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Old 09-21-2013, 02:42 PM   #21
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Be careful about where you choose to be. Most if not all of FLA is hot and very humid in Summer. We rented inland then quickly decided it HAD to be coastal FLA for the nice Breezes. The Villages is VERY hot and humid. We lived in SoCAL for almost 20 years before moving to NE FLA and it took a lot of time to a) Get used to the much slower pace of life, b) We were in "Perfect" weather withdrawal for a long time too.

We chose coastal small town FLA for a few more reasons other than those mentioned above:

1) Everyone is really friendly and crime is really low

2) Everybody always seems happy here and generally in no real rush, they are either on vacation (happy), retired (happy) or getting married (happy at least for the time they are here)

3) Traffic is manageable most days

4) Cost of Living is lower that SoCAL. (electric bills are half)

5) RE in our area is a little more than normal but in general it is very manageable

6) No income tax, low Sales Tax (6%), RE taxes are about 1.7% homestead takes $50k off Taxable Value (As opposed to say Houston's ~3%)

The downside is the heat and humidity, no seeums at dusk, old folk driving in the wrong direction and backwards all over the place .

The first 2 can be fixed by living within a couple of miles from the ocean and a screened in porch. The last unfortunately is an occupational hazard.

Enjoy.
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Old 09-21-2013, 02:48 PM   #22
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You have to take the pup, he's family.

Wasn't trying to compare you to OAG, just meant your plan seems like a good way to go in finding the area you want to settle. Good luck.
Thanks, Dawg. Of course, the pup will be with me no matter what and not taking him was never even considered (should have used a smiley). He is almost eleven now but hopefully has a couple of good years left in him. I decided that renting for 1-3 months in various areas might help me decide where I want to settle. Having lots of "stuff" to haul around or store just wouldn't work well.
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Old 09-21-2013, 03:03 PM   #23
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Khan, I don't have any words of wisdom to add, just good luck and happiness in your new home.

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Old 09-21-2013, 06:19 PM   #24
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I've been improving the place (mostly from a distance). Right now a person is installing a satellite dish and dvr.
Wow! That's going to be a big change for you, right?

Moving south sounds like a great idea. Best of luck!

I agree with those who are saying that the less you take, the better. My advice is to only keep those few things that cannot be replaced and are important to you. Replace the rest slowly, as needed, after you get down there.
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Old 09-21-2013, 07:12 PM   #25
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Anyone moving from So Cal to just about anywhere on the East Coast better be prepared for humidity. Of course, in FLA it is humid almost always. But humidity reigns on the east coast in general. I work with a lot of transplants from CA and this is always an adjustment for them.

As for moving furniture from a big place to smaller... When we moved my dad, I took the floor plans and transferred them to a Visio drawing. (Actually created it myself.) Visio has general furniture shapes. It was a TREMENDOUS help. We knew exactly what we could and could not move. In the future, if I move to a place with a hand-out floor plan, I'll do this again. Heck, even if I move to place without a floor plan, I may ask to create one anyway if the current owner will let me.
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Old 09-21-2013, 07:24 PM   #26
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Old 09-22-2013, 10:42 AM   #27
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We (DW & I) moved to Orlando area, hated it (way to commercial) left after 6 months & moved to NE FL really liked it and stayed there about 19 years. Moved a parent there also. However now have resided in OH for eight years about 50 miles East of you. We have lived all over the eastern US Alaska & Hawaii but really enjoy OH. To answer your question however endeavor to move as light as you can. Get rid of anything you will not absolutely need and have a identifiably specfic use for anything you take (no "nice to have" stuff). Lots of cheap lightly used stuff already down there. When we moved from VA to FL from 6 BR home (after 4 kids) we stored our stuff in a 10X10 storage location. It was tough to cut it down that much but it made the move much easier. However it sounds like you already have the FL home so moving in "stages" is probable and should be a bit easier. Good luck.
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Old 09-22-2013, 04:58 PM   #28
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You have to take the pup, he's family. You are downsizing big time. We had another poster(OAG) once who moved from city to city and rented furnished apartments. Looked like an interesting lifestyle as he moved around all over the country. He even had a blog about his adventures for a while. He was a little on the strange side though. Got banned from this site and his blog disappeared so don't know if he ever settled on a particular area. Wasn't trying to compare you to OAG, just meant your plan seems like a good way to go in finding the area you want to settle. Good luck.
I think you mean OAP (Old Age Pensioner)...

Kahn, take the stuff you want to surround you, like books, CDs/vinyl, easy chair?, then donate the rest. You won't miss it, or have to pay to move it!
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Old 09-22-2013, 05:35 PM   #29
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I think you mean OAP (Old Age Pensioner)...
Yes. I think I saw an OAG in the last day or two, must have been on my mind. Sorry OAG.
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Old 09-22-2013, 05:52 PM   #30
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We moved to the West Coast last year after jettisoning 70% of our stuff. The process of downsizing was lengthy (6 months) and a bit painful at times (lots of second-guessing). So I would advise to start ASAP.
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Old 09-23-2013, 11:39 AM   #31
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Before making the commitment to moving why not give it a six month trial run .A lot of people love Florida but some hate it and end up moving back . If you love it get rid of 90% of your stuff . I moved down furniture only to donate a lot of it to the Salvation army within a year .Keep a coat in case you need to make a trip up north but get rid of all wool clothes.
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Old 09-23-2013, 11:59 AM   #32
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We sold everything that did not mean anything to us, including furniture, TVs etc. basically anything that was replaceable (to us). we had 50 other boxes of other stuff that we took with us. Rented Furnished for 2 years, Bought new everything else when we settled.
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Old 09-23-2013, 05:47 PM   #33
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I'm moving from a small 3 bedroom house to a part of a small 2 bedroom. Won't be taking much.
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Old 09-24-2013, 06:33 AM   #34
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Dealing with my parents' stuff has been eye opening experience. I hope to continue to lighten my load as I go on.
That was an eye-opener for us too and FIL didn't really have all that much. Not even close to a candidate for Hoarders.

I'm halfway thinking an option is to decide what we want to keep, then call an auctioneer and say "Make the rest go away".

In dealing with FIL's stuff one guy who did hauling said "There's no such thing as junk!" after learning we'd thrown some stuff out that we thought would be useless to anyone, like a thin sheet metal desk with a bent leg. Although it's possible he's a candidate for Hoarders....
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Old 09-24-2013, 06:49 AM   #35
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I have a big issue with downsizing, I know it is my issue. We have 3,300 sqft at the moment. I know it sounds like a lot, but the ONLY part we do not use is the Guest Suite, Frankly I wish we did not have it. It is over the garage and has to be kept cooler than with the AC off (It has it's own AC). It is about 400sqft including it's on suite bathroom. It reminds me of a large hotel room. The house in general 1 a 3 bedroom with Formal Open Dining Area and Study/4th Bedroom. We really do use it all. Dining Not so much.
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Old 09-24-2013, 07:16 AM   #36
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I started a new thread that those wanting to move may find useful. It is the basic cost of home ownership in my locale if NE Florida. I encourage others to post similar info as it will help folk understand the cost of home ownership in different areas of the country. If you are in Canada, that would be good info too.

http://www.early-retirement.org/foru...ml#post1359958
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