Florida bound ...

[rayinpenn]

Last year after retiring and selling their NY home my SIL / BIL stayed with us two days before heading to Florida. They were not sure they could tolerate the heat and we're going to "look around" - at least that's what they said. Well a few weeks later my wife tells me they contracted to have a home built on a golf course in a closed development. We both wondered what happened to change their minds.

They just spent the last few days with us after spending the holidays up north with the kids. The BIL said the market was really "hot" down there and they had looked at both new and used homes. They showed me the brochures of the home and the contract list with all the extras - all in 480k. (Yeah a Yankee pool). There will be more after the build of maybe another $20k. It while not as big as my my other SIL's Florida home will no doubt be gorgeous. A beautiful kitchen with obligatory island, stainless steel appliances and kinds of beautiful pavers around the pool.

My wife saw the first SIL's kitchen with the aircraft carrier island and her eyes popped. The standard has been set - except for a few little things - I don't golf, I've had a pool for 15 years and I'm not sure I want another home to maintain. I kinda think I want turn key condo simplicity / freedom with maybe a second summer cabin/ranch in the hills of NC.

I see trouble brewing...

Edit: 20 minutes later
1) kick butt luxurious airstream travel trailer $150k (LY) $130k (classic)
http://www.airstream.com/travel-trailers/land-yacht/

Space for 1 dog and 1 wife
2) diesel truck to pull aforementioned $55k
3) new fishing rods and tackle $300. Already have camping chairs.

Low of 17 on Monday now where's the nearest airstream dealer?

 

[HadEnuff]

I'm with you, Brother. Simple is better.

Best of luck on this one.

 

[user5027]

Throw in an 8 foot folding table to setup under the roll out canopy and call it the kitchen island.

Thank your in-laws for the housing turn around.

 

[Throwdownmyaceinthehole]

If I was in the market, I'd sure be looking in South Texas Eagle Ford shale area for used RV's, travel trailers. So many companies going belly up and they were using trailers for housing, there has to be a glut.

 

[REWahoo]

If I was in the market, I'd sure be looking in South Texas Eagle Ford shale area for used RV's, travel trailers. So many companies going belly up and they were using trailers for housing, there has to be a glut.

You might stumble across a real bargain, but good luck in finding a quality RV much less one in good shape.

Not many Airstreams or other high-end brands were used for daily housing in the oil patch and few RV's hold up well to that type of use. Most RVs aren't designed to be lived in year round/full time and will be rough around the edges after a few months of constant use - and really sad after a couple of years.

 

[audreyh1]

They pretty much use 5th wheels, and well used I imagine.

 

[rayinpenn]

Alright looks like I could get a used classic for $70-$80k still need the truck. I won't go used on that because some of the older diesels have problems...


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[W2R]

I think either an RV, a tiny condo, or maybe just plain renting down there sounds a lot better than spending $480K for another house to maintain.

The BIL said the market was really "hot" down there

I have heard that, too. Parenthetically, I am SO GLAD for Floridians that their real estate market has had such a great recovery! For a few years it looked pretty grim.

 

[Fermion]

Alright looks like I could get a used classic for $70-$80k still need the truck. I won't go used on that because some of the older diesels have problems...


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Hah, we went the other way and purchased a 2006 diesel so we would not have the issues of the newer diesels.

Also will be heading to Florida but not permanently. Maybe snowbird a bit in our RV. It is 27 degrees here in Seattle right now.

 

[rayinpenn]

Hah, we went the other way and purchased a 2006 diesel so we would not have the issues of the newer diesels.

Also will be heading to Florida but not permanently. Maybe snowbird a bit in our RV. It is 27 degrees here in Seattle right now.

I didn't say all old diesels are bad! Neither are all new ones... Scary what I read on the ford blogs..


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[Nemo2]

I used to haul my 5th wheel with an old F250 Turbo Diesel.....last one before they introduced the Power Stroke......chugged along, but real slow going up steep hills with the trailer attached.

 

[38Chevy454]

Travel trailer, 5th wheel, motorhome, there are many ways to do the RV thing. You might look into Class A MH with your budget range, lot of nice used ones in your budget. Read up on sister site to this one, iRV2 Forum | - RV Forum Community and RV News and you will get as much info as you could want. It really is just your choice, each has some advantages.

I hear you on getting tired of cold winter, just today I am finally getting above freezing after over 1 week of below avg temps and big snowstorm. Warmer climate is certainly becoming more appealing to me as I enter the less than 6 months countdown.

 

[rayinpenn]

Looking in the ford diesel blog I see a lot of comments about regen and rough running...$50k and rough running Jesus ford get it right.


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[aja8888]

Looking in the ford diesel blog I see a lot of comments about regen and rough running...$50k and rough running Jesus ford get it right.


