Florida and real estate agent

[Grace Hopper]

8 hours ago, Lady Florida. said:

I know the year. We didn't evacuate for any of those hurricanes. FWIW OP, dh and I both grew up in East Central Florida and have never evacuated. We've never lived in an evacuation area. Though we're on the east "coast" we're far enough inland and high enough above sea level. Neither of us lived in a house or area that was considered unsafe and worthy of even voluntary evacuation. The one time we did leave (our choice and not a true evacuation) was in 1999 for Hurricane Floyd but we only went 20 miles south to my in-laws. Ds had just turned 2 and we lived in a stucco over wood house. Theirs was block and we felt safer there. As it turned out the storm missed us, though it hung off the coast and caused a lot of erosion. Inland isn't 100% safe but unless he's in a mobile home he'll be fine not evacuating.

 

If he's willing to pay the cost to live in The Villages it sounds like he'd be happy there. It's MAGA Land. 

Charley, Jeanne and Francis - yikes! We were in a home built to the newest hurricane standards and had only small trees, and rode them all out. No way you’d have gotten me on the highway in an evacuation mess. We weren’t right on the coast but the damage was immense across the central Florida peninsula. 

[Halftime Hope]

5 minutes ago, Grace Hopper said:

Charley, Jeanne and Francis - yikes! We were in a home built to the newest hurricane standards and had only small trees, and rode them all out. No way you’d have gotten me on the highway in an evacuation mess. We weren’t right on the coast but the damage was immense across the central Florida peninsula. 

I'm not sure an elderly person should try to ride out a hurricane. It's incredibly stressful for even a logical, able-bodied adult. "The damage" can include all kinds of very dangerous things, downed electrical lines that short, standing water, all kinds of displaced wildlife, fire hazards and broken glass, and so on. Uggh. The aftermath, with the possibility of no clean water or electricity for days, a completely unrecognizable landscape with all the foliage and street signs gone, debris everywhere, can also be terrible, and for an elderly person, and utterly beyond their capability to adapt.

We lived through this, and it was a nightmare.

For that reason, the more I think about it, it would be better to be in an area that isn't so prone to disaster and where there are lots of neighbors to look out for each other.

 

 

[Grace Hopper]

2 hours ago, Halftime Hope said:

I'm not sure an elderly person should try to ride out a hurricane. It's incredibly stressful for even a logical, able-bodied adult. "The damage" can include all kinds of very dangerous things, downed electrical lines that short, standing water, all kinds of displaced wildlife, fire hazards and broken glass, and so on. Uggh. The aftermath, with the possibility of no clean water or electricity for days, a completely unrecognizable landscape with all the foliage and street signs gone, debris everywhere, can also be terrible, and for an elderly person, and utterly beyond their capability to adapt.

We lived through this, and it was a nightmare.

For that reason, the more I think about it, it would be better to be in an area that isn't so prone to disaster and where there are lots of neighbors to look out for each other.

 

 

Egads no, I never meant to imply someone should, let alone an elder by themself. We just didn’t really have an option for evacuation and many who live in central/south Florida are in that same boat. You are right, it was not a good time. But due to our particular circumstances, it turned out ok. Even nearish neighbors were not so lucky with major damage. 

[crazyforlatin]

My friend will not want to live in a senior community especially if there are fees he needs to pay. And he has a pit bull that is completely attached to him. His dog didn't eat or drink when my friend visited FL last year. He had to fly back within a day and didn't even get to see any homes. This time, his dog will probably stop eating and drinking, but the vet told him that dogs will eatb and drink eventually. 

I'm going to focus on the panhandle for now as there's Georgia and Alabama to drive to. And if this area doesn't work out then move towards the center. He'll be there a week and plans to drive from the north to the south and back up again. I'll need to find an agent for those areas as well.

Are there benefits of living in FL that can't be found in Georgia or Alabama along the borders of FL? My impression is that those states are politically aligned with his. Homes seem to be cheaper there. 

 

[popmom]

3 hours ago, crazyforlatin said:

My friend will not want to live in a senior community especially if there are fees he needs to pay. And he has a pit bull that is completely attached to him. His dog didn't eat or drink when my friend visited FL last year. He had to fly back within a day and didn't even get to see any homes. This time, his dog will probably stop eating and drinking, but the vet told him that dogs will eatb and drink eventually. 

