Florida and real estate agent

[crazyforlatin]

I know an 80 year old (good health) who is insisting on flying this weekend into Florida to look for a house preferably under $120k. It doesn’t really matter which city (he wants me to choose, I’ve never been in Florida), but I think somewhere within reasonable driving distance of an airport would be easier for him. I’ve briefly looked into homes within that price range. It seems like upper part of Florida near Tallahassee have these homes. Are there other places I should look at? Or places to avoid?

And if you guys know of any real estate agents, please let me know via pm if better. I might choose the city or nearby cities where the agent works as the place to start for him to look for a home. 

It’s a life long dream of his to own a home in Florida so I’m not able to dissuade him. 

[maize]

Marvin is a realtor in Tallahassee, my parents have known him for years and recommended him to me when we were considering buying in the area:

https://www.zillow.com/profile/marvingoldstein7

[crazyforlatin]

9 minutes ago, maize said:

Marvin is a realtor in Tallahassee, my parents have known him for years and recommended him to me when we were considering buying in the area:

https://www.zillow.com/profile/marvingoldstein7

Thanks so much! I’m going to email him tomorrow morning. 

[Grace Hopper]

Be sure he factors the cost of homeowners insurance into his housing budget. Depending on where he chooses to live, it can be quite high. 

[crazyforlatin]

2 minutes ago, Grace Hopper said:

Be sure he factors the cost of homeowners insurance into his housing budget. Depending on where he chooses to live, it can be quite high. 

He’s from the Bay Area so really anything seems reasonable. I’m hoping the agent can explain things to him.

[popmom]

DeFuniak Springs is nice, too, if a small town is preferred. I like Jacksonville, too, but it might be more expensive than Tallahassee. Both should have good health care options.

My sister in law lived in Chiefland for many years. I would think he would be able to find something in his price range in that general area as it's not very touristy at all. I know my SIl's house would have been in his price range. And it's not far from Gainesville for good health care. Quick drive to Tampa beaches. 

[crazyforlatin]

2 hours ago, popmom said:

DeFuniak Springs is nice, too, if a small town is preferred. I like Jacksonville, too, but it might be more expensive than Tallahassee. Both should have good health care options.

My sister in law lived in Chiefland for many years. I would think he would be able to find something in his price range in that general area as it's not very touristy at all. I know my SIl's house would have been in his price range. And it's not far from Gainesville for good health care. Quick drive to Tampa beaches. 

Thank you! This is really helpful. Some of the $100k homes are run down, fixer uppers, so I’m hoping that maybe small towns will have better options for him.  

[Brittany1116]

I am scratching my head trying to think of where someone could find a place under 100k that isn't run down. Everyone has been moving here, the market stays up, and even mobile homes have doubled in price. Not trying to discourage you; just being honest.

I am in a small town surrounded by small towns. A 1400 sf builder grade house on .4 acres just sold for over 350k. My friend is buying new construction in a packed neighborhood (read: no yard) for 375. Another friend whose sister is her landlord bought her 900sf home for 60k 7 years ago and it has doubled in value/market price. That friend wants to move to more space for her kids but she can't afford anything else. Florida's housing market is crazy. 

[marbel]

What is this person picturing when they think of Florida?  Tallahassee is not really like the more southern part of the state. I think people jokingly call it South Georgia. I mean, when I first went there (my in-laws live there) I was stunned because I was expecting, you know, beachy palm tree Florida, and it's not that. 

It sounds like maybe it doesn't matter? Just wanted to throw that out there. 

Edited May 11, 2023 by marbel

[purpleowl]

If you need any other recommendations for real estate agents in Tallahassee, send me a message. 🙂 That said - I don't know where you'd find homes at that price that are in decent condition. 

I can also tell you that Tallahassee's airport is small and often more expensive to fly in and out of. Not sure how important that will be. And when people talk about owning a home in Florida, it's generally not Tallahassee they're thinking of. 😄 People come here for reasons related to state government or Florida State University, pretty much. I'd make sure to find out what "owning a home in Florida" means to him. 

