Tampa, but NY rents (Miami, Orlando: home, employment, neighborhood)

[Spring Hillian]

8-10 hours a week on maintenance??? Must be big old place. How about a shed in the back yard for the lawn equipment? 2 extra bedrooms here and 1 is my den, the other is the guest room and the wife's
"sewing room". You failed to mention the pleasure of a deck and a screened veranda room. Nobody upstairs, downstairs or on the other side of a wall. do you really constantly do major renovations costing tens of thousands of dollars a year?

Originally Posted by chi_tino

The financial comparisons that the "it's always a GREAT time to buy a house" crowd are making are misguided. Contrary to popular belief, you don't have to rent something as large as something you would buy.

If I was renting, I wouldn't need an additional few hundred square feet for storing lawn equipment, tools, paint, etc that I need to use when I am working around the house for 8-10 hours a week. I wouldn't be renting a place with two extra bedrooms. I wouldn't be living in a home with a huge lawn that requires weekly upkeep. I wouldn't demand a ridiculous waterfront view. I wouldn't be spending tens of thousands of dollars a year on landscaping and other capital improvements and changing floor plans when I get sick of them. I wouldn't have to pay for big-ticket home insurance, as many landlords self-insure.

For the first 10 years of my career, I rented a tiny apartment and saved an enormous amount of money that otherwise would have been spent on housing expenses. It helped me buy a large home a few years later and retire years earlier than I should have.

[Spring Hillian]

Originally Posted by Vannort54

You are correct public schools are way below what northern schools are. That's why if you have kids and are from the north , stay in the north untill your kids are out of schools. Sorry but the northern schools are better. And unless you have a good paying job waiting for you here do not move to Florida. Wages in the north will always be better than the south. There is no industrual jobs here, it's all tourism that's it. There are no tool and die shops here or plastic injunction , or any big 3 supplier jobs . And as far as health care jobs the north pays better, even nursing pays more in the north. Cost of living in Florida is not that cheap, sure no state tax but other fees to make up for that. I'm living here because the wife got a job making close to $50,000 a year witch is unheard of for someone that has no college degree. And I'm retired from the north. Granted no snow but that's about it. So unless you are older and are empty nesters then Florida may be for you. But a younger family maybe not so much. This is only my opinion.

You need to catch up on school ratings in FL.

You would be well served by using a search engine to determine how many machine shops and tool and die makers there are in FL. Same for industrial work.

Do you realize that the tourism is in Miami, Orlando, Tampa and that most of the rest of the state has nothing to do with tourism? Also use that search engine to learn that there are many plastic injection molding shops here too. Do you realize the cost of living here is significantly less than "up north"? Try an on line cost of living calculator and compare any FL city to northern cities and see what comes up. Lots of people make $50k a year here. Your wife is not an anomaly.

Do you really believe a state can grow to the 3rd largest in the nation based on your thinking?

Keep in mind, out of the 20 million here less than 20 percent are over 65.

[Spring Hillian]

First of all, you have no idea what it costs to actually live in NYC or the metro area.

Don't you find it strange that the home ownership rate in FL is more than 68 percent, 3 percent higher than the rest of the U.S.?

Do you realize that the median household income in FL is only $7000 less than the U.S. median?

The high school graduation rate is more than 85% and just about ties the U.S. average?

The amount of people with a bachelors degree or higher is 2 percent less than the rest of the U.S.

Do you know that earning $30k year in FL is the same as earning $55.k a year in NYC?

As far as cost of living goes, here is the price difference in Chicago, IL vs Tampa FL

Groceries 8%more
Housing 74%more
Utilities 2%more
Transportation 23%more
Health Care 4%more


Price difference in New York (Brooklyn), NY vs Tampa FL

Groceries 29%more
Housing 304%more
Utilities 30%more
Transportation 10%more
Health Care 16%more


Do you really thinks that people leave the north east because of snow? That is absurd.

Originally Posted by PhotoProIP

This notion that is perpetuated "up north" that Florida is cheap is pure garbage! But sadly NY-ers/co fall for it every time. Developers, landlords, squirrels, all know that none of you want to shovel snow, and they are banking on your unwillingness to mow your snow! The sooner you get it, the sooner the rents will go down. You all are responsible for creating the "demand" and they are supplying what they want, not what you want...you want to get out of the cold, and so that's not their problem...Welcome to the American way! They supply what they want to supply...take it or leave it.

