Florida.......

[Grannie Annie]

Hi, I've heard house prices are very cheap .. compared to prices here in Australia, and I'd like to talk to someone about them and what things are like in Florida....just out of curiousity really...

Cheers,

Anne from Western Australia.

 

[Sunnys]

Hello... maybe I can help you. I am not a realtor, but, I live here... as far as prices go, check maybe zillow.com or trulia. That will give you an idea of home prices.

 

[Rememberme]

Hi, Yes prices are super in Forida.May I ad the cost of insurance also is something to consider.I live inland and the insurance is high.So depending on coastal area or inland or other factors the insurance could be higher than other areas in the states.Every since all the hurricanes the insurance has gone up and up.I pay $2300 per year.I have made not any claims and we have not had a hurricane through here since 2004.Thought you might take that into consideration.Big draw is no state tax though.

 

[drjean]

If I'm not mistaken, the money there and here is equal, right? But your regular salaries are much higher, aren't they, with the average for say a waitress or service provider being at about $23,000? You won't get that here... I don't know what other type salaries are but the poverty rate is high with over 10% unemployed (minimum).

Yes there are many homes that have been foreclosed upon...or in the process. Those that have been left empty though are often torn up some by "squatters" who are homeless that have moved in without permission. Some of the homes are stripped by the previous owners, angry at the mortgage companies (banks) for stealing their homes etc. But there are still many bargains.... homes that were selling for $500k at their peak are now worth about $250k or less.

Yes, the insurances are high though. You must have hurricane insurance unless you buy "in the pan handle" like Pensacola (I have no idea why they get away with that)... and then that doesn't include flood insurance (so if you do buy, make sure it's in a "no flood" X zone...and then just buy content insurance for about $100 a year. Otherwise, it's about $2300 on a home worth about $150k. Real estate taxes are about that much as well, depending upon what county you live in.

Health insurance is among the highest here as well. . .

But 6 months out of the year it is the greatest place to be... the other 6 months are dependent upon tropical storms (no hurricane here in South FL since 2005-- we're "due" but I've petition God!)

 

[TheyCallMeDave]

Hi, I've heard house prices are very cheap .. compared to prices here in Australia, and I'd like to talk to someone about them and what things are like in Florida....just out of curiousity really...

Cheers,

Anne from Western Australia.

Home prices vary widely depending on where in the state of Florida you go. Some of the very cheapest are in the FLorida Panhandle which is the Northwest part of the state with the nearest major city being Pensacola. I moved to the Panhandle about 1 hour east of Pensacola and bought a decent house trailer out in the woods, 3 bedroom, totally redone inside and out, on an acre of wooded land, close to Interstate 10 Highway, 40 minutes from excellent beaches on the Gulf Coast, etc....and i paid $58,000 for mine with paultry annual property taxes of $70 per year . It is cheap living , very comfortable, nice being in nature all the time, and i love the strong Christian culture in this part of Florida. Some things which tend to be higher in price are Car Insurance and House Insurance but even so, living rurally in Florida is a real attraction cause you dont need a ton of money to swing it . The people here are very nice, hospitable, layed back, and it was easy for me to make friends when i moved here 3 years ago. Keep in mind that jobs are not as good in this section of Florida as they are in Central and South FLorida .. the closer you live to a very major city in FLorida the better your chances of employment become .

 

[AgapeBible]

Just to warn you, the Miami Dade county and Lee County, Fort Myers, in south Florida, is not a good area, there is a lot of crime in Miami and Fort Myers. Home Stead, which is near Miami, also has a lot of crime. I'd be careful around the southern tip of Florida, there are a lot of bad people and crime there, it is not a good area. I live in south west Florida. Thank God I don't live in Fort Myers!