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Go to the Ram Ecodiesel Forum and read about the V6 diesel engines scattering the bottom end at less than 20,000 miles. They are spinning bearings and breaking connecting rods. Then you have the late model issues with the very expensive diesel particulate filters cracking.

 

[aja8888]

I have heard that, too. Parenthetically, I am SO GLAD for Floridians that their real estate market has had such a great recovery! For a few years it looked pretty grim.

I suppose it's been long enough now so that the word "Hurricane" has been taken out of the Florida state dictionary.

 

[Richard4444]

I live in a Condo in South Florida, having ERed from Boston 19 years ago. In reference to the OP, I have seen that movie many times, just the actors are different. Potential retirees come just "to look," they go to a new development, the salespeople are excellent and they end up with a brand new large home with bells and whistles, and the sales person's story of how this is a great place to live, wonderful neighbors just like you, etc., etc. They pay only half of what Northern homes the same size go for. But - you only get that 'half-off' once: the first time you move.
Then as this movie progresses, regret sets in once the place is set up. You rarely make 'new' old friends, live in a remote area, never use the pool, and after they decide to sell the home for better quality of life, $100,000 ++ is lost from the transaction.
Smaller is better, turnkey is better, simplify is better, and I suggest to rent for a year before you buy in a new area.

Rich

 

[jfn111]

I'm heading to Florida next Mon. We got a rental down in Marco Island for 2 weeks and we're bringing the daughter and her family with us.
For me, a 2 week break from the Minnesota winter is perfect.

 

[Aerides]

Don't decide to live in Florida based on anything it seems like from October to June, especially south of Orlando. I love it here, but I'm acclimated and that takes years.

Ask your wife to find a place to rent and stay the summer - the full July/August/September (it will still be over 90F/90%H on Sept30) - and then decide. It's a seller's market right now as well, and that should slow down a bit when interest rates creep up.

 

[ivinsfan]

We really love the Saint George/Ivins area of Southern Utah, it's the snowbird area for a lot of Utah, Wyoming, Idaho people. I have many family in that area, so in the early 2000's we started looking for a possible second home. It was during the boom and everything was new build. After about 4 years of looking, during an open house we had a realtor tell us, You guys are just lookers and really don't want to buy a house, 90% of people buy the first time they look and the other 9% buys the second time. You are part of the 1% that will never buy. He was right, we decided we didn't want the hassle of a second home.

Moral of that story, don't look at homes if you aren't certain you want one or if you are swayed easily by marketing and pretty things!

 

[Bamaman]

Stepdaughter's $250K house outside St. Augustine is beautiful, but it's only worth $180K now due to 2008 real estate flop that's still continuing. The problem is that the HOA fees and property taxes are $5500 per year--on $180k. Homeowners' insurance must be out of sight.

I have two friends with $2,000,000 houses in Florida--with $12,000 property taxes each. I've never asked how much homeowners' insurance is. I'm sure the insurance cost would scare me--more than my total cost of homeownership.

If you choose the Florida lifestyle, it's going to come at a price. I just choose to live the simple life--going between my Mid South home and our 5th wheel RV in the No. GA. Mountains. We don't wear coats but a few times per year anyway.

 

[COHgirl]

We are running away from Florida

We are heading down in a few weeks to get the condo ready to sell. It's about $120k. Insurance is almost $3k a year and HOA is $210 monthly. It's a nice place but it's located in the Winter Haven area. We figured for what it costs yearly to keep that place we could spend the same for a couple of months at the beach. Less responsibility.

 

[rayinpenn]

............We figured for what it costs yearly to keep that place we could spend the same for a couple of months at the beach. Less responsibility.

A week at the beach here could easily be a couple of grand. But I understand the responsibility thing I've got a rental property that we will need to sell.



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[HadEnuff]

We are running away from Florida

We are heading down in a few weeks to get the condo ready to sell. It's about $120k. Insurance is almost $3k a year and HOA is $210 monthly. It's a nice place but it's located in the Winter Haven area. We figured for what it costs yearly to keep that place we could spend the same for a couple of months at the beach. Less responsibility.

As I step into retirement, this is our mindset as well. We enjoy NY State weather except for 3 or 4 months. I don't want the hassle of owning a property 1200 miles away, and as far as the expense, for 2-4 months, better to rent. Also, this way, we aren't locked into a single location.

 

[rayinpenn]

As I step into retirement, this is our mindset as well. We enjoy NY State weather except for 3 or 4 months. I don't want the hassle of owning a property 1200 miles away, and as far as the expense, for 2-4 months, better to rent. Also, this way, we aren't locked into a single location.

We have a small family condo in Florida - not exactly what we want but a place to stay until we figure it out.


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