Thinking of moving to Florida in the next year

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plumkrazee70

plumkrazee70

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Hey friends,

The wife and I and our two boys, 10 and 8, are thinking of moving to Florida in the next year. We currently live in Southern Oregon. We've lived here all our life, but are getting tired of the political climate, the homeless and the cost of living. We also have the boys in a private school, due to the public schools continuing to lower standards and push political issues on your young ones.

We have been very blessed and carefully with our finances. We own two homes outright, one of which we rent and the other we live in. Our plan would be to sell one and buy in Florida and then rent the one in Oregon. We've been landlords for the better part of 12 years, and have had great experiences so far.

My question is what part of Florida would be ideal for us who are looking for warmth, recreation, non hurricane devastating areas (wouldn't mind the tail end storm as long as there wasn't a threat of destruction) as well as cost of living being low to reasonable. Good schools for the boys.

Looking at homes in Lakeland and outside of Jacksonville. We like the small town feel if it was close to a big city. Any suggestions of places to look? Looking at home prices in those areas, we should be able to sell one of our homes and buy one over there 1 for 1. We will most likely be taking her soon to be, retired parents with us and would like a 4- 5 bedroom home.

For those of you who live there, do you like it? For folks that have moved there, any regrets?

I currently manage a parts department at a GM dealership, here. My wife has an accounting background and was able to quit her job after covid and work part-time for our church while also being there for the boys. So I don't think finding work will be an issue for either of us.

Thanks!
 
Stay away from the coast you need to be approximately 40-50 miles inland to minimize hurricane damage. Property insurance is insane currently I hope the state legislature can straighten that out soon. Home prices are still high, but I believe that's about to change. As far as schools go, I would look at the school system grading system, each county school system is graded, I am sure a little internet research you could find that. Cost of living is relatively low all areas post covid are struggling with that. Stay out of the large city's Sales tax is low, property tax is low. No income tax on individuals.
 
bcschief said:
Stay away from the coast you need to be approximately 40-50 miles inland to minimize hurricane damage. Property insurance is insane currently I hope the state legislature can straighten that out soon. Home prices are still high, but I believe that's about to change. As far as schools go, I would look at the school system grading system, each county school system is graded, I am sure a little internet research you could find that. Cost of living is relatively low all areas post covid are struggling with that. Stay out of the large city's Sales tax is low, property tax is low. No income tax on individuals.
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Thank you!
 
You say partly because of political climate in Oregon. I assume you will vote red in Florida. Good luck on your decision. There's nothing more shitty than someone from a blue state moving to a red state and continue to vote blue.
 
The wife did a ton of looking around. One of the things she was concerned about was crime and hurricanes. Here is a little food for thought….. In Florida, where the rockets are launched, has a historically very low hurricane and storm event occurrence. That is northern Brevard county. Volusia county is just north of Cape Canaveral.

We ended up in mid Brevard county south of Melbourne a small city. By my old southern New York born city standards, it’s a small town.
 
32764 2.5 acres wooded/3000 sf living, 20 years and no complaints
32738 1/4 acre/1800 sf living, 18 years and the only complaint was the neighborhood closed in around us.

As far as hurricanes are concerned: my daughter moved from S. FL to W. TN's tornado's. Same difference.

If your working in a city look 30 minutes out of town, that's where the sane people live(while mostly sane)

You cant predict the weather to make a difference.
 
lemondana said:
You say partly because of political climate in Oregon. I assume you will vote red in Florida. Good luck on your decision. There's nothing more shitty than someone from a blue state moving to a red state and continue to vote blue.
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I knew this was going to come up. Oregon is an interesting state. Most don't know that Southern Oregon is RED. While it is a Blue state on paper.


We, because of our smaller population cannot overcome the crazies in Portland/Salem. And unfortunately, it isn't getting any better. I am far from blue as you can imagine. I want to live in a state that shares my same values.
 
Surf Zillow and research pricing in different areas based on your housing criteria. I’m in S. Florida and housing is crazy expensive but I’ve also looked around the state in lots of other areas and haven’t found any real bargains. Property taxes are high and climbing and it seems more and more we are just one more big Hurricane away from all of the property insurers leaving the state. Just be mindful of all of those factors as you do your math. And if you find a place that appeals to you, try and come down and spend a few weeks or more before you fully commit. Good luck!
 
69FBCuda said:
32764 2.5 acres wooded/3000 sf living, 20 years and no complaints
32738 1/4 acre/1800 sf living, 18 years and the only complaint was the neighborhood closed in around us.

As far as hurricanes are concerned: my daughter moved from S. FL to W. TN's tornado's. Same difference.

