have options.
There are pros and cons for every option.
Thank you. I didn't mean to insult those who live there or plan to move there. After all, my S and BIL live in "The Villages" and seem quite content there.
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I am looking forward to only owning one house. I would not like the cost, upkeep and depreciation of an RV.......but I have many friends who LOVE the RV life.
There you go! With a small Travel-Trailer like we have, there's depreciation but very little cost and upkeep. The class A motor-homes can kill you with expenses. There are those who bought an RV, hated it and sold it. They liked Motels and Hotels better. To each his/her own.
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Imagine if every American suddenly wanted to be a Floridian....49 vacant states and one you could not move in.....thankfully we are all different.
Really when you think of it, those of us who have retired or who are retiring soon, moving to our favorite place or staying put or snow birding are really fortunate. We did something right that we are ABLE to do what we want. I'm sure all of you worked hard to get to where you are just as we have.
I just think of other people who also worked hard their whole lives and ended up losing it all due to the economy or unfortunate circumstances and realize how lucky we are to have "made it".
Isn't it wonderful that we can all disagree on where to retire to? There are so many that don't have the options we do! WE are the lucky ones my new friends!
I have met and made many real, and long lasting friends here. Friends that I have gone way way out of the way for when they need it, and I know they would do the same for me. They are not superficial as you say, some people are - sure that's everywhere. But moving from place to place in a trailer - I guarantee that you'll have a lot more aquaintances than long time friends that way.
It doesn't matter because we already have family etc here in TN.
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And, where will they forward your mail? I'm sure you'll have fun changing that all the time. My kids and friends, other family members come down all the time, and the time we spend with them is as intimate as it ever was.
Forward the mail? You misunderstood. I'm not talking about living in the RV on the road. That's called "full timing." We don't plan to be full-timers. Family members or the neighbors pick up the mail when we're gone over a week at a time.
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Sooooo,. . . if you are making that comparison, guess what, . . . FLORIDA WINS! :-)
What comparison? I think you're a little confused as to what a RV snow-bird is.
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Although, I looked at RVs the otherday, just for fun, but then I looked at House Boats and Motor Yatchts too, and I like them way better! Then I can go to the Islands BABY, . . . maybe if you get a duck boat / RV you can too.
We're not interested in boats and yachts so they wouldn't mean anything to us. Different strokes for different folks......
I see your points, my in-laws are wrestling with the same sort of decision, they love Florida, have the money to move or own 2 houses simultaneously and have not been able to justify the move in their minds even with the low real estate prices and so fourth.
Believe me, I fully understand.
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I can see that they too are worried about who will step up to the plate to check on them when the time comes to see if they are being taken care of if one of them passes and the other is in a nursing home.
And it's a legitimate concern. The younger people on these Forums can't understand how us older people feel. They can't relate to the retired. Or they moved to FL with their children and assume the children will be there for them when they're elderly or infirm. Or it doesn't cross their minds at all. But time is relentless and time moves on. It's well known that those without family to visit them are the most neglected people in the nursing homes. We should all be so blessed to pass away in our sleep before that day comes. Another thing is it's not always so easy for the elderly to simply pack up and move back north to where their family resides. And often grown children have jobs they can't just leave for a few weeks to help their parents make the move.
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But, if you like the south and are not willing to travel so far have you considered Orange Beach,AL?? I have a relative who owns a beautiful home on a canal leading to the gulf and bought it for a song years ago. The prices there have taken a tumble as many other places have too so values and good deals are now available again. The cost of living is a little less there and it sounds as though you are from somewhere in Tennessee which I also was from years ago. Orange Beach looks a lot like most resort areas in Florida, palm trees and everything.
The good part is it is a lot closer!
Thank you for that information but we've decided we're going to stay here and wander the southern regions in the winter. In summer we may wander the more northern states.
We have a nice paid-for home here outside the town with a 2-car garage, an outbuilding for storage, a small pond, our own RV dump-station, a greenhouse and gardens on an acre of wooded land where the cost of living is very low. All things considered... we are better off not moving.
As someone who lived in both climates, I would disagree. You have to be smart about the heat just like you don't go out in the snow with no gloves or a jacket.
Stay in the shade and go out on the water, hit up the pool etc and you'll be fine.
But you must take into consideration our lifestyle differences. We're not the type to spend endless afternoons at the beach or a pool. Not that there's anything wrong with it, it's just not us. Coming from NY I did spend many a happy day on the beaches of Long Island - under an umbrella. We live right by a beautiful lake and haven't swam there in 15 years. We walk around it quite often in nice weather though. Don't get me wrong, a day or two at the beach every week is fine but both of us are fair-skinned and burn easily. If it's over 90F, I have to stay indoors with A/C. Lower if it's also humid. That's a personal thing not related at any particular place. One summer a few years ago I collapsed at the Nashville Zoo with heat-exhaustion. It was sunny and in the 90s. I knew better but my grandson has his heart set so......... I took the chance.
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I can remember being on the beach/water from morning till dusk and being like "oh, it was 93* today? Huh, I had no idea." Same for evening walks in the neighborhood. Right now, my kids can't even play in the snow if they wanted too as there is almost 3 feet on the ground. Go for a walk? Where? The snow banks are 5-7 feet high and the streets are reduced to 1 lane.
I understand. For people from the North where cold, ice and snow can make life miserable, FL or any of the gulf coast states may be the answer to their prayers. You don't need a place free of deed restrictions. You may want a Gated Community. The cost of living may be the same or even lower in FL than your northern city. You move there with your children and eliminate a few concerns us retired people have. You're young enough to make lifetime friendships. You get my drift.