I'm going to focus on the panhandle for now as there's Georgia and Alabama to drive to. And if this area doesn't work out then move towards the center. He'll be there a week and plans to drive from the north to the south and back up again. I'll need to find an agent for those areas as well.

Are there benefits of living in FL that can't be found in Georgia or Alabama along the borders of FL? My impression is that those states are politically aligned with his. Homes seem to be cheaper there. 

 

Ok, we know all about pitties like that. 🙂

I’m in Alabama, and I never want to live anywhere else. I’m not particularly well travelled, but still… If he or you would find it helpful to talk to me about the opportunities here, feel free to message me.  There are Pros and cons to anywhere… I’d be willing to check into whatever he’d need or like to know. I live in the Birmingham metro area. I’m from Huntsville originally. I lived in San Antonio, TX for a few years, but otherwise just here and there in AL. I know it  VERY WELL from the TN border to the Gulf of Mexico. 

If he wants a mobile home on some land, there are lots of options even close to B'ham with easy access to excellent health care, excellent libraries, senior rec centers...

I live in a suburb of B'ham in a city (Hoover, AL) that is also the 6th most populous city in the state. It's actually pretty diverse here. 

So now that I know he loves his cats ((and)) his pittie, I am very sympathetic... 🙂

Edited May 15, 2023 by popmom

[Spryte]

On Alabama, just read this yesterday and thought of your friend. Maybe there’s an area in Alabama that would work for him, not necessarily the one listed, but something with beaches and a semi-FL vibe. https://www.wsj.com/articles/retirement-in-alabama-b59c55b3

[Halftime Hope]

11 hours ago, crazyforlatin said:

My friend will not want to live in a senior community especially if there are fees he needs to pay. And he has a pit bull that is completely attached to him. His dog didn't eat or drink when my friend visited FL last year. He had to fly back within a day and didn't even get to see any homes. This time, his dog will probably stop eating and drinking, but the vet told him that dogs will eatb and drink eventually. 

I'm going to focus on the panhandle for now as there's Georgia and Alabama to drive to. And if this area doesn't work out then move towards the center. He'll be there a week and plans to drive from the north to the south and back up again. I'll need to find an agent for those areas as well.

Are there benefits of living in FL that can't be found in Georgia or Alabama along the borders of FL? My impression is that those states are politically aligned with his. Homes seem to be cheaper there. 

 

You'd have to do some more research on this, but here's one possibility.  Florida has no state income tax, https://www.investopedia.com/financial-edge/0210/7-states-with-no-income-tax.aspx

I know that some states offset the income tax as a source of income with higher property taxes. That's why I said it might be a trade off for him.

The retirement article linked above mentioned some counties waiving portions of the normal property tax bill for seniors. That would be something to look into with a local real estate agent.

 

Edited May 15, 2023 by Halftime Hope

[Halftime Hope]

https://www.bankrate.com/retirement/best-and-worst-states-for-retirement/#full-results

I put this here so you can see how ridiculous some of these rankings are. Florida is listed #1 on the list, primarily because of it's #1 ranking in Culture and Diversity.  It outranks Texas even though Texas is much more affordable. I would challenge anyone to tell me, honestly, that Florida is more diverse than Texas. Pssssh. Rural areas will 'rural' not matter what state one looks at. Arts and culture are vibrant in both states, but Texas' affordability is far and away better than Florida; it has been for at least 25 years. 

So, I would take these rankings, aside from individual COL index figures for smaller areas, with a grain of salt.

 

 

[popmom]

5 hours ago, Halftime Hope said:

https://www.bankrate.com/retirement/best-and-worst-states-for-retirement/#full-results

I put this here so you can see how ridiculous some of these rankings are. Florida is listed #1 on the list, primarily because of it's #1 ranking in Culture and Diversity.  It outranks Texas even though Texas is much more affordable. I would challenge anyone to tell me, honestly, that Florida is more diverse than Texas. Pssssh. Rural areas will 'rural' not matter what state one looks at. Arts and culture are vibrant in both states, but Texas' affordability is far and away better than Florida; it has been for at least 25 years. 

So, I would take these rankings, aside from individual COL index figures for smaller areas, with a grain of salt.

 

 

Florida is more diverse than Texas. 
 

Texas ((can)) be affordable if you don’t have to worry about schools, but our property taxes in San Antonio were really high. And we downsized—lived in a much less expensive house when we moved there—because we couldn’t afford the property taxes.