[Grace Hopper]

9 minutes ago, purpleowl said:

If you need any other recommendations for real estate agents in Tallahassee, send me a message. 🙂 That said - I don't know where you'd find homes at that price that are in decent condition. 

I can also tell you that Tallahassee's airport is small and often more expensive to fly in and out of. Not sure how important that will be. And when people talk about owning a home in Florida, it's generally not Tallahassee they're thinking of. 😄 People come here for reasons related to state government or Florida State University, pretty much. I'd make sure to find out what "owning a home in Florida" means to him. 

I do agree with this. Understanding his vision of life in Florida is key to selecting location. If he wants the beachy life, at that price point he’s looking at a trailer park in a non-resort area (which may be uninsurable). 
 

 

[Lady Florida.]

1 hour ago, marbel said:

What is this person picturing when they think of Florida?  Tallahassee is not really like the more southern part of the state. I think people jokingly call it South Georgia. I mean, when I first went there (my in-laws live there) I was stunned because I was expecting, you know, beachy palm tree Florida, and it's not that. 

It sounds like maybe it doesn't matter? Just wanted to throw that out there. 

Yeah, when I was at Florida State incoming students from out of state were always disappointed. I guess they were expecting palm trees and a tropical look. Did they not do a visit? Some parts of the Panhandle are referred to as LA - Lower Alabama. You'd have to go to the Gulf towns of the Panhandle to get a more Florida look and the costs of housing there are high (though the COL isn't necessarily high).

Even in the small towns he'd be hard pressed to find anything decent in that price range. As @Brittany1116 said, the housing market in the state is crazy right now.

[Harriet Vane]

I was amazed at how different the Gulf side is from the east side. When people think of glorious Florida beaches, they are thinking of the east coast or the south. Personally, I really love the St. Augustine area, which is about an hour south of Jacksonville.

Would your loved one consider simply renting for a while?

[Grace Hopper]

29 minutes ago, Harriet Vane said:

I was amazed at how different the Gulf side is from the east side. When people think of glorious Florida beaches, they are thinking of the east coast or the south. Personally, I really love the St. Augustine area, which is about an hour south of Jacksonville.

Would your loved one consider simply renting for a while?

The gulf side can be glorious, I prefer it to the Atlantic coast, especially the NW panhandle (there’s a reason they call it the Emerald Coast). But near-beach property is $$$ and if you go just a bit inland (from any waterline, beach or bays), it is very much more pine and oak forest than palm trees. 
 

Renting/visiting is a great idea. I just wonder if at 80yo there’s a sense of urgency to just get moved. 

[ktgrok]

I sold my 1450 sq foot home (did have a pool, but the pool needed to be resurfaced) for over 300K a year ago, in a less than ideal suburb of Orlando. I can't imagine under 100K. 

And truly, "florida" is a big place with a huge range of cultures. You have areas that are very influenced by Cuban culture, areas taht are fishing/beach towns, areas that are tourist beaches, areas that are rural farm culture, areas that are ranching, areas known for polo ponies, areas with lots of New Yorkers, small Jewish enclaves, the "redneck riviera" up in the panhandle, Tallahassee and the like that are more like Georgia or Alabama  any other part of Florida, etc etc etc. 

WHY does he want to move to Florida? What matters to him? I mean, for starters, does he want blue liberal Florida or red conservative Florida? Beach access? Fishing? Just the lack of an income tax?

[crazyforlatin]

1 hour ago, ktgrok said:

I sold my 1450 sq foot home (did have a pool, but the pool needed to be resurfaced) for over 300K a year ago, in a less than ideal suburb of Orlando. I can't imagine under 100K. 

And truly, "florida" is a big place with a huge range of cultures. You have areas that are very influenced by Cuban culture, areas taht are fishing/beach towns, areas that are tourist beaches, areas that are rural farm culture, areas that are ranching, areas known for polo ponies, areas with lots of New Yorkers, small Jewish enclaves, the "redneck riviera" up in the panhandle, Tallahassee and the like that are more like Georgia or Alabama  any other part of Florida, etc etc etc. 