Not arguing here, but I disagree on a few points mentioned in this thread.
I can only comment on my experience. My property taxes in NY are $6k.
That's why I said it may depend where people live. I live about 5 miles from town and our taxes are less than $500 a YEAR! Yes, a year!
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My Florida home, which I admit is smaller, will be close to $1k after the homestead exemption. Gas is 30 cents cheaper in Florida then NY. NY has very high taxes. They do not call it "tax hell" for nothing.
And for you and others from the northeast, especially if you have family in FL or are taking kids with you - the move may be ideal. Depending what you want and need in a home. Remember that Ins in FL is quite high.
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As far as utilities, even when allowing for less square footage, my Florida utilities are much less. Water costs more in Florida, as does milk, but all in all my cost of living will be less in Florida. I can only speak for myself, but I have crunched the numbers exhaustively and Florida will be cheaper.
I was well aware of that. My son still lives in NYC and we had several conversations about FL and NY. It all depends where you are coming from and the cost of living there.
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I do not mind the Florida heat. I do not think one can compare Buffalo winters to Florida summers. I am not locked in my home all summer in Florida. I still do stuff all day outside. When it is MINUS 9 degrees here, you do NOT stay outside for long.
I know for a fact some people can take a lot more heat or cold than others. Younger people can take the heat or cold better than seniors. But the FL heat was one complaint I heard from almost everyone I spoke to. Those who could afford to leave FL in summer did so. An acquaintance of ours travels all summer, but they can afford it. They don't spend summers in FL. But to be on the road for 4 months every year plus monthly visits to NY to see family is costly.
And missing family and old friends is something none of you folks in this thread has addressed. When someone moves to FL their family and friends will visit for some time.... then the visits start to drop off. Then you realize a year has passed and no one has visited you. That's what happens to a lot of people.... several posts here even mentioned it. It's what happened to me when I moved here to TN. Not only did older family members and some old friends pass away, but life moves on and people find other things to do. Not that they don't still love you. They don't always want to spend their yearly vacation visiting the same person in the same place. When people move to FL with their children they're in a different situation than 2 seniors who move there and have no one.
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I do not want this thread to turn into another North vs. South thread. I just wanted to share that some of what has been posted has not been our experience. Both places have great features....in the end it is all about personal choice. For what it is worth, I'd rather be down there right now, as we are currently bracing for another big snowstorm......Enjoy!
Frank
Who watches your place in FL while you are back home? Is it in a Gated Community?
I am so happy for you cat lady ! So much for brevity snips though, whew that was a long winded quote session. Anyway, I hope you have fantastic trip, drive safe and take loads of pictures. Since you have a smaller RV how many cats will you be taking? I dont want to see you on animal hoarders because of this trip..... Have a great time
As I mentioned in my OP, the way we're setup here, it's almost impossible for someone to come in the entrance and my neighbors be unaware of it. I'm sure there are places like this in FL but they'd be very hard to find outside Gated Communities. The neighbors on both sides have dogs and both couples are retired and always at home. Both husbands and one wife are disabled. Two younger couples are in front of them. It's hard to explain without pics. We've been camping and traveling for 3 years now and no one has come near our house other than the meter-readers. None of the homes on this road have been broken into that I know of and no heat-pumps have ever been stolen. And it's well know that most country folks have rifles and/or shotguns in their homes. I have never been afraid living out here and the only thing stolen in 20 years was a .99 reflector out by the road itself.
Theft when we wouldn't be there was only one of the items on the con list. Empty homes here are also pillaged when in certain areas where theft is high, or they're in a semi-isolated place. Or where surrounding homes are also empty. There's been a lot of foreclosures here also. Who watches your place in FL the months you are not there? Are you in a gated community?
I need to expand here on the "gated community" concept for those who are unaware & think it's "real."
Gated communities here in Florida are not all created equal & your only as safe in one as fast as the gate code changes or how good the guard is.....
I've worked in a "gated" community where if you drive in behind the next car, you're in. If you work for a company & have the company gate code, you're in. Many criminals realize how to get around where the "gate ends...." because some of them end in wooded lots where all you have to do is walk through the woods.
These types of "gated" communities are like pool gates for children, they just "buy time" as a deterrent, not fool proof.
If you live in a gated community with a 24 hour guard you're doing better in regards to "gate safety" but with the way criminals rob banks & pharmacies, I wouldn't consider that to be the end all either.
Add alarms & dogs to all of the above & you're factoring in more issues for the criminals to deal with....
Nosy neighbors are good but they have to go to bed sometimes too!
I think the premise was that you seem to not like FL so much, why bother to go there at all?
No, the premise is I did my homework and looked into every aspect of either moving there or buying a second home there. It has NOTHING to do with liking or disliking FL. If I didn't like FL we wouldn't be heading there for a month or so. I love upper and central NY state but wouldn't want to live there either.
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Thank You
There are those who bought an RV, hated it and sold it. They liked Motels and Hotels better. To each his/her own. 
Family members or the neighbors pick up the mail when we're gone over a week at a time. 
I think you're a little confused as to what a RV snow-bird is. 
That's a personal thing not related at any particular place. One summer a few years ago I collapsed at the Nashville Zoo with heat-exhaustion. It was sunny and in the 90s. I knew better but my grandson has his heart set so......... I took the chance. 
