Question about moving to Florida

[disneyboundagain]

I'll try to keep a long story short. We live just north of Pittsburgh, but we are VERY seriously considering moving to Florida. I made a significant portion of our family income, but I lost my job on 12/10 (less that 24 hours before we left for DW). We originally wanted to move once DD5 and DS2 graduated HS, as we have heard that the schools in FL aren't that good, but now we are reconsidering. DW has depression, and the gray Pgh days aren't very good for her at all. She wants to move very bady, and she has for the past few years. I want to work for Disney, or if I can't, I want to be able to go to DW anytime we want. The problem with moving is that I fear change. And I fear change pretty bad. We own our home, and have made significant changes to it since we bought it 8 years ago. Now, to my questions, how does the whole moving thing work? I have lived in this general area my entire life. Should I try to find a job here while we get our house ready to sell? With the current state of the economy, will our house sell? Where should we move that will have good schools and is close to DW? How can I get financed for a house in FL when I will have just started a job there (assuming I can find one)? How do I look for a job in FL (I understand the how I look, but how does the interview process work?). Will an employer cover my cost for a flight for an interview, or will I need to drive down at my own expense? I'm guessing that I can find a house in FL, and make an offer as soon as I receive an offer on my house, so I think I uderstand that part.

I don't know, I'm sorry to ramble. I just don't know what to do. This is a life changing decision, especially for someone that fears change so bad.

[DumboMom]

I think the first thing to do is to talk to your wife about how she can handle the changes. I know many people with depression and although she wants to move it is very stressful. Open communication on how the move would work for the both of you would be a start.

I have known couples where one spouse has rented an apartment in the area they want to move to and finds a job before sending for their family. This would allow you to be familar with the area and find a rental until the family moves. You are right about the market so if your house doesn't sell it might make sense to rent it until you can find someone who is interested. Also this would help is Florida isn't all that you wanted it to be.

Good luck!!!! :mickey:

[DizneyRox]

a. Sell your existing house. Chances are you will not be able to carry two mortgages, and you never know when your existing house will sell. Don't listen to the news about the housing market. Houses DO SELL, provided they are priced right. May not be what you want, but houses do sell. You have to be serious about selling.
b. Finding a house to live in right now is easy. There are houses everywhere for sale.
c. Finding a job will be more difficult. Unless you have some hidden talent that can't be found anywhere, nobody is going to foot the bill for you to interview. They may do some phone interviews, etc, but with unemployment where it is, chances are they can hire someone local and not have to pay any relocation assistance, etc. Interview process works the way it does everyhwere else. Applications/resume, Interview(s), job offer, start date.
d. Working for the mouse probably isn't going to pay the bills. Even with all the pixie dust in the world, you're still going to need a token for the subway.

In general, Florida schools are bad. Yes, they are good schools, etc, but a a state, they aren't known for their school systems. Someone local may be able to help a little more, but I'll tell you Flordia was quickly written off my list of places to move due to the schools. And my wife in an educator.

Good luck... Exciting times ahead!

[disneyboundagain]

d. Working for the mouse probably isn't going to pay the bills. Even with all the pixie dust in the world, you're still going to need a token for the subway.

I am a project manager by trade. I know that Disney doesn't pay the entertainers and support staff all that well, but I was hoping that they paid administration/management more competitively with the rest of the area. We would be willing to take a pay cut and decrease our style of life, it just couldn't be a 50% pay decrease. Does anyone know how competitively Disney pays management?

[dnickels]

I can't speak to the salary issue but just wanted to wish you luck whatever you do. Two things you need to consider though...

1. When I lived in Miami all of my friends would be jealous and talk about how 'cool' it must be. It certainly is if you're on vacation and staying on the beach, but the other 99% of people have to deal with really bad traffic and the other issues of daily life that we don't see while we're on vacation. The same goes for Orlando or the Jersey Shore or (fill in your favorite vacation location here). It can be a lot of fun going over to Disney any time you want, but it doesn't make the problems of daily life go away.

2. The summer heat and humidity is intense and people who don't like it may end up feeling trapped indoors during that time. For some people it's no big deal, but others get just as miserable in a Florida summer as others do in a northern winter.

Best of luck! :thumbsup:

[DizneyRox]

I am a project manager by trade. I know that Disney doesn't pay the entertainers and support staff all that well, but I was hoping that they paid administration/management more competitively with the rest of the area. We would be willing to take a pay cut and decrease our style of life, it just couldn't be a 50% pay decrease. Does anyone know how competitively Disney pays management?Disney likes to hire from within, and something tells me they probably have a pretty good pool of internal candidates capable of a project management type of position. Also, consider that in this economy, and their willingness to cut or otherwise scaledown and growth, project managemnt positions are probably being axed within TWDC as well.

