Reasons to say no

[NannyBeBe]

My advice is to do whatever will bring you closer to being debt-free, including your home, by the time you retire. It is a great feeling to owe no one but the tax man.

 

[Starport Seven-Five]

This morning I showed DH a listing for a gorgeous home in Windermere, with more bedrooms and bathrooms and square feet than we currently have, plus a pool. The listing price is less than our current home is worth and showed lower taxes. For the first time, we started seriously asking ourselves, why don’t we move here?

Everyone else covered the Florida side but I wanted to touch on this. Is there a reason you need a bigger or more extravagant house? Why not buy a more similar house and invest the difference?

Your finances and your decision but lifestyle inflation is something be cognizant of. Make sure you're weighing all the options.

 

[JimMIA]

One thing not mentioned yet is the design of the house. If you are anywhere near retirement age, and expect to stay in the house during your "Golden Years," the design may make a big difference.

If you fall in that category, I would certainly avoid multi-story homes and stay with a one-story ranch style.

 

[stephk1981]

We made the permanent move to Florida last year, we were technically Florida residents ( owning our main home in FL for o era decade before that) before we started living there fulltime, but DH job was elsewhere for more than a decade. We live in the Tampa area, there are tons of positives...but, one major problem we ran into were getting into new doctors as a previous poster said. I called a dozen pediatricians and finally found one that would only take both of my children because at the time my youngest was under 2.....if not my older one would have been out of luck. We came from the southeastern area of GA and people were much more friendly there than they are here in Tampa. Those are really the only two things that I have found ' unappealing'. Good luck on your move if/ when you decide to take the leap!

 

[delmar411]

I’ll take my side of town any day (though I admit I’m partial to my very niche though ridiculously priced neighborhood lol) for convenience to everything but the parks!

What area are you in? I'm not feeling like the house we are in is our forever home so I'd be interested to learn about areas that are convenient to things other than the parks as that's about all my area is close to.

 

[FairestOfThemAll37]

What area are you in? I'm not feeling like the house we are in is our forever home so I'd be interested to learn about areas that are convenient to things other than the parks as that's about all my area is close to.

I’m over in Baldwin Park, but there are a bunch of developments cropping up in the surrounding areas that aren’t so ridiculously overpriced. The Orlando/Winter Park border areas are just so convenient IMO.

I’m about 15ish minutes from downtown and love (well before all this nonsense) going to the Dr. Phillips Center for shows. Millenia is about 20 minutes (via John Young, I don’t do I4 lol). Downtown WP, which has a ton of events and restaurants is about 15 min as well (Not sure I could stand being any farther away from Ravenous Pig lol, that place is so good).

Everything else is pretty much within a couple miles. Publix, Target, Walgreens, CVS, petsmart, bed bath, Ulta, and tons of probably aren’t even thinking of are all within a mile or so. I think the farthest I really have to go for everyday stuff is TJs about 20 min away in traffic but it’s still Only about 3-4 miles.

My vet and most of my Drs are basically in the neighborhood about .5 miles away. Heck, there’s 3 or 4 furniture stores plus post office, FedEx and ups within a mile as well. There’s really not much I have to travel more than a mile or so to get to regularly.

I know that some areas over here are really pricey but I’m always surprised Windermere is the go to for people moving here. I’ve just never understood the appeal. I’ve had a lot of friends/co workers move to the Lake Nona area that’s kind of exploded over the last few years but haven’t personally been out there much. But, of course, it does take me 45ish minutes to get into Disney, which is a huge priority for a lot of people.

 

[pearlieq]

We're FL transplants. I'd keep in mind the following things:

The house may be cheaper on paper and you won't have to pay state income tax, but we pay more than double for car insurance and 4x what we used to pay for home insurance, and it'll be even more with a pool. Expensive CDDs or HOAs are very common here too. Further, unless you want to spend your entire life on home upkeep in 90+ degree heat, you might be paying a pool service, exterminator, outdoor pest service (fire ants are no joke!), lawn service, and security company. Make sure you factor this into your calculations.