WHY does he want to move to Florida? What matters to him? I mean, for starters, does he want blue liberal Florida or red conservative Florida? Beach access? Fishing? Just the lack of an income tax?

He’s Christian conservative, originally from Puerto Rico. I think he just wants a place to get away. And he complains all the time about our area which leans liberal. Exchanging his home from the Bay Area could yield close to $850k but most of his income comes from his tenants. Or he’ll sell it, buy a moderate home, use up the money to pay for expenses. He might regret this choice because it’s starting over in a place without friends or family without the option of returning to the Bay Area. 

He’s going to rent a car and go to  Tallahassee first and then drive south to see what other parts of Florida are like. He thinks he wants to be in the middle of Florida rather than near the tip or near the top. But I think he should focus more on what he can afford.

[crazyforlatin]

2 hours ago, Harriet Vane said:

I was amazed at how different the Gulf side is from the east side. When people think of glorious Florida beaches, they are thinking of the east coast or the south. Personally, I really love the St. Augustine area, which is about an hour south of Jacksonville.

Would your loved one consider simply renting for a while?

It’s his dream to own a home in Florida. Sometimes I wonder if politics has something to do with it. 

[crazyforlatin]

3 hours ago, purpleowl said:

If you need any other recommendations for real estate agents in Tallahassee, send me a message. 🙂 That said - I don't know where you'd find homes at that price that are in decent condition. 

I can also tell you that Tallahassee's airport is small and often more expensive to fly in and out of. Not sure how important that will be. And when people talk about owning a home in Florida, it's generally not Tallahassee they're thinking of. 😄 People come here for reasons related to state government or Florida State University, pretty much. I'd make sure to find out what "owning a home in Florida" means to him. 

Just sent a pm for agent info. He’s flying into Jacksonville and renting a car.

[Grace Hopper]

I may be assuming too much, but it sounds like culturally and politically he should be looking for South Central Florida. One important question that hasn’t been mentioned yet is how he feels about wildlife. Once you go south of Tallahassee, you have not only gators but snakes and iguanas to factor in. That sounds nuts but it’s a reality. 
 

ETA snakes and gators are all over FL; I’m talking about plentiful gators and BIG snakes 

Edited May 11, 2023 by Grace Hopper

[Harriet Vane]

At his age, the very last thing I would advise is burning all bridges to get back home (Bay area) without renting in Florida at least a year or a season.

[crazyforlatin]

1 minute ago, Grace Hopper said:

I may be assuming too much, but it sounds like culturally and politically he should be looking for South Central Florida. One important question that hasn’t been mentioned yet is how he feels about wildlife. Once you go south of Tallahassee, you have not only gators but snakes and iguanas to factor in. That sounds nuts but it’s a reality. 

Thanks for the suggestion! Ok so he did mention about being in the middle of Florida.

It’s like here in California. He would be happier living in Fresno where it’s more conservative. 

[historically accurate]

He might like the area my mother lives in - around the Spring Hill area. About an hour north of Tampa, so fairly close to Tampa/St. Pete airports; it's also a politically conservative area (excepting my mom LOL). Housing will run him at least double his budget though - $240K+.

A little inland from Spring Hill (maybe like the Brooksville area), you can find a lot of mobile home parks which would be under or at budget.

[crazyforlatin]

For manufactured homes that are not part of a park but on an individual land, are these comfortable? I found some for $100k or less. Are there any issues with these homes that I need to know? 

[ktgrok]

2 hours ago, crazyforlatin said:

He’s Christian conservative, originally from Puerto Rico. I think he just wants a place to get away. And he complains all the time about our area which leans liberal. Exchanging his home from the Bay Area could yield close to $850k but most of his income comes from his tenants. Or he’ll sell it, buy a moderate home, use up the money to pay for expenses. He might regret this choice because it’s starting over in a place without friends or family without the option of returning to the Bay Area. 

He’s going to rent a car and go to  Tallahassee first and then drive south to see what other parts of Florida are like. He thinks he wants to be in the middle of Florida rather than near the tip or near the top. But I think he should focus more on what he can afford.

