Living in Florida??

[jaredkari]

I know thi s thread is really completely off the WDW topic (except that WDW is in Florida) but, my wife and I are toying with the idea of moving down to Florida.

Just curious if anyone on here could give me any information as far as are home insurance rates that different down there? What are property taxes like (i know they are different from area to area but just a general idea)? What are some pros and cons people have found in moving from the North (like Illinois) to down there? Any other ideas are welcome too.
Thanks :mickey:

[DizneyRox]

Kids? Florida has some of the worst school systems in the country.

Just talked to my father in law who has moved down there and he mentioned flood insurance, etc. The recent hurricanes have made quite a few changes to the way of life down there (and even up here).

For me, Florida is a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there. Every section of the states has their pro's and con's. NE has snow, west coast has earthquakes, SW has immigration problems, midwest has tornadoes, etc...

[clausjo]

I've lived in south FL my entire life. Homeowner's insurance is extremely expensive and can be difficult to obtain. Most areas require that you carry flood insurance and, depending on how close to the coast you are, wind insurance. Wind insurance is EXTREMELY expensive. We do have some good schools and good programs (my son is in the IB program at a magnet school), it just depends on where you are. I'm actually looking at the possibility of moving closer to Orlando to be near my family, but the salaries there are not as high as they are where I am, in the Ft. Lauderdale area. Just like any other state, we have our pros and cons.

Most people that I talk to that have moved here from the north complain that there are no seasons - just hot and summer. This winter was an exception where, here in Ft. Lauderdale, it was in the 30s for weeks at a time. Absolutely horrible for us natives!

Anyway, if you do you research and talk to anyone you know in the area, you should be able to get any information you need. Just remember FL is a really big state, so it will make finding information much easier once you've narrowed down your area a bit more.

Good luck!

[Ms. Mode]

Thanks for this post Jaredkari, my DH and I are also thinking about a FL move sometime in the next ten years. I would love the Orlando/Kissimee area. I've actually been looking at realtor sites to see what type of homes are available. Good luck with your fact gathering. :mickey:

[dnickels]

I grew up in Michigan and have been in FL since summer of '04, love living here (though to be fair, for the past three summers I've been able to do the snowbird thing and move north during the hottest months). I don't miss the seasons, I'd rather be able to wear shorts all year.

Generally speaking, property taxes are a bit higher than elsewhere b/c Florida has no state income tax so that tax revenue has to be made up somehow. It's not New Jersey when it comes to taxing by any stretch, Florida generally ranks as one of the states with a lower tax burden. Just something to keep in mind - many of the local cities and counties ran up their budgets during the housing boom and they've promised generous benefits to their workers/retirees. With property values no longer rising 20% a year there's going to be a gap there at some point (next year, 5 years, 10 years, who knows). Whether it gets filled with higher property taxes or cuts is anyone's guess.

Like clausjo said, insurance near the coasts is much much higher (for obvious reasons and probably as it should be) due to the threat of hurricanes.

Also as mentioned, it's a big big state. There's something for everyone. Small towns with dirt roads and live oaks with spanish moss growing on them to the glitz and glamour (and not so glitzy glamour) of Miami. It really depends on what you're looking for and where you want to be.

A few other things that I like
-gardening (almost) year round
-Florida has one of the best (and most under-used) state park systems in the country, so much natural beauty here that many never see.

[Daisy'sMom]

We are about 10 miles from the coast and are not required to carry flood insurance. A matter of fact, we received our homeowners ins bill yesterday. We pay about a bit more than a thousand a year, our deduct is 500, and our hurricane deduct is 1500.
Our property taxes are not that bad, we pay about about 1700.
we paid alot more when we lived in CT on taxes, not including the car tax each year.
In Florida, you pay 100.00 when you get a new car registered. In CT, we paid about 400 each year. This did not include reg. $.
We love Fl and find it cheaper than New England. We miss fall but that's it. Come on, you'll love it.:mickey:

[vicster]

Our property taxes are not that bad, we pay about about 1700.

A year? If so, WOW. We're paying $6500.00 and I'm not quite sure what we're getting out of it. It's to the point our monthly property taxes is more than our mortgage.

[Melanie]

In Florida, you pay 100.00 when you get a new car registered. In CT, we paid about 400 each year.

I know only because I'm in the process of doing this today, but transferring a title and getting FL license tags is a $225 charge. They call it the Initial Registration Fee.

I can't offer any insight on taxes, etc. because we are military and rent our house. I do recall someone telling me though that if we do decide to buy, make sure to look at houses built after a certain date (late 90s maybe) because they were required to be built at a different standard (to withstand hurricane damage) and therefore homeowners insurance is lower. Not sure how true????

We love the Tampa area, and regardless what anyone says, my boys go to good schools. It is HOT though, but oh so much to do and fun to be had. :)

[Magic Smiles]

We are about 10 miles from the coast and are not required to carry flood insurance. A matter of fact, we received our homeowners ins bill yesterday. We pay about a bit more than a thousand a year, our deduct is 500, and our hurricane deduct is 1500.
Our property taxes are not that bad, we pay about about 1700.
we paid alot more when we lived in CT on taxes, not including the car tax each year.
In Florida, you pay 100.00 when you get a new car registered. In CT, we paid about 400 each year. This did not include reg. $.
We love Fl and find it cheaper than New England. We miss fall but that's it. Come on, you'll love it.:mickey:

Okay, I live in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and all those figures seem so cheap. Do you mind if I ask how many sq ft is your house and what is the value that you are insuring it for?
Our house up here is approx 2200 sq ft, worth between $350K - $400K and our property tax is approx $4500.00 a year. Our house insurance is around $800 with a $500 deductible. Car insurance is a whole other issue, expensive and we have no claims on our insurance. Our licence plates are something like $72 a year per car.

We have been considering a move south once I retire in 4 years. Somewhere where it is warm all year round. So this information is great to know.

[Red Randal]

My family just bought a condo in Clearwater, right near the Dunedin border. I love the area but admittedly we only use it as a vacation home.

My main reason for bringing it up is that property is CHEAP right now. I don't know if you're thinking condo or house or renting or what, but in our development, units are selling for almost half what they cost last year which already was half of what they were five years ago.

Strike while the iron is hot!

[dnickels]

.... property is CHEAP right now. I don't know if you're thinking condo or house or renting or what, but in our development, units are selling for almost half what they cost last year which already was half of what they were five years ago.

Strike while the iron is hot!

To be fair, the folks who bought when things were first down 20% (or 30% or 40%) probably thought they were getting great deals on cheap property too. :oops: Two years from now we might be talking about the poor folks who bought in 2010.

Not saying you're wrong, this may be the bottom, best time to buy we've ever seen (sounds like a real estate ad), but there are some historical ratios (price to median income / inflation adjusted long term prices) that would argue we're still overpriced in many areas of Fla.

Long way of saying a person should buy when it's right for them (at least 20% downpayment, plan to stay a minimum 5-10 years), and not just because it's cheaper than a few years ago. :twocents: