I Tried Searching With No Luck - Maybe You Can Help..... (Tampa: extended stay, section)

[CTGirlNoMore]

I did try doing a search, but perhaps wasn't putting in the right keywords???

What is your opinion about finding a job if I am willing to work any hours/days? I know the economy is horrible and jobs are hard to find, but I also know that many people are just looking for weekdays, day hours.

If I was open to retail or food industry, days and hours not a problem, would I have a better chance at finding something?

Also, what extended stay places, or apartments, would you recommend looking into? Pets allowed.

I'm looking any places from Boca to Ft. Lauderdale, up to $800 in rent.

I posted this in the Tampa and Ft. Lauderdale forums also, as these are all the areas I am looking at.

[TXRyan23]

Honestly, If you're looking for warm weather, beaches, a good quality of life, cheaper lifestyle, and jobs.. Look into Houston, TX.

[NathanSmith]

Just had to reply. I just relocated to South FL from Houston.

Cost of living much lower and jobs more plentiful in Houston, without a freakin' doubt.

But there's no comparison between the scenery. S. Florida's beaches and tropical setting stomps all over Galveston and related gulf beaches.

Conversely, you get the benefits that only a very large city provides (like Houston, LA, NYC, etc) that can be best summed up in one word: "options". You simply have more things to go out and do.

Sorry, I don't have much to offer the OP - but my guess would be it'll be hard to find a job and housing that suits your needs here.

[SummerBabe]

Originally Posted by CTGirlNoMore

I did try doing a search, but perhaps wasn't putting in the right keywords???

What is your opinion about finding a job if I am willing to work any hours/days? I know the economy is horrible and jobs are hard to find, but I also know that many people are just looking for weekdays, day hours.

If I was open to retail or food industry, days and hours not a problem, would I have a better chance at finding something?

Also, what extended stay places, or apartments, would you recommend looking into? Pets allowed.

I'm looking any places from Boca to Ft. Lauderdale, up to $800 in rent.

I posted this in the Tampa and Ft. Lauderdale forums also, as these are all the areas I am looking at.

I'm not sure what your credentials are nor what search engines you've been using for your job search. However, try these and just plug in retail, customer service, hospitality, or restaurant. It may be challenging, but if you want it bad enough anything is possible.

In terms of residential search, I can't help as I'm not a Floridian
(yet! ;-) Good luck!

-indeed.com
-careerbuilder.com
-monster.com
-hotjobs.com
-simplyhired.com

[TiredOfSFL]

I'm in WPB and after living here 13 yrs. am finally getting out of here next month, so I may not be terribly encouraging, I'd like to caution you to make sure you have very good reasons (more than one) to move here, that way if one of those reasons fail you at some point, the others will still make it worthwhile for you to be here, FL is not the "paradise" everyone thinks, if you've visited more than once maybe you'll fit right in and maybe you already "know", otherwise, proceed with caution. With that said, I will wish you the best of luck. I also can only comment on a couple of things.

Jobs - Yes, it's hard to find jobs here as unemployment is rather high right now, but there are always jobs and someone does get them so if you are good at whatever you do and are willing to try hard maybe you'll be the "lucky one". Also, keep in mind that not all jobs are advertised either online nor on newspapers, many are filled just through word of mouth or from applications people fill out so long-distance searches may often not show the real employment picture. Pay is rather low compared to cost of living so keep that in mind during your apartment search.

Place to Rent - I can't recommend anything specific. IMO, everything is overpriced in S. FL, even the oldest little holes-in-the-wall, especially when you weigh that against local wages (which are low in proportion to cost of living). And because people with a Section 8 coupon can move practically anywhere they want, even some pricier complexes leave a lot to be desired. So I recommend that each time you locate a complex that sounds too good to be true you check it out here: Apartment Ratings :: The leading source of apartment reviews by renters for renters. One caveat: some of the reviews may be old and if ownership or management have changed maybe the situation may have changed either for better or worse. Most complexes offer short-term leases due to the transient quality of the area so I'd recommend that until you feel sure that this area is going to work out for you you don't commit yourself to a 1-yr lease, you can always ask them to give you the option to lengthen your lease at a lower rate if you desire to stay. Since there are so many options online and not all include all complexes, just do a search for "apartments + city name" and you will find many websites that will at least give you an idea of what you can find. Please be aware that information is not always up to date, right now prices could actually be lower than what's specified and summer is the "low-season" so I recommend that you call each place directly (not through the toll-free # given at the advertising site) and be sure to ask also if they currently have a "move-in" special. You can also go to further pages of the search and choose listings from realtors, many times there are privately owned units in duplexes and smaller complexes which could be much better (and more peaceful) than a big complex owned by a corporation. Last but not least, perhaps you should consider just renting a room for a while to give yourself time to study the area and better choose a place to live that will be just right for you.

To aid in your search for any of the above you can go to http://miami.craiglist.com, Palm Beach Post and Sun Sentinel classifieds.

If you need any additional help you can DM if you like.