As we all know, by hiring from within they can save considerably over having to hire from the outside and pay competitively.

The best way to get anywhere within the Disney organization is to start towards the bottom, and as you know the pay there is lousy.

[teambricker04]

I have been thinking about your dilema since I read it yesterday....

First off, you need a job so if you want to work for the mouse, apply! They can't ALWAYS hire from within. Try to make some contacts and see where it leads you. My DH is almost always looking at jobs, even when he doesn't need one stat, and he is on a site that is a networking site. You may want to try something like that. It is sort of like facebook or myspace, but for professionals to connect and help eachother out in the race for a job. Turn to technology to help you out!

Secondly, take into consideration that moving doesn't just happen. We move frequently for DH's job (3x in 3years), and our last home sale took over 7 months. That was due to some terrible realtors and the economy. It was really hard on my family to have DH working in Denver while we were living in Indiana as our kids were 2 and 3mo at the start of it. It was hard for DH to be alone in a new city 4 out of 7 days in a week. Plus, it costs A LOT of money to move everything you own across the country. We get relocation covered by DH's employer and we STILL have to spend our own money in some cases (like living in a hotel for 7 months). The employer covers the movers, packers, unpackers, moving truck, realtor and some of the expenses which is great and a savings to us of over 20,000 buckaroos. What they don't tell you is that time and the stress of it all is also a cost.

Third, are you moving away from family?? We have never lived near any of the grandparents, aunts, cousins, etc. It gets very hard and even lonely. You can't just travel any old time you want to go see everyone, it is hard to find a babysitter, and harder to make friends. You can't always go to the people you love when they need you. They can't always come to you when your really need them either.

I am not discouraging you to do it, but it is more work than anyone realizes when it first sounds like a good idea. I agree with the earlier statement that living where you vacation is very different than being on vacation. Take the time to do plus and minuses on a list with your spouse. And... look for jobs anywhere... you never know when your dream job may just hit you in the face!

[TheRustyScupper]

Real Life: (random thoughts)

1) Sell your house, first.
. . . if priced right, it should sell
. . . be prepared to sell for less than you think
2) Based upon your profession, Florida employers (even WDW) often pay
. . . interviewing *
. . . moving and relo
. . . temporary housing
. . . house sale costs, sometimes
3) You need to pick the right school. There are good ones.
4) Don't think about working at WDW right now.
. . . general hiring freeze
. . . more than 2,000 on waiting list
. . . only a few professional jobs open
5) Housing prices are getting reasonable in Florida, due to foreclosure rate.

6) WDW pays about 1/2-2/3 of the national going wage rate for professionals.
. . . there is too much demand to work for the Mouse
. . . they do not have to pay big bucks for talent
. . . they also have a high turnover rate
. . . health/medical insurance is VERY, VERY good
. . . dental and vision are average-to-above-average
. . . short/long term disability insurance is poor
. . . retirement package is mediocre-to-poor
. . . insurances are extremely reasonably priced to employees
. . . hourly newbies get terrible scheduled work hours and always work weekends
. . . salaried newbies get far better hours and schedules

* Many moons ago (when Moby Dick was a minnow), I interviewed for a professional job at WDW as an engineering manager. They flew me down for the interview. I turned down an offer due to the low salary. (I did go to work at WDW 20-years later when I semi-retired.)

[LauraleeH]

The cost of living in Florida is very expensive. I often dislike living here. I've been looking for a job for 2 years now. Even the local Target isn't hiring. When I went to Colorado last New Years, I priced houses in Denver. I could get a mansion there for the same or even less than the price of a dump here. Lots of houses for sale, some nice, some not so nice, but either way they are very expensive and it's hard to get loans. I'm not trying to talk you out of it, I just felt I should give you a fair warning. I'm sure there are just as many pros as there are cons, but I can't think of many.

The fact that you own your house is nice. We owned a house 8 years ago, and decided to move to Atlanta to make more money. Rented a house there for 2 years and had to move back to Florida, and rented 4 places since then. We'll probably never own a house again. My family has a lot of regrets about selling our house. You might want to consider renting your house out before you decide to just sell it.

[jrkcr]

I totally understand why you want to move. I visited Pittsburgh for a week in January(or maybe it was Feb), and while we loved the great museums, -the streets were horrible :thedolls:, and yes the weather was completely gray! I can see why Florida sounds so nice!


But Florida has alligators, and mosquitos as big as your head, and it is very, very HOT!! (just in case you didn't know ;)) So nowhere is perfect.