You need to be prepared for the weather. Hurricanes really aren't much of an issue where you're considering moving to--you might get some wind damage but you're not going to have to evacuate every time and worry about your home being washed away. New arrivals just don't seem to appreciate what the summer heat is actually like. It is unrelenting from mid-May to mid-October and it doesn't break at night. It's still sticky and unpleasant at 10pm. By September, when you're used to fall starting and it's still 90 degrees out, you are OVER it.

Because population has grown so much faster than infrastructure, traffic is a bear. I don't know what you'll be comparing it to, but if I ever don't make it home someday you can just assume I've expired while sitting somewhere outside of Champions Gate on I-4.

The crazy is real. I've met plenty of nice people, but also waaaaay more tinfoil hatters than I'd ever met before living here. If you told me we led the nation in shootings involving a WalMart, I'd believe you.

That said, while we're still thinking about whether we want to stay, we haven't pulled up stakes yet. January in FL just makes you glad to be alive. The beaches and palm trees are beautiful. There's years worth of things to do within driving distance. The melting pot of FL gives us the best foods, arts, and traditions of dozens of cultures.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

 

[JimMIA]

We're FL transplants. I'd keep in mind the following things:

The house may be cheaper on paper and you won't have to pay state income tax, but we pay more than double for car insurance and 4x what we used to pay for home insurance, and it'll be even more with a pool.

We have found that you really have to shop insurance. Orlando area homeowners insurance went up due to Hurricane Irma 3 years ago, and so did ours. But I went shopping and now pay 1/2 what I used to pay for homeowners.

Same with car insurance. Shop it. We loved GEICO, but they got too expensive. We loved Met Auto, but they got too expensive. We now love Progressive. If/when they get too expensive, we'll love someone else.

Expensive CDDs or HOAs are very common here too.

Oh Yeah! IF you choose to live in one of those communities. We don't, but my late MIL did, and increases in dues and assessments can be brutal.

Further, unless you want to spend your entire life on home upkeep in 90+ degree heat, you might be paying a pool service

We pay $70/month and have for years. That's for weekly pool cleaning, and includes chemicals.

exterminator

$30/month

outdoor pest service (fire ants are no joke!)

We don't have fire ants and we don't use an outside service except occasionally. My neighbor uses one and pays $60 every other month I think

lawn service

Depends. If you live in an HOA, you might not need a lawn service. We use one, and he's $35 every two weeks, but most of our neighbors are paying $55-$60. Again, you have to shop.

security company

$62 per quarter for 22 years, and we get about $400 discount on homeowners for having it. So we actually make money on our security system.

You need to be prepared for the weather. ...New arrivals just don't seem to appreciate what the summer heat is actually like.

I'm not sure you can prepare for the weather.

It's milder down here in Miami, but still hot and humid. It's okay in June, July, August -- but by September, it really begins to grind on you. It just wears you out -- not from the temp that day, but from months of 90 degree/90% humidity days.

January in FL just makes you glad to be alive. The beaches and palm trees are beautiful. There's years worth of things to do within driving distance. The melting pot of FL gives us the best foods, arts, and traditions of dozens of cultures.

Agree 100%. Usually, about mid/late October we go outside and it's 65 degrees, not a cloud in the sky, and it stays like that until May.

And about hurricanes. Since 2000, here in Miami we have had exactly FOUR hurricanes...in 20 years.

We had Katrina (Cat 1 here, no damage) and Wilma (Cat 3, tree and fence damage) in 2005. In 2008, we had Hanna -- which I don't even remember! And in 2017, of course, we had Irma (cat 3/4?) -- again only tree and fence damage. So we've lived in this house for 22 years and only had very modest damage twice. We actually have NEVER filed a homeowner's claim for storm damage.

Irma and Wilma affected just about the entire state, but hurricanes are really not normally a consideration for living in Orlando.