Ok, so maybe he knows that there are a lot of Puerto Ricans in Florida, and that is why he wants to come? I think the biggest concentration is in the Central Florida area. Different areas of Florida have different immigrant communities. Miami area more Cubans, where I was in Palm Beach County I knew a lot of people from Gautamala, here in the Orlando area I mostly meet Puerto Ricans and Colombians. Central Florida is pretty conservative, with Orange County being more blue than some surrounding counties. 

24 minutes ago, crazyforlatin said:

For manufactured homes that are not part of a park but on an individual land, are these comfortable? I found some for $100k or less. Are there any issues with these homes that I need to know? 

I mean, there is the issue of hurricanes/tropical storms, and insurance. 

[popmom]

44 minutes ago, crazyforlatin said:

For manufactured homes that are not part of a park but on an individual land, are these comfortable? I found some for $100k or less. Are there any issues with these homes that I need to know? 

Those can be great options. He would want to hire an inspector that knows mobile homes, but it’s a great option for affordable housing. And in Florida they are built to higher standards for wind. There are also plenty of nice mobile home communities for 55 and up. They often have nice amenities like pools. 

Edited May 11, 2023 by popmom

[popmom]

18 minutes ago, ktgrok said:

Ok, so maybe he knows that there are a lot of Puerto Ricans in Florida, and that is why he wants to come? I think the biggest concentration is in the Central Florida area. Different areas of Florida have different immigrant communities. Miami area more Cubans, where I was in Palm Beach County I knew a lot of people from Gautamala, here in the Orlando area I mostly meet Puerto Ricans and Colombians. Central Florida is pretty conservative, with Orange County being more blue than some surrounding counties. 

I mean, there is the issue of hurricanes/tropical storms, and insurance. 

edit: you must be thinking about homeowners in general. I thought you were referring to mobile home specific insurance.
 

I am not sure why people think insurance is an issue. We have owned two mobile homes. Dd3 currently lives in one of them while in school. We had plenty of options for insurers. And it sounds like he will be a cash buyer (as we were) which will make that even simpler. There are a heck of a lot of people in FL living in mobile homes—even on the coasts. Insurance can be done.
 

There are some good fb groups for mobile home owners. 

Edited May 11, 2023 by popmom

[Corraleno]

2 minutes ago, popmom said:

I am not sure why people think insurance is an issue. We have owned two mobile homes. Dd3 currently lives in one of them while in school. We had plenty of options for insurers. And it sounds like he will be a cash buyer (as we were) which will make that even simpler. 
 

There are some good fb groups for mobile home owners. 

Were those mobile homes in Florida?

I own the small, very modest 2 BR house that my dad lives in near Jupiter, FL, and the cheapest homeowner's insurance I could get for that house in 2023 was $8k/year. And that was after spending $7K to redo a portion of the roof that was flat, because there wasn't a single company that would insure a house in that area with even a partial flat roof. Even after the repair, one of the estimates I got was $14K/year, for a house worth maybe $200K.

[popmom]

58 minutes ago, Corraleno said:

Were those mobile homes in Florida?

I own the small, very modest 2 BR house that my dad lives in near Jupiter, FL, and the cheapest homeowner's insurance I could get for that house in 2023 was $8k/year. And that was after spending $7K to redo a portion of the roof that was flat, because there wasn't a single company that would insure a house in that area with even a partial flat roof. Even after the repair, one of the estimates I got was $14K/year, for a house worth maybe $200K.

Is it because Jupiter is on the coast? Would it be different in central FL? My sister in law lived in a mobile home in Chiefland and I’ve never heard her complain about insurance rates, but she moved out of Fl several years ago. Is this a recent thing? Chiefland isn’t that far inland. I’ll have to ask her about that. 

That’s crazy. 
 

My uncle is in Melbourne, but it’s a condo. His COA dues would cover some of that although they are probably outrageous.

Edited May 11, 2023 by popmom

[Happy2BaMom]

1 hour ago, popmom said:

edit: you must be thinking about homeowners in general. I thought you were referring to mobile home specific insurance.
 

