Anyone live in Florida know any mildly affordable towns to move to?

[T&C]

7 hours ago, Jauronimo said:

Selling your house at the top of the market is awesome. Until you remember you need a place to live and have to buy a house during peak market.

Too many variables with that. Could own another property, live with family/friends until where/what state to move to is decided, could live in a camper behind a truck while deciding, etc. on and on. Tons of options really.

[Nextmanup]

1 hour ago, T&C said:

Too many variables with that. Could own another property, live with family/friends until where/what state to move to is decided, could live in a camper behind a truck while deciding, etc. on and on. Tons of options really.

Some time around the year 2001, a colleague of mine (lawyer in Washington DC) realized that the housing market was nuts and his townhouse in the Kalorama Triangle neighborhood of DC had shot way up in value.

 

He had bought it in around $190,000 and its value at that time was like $700,000. 

 

So he and his partner sold the property, quit their jobs, and were heading off to tour the American southwest for a year or 2, living off the profit from the sale.  And then they'd worry about getting back into their careers down the road. 

 

I never heard how the story ended, but I always admired the guy for going for it like that.

I would never be able to do something that "risky."

 

 

[mead107]

11 hours ago, Nextmanup said:

Some time around the year 2001, a colleague of mine (lawyer in Washington DC) realized that the housing market was nuts and his townhouse in the Kalorama Triangle neighborhood of DC had shot way up in value.

 

He had bought it in around $190,000 and its value at that time was like $700,000. 

 

So he and his partner sold the property, quit their jobs, and were heading off to tour the American southwest for a year or 2, living off the profit from the sale.  And then they'd worry about getting back into their careers down the road. 

 

I never heard how the story ended, but I always admired the guy for going for it like that.

I would never be able to do something that "risky."

 

 

Hou can always get a job at Walmart 🥸

[MarkyMannn]

I'm staying January on Manasota Key on Gulf Coast. Beautiful. Expensive. Some thoughts

 

Temps mid 70 feels warmer. Sun higher in sky? My friend just sold his house near Buffalo paid $8k in taxes. Bought house here for same price pays $900. No state income tax. Lower sales taxes. And think about a car should last forever without road salt. Those are some significant savings over being in NYS. 

[Helpmenow]

On 12/28/2021 at 5:15 PM, JaCrispy said:

I’ve never been, and am seriously looking to get out of NYS before sh!t hits the fan...any help would be appreciated...thanks! 👍

Looking as well

Wife and I have had it here in NYS. Will be moving for the fourth time outta states

[Nextmanup]

18 hours ago, Helpmenow said:

Looking as well

Wife and I have had it here in NYS. Will be moving for the fourth time outta states

What made you leave San Diego?  That general area is some of the nicest America you can live in.

 

 

[Augie]

On 1/13/2022 at 3:07 PM, MarkyMannn said:

I'm staying January on Manasota Key on Gulf Coast. Beautiful. Expensive. Some thoughts

 

Temps mid 70 feels warmer. Sun higher in sky? My friend just sold his house near Buffalo paid $8k in taxes. Bought house here for same price pays $900. No state income tax. Lower sales taxes. And think about a car should last forever without road salt. Those are some significant savings over being in NYS. 

 

First of all, GOOD FOR YOU getting January on Manasota Key! We lived in nearby Sarasota for 18 years and I did a bit of work on Manasota Key. Not as hyped or expensive as nearby Casey Key, and it seems to have higher elevations (in general) making it a little safer during storm season. 

 

The feel of the heat may be related to the humidity, which can be horrific for some people (like my wife), while I happen to LOVE it! (As long as I’m in shorts and a tee shirt, my preferred attire every day of the year!)

 

Florida does everything they can to tax the tourists/part-timers and spare the residents. This means higher taxes on gas, hotel stays, seasonal rental stays, restaurants, park attendance and even some well know speed traps that fund some small towns. One guy got so mad he bought billboards warning people on both side of these towns. I mean, this made 60 Minutes! Hysterical! 