Edited May 15, 2023 by popmom

[popmom]

On 5/14/2023 at 12:32 PM, Halftime Hope said:

 

Over time, mobile homes will break down much faster than homes. In the FL humidity, the lifespan of a mobile home may be 20-25 years. Even in my state, a mobile home will show its age by the floor rotting from humidity under the home. (It can be replaced, but it's a pain.) But if he is only wanting to get through his lifetime, it might be the way to go.

 

 

I think I may have missed this, but have you lived in Florida?

[ktgrok]

I know Texas has high numbers of African Americans, and people of Mexican heritage, but I'm unsure if they have other "diversity"? In Florida we have communities with Cubans, Puerto Ricans, Guatamalans, Jamaicans, Trinidadians (not sure if that is the right term?),Haitians, Vietnamese, and Korean populations, off the top of my head. Plus in South Florida significant numbers of Jewish people, everywhere I've lived has had at least one Mosque and a Hindu or Buddhist temple, or both, etc. I have no idea if the same is true in Texas. 

[popmom]

6 minutes ago, ktgrok said:

I know Texas has high numbers of African Americans, and people of Mexican heritage, but I'm unsure if they have other "diversity"? In Florida we have communities with Cubans, Puerto Ricans, Guatamalans, Jamaicans, Trinidadians (not sure if that is the right term?),Haitians, Vietnamese, and Korean populations, off the top of my head. Plus in South Florida significant numbers of Jewish people, everywhere I've lived has had at least one Mosque and a Hindu or Buddhist temple, or both, etc. I have no idea if the same is true in Texas. 

Where are the high numbers of African Americans in Texas? Houston? Dallas Ft Worth? 

And people of Mexican heritage can be white. Most of the people I knew who had Mexican heritage were white in S.A.

Edited May 15, 2023 by popmom

[prairiewindmomma]

TX does have diverse areas, but the largest Puerto Rican communities are in NYC, Philly, Chicago, and Hartford, CT….. Orlando is in the top 10, but TX doesn’t rate. About 1/5 Latinx in FL are PR. Also, FL looks like PR; TX does not.

If all he wants is to speak Spanish entirely and see lots of MAGA flags, TX is fine, but I get the sense this is more than that.

[Halftime Hope]

9 minutes ago, ktgrok said:

I know Texas has high numbers of African Americans, and people of Mexican heritage, but I'm unsure if they have other "diversity"? In Florida we have communities with Cubans, Puerto Ricans, Guatamalans, Jamaicans, Trinidadians (not sure if that is the right term?),Haitians, Vietnamese, and Korean populations, off the top of my head. Plus in South Florida significant numbers of Jewish people, everywhere I've lived has had at least one Mosque and a Hindu or Buddhist temple, or both, etc. I have no idea if the same is true in Texas. 

The same is true in Texas, and the number of international immigrant communities here is truly wonderful, too.  We have mindboggling diversity in the state, more recently from less traditionally represented areas of the globe. 

I can drive to 2 mosques and Bahaii, Hindu, and Bhuddist temples in less time than it takes me to eat a sandwich, as well as to handful of Asian worship buildings that I can't identify because the script is nothing I can read. 🙂

Edited May 15, 2023 by Halftime Hope

[ktgrok]

6 minutes ago, popmom said:

Where are the high numbers of African Americans in Texas? Houston? Dallas Ft Worth? 

And people of Mexican heritage can be white. Most of the people I knew who had Mexican heritage were white in S.A.

Diversity is about culture as well as skin color. 

4 minutes ago, Halftime Hope said:

The same is true in Texas, and the number of international immigrant communities here is truly wonderful, too.  We have mindboggling diversity in the state, more recently from less traditionally represented areas of the globe. 

Good to know, thank you!

[popmom]

1 minute ago, ktgrok said:

Diversity is about culture as well as skin color. 

 

I totally get that--I'm just saying the culture wasn't there either. I can only speak to my experience in S.A. --Houston probably/maybe has much more Mexican culture. In S.A. those of Mexican heritage were "Texans". 🙂 Not a bad thing--just not what I would describe as culturally diverse.

[Halftime Hope]

11 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

TX does have diverse areas, but the largest Puerto Rican communities are in NYC, Philly, Chicago, and Hartford, CT….. Orlando is in the top 10, but TX doesn’t rate. About 1/5 Latinx in FL are PR. Also, FL looks like PR; TX does not.

If all he wants is to speak Spanish entirely and see lots of MAGA flags, TX is fine, but I get the sense this is more than that.