 

[Deb & Bill]

My son just got a job (hooray) back in Louisiana. He got his Masters in Landscape Architecture from FIU (Horticulture Bachelors from LSU) and has been job hunting since he graduated at the end of April. He had been living in Miami, but his lease ran out and he didn't want to renew it, so he moved in with us for about a month (Marco Island). He's still using our Shell card to buy gas and he paid $1.699 in Baton Rouge. We pay $2.08 in Naples. He's been telling us about all the places he has been eating and that is making me homesick for Louisiana (we lived there 21 years before moving to Florida). Our flood insurance is less here because we were flooded twice in Shreveport so the price went up for us there. Taxes are higher because our house was much more expensive here. Small by about 1000 sf. We feel safer here; crime was bad in NW Louisiana. We like the politics here better than Louisiana. We had hurricanes and tropical storms in Lousiana and we have them here. Irma hit here in 2017 about six weeks after we moved here. We had to replace the roof (no leaks just most of the shingles missing), replace the pool cage screening (it was oldish), replace the AC unit (it wasn't oldish, just died). The worst part was not having a hurricane plan in place and we followed our son to his friend's house in Georgia. We were still unboxing stuff when we evacuated. Now we have shutters on all the windows, doors replaced with hurricane doors (including the garage door - our neighbor had their blown in). We have no state income tax in Florida and we did have it in Louisiana.

So make a list of all your current costs and figure out how they will change if you decide to move. The little things will add up.

 

[Ladyandthepuppies]

Thanks everyone! So to answer some of the questions above, I’m nowhere near retirement age and neither is DH, he would be able to keep his job because it was full-time wfh even before the pandemic. Our health insurance rates would stay the same, yes I would love to have a pool, and the bigger home would be nice because we would like to have another baby. Right now I’m looking at larger homes in my area and we just can’t afford them, which is why I went down the rabbit hole on realtor.com and ended up looking at Windermere real estate. We are pretty sure we will try to rent an Airbnb this winter for 6-8 weeks and see how life in FL goes before making any permanent decisions. In the end, the biggest driver would be whether we’d save more money by living in FL because the cost of living is lower. Lots to research before I can make the call but I appreciate everyone’s input! Especially @JimMIA it was really helpful to see your costs for all of those expenses!

 

[JimMIA]

Thanks everyone! So to answer some of the questions above, I’m nowhere near retirement age and neither is DH, he would be able to keep his job because it was full-time wfh even before the pandemic. Our health insurance rates would stay the same, yes I would love to have a pool, and the bigger home would be nice because we would like to have another baby. Right now I’m looking at larger homes in my area and we just can’t afford them, which is why I went down the rabbit hole on realtor.com and ended up looking at Windermere real estate. We are pretty sure we will try to rent an Airbnb this winter for 6-8 weeks and see how life in FL goes before making any permanent decisions. In the end, the biggest driver would be whether we’d save more money by living in FL because the cost of living is lower. Lots to research before I can make the call but I appreciate everyone’s input! Especially @JimMIA it was really helpful to see your costs for all of those expenses!

Two comments:

1. One of the best suggestions I've seen in this thread is the one to rent for a year before you buy anything. That will give you SO much better idea what you want and what the relative values (to you) are. You found Windermere on the Internet. You may find a completely different area living there in person.
2. Keep in mind that the expenses I posted above are in an affluent neighborhood in Miami, not in Windermere. We have a lot of people here in Miami who are willing to work for practically nothing. Your expenses in the Orlando area may be more than ours...or less.

 

[Happyinwonerland]

I highly advise talking to the neighbors before you make any kind of offer. Ask them how they feel about the HOA, ask several different neighbors. Ask what crazy thing they got a fine for.

Stop by the neighborhoood pool on a saturday afternoon and see how crowded it is.

Check out traffic during commute hours. Double it Jan-May.

Look at the local school. Ask the charters how many hundreds of kids are on the wait list?

Will you miss raising your young kids near family and old friends?

 

[DisneyOma]

We have been to Florida 5 times since May. It is perfectly safe. Don’t succumb to scare tactics. Just practice safe habits and you’ll be fine.