Part of me says for you to be cautious about selling your house right now. You wouldn't make much money from selling it, and it would be a great "income" to rent it. And a safety net in case you need to come back to it.
And then part of me says, DH and I were young and crazy when our kids were 2 and 4. We sold our house, and moved cross country from SC to CO and had no job and no savings! But we did have family in both states, and we lived with them for a few months while we job hunted. But we've always been able to take a risk and see where we get. Sometimes it has totally STUNK, but mostly it has paid off.

Whatever you decide-best of luck!!

[mdhiggin]

DH and I have talked about moving to the Orlando area, but I worry that vacationing there would not be as magical if we were there all the time.

[disneyboundagain]

Thanks for all of the great replies. It sounds like working for DW might be out of the question for right now, but I kind of thought that would be the case anyway. It wouldn't have to be right now, just sometime in my life. I could also consider a part time job, just 1 or 2 days a week. It wouldn't be for the money, just for the enjoyment and the perks.

We've been to DW in June and in August, so we know what the heat is like. Earlier in my life it would have mattered, but not as much now. My primary hobby is woodworking, and as such I would be in an airconditioned workshop. Bugs and gators wouldn't bother me as much as the hurricanes. At least they are predictable. I'm guessing that we would just have a few boxes or our irreplacable personal items packed, and if we are in the path, just grab the boxes and drive somewhere else for a while. The rest of the material items can be replaced. That's why you pay insurance.

DW is in the process of researching schools now. We can't believe the differences from area to area. We have found areas rated as well as 9 and 10, but we have also found areas rated as low as 1 and 2. The technology available to reasearch the quality of the schools should allow us to overcome that obstacle.

Family isn't really a concern either. Both my wife and myself have either lost most of our family, or they have moved away. I only have one sister and her family with 3 (soon to be 4) kids that we will miss. They go to FL once a year now, and would probably visit more often if they had a place to stay. They are both teachers, so they could visit whenever they want in the summer (and they both love the heat).

Our next step right now is to meet with the realtor that we used when we bought our house. We want to get an idea as to how much we might expect to get, and exactly how well houses have been selling in our immediate area. I'm just finishing up my resume today, and I am going to start applying for jobs in our area. I am assuming that the whole process will take a minimum of 6 months, so I need to have an income in the meantime.

[MNNHFLTX]

It sounds like you are doing your research--that's good! I just wanted to add my two-cents worth about a couple of things.

Yes, there are some very good school districts in Florida (in addition to some bad ones). I can attest to the quality of education my son received when we lived there, comparable (IMO) to many schools up north, where I am from originally.

As far as the hurricanes, don't underestimate the impact they can have on your lives if you chose to live close to the coast. Although we went years without any significant storms, all it takes is one or two active seasons to really increase the level of stress that you are living with. And even when you're lucky not to have any major damage, dealing with the inconvenience can be difficult--loss of power for long periods of time, gas shortages, minor repairs which your insurance covers minus the hurricane deductible, disruption of work and homelife, etc. We are dealing with this now, even though we have moved from Florida to Texas (this is from the aftermath of Hurricane Ike).

I think probably that affordable housing would be the biggest issue right now in a move to Florida. We lucked out and moved to TX right when the real estate market boomed there and managed to make a nice profit on our house. Prices have certainly dropped this past year, but the real estate market remains in a slump and any house you buy might actually depreciate in value over the next 3-4 years, rather than gain.

[DisneyDog]

We lived in Naples, FL for a few years and we were not happy there. I had wanted to move to the Orlando area, so we tried to do that. I found a wonderful realtor who showed us houses. The houses there were much more to our liking than in Naples (a slightly more northern style of architecture, and more family-friendly) and at the time, the prices weren't bad. But, that was about 5 years ago. The problem was the job market. It seemed that everyone and their brother wanted to move to Orlando. There just were no decent jobs. And our realtor told us that they wouldn't even consider you if you didn't already live in the area. She went so far as to tell us that we could use HER address in order to get an interview. Yikes! I can't imagine it's gotten any better. Around that time was when the hurricanes started -- that was the year there were major hurricanes that came across the state. My realtor had serious damage to her roof, and we had quite a few scares in our area too.

Please believe me, it is NOT just a matter of packing up and leaving. It's not just "possessions." First of all, Florida is a narrow state with only so many major highways and lots of water in the middle. When there is a hurricane coming, everyone tries to leave at once. Try sitting on the highway for hours and hours, stressed out beyond belief. We tried to escape a hurricane by running up to Orlando (and we had planned to keep going to Philly if we had to), and had to take back roads...through a town that had already been ravaged by a hurricane. They had no power, no street lights, the National Guard was everywhere. It was like a war zone. You truly have no idea what life is like after a hurricane.

After the summer of 4 hurricanes, we gave up on our dream of moving to Orlando and moved back up to Philly. And we are SO happy that we did. Quality of life is just better up here.