 

If you homestead your property your property taxes can only go up like 2-3% a year. You have to be a resident 6 months and a day to homestead, so some snowbirds would give my mother (who managed a resort property)  a credit card to buy a tank of gas or something every week and mail the receipts. People can buy from a long term resident who pays maybe $900/year and taxes, but upon purchase it might adjust to $20k/year. I’ve seen that bite some unsuspecting folks on the arse. 

 

I left for college when I was 17, so 18 years in Sarasota is the longest I’ve ever lived anywhere. It feels like “home”. My goal is to get back one day, but it’s so CRAZY expensive right now I’m not so sure it will be any time soon. I recently looked at our last two neighborhoods there for listings. Over 1,000 houses, and only one active listing at that time. That is NOT normal or sustainable. A repeat of the 2006 crash may be on it’s way. Google “real estate cycles”  and you will probably have 18 years pop up in some results. You can do the math, and it wouldn’t surprise me at all. I plan to be ready! 

[Nextmanup]

On 1/13/2022 at 3:07 PM, MarkyMannn said:

I'm staying January on Manasota Key on Gulf Coast. Beautiful. Expensive. Some thoughts

 

Temps mid 70 feels warmer. Sun higher in sky? My friend just sold his house near Buffalo paid $8k in taxes. Bought house here for same price pays $900. No state income tax. Lower sales taxes. And think about a car should last forever without road salt. Those are some significant savings over being in NYS. 

You are forgetting about "air salt" which is everywhere down here if you are near the coast and utterly gets at everything.

 

Folks in my neighborhood have those screened in cages surrounding pools and back patios.  The metal framework that creates the "cage" corrodes so badly in the salt air that they need to be routinely pressure washed to keep them in good shape.

 

You don't have to worry about "road salt" but it's worse in some respects.

This is why no car guy hunts for a perfect vintage car in FLA FFS.

 

Dry arid areas are better, as long as the car has been out of the sun.

 

Think inner southern Cali, the SW, Texas.

 

No state income tax in FL is nice, but don't focus on taxes.  Focus on COST OF LIVING.

 

Where I live a decent 4 bedroom house is around $650,000 plus.

 

WNYers love to B word about taxes but forget they are living in some of the cheapest overall cost of living in the country, and housing is dirt cheap.

 

 

[ExiledInIllinois]

24 minutes ago, Nextmanup said:

You are forgetting about "air salt" which is everywhere down here if you are near the coast and utterly gets at everything.

 

Folks in my neighborhood have those screened in cages surrounding pools and back patios.  The metal framework that creates the "cage" corrodes so badly in the salt air that they need to be routinely pressure washed to keep them in good shape.

 

You don't have to worry about "road salt" but it's worse in some respects.

This is why no car guy hunts for a perfect vintage car in FLA FFS.

 

Dry arid areas are better, as long as the car has been out of the sun.

 

Think inner southern Cali, the SW, Texas.

 

No state income tax in FL is nice, but don't focus on taxes.  Focus on COST OF LIVING.

 

Where I live a decent 4 bedroom house is around $650,000 plus.

 

WNYers love to B word about taxes but forget they are living in some of the cheapest overall cost of living in the country, and housing is dirt cheap.

 

 

Yeah!

 

And places like Florida encouraging people to live in the climate change danger zones with incentives like cheaper taxes when they should be discouraging them... The rest of nation just picks up tab for rebuilding them after say hurricanes.  There probably should be an income tax in these states that are encouraging bad migration.  The North has to pay for their own snow removal... So should the danger zones with their own tax dollars for the destruction global climate change is causing.  That migration is part of the change!

Edited January 15, 2022 by ExiledInIllinois

[Helpmenow]

On 1/14/2022 at 12:45 PM, Nextmanup said:

What made you leave San Diego?  That general area is some of the nicest America you can live in.

 

 

Cost of housing 

Just now, Helpmenow said:

Cost of housing 

Overcrowding that too

14 hours ago, Nextmanup said:

You are forgetting about "air salt" which is everywhere down here if you are near the coast and utterly gets at everything.

 

Folks in my neighborhood have those screened in cages surrounding pools and back patios.  The metal framework that creates the "cage" corrodes so badly in the salt air that they need to be routinely pressure washed to keep them in good shape.

 

You don't have to worry about "road salt" but it's worse in some respects.