I am not sure why people think insurance is an issue. We have owned two mobile homes. Dd3 currently lives in one of them while in school. We had plenty of options for insurers. And it sounds like he will be a cash buyer (as we were) which will make that even simpler. There are a heck of a lot of people in FL living in mobile homes—even on the coasts. Insurance can be done.
 

There are some good fb groups for mobile home owners. 

Well, it's good that you are not having issues, but, overall..there is an *enormous* home owner's insurance crisis in Florida (source 1, source 2, source 3, source 4, many more are available through google).

A relative of mine lives there and her insurance has gone up 84% in 3 years, and is expected to jump another 25% at her next renewal. Ten years ago, she paid <$3000/year for HO insurance. In 2023, she expects to pay ~$12K. A year. Insured for only $250K, too, even tho current value is estimated to be 450K. And, no, she does not live on the water, or even that close. And her house is a typical-ish, middle-class-style home. Nice, but nothing fancy.

Edited May 11, 2023 by Happy2BaMom

[popmom]

1 minute ago, Happy2BaMom said:

Well, it's good that you are not having issues, but, overall..there is an *enormous* home owner's insurance crisis in Florida (source 1, source 2, source 3, source 4, many more are available through google).

A relative of mine lives there and her insurance has gone up 84% in 3 years, and is expected to jump another 25% at her next renewal. Ten years ago, she paid <$3000/year. In 2023, she expects to pay ~$12K. A year. Insured for only $250K, too, even tho current value is estimated to be 450K. And, no, she does not live on the water, or even that close. And her house is a typical-ish, middle-class-style home. Nice, but nothing fancy.

That explains why my sister in law didn’t have any complaints. She got out before that started. Thanks for the links. This is interesting to me. 

Edited May 11, 2023 by popmom

[Corraleno]

1 minute ago, popmom said:

Is it because Jupiter is on the coast? Would it be different in central FL? My sister in law lived in a mobile home in Chiefland and I’ve never heard her complain about insurance rates, but she moved out of Fl several years ago. Is this a recent thing?

The cost of homeowners insurance in FL has skyrocketed in the last few years, and I just read an article saying it may go up another 40-50% this year. A lot of insurance companies have left FL entirely, so there are very few companies to choose from. Last year there was only one company that would insure houses in my dad's zip code, and the bill was $10K; then that company went out of business and we were automatically switched to another company —which sent me a bill for $14K.

Luckily I was able to find one other company that was willing to insure the house, and they sent someone over to inspect the house from top to bottom (literally opening every cabinet, looking under every sink, etc.), and then we had to provide a list of all repairs done in the last 5 years, all prior insurance claims, and other stuff — and then they sent another person to do another inspection, and finally agreed to insure the house for $8K (which is vastly more than I pay to insure a much larger 4 BR house, in a much higher COL area, that is worth 3x what my dad's house is worth).

Many many elderly people with paid off houses (including most of my dad's neighbors) don't even carry insurance any more, because they just can't afford it. If they lose their homes to a hurricane or flooding, they will just lose everything.

[Brittany1116]

Our homeowner's insurance doubled last year. Several companies have left the state, and many are no longer writing new policies. 

[popmom]

More and more it sounds like buying an older mobile home on land and paying cash would be the way to go. Then just forgo the insurance and put that money aside. He could essentially provide his own insurance at those rates. From what OP said, he’ll have the cash from the sale of his current property. Properly invested—hopefully. The value is in the land anyway—for older mobile homes. 

Edited May 11, 2023 by popmom

[ktgrok]

2 hours ago, popmom said:

Is it because Jupiter is on the coast? Would it be different in central FL? My sister in law lived in a mobile home in Chiefland and I’ve never heard her complain about insurance rates, but she moved out of Fl several years ago. Is this a recent thing? Chiefland isn’t that far inland. I’ll have to ask her about that. 

That’s crazy. 
 

My uncle is in Melbourne, but it’s a condo. His COA dues would cover some of that although they are probably outrageous.