I don't know where you get your information. Texas, or the diverse groups in it, do not speak Spanish entirely, nor does one see lots of MAGA flags...or hats. (Not that I would be offended to see them, any more than I would be offended to see BLM or other political signage:  I value free speech.) But let's be factual, shall we?

You speak like someone who hasn't been here in awhile and reads what others report.

So what if TX isn't even in the top 10 of PR heritage? Or of Cubans?

There's a reason World Relief just opened a Dallas office in addition to the one it had in Fort Worth, to serve the immigrant/refugee populations here and coming here. I have close friends working in this field, and it's not just in the North Texas area, it's all over the state. And I'm pleased; my ancestors were immigrants, too. 

My neighborhood, a pretty, well kept, 20 year-old middle class neighborhood, is pretty evenly divided between 4 different broad racial and/or ethnic groups. We like each other.  If someone "wants to only speak Spanish or look for MAGA flags", they'll need to look elsewhere, not in Texas.

 

 

 

 

 

[prairiewindmomma]

4 minutes ago, Halftime Hope said:

I don't know where you get your information. Texas, or the diverse groups in it, do not speak Spanish entirely, nor does one see lots of MAGA flags...or hats. (Not that I would be offended to see them, any more than I would be offended to see BLM or other political signage:  I value free speech.) But let's be factual, shall we?

You speak like someone who hasn't been here in awhile and reads what others report.

So what if TX isn't even in the top 10 of PR heritage? Or of Cubans?

There's a reason World Relief just opened a Dallas office in addition to the one it had in Fort Worth, to serve the immigrant/refugee populations here and coming here. I have close friends working in this field, and it's not just in the North Texas area, it's all over the state. And I'm pleased; my ancestors were immigrants, too. 

My neighborhood, a pretty, well kept, 20 year-old middle class neighborhood, is pretty evenly divided between 4 different broad racial and/or ethnic groups. We like each other.  If someone "wants to only speak Spanish or look for MAGA flags", they'll need to look elsewhere, not in Texas.

 

 

 

 

 

This isn’t what I meant at all. What I meant was that there aren’t large Puerto Rican communities in Texas. There are huge and diverse communities in Texas….and the vast majority of the Latinx community is not from the islands that speak Spanish.

When I lived in TX, it was entirely possible to speak only Spanish. I could find Spanish speaking doctors, shop in Spanish, watch telenovelas easily, and so on. For some, that is a comfort and “enough”. For others, they want to be able to access bakeries or churches or other niches that are their community. Right? My Oaxacan relative wants to speak Mixtec and eat familiar moles but my Colombian BFF wants entirely different things. They both speak Spanish…that is one of the few overlaps. 
 

I am not trying to paint Texas with a broad brush. I am actually painting a very nuanced picture. But, please, slam me. 🙄😂😚

[Halftime Hope]

3 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

This isn’t what I meant at all. What I meant was that there aren’t large Puerto Rican communities in Texas. There are huge and diverse communities in Texas….and the vast majority of the Latinx community is not from the islands that speak Spanish.

When I lived in TX, it was entirely possible to speak only Spanish. I could find Spanish speaking doctors, shop in Spanish, watch telenovelas easily, and so on. For some, that is a comfort and “enough”. For others, they want to be able to access bakeries or churches or other niches that are their community. Right? My Oaxacan relative wants to speak Mixtec and eat familiar moles but my Colombian BFF wants entirely different things. They both speak Spanish…that is one of the few overlaps. 
 

I am not trying to paint Texas with a broad brush. I am actually painting a very nuanced picture. But, please, slam me. 🙄😂😚

I'm sorry that I totally misunderstood what you were getting at, then.  ???  How did Texas ever come into the equation of where he might want to live? It was never a consideration per the OP. 

 

 

 

[prairiewindmomma]

Upthread crazy mentioned expanding the search to other states. Pop mom mentioned that she should consider tax concerns and other things as part of the calculus noting that she was surprised when she moved to TX that the property taxes were so high (since TX has no income tax). Then you jumped in with other considerations about TX. I mentioned that FL may be what he really wants since FL has a very significant PR population compared to elsewhere in the warm south…and that while TX has a significant Spanish speaking population and has a lot of MAGA support (something he mentioned he wants) TX doesn’t look like FL. 
 

It devolved from there. 
 

Hugs!

[Halftime Hope]

I'm sorry...I missed an inning or two. LOL! 

The value of land in Texas is much more expensive, and all he will find here in his price range is a dump. 