This is why no car guy hunts for a perfect vintage car in FLA FFS.

 

Dry arid areas are better, as long as the car has been out of the sun.

 

Think inner southern Cali, the SW, Texas.

 

No state income tax in FL is nice, but don't focus on taxes.  Focus on COST OF LIVING.

 

Where I live a decent 4 bedroom house is around $650,000 plus.

 

WNYers love to B word about taxes but forget they are living in some of the cheapest overall cost of living in the country, and housing is dirt cheap.

 

 

That’s great the last paragraph but us it’s all about the sunshine. Something lacking here

[Saxum]

On 1/15/2022 at 5:45 AM, ExiledInIllinois said:

Yeah!

 

And places like Florida encouraging people to live in the climate change danger zones with incentives like cheaper taxes when they should be discouraging them... The rest of nation just picks up tab for rebuilding them after say hurricanes.  There probably should be an income tax in these states that are encouraging bad migration.  The North has to pay for their own snow removal... So should the danger zones with their own tax dollars for the destruction global climate change is causing.  That migration is part of the change!

 

The whole migration to the south started after TVA was created.  This enabled water and power to be available making parts of the south including Florida / North Cuba livable.

[ExiledInIllinois]

24 minutes ago, Limeaid said:

 

The whole migration to the south started after TVA was created.  This enabled water and power to be available making parts of the south including Florida / North Cuba livable.

Now YOU did it! 😉 

 

AC.  Yes.  Mechanical air conditioning! Needs power! 😉 

[TBBills]

Lots of people that moved here in the past couple of years are now being forced out b.c Florida doesn't have a rent limit so places are raising the rent 300-500+ per month to people that just moved in a year or two ago.

[The Dean]

There are affordable areas.  As stated, they tend to be inland. A question I'd ask myself is, "Do I really want to live in Palatka*?"

 

* whatever inland town you may be looking at 

 

I basically moved here to help my sister take care of our ailing mother,  father and brother.  I knew St Augustine was OK, so it wasn't a hard decision.  If they lived south or inland, I sometimes wonder if I would have left San Francisco. 

[T&C]

38 minutes ago, The Dean said:

There are affordable areas.  As stated, they tend to be inland. A question I'd ask myself is, "Do I really want to live in Palatka*?"

 

* whatever inland town you may be looking at 

 

I basically moved here to help my sister take care of our ailing mother,  father and brother.  I knew St Augustine was OK, so it wasn't a hard decision.  If they lived south or inland, I sometimes wonder if I would have left San Francisco. 

I wouldn't want to live in the middle of this state no matter where. Tampa burbs (10 miles east of Tpa) "works" but if there was no such thing as a hurricane I wouldn't mind it as much. I really need hills and mountains to really be happy though. I could make 300k profit if I sold my house and land but then it's a matter of where to go. I'll have more clarity in January.

[Augie]

50 minutes ago, The Dean said:

There are affordable areas.  As stated, they tend to be inland. A question I'd ask myself is, "Do I really want to live in Palatka*?"

 

* whatever inland town you may be looking at 

 

I basically moved here to help my sister take care of our ailing mother,  father and brother.  I knew St Augustine was OK, so it wasn't a hard decision.  If they lived south or inland, I sometimes wonder if I would have left San Francisco. 

 

I’m more of a Gulf coast guy in terms of preference. Returning to Sarasota is my dream, but some things will have to change before I can accept how expensive it is now.

 

Having said that, St Augustine would be my first choice on the east coast based on what I know so far. We lived in Hilton Head Island, SC and learned to love the low country with the beautiful marshes and tidal creeks. Our very first house had a view over the marsh looking out across Calibogue Sound. Stunningly beautiful, and it has a different look every hour of every day. 

 

We were in San Francisco a few weeks ago. Actually, most of our time was spent in Half Moon Bay at the beautiful Ritz Carlton and up in quaint and lovely Healdsburg by the vineyards and wine tasting. My wife’s co-workers in the Bay Area strongly suggested we stay away from the city. Apparently the homelessness and crime is at all-time levels and best to be avoided. Such a shame, on so many levels. 

