Tampa or Family? (Sarasota: best cities, real estate market, condos)

[teffyray]

I know this seems like a simple option, but here is my scenario. I grew up in Tampa until I was 13 and then moved to Knoxville TN with my family. I am now 24 about to graduate with my B.S. and probably move on to my M.B.A. I came down to Tampa this past summer to visit where I grew up and I miss it so much I am sick. So, my question to you all is have you ever moved to another city and left your family? I love my family, especially my mother who I am very close to. But should you stay in a city you hate or move to a city you love? Thanks for any support....I am lost.

[Kwanger]

At 24, I think its high time you did make a move! - its a no brainer. I moved away at 18 and have never looked back. And I also have a really close family. It was hard at first, but I shudder to think of all the opportunities I would have missed if I had stayed in the same town as my parents all my life.

Besides, you can always go back for visits and such.

But, Tampa can be a poor job market - best to try to find one before you go if possible.

[Floridabound09]

My experience was this, our first trip together to Florida in 1981 and we knew then it was the place for us. Everything we wanted and liked was right there. Our goal was to do whatever it takes to get there asap.

In 1986 after 3 weeks in Florida, we decided it was time, we had money saved, found the perfect area to move, checked out condos etc and was ready to go.

Now it's 21 years later and we are still here in Ohio and look back at it and know it was a huge mistake not to move then.

The reason we stayed was family. Of course we have enjoyed them but we have always felt something was missing, what was missing is what we wanted took second fiddle to our family, it was our choice to stay here with the parents, large amount of neices and nephews still little yet etc.

But what we did find out is that although we have some great family memories, we have missed out on what "we" wanted for us.

Now those kids are young adults and most are gone, many of them are in Florida, parents are all passed except for one and we are finally 27 years after our dream of raising our family in Florida is going to come true.

We had kids late in our life and now can finish raising them in Florida and still be young ( well 49 isnt young but thats ok ) enough to still enjoy the things we did for 27 years of vacationing in Florida, now we can do it all the time.

After DW and I spoke about this over last winter, we decided it was time, all we needed to do is what out our retirement income for 30 years of work in one job.

For us it WAS A HUGE MISTAKE not to move when we wanted to. We both know it was a mistake, afterall being in our early 20's then if moving there was the mistake we had plenty of time to move elsewhere if it didnt work out.

Your life goes by quick and you have to make some tuff choices, for us, it was staying here with family, although we love our family very much it was a mistake not to move back then and we feel as though we got caught up in making sure everyone else was taken care of, but what we forgot was us.

If we had to do it all over again, I would have moved then, no questions asked, now we missed out on allot of things for 27 years that we enjoy about Florida and know we cannot make them up but we can sure put a dent in it.

Go with your heart, you will never know unless you try something, for us, we now know that we made a mistake by not doing what we wanted in our heart.

[jayemark7]

[quote=Floridabound09;1732323]My experience was this, our first trip together to Florida in 1981 and we knew then it was the place for us. Everything we wanted and liked was right there. Our goal was to do whatever it takes to get there asap.
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So why not just do the Snowbird version or move now. The real estate market is at an all time low and your never to old to visit or move to FL.
The weather is much more appealing for senoirs... In fact, come stay in Sarasota now! Moderator cut: ..

[DailyJournalist]

I say move where you will be happiest and most successful. I was faced with the same problem years ago and regret my decision. If you hate it in TN now you will always hate it and eventually move away any way. So why not do it now, you can always visit your family on breaks and the phone is always there.

[tampaguy03]

Family will ALWAYS be there for you, not matter what you decide, you need to think about what will make YOU happy at this time in your life. This is what my dad told me when I left NY to come to Florida 20 years ago, we have always been a very close knit family, always keeping in touch and visiting through the years, and now my Mom has moved to Florida since my Dad passed some time ago, I had 2 of my brothers move to Florida with their family, and now they are in Colorado, and still have another brother in NY, but we all stay real close.

[i29gtaylor]

We had the same situation; leave Canada and our ENTIRE family or stay in a place that we didn't like. My wife, son and I moved to Chicago and haven't looked back. It's worked out great, and our family visits often. It's amazing that when it comes to family a couple thousand miles doesn't seem that far away if you have a close relationship. My parents don't get to spend as much time with the boys as they did before but when they do it's such high-quality time; after all, it's quality over quantity right? I think that goes for you as well. When you see your family make it great but don't stay somewhere you don't like for quantity; you WILL regret it and there was nothing worse in our minds that forever asking ourselves "What if?" After all, you can always move back later!

[packgirls]

I moved to FL from WV for my husband. And although I love him to pieces, moving was my biggest life mistake thus far! I couldn't wait to get out of WV. The grass is always greener on the other side - but let me tell you a little secret - the grass really isn't greener, it's just a different species of grass!
I miss my family so much and I have missed out on things that I would have loved to have been there for, births... weddings... and I have also not been able to go back for things that I needed to be at, such as the passing of relatives, my BF going through her first cancer treatment, another friend losing her father, etc...etc...etc. I would give my right arm to be back home, or at least closer. We are trying to sell and move now, but the economy is just terrible.
I would really think this decision out, and although we can all tell you our opinions, they are just that - opinions, only you can make the choice. And if it ends up being the wrong choice you will learn a valuable life lesson - I sure have!

[InLuvWitFlo]

Think long and hard about your move, you have plenty of time. I moved to FL 3 years ago and I had no regrets but I ended up moving back to the Midwest for a better job with decent pay. I read all the web boards and asked for all the advice I could get. Dont make the mistake of not looking at other states as well. The job market in Tampa is crappy but I've heard the housing market is doing a little better. On the Forbes top 40 list of best cities for young professionals Tampa ranked dead last. Family is important although I didnt have a problem with being distant it was a bit too far. I've been back in the midwest a year now and while I really enjoyed florida and will always love FL I dont miss it, it was just like any other city that gets old after a while.

[kel3420]

I am in my mid forties with a very large family in the immediate area. We are hopefully moving to the Tampa area in the next year. It will be definately hard to move from family, but it what I want and need to do with my immediate family. One of the biggest regrets I have is not making a major move in my twenties and settling down in the Midwest. I say, go for it while you are young and just getting established. It is much harder to do later in life when you have kids and have been settled for a longer while.