I'll never move back to FL; the humidity would do me in.

 

 

[popmom]

It just hit me!

FLORALA, AL

No homeowners insurance headaches and he could find something in his price range. 
 

I’m kidding. Sort of. 
 

I really do hope his trip is fruitful and the realtor is helpful. 

[crazyforlatin]

3 hours ago, Halftime Hope said:

I'm sorry that I totally misunderstood what you were getting at, then.  ???  How did Texas ever come into the equation of where he might want to live? It was never a consideration per the OP. 

 

 

 

Many months ago I tried to get him to look at Texas because it won’t be so far for him to drive to and we can get there faster in an emergency. Plus I thought that for him Texas seemed politically similar to Florida, but he’s probably more aware of the politics in these states than I am. I’ve even tried to get him to move to Fresno which is in central CA so not that far by car but very different politically from our area. But he needs to leave CA, not just move to a conservative area. 

[crazyforlatin]

3 hours ago, Halftime Hope said:

I'm sorry...I missed an inning or two. LOL! 

The value of land in Texas is much more expensive, and all he will find here in his price range is a dump. 

I'll never move back to FL; the humidity would do me in.

 

 

I looked at TX homes recently and I think generally it’s more expensive, but I was actually looking for a friend who wants to invest in the bigger cities like Houston. There’s an area next to Rice that has comparable prices to the Bay Area. Museum district, I think.

Edited May 16, 2023 by crazyforlatin
Grammar

[importswim]

On 5/14/2023 at 12:21 PM, crazyforlatin said:

I was actually looking at that strip of land and didn't know that it's called a panhandle. If he goes over the border the homes are cheaper, but then it's not Florida. I think he's fine with a mobile home. Would those be easier to maintain?

I live in the Panhandle and I wouldn't get a mobile home unless I had to. Nothing to do with economic snobbery and everything to do with hurricanes and tornadoes. We've had 2 significant hurricanes that hit the Panhandle area in the last couple of years: Michael and Sally. Michael was obviously much more devastating, but Sally caused quite a lot of issues as well. No way would I want to be in a mobile home during those. That said, evacuating from here is a bit easier with more options than just 75 or 95.

If he decided to move closer to the AL border then he'd have to deal with more tornadoes. I live by the beach and we get lots of tornado warnings for my county (which extends north to the AL border). 95% of those tornado warnings are for north of I-10 up to the border. It's something to consider, especially if he's thinking of not getting insurance.

On 5/14/2023 at 11:31 PM, crazyforlatin said:

My friend will not want to live in a senior community especially if there are fees he needs to pay. And he has a pit bull that is completely attached to him. His dog didn't eat or drink when my friend visited FL last year. He had to fly back within a day and didn't even get to see any homes. This time, his dog will probably stop eating and drinking, but the vet told him that dogs will eatb and drink eventually. 

I'm going to focus on the panhandle for now as there's Georgia and Alabama to drive to. And if this area doesn't work out then move towards the center. He'll be there a week and plans to drive from the north to the south and back up again. I'll need to find an agent for those areas as well.

Are there benefits of living in FL that can't be found in Georgia or Alabama along the borders of FL? My impression is that those states are politically aligned with his. Homes seem to be cheaper there. 

 

If he moved to the panhandle he'd find a LOT of people who are likeminded/politically aligned with him. For an example, our local congressman is Matt Gaetz 🤮. It was ROUGH living in this area for me during a MAGA Trump presidency. He would probably have loved it (based on what you've said!)

One of my biggest struggles is the lack of diversity in the area (both culturally and racially/ethnically). If that's not an issue for him, though, and what he cares about more is politically conservative-ness then it's a "good" area.

I will say that in the area where I live home prices have doubled and I can't imagine he'd find a place that's around $100,000. Not sure where everyone is looking to see "dirt cheap" prices. We've been shocked by how much home prices have increased. Also, COL is pretty high here (IMO) but coming from CA he might not see much of a difference.

[KidsHappen]

This is the most recent list of Best Places to Retire: https://realestate.usnews.com/places/rankings/best-places-to-retire 

Probably half of the top 30 are in FL. Huntsville, AL is number 2 in Best Places to Live. There are cheap places to live in TX if you consider smaller towns that are further out from the metropolitan areas. Also my two of my dds used to live in the Gainesville area of GA which is part of the Atlanta metropolitan area and their house were relatively inexpensive and the cost of living was lower than where we are in TN.