First off, there's a big difference between visiting Florida (staying in a tourist place that depends on being safe to attract guests) and moving to an area that is demanding kids go back into school buildings even though the positive results of kids is rising quickly. If it is perfectly safe to be in Florida right now, why are the numbers so bad?

 

[jerseygal]

Rent in an area first for at least a year where you think that you may want to purchase. You really will get to know the vibe of the community by speaking with residents to determine if the town is one that you can girder purchasing a home. Sure, renting may be more expensive than buying, but it is prudent to take your time and not rush into a home purchase! Best of Luck!

 

[JimMIA]

First off, there's a big difference between visiting Florida (staying in a tourist place that depends on being safe to attract guests) and moving to an area that is demanding kids go back into school buildings even though the positive results of kids is rising quickly. If it is perfectly safe to be in Florida right now, why are the numbers so bad?

Nobody in Florida is "demanding" this nonsense.

Each county school system makes their own decisions based on their local situations. And if OP doesn't feel comfortable with those decisions, they have the option of using the excellent Florida Virtual Schools system.

The only requirement the state has put forth is that online schools must meet the same standards ALL schools must meet. Locally in South Florida, all of our school systems are starting out online.

 

[BrinkofSunshine]

I would really ask yourself what about Florida (and Windermere) draws you, aside from WDW and a larger house with a pool. I definitely think your idea of trying an AirBnB for 6-8 weeks is a good idea. Try and spend as much time as you can in the areas you're looking. Go to the shopping centers, grocery stores, local restaurants. I'd also encourage you to look at other areas of town. I think a lot of people move to the new developments in places like the new side of Windermere/Horizon West, Davenport, Clermont, etc. and find it so drastically different from the northeast that they hate it and end up moving back. Personally I don't see the appeal of those subdivisions with super identical houses on tiny lots that offer no walkability or sense of community and no charm. I'd consider areas that are more established/more organic, like around downtown Orlando and Winter Park. Just my two cents as a native Orlandoan.

 

[jerseygal]

I have heard from local parents that Windermere schools are good, BUT overcrowded. All the HS kids in Horizon West, many subdivisions, go to Windermere now and has created the need for a new HS. Windermere HS is not just comprised of Windermere residents. In fact, a brand new HS is being built right now in Horizons West, is slated to open in Sept of 21. We never researched "good" because our boys are adults now, but certainly was interested in moving to an area with good schools for potential resale if we decide to stay in the area after renting and purchasing a home. Excellent schools was always a factor in our home ownership in NJ and Ct, we wanted an excellent education for our sons and it drives resale. IF you are used to conveniences like we were in NJ, for example in Horizon West, since the master planned community is still being built out, has a few restaurants being built, Publix, Walmart are here. Supposedly Target is coming in as well. There are parts of Windermere closer to Universal that for us, are not convenient to stores, etc. There are however parts of Windermere which may be. There are many gated communities in Windermere which look lovely. Winderemere and Horizon West are fabulous for walking, biking, jogging, recreation areas. Waking up to sun truly puts a smile on my face. Coming from the north, the heat was an adjustment, but almost a year later, the heat is acceptable to us because we love a more outdoor, healthy lifestyle, love the resort style pools, gym, and clubhouse that many of these communities have. We bike, walk alot here and enjoy it! Our family is all up north, we truly miss them, but they enjoy coming here! We are fortunate enough to be able to fly back at least a couple times of year and we look forward to next summer driving up and staying a few weeks. Since you have school age children, research the schools carefully. Don't rush and "look before you leap"..Best of luck!

 

[TLSnell1981]

I think we may finally have the giant killer iguanas mostly under control.

I've only seen those in Guanacaste. They own the walkways but humans are allowed to use them

 

[LovesTimone]

Local here... Winter Garden... pretty much lived here in Fl my whole life, all over the state...

So here's what I can tell you...

Living here is totally different then coming here for a 10 night stay, or even multiple trips during the year and enjoying the weather, the parks, and doing whatever vacation thing that you enjoy...