Florida is only cheap for careful 6+ figure making spenders...For everyone else it is not cheap, and it is definitely not cheap when having to live off Florida wages...."employers" also know you don't want to mow your snow...so they too bank on it by paying peanuts to have as many of you snow haters around, because that makes them more profits when they don't have to pay you what you're really worth.

[Spring Hillian]

Europeans live better lives? Yes. They do. As soon as the immigrate to the US.

They cant have home ownership. Those who own land/buildings never sell them. The people are forced to rent apartments.

I love it when those without think they know what is is for those who do.

Politicians paid by landlords? Tell me where do you get that information? I wonder where you get any of your misguided socialist thinking. Oh yeah, you were brought up that way.

Originally Posted by PhotoProIP

(.....and you wonder why Europeans live better lives...I wonder why they don't see "home ownership" as some life achievement...Ohh wait I know, because they like to go out and have fun...eat at delicious restaurants that are not trying to feed elephants, and generally just go home to sleep...here we managed to get everyone stuck in homes, make people think that home ownership is some kind of dream, and then wonder why ppl are getting fat and are on depression pills and Prozac! OMG! Please RENT & go out and have fun...owning is a trap to enrich Home Depot/&co!!! (And the likes).....)

OP: the other reason rents are high in the suburbs is because "city" schools suck unless private! So naturally everyone with kids wants to be where the better schools are...sooo landlords know that and are taking advantage of it... Sadly our politicians are also paid by these landlords to keep the rental war in status quo which is why nothing ever changes for the average Joe! Keep voting these jerks, and your rent will continue to go UP.

It's sad when the normal honest citizens of a country are forced into poverty by those who are supposed to protect their interests!

[Spring Hillian]

Originally Posted by PriusH8r

Says the European who is also a transplant here. So you include yourself in the statement above, as you relocated here as well.......correct?

You will never get an answer except "we are from Miami" if you get one at all.

[Spring Hillian]

Originally Posted by PriusH8r

Not for us. We ended up WAY better off here, not having to pay state income tax. The Florida extras fell well below what we saved in state income tax. That's just us though. YMMV.

You cant tell those pompous northerners anything. If it was so great back where they came from what on earth are they doing here? They worked hard there. They had it all. Yet the left it all. Strange to me.

[Spring Hillian]

Originally Posted by PhotoProIP

CDD's and HOA's never end either....

yeah they do if you choose not to live under either.

[PhotoProIP]

Originally Posted by Spring Hillian

8-10 hours a week on maintenance??? Must be big old place. How about a shed in the back yard for the lawn equipment? 2 extra bedrooms here and 1 is my den, the other is the guest room and the wife's
"sewing room". You failed to mention the pleasure of a deck and a screened veranda room. Nobody upstairs, downstairs or on the other side of a wall. do you really constantly do major renovations costing tens of thousands of dollars a year?

i love you innocence some times! If a "shed" showed up in our neighborhood and most every other neighborhood with an HOA and CDD's both would implode, and tons of trees would be killed to let this homeowner know that "shed" are not allowed!

Regarding your statistics, I don't buy it. You know why I don't buy it? because Florida's real estate market is very fickle, and employment is not known to last long...and most of it is part time...I am not sure how anyone can enjoy living here when having to deal with more than one job just to pay the bills! Please step off the high horse.

[PhotoProIP]

Originally Posted by Spring Hillian

yeah they do if you choose not to live under either.

Hence live in the bad area's of town, because apparently, our society was geared to be policed to mow a lawn!

The area's that are nice, and don't have HOA's are numbered on less than 4 fingers on my hand!

......But then again, let's define "nice!"

[Spring Hillian]

Originally Posted by PhotoProIP

i love you innocence some times! If a "shed" showed up in our neighborhood and most every other neighborhood with an HOA and CDD's both would implode, and tons of trees would be killed to let this homeowner know that "shed" are not allowed!

Regarding your statistics, I don't buy it. You know why I don't buy it? because Florida's real estate market is very fickle, and employment is not known to last long...and most of it is part time...I am not sure how anyone can enjoy living here when having to deal with more than one job just to pay the bills! Please step off the high horse.

I would never live in a compound ruled by some HOA. You can buy what ever you like. Those are facts.
They are not my statistics. They come from cost of living calculators. Try some. Most part time jobs? Yeah, in fast food. Employment is not known to last long? How would you know?

Tell us oh great knows all -- Why are you here in FL??? You could be anyplace else making a good living in a job you can stay at for 30 years and never worry about a thing.