Yes, it is a recent thing. At this point it is crazy. When we were looking to buy we were flat out told by insurance agents that no one will write a policy for a house with a roof that was older than I want to say 10 years, even if it was a 30 yr roof, etc etc. Might have been less than that even. It's VERY hard to get things insured. And no, we are not on the coast. 

MANY in mobile homes just go without insurance, and end up homeless when there is a problem. 

[crazyforlatin]

Is the entire state of Florida facing a homeowners policy problem or only in certain parts?

In CA, earthquake insurance is optional and basically no one buys it. Is hurricane insurance part of homeowners insurance in FL? Can an owner buy insurance without the hurricane part if that is too expensive?

ETA: added a word and question

Edited May 12, 2023 by crazyforlatin

[crazyforlatin]

4 hours ago, popmom said:

More and more it sounds like buying an older mobile home on land and paying cash would be the way to go. Then just forgo the insurance and put that money aside. He could essentially provide his own insurance at those rates. From what OP said, he’ll have the cash from the sale of his current property. Properly invested—hopefully. The value is in the land anyway—for older mobile homes. 

He's going to to do an exchange and I don't know if exchanges allow some cash to be released to him. I'm worried that he won't have money for property tax plus insurance. His current home has very low property tax and it's capped due to a state proposition so it's basically at a 1970s value with small increase each year. I don't know if an exchange across state lines would allow him to keep his current CA property value in Florida. 

[crazyforlatin]

4 hours ago, Brittany1116 said:

Our homeowner's insurance doubled last year. Several companies have left the state, and many are no longer writing new policies. 

It sounds like hurricane coverage is not optional like in California with earthquake insurance. 

[Grace Hopper]

1 minute ago, crazyforlatin said:

It sounds like hurricane coverage is not optional like in California with earthquake insurance. 

It’s not optional if you want coverage! 
 

He will need to ask about hurricane insurance AND flood insurance. There are distinctions between which policy covers what when it comes to water damage. 

[Lady Florida.]

1 hour ago, Grace Hopper said:

 

He will need to ask about hurricane insurance AND flood insurance. There are distinctions between which policy covers what when it comes to water damage. 

Yes. Flooding isn't covered without add on flood insurance. The cost will depend on the type of flood zone he ends up in. 

[Pawz4me]

8 hours ago, crazyforlatin said:

Is the entire state of Florida facing a homeowners policy problem or only in certain parts?

 

I'm not a Floridian, but I've been following their insurance issues in the news a little bit. Take my info FWIW, but my understanding is that many insurance companies have completely pulled out of the Florida market. So I would think that would have to affect everyone there.

[Harriet Vane]

1 hour ago, Pawz4me said:

I'm not a Floridian, but I've been following their insurance issues in the news a little bit. Take my info FWIW, but my understanding is that many insurance companies have completely pulled out of the Florida market. So I would think that would have to affect everyone there.

Yes, this. I’m also not a Floridian, but there are actuaries in my family who have been rumbling about Florida insurance for years. Nobody wants to insure Florida because the pay outs are so expensive. 

[crazyforlatin]

If he does an exchange, it'll mean the home he buys will be worth about $800k which means it'll probably have more living space. So it'll mean the homeowners insurance will be really high? Could it be more than $10k? Would property tax be about $8k?

[Grace Hopper]

1 hour ago, crazyforlatin said:

If he does an exchange, it'll mean the home he buys will be worth about $800k which means it'll probably have more living space. So it'll mean the homeowners insurance will be really high? Could it be more than $10k? Would property tax be about $8k?

I am not really familiar with the term “exchange” that you are using. I’ve bought and sold a number of properties in different states, but those were separate transactions even if the closings were simultaneous. The costs associated with one property did not affect any values or costs related to the other. 
 

As far as specifics regarding insurance prices, etc, there’s not really a way to know those values until you can talk about a specific location. Flood insurance alone, for example, can change rates street by street depending on elevation differences. 

[Grace Hopper]

Adding, I would think he’d want the advice of tax and investment specialists, but it would seem to me selling a west coast property would generate quite a profit. Could he possibly put proceeds beyond what he needs to buy a FL property in a trust (or some instrument, I’m no expert) and then use that for future needs (either housing or elder care)?