Living in Florida, this is a hospitality state... from all the different theme parks, to beach's which line our state coastline which is almost all of it, fishing & hunting excursions, biking, hiking and natural trails, boating and site seeing trips, as well as several cruise ports, as well you have the snow birds, and a multitude of colleges which have college students.... So if you live here your not a tourist, nor are you on vacation, or on holiday... This becomes your life... dealing with the the millions and millions of people world wide that come to soak up some of our sun, sand and surf, play in our theme parks, cruise from our ports, ... Realistically you have to get in your mind... your not on vacation once you live here full time... this becomes your life... and I am not complaining, We love our visitors...

So you need to think about things such as;

Hurricane insurance, flood insurance, sink hole insurance, on top of your home owners insurance.. As well depending on where you live, if you live in one of the evacuation zones, or low lying area or flood prone areas and not all of these are on the coast, will effect the cost of your home owners insurance... just because you live in the center of the state does not make you safe from the storms, we have been without power for 11 days, was the longest time... and we were living in Lakeland which is just down I-4 from Orlando...

POOL's - Your most likely going to want a pool, so a pool company... and we have had several home with pools and trust me with this one, and not unless you have a PHD in pool water are you going to want to take on, cleaning the pool, monitoring the chem levels in your pool... plan on having the motor, and such replaced every 2 to 4 years...

Lawn company - again this is something that we do pretty much year around is yard work... and who wants to mow, weed eat, and edge... trimming the bushes, trees, done weekly -(some time in the summer you have to mow more than once a week)... When on the weekends you could be at the parks, beaches, on a boat heading down the river...

Pest control - ants, roaches, and the plethora of other little bugs that share our Florida climate, they love the weather here...Mosquito control which normally is not included in your regular pest control ... as well as wild life control things like lizards, snakes, alligators, raccoons, possums, birds, bat's, owls to name a few.... you might need to use from time to time... Oh and our bi-yearly fight with the love bugs...

Traffic... it is a real adventure driving here... so traffic revolves around the normal work traffic morning and night, then you have the theme park folks trying to get to work... as well as the tourist traffic for opening and closing times, dinner hour traffic which includes tourist and locals alike... and lots of people who come here, and things like stop signs, and red light are a suggestions in their home countries, Yay so much fun! ... and all the ongoing construction on the road ways, which is never ending... Toll Pass is your friend... I think as well car insurance here is much higher, as well as car maintenance.. especially if you live more toward the coast...

Seasons - Hot, Hotter, Hottest, and only once in a while you get "wow what a nice day"... those are our seasons... The only way you really know that the seasons are going to change is that Hobby Lobby, and Kirkland's has out the holiday decor'

HOA's here are a big business, and they rule... Some are about house paint colors, or a shed that has to match the house, what type of fence, style and color, even height.. some even so much as what you can put in your yard, like color of your mulch, type of outdoor lighting, flowering plants and trees.. how many cars you can park in front of your house, things like overnight parking, make sure you know what they rules are before you ever think about buying into a development... If you live in a gated community, your HOA fee will be doubled or tripled, due to the fact the HOA and homeowners must maintain the roads behind the gate... the city, county and state will not handle road repairs..

Who knows in 10 years the tourist will call you a local...

 

[delmar411]

Two comments:

1. One of the best suggestions I've seen in this thread is the one to rent for a year before you buy anything. That will give you SO much better idea what you want and what the relative values (to you) are. You found Windermere on the Internet. You may find a completely different area living there in person.
2. Keep in mind that the expenses I posted above are in an affluent neighborhood in Miami, not in Windermere. We have a lot of people here in Miami who are willing to work for practically nothing. Your expenses in the Orlando area may be more than ours...or less.

My costs in Clermont are the same as yours in Miami. We pay $70/mth for our pool guy (comes every week) and have since we moved here in 2013. $90/quarter for pest control and that is inside and out. Our HOA dues are just under $670/quarter and that includes all landscaping/lawn, internet, phone, cable, garbage, plus the clubhouse.

The auto insurance is what feel pricey since we are now at $250/mth and were at $75/mth in IN. But driving around here is very dangerous and it seems people are extremely sue happy so I get why it is so high.