[DrW]

1 hour ago, The Dean said:

There are affordable areas.  As stated, they tend to be inland. A question I'd ask myself is, "Do I really want to live in Palatka*?"

 

* whatever inland town you may be looking at 

 

 

Realistically, we will probably retire to somewhere close to the kids.

 

However, one place in inland Florida I could imagine to live would be Ocala. I love the Ocala National Forest/Wilderness, and the Juniper Springs canoe run is one of the most beautiful in the US (and well manageable for senior citizens). Furthermore, one of my hobbies are model railroads, and the largest US brass model dealer is located in Ocala.  

[The Dean]

28 minutes ago, Augie said:

 

I’m more of a Gulf coast guy in terms of preference. Returning to Sarasota is my dream, but some things will have to change before I can accept how expensive it is now.

 

Having said that, St Augustine would be my first choice on the east coast based on what I know so far. We lived in Hilton Head Island, SC and learned to love the low country with the beautiful marshes and tidal creeks. Our very first house had a view over the marsh looking out across Calibogue Sound. Stunningly beautiful, and it has a different look every hour of every day. 

 

We were in San Francisco a few weeks ago. Actually, most of our time was spent in Half Moon Bay at the beautiful Ritz Carlton and up in quaint and lovely Healdsburg by the vineyards and wine tasting. My wife’s co-workers in the Bay Area strongly suggested we stay away from the city. Apparently the homelessness and crime is at all-time levels and best to be avoided. Such a shame, on so many levels. 

 

 

I really like the Gulf Coast. Not sure how affordable it is, but I'd go to Punta Gorda in a heartbeat.

 

 

2 minutes ago, DrW said:

 

Realistically, we will probably retire to somewhere close to the kids.

 

However, one place in inland Florida I could imagine to live would be Ocala. I love the Ocala National Forest/Wilderness, and the Juniper Springs canoe run is one of the most beautiful in the US (and well manageable for senior citizens). Furthermore, one of my hobbies are model railroads, and the largest US brass model dealer is located in Ocala.  

 

 

Love the Ocala forest area. So I'd consider that an inland exception.

[T&C]

20 minutes ago, DrW said:

 

Realistically, we will probably retire to somewhere close to the kids.

 

However, one place in inland Florida I could imagine to live would be Ocala. I love the Ocala National Forest/Wilderness, and the Juniper Springs canoe run is one of the most beautiful in the US (and well manageable for senior citizens). Furthermore, one of my hobbies are model railroads, and the largest US brass model dealer is located in Ocala.  

I would have to agree... have done it around 6 times, it really is the best if you can be one of the 1st say 5 canoe's out. Me and a chick made homemade strawberry wine in the late 80's and took a bottle with us. Turns out it was 14proof and we were hammered as hell at the end when the van and trailer came for pickup. Plus weed so we were kind of messy lol. 

[Augie]

23 minutes ago, The Dean said:

 

 

I really like the Gulf Coast. Not sure how affordable it is, but I'd go to Punta Gorda in a heartbeat.

 

Love the Ocala forest area. So I'd consider that an inland exception.

 

I don’t know Punta Gorda well, but have been there for a variety of reasons. My youngest son and I almost died in a horrific accident on I-75 as I took him to a tennis tournament down there. The shock of my life! We were fortunate to come away unscathed. 

 

Ocala is like the Kentucky horse country with rolling hills and white fences holding in all those beautiful creatures. You might forget where you are as you pass thru Ocala. 

 

Our kids used to play high school sports in LaBelle, FL (east of Ft Myers). In LaBelle you don’t forget where you are, you forget when you are. It’s like stepping back in time, with public schools praying before football games. I don’t mind that, but it’s………..different.  One year we had a long heat lighting delay. My wife tried to leave the stadium to go get a nerf football to throw around while we killed time. She was stopped at the gate and told she would have to pay again to re-enter. She pointed out the bus was only about 50 feet away. Security explained that they had a problem with people selling and doing drugs in the parking lot. She pointed out she was a mother in her 40’s at the time. “I realize that, ma’am, but it’s usually the parents selling the drugs to the kids in the parking lot.” Oh……what do you say to that? Add the cost of re-admission to the cost of drugs! 

 

 

.

Edited July 14, 2022 by Augie