Edited May 12, 2023 by Grace Hopper

[Halftime Hope]

So if he owns a single property and has tenants, and he is thinking about buying another property, and there is talk of an exchange, perhaps he is thinking about tax laws, and exchanging from one investment property into another so that he doesn't pay income taxes on the sale? Is he still thinking about having tenants now? If he cashed out the CA property, he might purchase a couple properties in FL for the price, but I"m not sure how the investment income taxes would work.  

[prairiewindmomma]

1031 exchanges are tax deferred, not tax free. He needs professional tax/budgeting advice if he isn’t sure how that will work out.

Is this the same guy that wanted a house and a few acres to farm a couple of years ago? I was wondering what had happened with that story. 

[crazyforlatin]

1 hour ago, prairiewindmomma said:

1031 exchanges are tax deferred, not tax free. He needs professional tax/budgeting advice if he isn’t sure how that will work out.

Is this the same guy that wanted a house and a few acres to farm a couple of years ago? I was wondering what had happened with that story. 

Great memory! He let go of the farm idea. His balance these days is not as stable as before. But he can't let go of moving to Florida despite deep roots here. Plus dh and I are here to help him. And he has church friends here. In Florida if he needs help I would need to send dh. He has no children. 

[prairiewindmomma]

FL feels more like PR than the Bay. Nostalgia hits harder when you are older. Add politics to that and I understand why it’s such an uphill battle for him to change his dreams. We had family make an ill-advised move to FL a few years ago. At 80 you kind of know it is all downhill in the near future, iykwim. I would be trying to use what leverage I could to push for a rental. But, realistically, I would keep in my mind that this could just be part of the spend down process for a Medicaid qualified nursing home. Sometimes dreams are highly impractical.
 

Hugs! 

[Halftime Hope]

51 minutes ago, crazyforlatin said:

Great memory! He let go of the farm idea. His balance these days is not as stable as before. But he can't let go of moving to Florida despite deep roots here. Plus dh and I are here to help him. And he has church friends here. In Florida if he needs help I would need to send dh. He has no children. 

Could he go be a snowbird and rent a condo for 6 months out of the year, while retaining his property in CA? He could even hire a property management company to take the burden off him while he is away. It seems like facilitating his dream, albeit a slightly adjusted one, would be the best of both worlds. I'm just throwing out ideas, and it may be totally impractical, but property ownership in a new area seems like a huge burden to take on, when what he really might want is the freedom to downshift a bit, while enjoying "the good life" as he dreams it might be in FL. 

Edited May 12, 2023 by Halftime Hope

[importswim]

19 hours ago, crazyforlatin said:

Is the entire state of Florida facing a homeowners policy problem or only in certain parts?

In CA, earthquake insurance is optional and basically no one buys it. Is hurricane insurance part of homeowners insurance in FL? Can an owner buy insurance without the hurricane part if that is too expensive?

ETA: added a word and question

I live in the FL Panhandle and getting a homeowners policy up here is just as bad. Our insurance policy cost has doubled since we moved here in 2014. 

I am pretty sure that hurricane insurance is non-negotiable. Flood insurance in our area is through FEMA and if he's planning to live anywhere near the coast it's a good idea. We're not "technically" in a flood zone but we're essentially between two bodies of water so for us it's something that is a must have.

44 minutes ago, Halftime Hope said:

Could he go be a snowbird and rent a condo for 6 months out of the year, while retaining his property in CA? He could even hire a property management company to take the burden off him while he is away. It seems like facilitating his dream, albeit a slightly adjusted one, would be the best of both worlds. I'm just throwing out ideas, and it may be totally impractical, but property ownership in a new area seems like a huge burden to take on, when what he really might want is the freedom to downshift a bit, while enjoying "the good life" as he dreams it might be in FL. 

This is a great idea! He could do a snowbird condo in different areas if he wanted to see where he wanted to settle down before moving permanently. I would try to get him to do this (but understand that it's hard when someone has their mind set on a certain way of doing things!)