If your working in a city look 30 minutes out of town, that's where the sane people live(while mostly sane)

You cant predict the weather to make a difference.
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Where in Florida are you?
 
subcom said:
Surf Zillow and research pricing in different areas based on your housing criteria. I’m in S. Florida and housing is crazy expensive but I’ve also looked around the state in lots of other areas and haven’t found any real bargains. Property taxes are high and climbing and it seems more and more we are just one more big Hurricane away from all of the property insurers leaving the state. Just be mindful of all of those factors as you do your math. And if you find a place that appeals to you, try and come down and spend a few weeks or more before you fully commit. Good luck!
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Absolutely! Didn’t the governer just sign something allowing the insurance industry an easier time back into the state.

IIRC, 10 more insurance companies are back in Florida.

Where in Florida R U?
 
rumblefish360 said:
Where in Florida R U?
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Osteen 32764

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rumblefish360 said:
Absolutely! Didn’t the governer just sign something allowing the insurance industry an easier time back into the state.

IIRC, 10 more insurance companies are back in Florida.

Where in Florida R U?
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That program is a bit of a mess even if well intentioned. We had Citizens, the state subsidized plan and about the only one left. The “depopulation” plan blindly moved us to a new carrier without any prior notice at a 20% increase in premium, on top of the 33% increase we’ve been seeing just about every year. We just got a courtesy letter. “This is your new carrier”. lol. Last week, that carrier bailed out of the state or something was fishy about it because we received a new letter stating we are back on Citizens. Like I said. It’s a mess. But something has to give in the insurance market place here. It’s not sustainable.
70% of Florida Homeowners Have Seen Rise in Insurance Costs or Changes in Coverage: Survey
 
subcom said:
That program is a bit of a mess even if well intentioned. We had Citizens, the state subsidized plan and about the only one left. The “depopulation” plan blindly moved us to a new carrier without any prior notice at a 20% increase in premium, on top of the 33% increase we’ve been seeing just about every year. We just got a courtesy letter. “This is your new carrier”. lol. Last week, that carrier bailed out of the state or something was fishy about it because we received a new letter stating we are back on Citizens. Like I said. It’s a mess. But something has to give in the insurance market place here. It’s not sustainable.
70% of Florida Homeowners Have Seen Rise in Insurance Costs or Changes in Coverage: Survey
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The roofing industry put a big hit on the insurance industry. People were getting 20 year old roofs replaced for free. My sis n law got 250 lf of 6' wood fence replaced for free, termite damage, wind blew over a section.
 
If you are considering buying a property in Florida I suggest you Google - Citizens and Surplus Lines Carriers.
 
69FBCuda said:
The roofing industry put a big hit on the insurance industry. People were getting 20 year old roofs replaced for free. My sis n law got 250 lf of 6' wood fence replaced for free, termite damage, wind blew over a section.
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They did and with the collaboration of the good citizens of Florida and it’s been absolutely absurd! And we are all paying for it now.
 
Ocala area or midway down the state is good the northern part is humid and rains most afternoons My uncle lived in Jacksonville for a couple years then moved downstate. Also Arizona is a great place and a lot less humid and it seems more comfortable the Prescott area is nice and no snow like the northern Az around Flagstaff
 
I completely understand your situation, I moved from Colorado to Georgia just about a year ago for similar reasons and am much happier here. I wouldn't rule out GA, less hazards for hurricane stuff and cost of living is very low. Just stay away from Atlanta, obviously. The Carolinas are nice too, my wife is from Greensboro, NC and I wouldn't mind living there or in the Charlotte area.
 
Thanks everyone for the responses so far. My wife really hates the cold. She said if we are going to make a big move, she wanted somewhere warm. I suggested AZ, but I am not sure my son can handle that kind of heat, but I don't know since I have never been.
 
High heat is a real concern for sure. I can take about 4-6 hours and I’m running inside for the A/C. Or pool.
 
plumkrazee70 said:
Thanks everyone for the responses so far. My wife really hates the cold. She said if we are going to make a big move, she wanted somewhere warm. I suggested AZ, but I am not sure my son can handle that kind of heat, but I don't know since I have never been.
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Kinda depends on where in AZ, regarding the heat. Phoenix and Yuma are pretty warm, Tucson as well. Pretty much anything north of Phoenix or southeast of Tucson you start seeing more temperate climates. I'm a big fan of Prescott and Flagstaff -- they still have that "small town" vibe.
 
If you stay between Flagstaff and Pheonix its the best Flagstaff gets snow in the winter and Pheonix gets the higher heat in the summer months. I like iAz more because I don't like Fla himidity
 
Good luck with the move. I'm fine where I'm at after spending the first 16 years of my life growing up just outside of Philly and Trenton.
My parents took the bold step of moving before they reached 40. They had a vision of what the future would bring.
 
MILO said:
If you stay between Flagstaff and Pheonix its the best Flagstaff gets snow in the winter and Pheonix gets the higher heat in the summer months. I like iAz more because I don't like Fla himidity
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Thankfully the nasty humidity only rears its ugly head worst when it’s really hot. It is a draw back for some, high humidity.
 
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