12 replies to this topic

[George Stoltz]

One of the great things about the Escapees organization is being able to get information and opinions on a variety of topics. This topic might be unique. We are off the road for six months while we look for a new place to call home when we are not RVing. We hope to be back on the road in May. In the meantime we are looking around the mid-central part of Florida for a place to buy. I would appreciate hearing from those of you who are enthusiastic boosters for your favorite area of the state. We prefer smaller communities, but we don't want to drive 30 miles to a grocery store. Good medical facilities within an hour's drive would be a biggie. So tell me about places you like.


Thank you.

[weathertodd]

central like Orlando? Personally you can live on/near the coast for a true florida lifestyle.

[AC7880]

The Villages always seemed interesting to me. The Space Coast around Patrick AFB (Cocoa beach and surroundings) has some bargains right now with the Space Shuttle shut down.

One of the great things about the Escapees organization is being able to get information and opinions on a variety of topics. This topic might be unique. We are off the road for six months while we look for a new place to call home when we are not RVing. We hope to be back on the road in May. In the meantime we are looking around the mid-central part of Florida for a place to buy. I would appreciate hearing from those of you who are enthusiastic boosters for your favorite area of the state. We prefer smaller communities, but we don't want to drive 30 miles to a grocery store. Good medical facilities within an hour's drive would be a biggie. So tell me about places you like.


Thank you.

Edited by AC7880, 04 November 2011 - 10:12 PM.

[Warren & Sandy]

George:
We lived in the Orlando area for 10 years until recently. There are many nice communities in the area that have good medical providers and all the comforts of a metro area. A trip to the beach was less than an hour.

You may not want to live too close to the coast because of the high cost and availability of homeowners insurance. Occasionally Florida will get a hurricane or another tropical storm that devastates the terrain. Homeowners insurance can become extremely expensive when you can find it. Florida has a state owned insurance company "Citizens Insurance" that is the insurer of last resort. Their rates by statute are non-competitive so they don't compete with private insurers. In Florida if you make a homeowners insurance claim, you will often be "non-renewed".

Another consideration in Florida is the widespread use of homeowners associations. Many HOAs are very specific about what is allowed in the community. They can specify the color of your house, the color of your drapes that face the street, and probably will not allow any RV or boat on the property. In my HOA several board members fussed about a boat that was stored inside a neighbors garage. Some cities will also not allow a RV or boat on your property or at least it cannot be seen from the street (behind a fence).

If you live in the Orlando area, be ready for toll roads. They are everywhere.

I am sure other forum members will have good suggestions on where to buy. Florida is a nice place to live, especially in the winter.

Warren

One of the great things about the Escapees organization is being able to get information and opinions on a variety of topics. This topic might be unique. We are off the road for six months while we look for a new place to call home when we are not RVing. We hope to be back on the road in May. In the meantime we are looking around the mid-central part of Florida for a place to buy. I would appreciate hearing from those of you who are enthusiastic boosters for your favorite area of the state. We prefer smaller communities, but we don't want to drive 30 miles to a grocery store. Good medical facilities within an hour's drive would be a biggie. So tell me about places you like.

Thank you.

[dontay]

If moving to central Florida the most important thing to learn is to tell the difference between a Cypress tree and a pine tree!! Cypress trees look similar (identical if you are from out of state it seems) but grow in wet or flooded areas. Pine trees sink their long roots into the groundwater but die in standing water. This may seem a ridiculous post but sinking a big amount of money into a nice home or RV port home only to see it with 6" of water in the living room is not good. If you spend some time driving around Orlando on one of the many toll roads you will be amazed to see developments with Cypress bays right next door particularly along Hwy 417 through the Kissimmee area. This is by no means the only place just one of the easier ones to spot.
Realtors, developers, and gov't officials will explain that drainage is fine and it all runs off through canals to the rivers and then to the gulf or ocean. But many people in those occupations don't have the best record for truthtelling. Florida has been in a prolonged dry state for decades but it is showing signs of shifting back to the times when it rained every afternoon during the summer. If this really happens there will be many people flooded. There are already pockets of flooding everytime we have a big rain event like the tropical wave that came through a few weeks ago. Those events usually drop about 8" or so of rain. A tropical storm or hurricane drops 18-24" on its way through an area.
Two rivers drain central Florida, the St. Johns flowing north from near Melbourne, through the Orlando area, to Jacksonville and the Kissimmee flowing south from near Disney to the Everglades. The St. Johns is over 300 miles long and drops 30 feet. A 1 foot drop every 10 miles is not a very good drain. The Kissimmee is only about a third as long but drops about the same 30 feet.
So learn how to look for high ground and expect to pay for it.

As far as climate and crowding you can judge for yourself. South of I-4 is warmer but also more crowded. When my family moved to Orlando in 1955 it probably had around 50,000 people. I drove on I-4 through Orlando when there might be only 3 or 4 cars on it. So I am not at all thrilled about how things have gone. But we have 4 acres in a semi-rural area on a dead end road so we are very happy here especially in the winter. In the summer we are also happy because we are not here.

[Nolan]

We spent one winter in Lake Panasoffkee, FL. It's near Bushnell. I really liked that area. If I was going to buy a place in Florida, I'd look in that area.

[bobsea43]

As mentioned earlier, the Space Coast (aka East Central Fl), is a nice place. Central FL has always been home, even though my Dad was in the Army for 20 years and I was in the USAF for a little longer. Family has always been Central Fl. I left about time Disney World started and in the intervening years all my family from Orlando area left and moved over to the east coast so when I moved back there 24 years ago, I went to Melbourne. It reminds me of Orlando before Disney world. It does not have the big Spring vacation college crowds, even though it has nice beaches! I would not recommend living on the barrier island for insurance purposes. My family was spread throughout Brevard County and it is a nice area to live IMHO. We sold our house last year after DW retired, but if/when we stop FT we will go back there, despite visiting some other beautiful places in the USA. We lived about 7 miles from the coast and in 2004 when the hurricanes came thru one after the other we had a big mess, but no damage to speak of. Insurance can be an issue, but we were with the same company for most of the time we lived there.

Bottom line - I suggest you look at Brevard County from Mims at the north to Palm Bay in the south end. Prices are good now. There are plenty of home available that are convenient to the beach if you like that, but not as "exposed"!

If you would like some specific info PM me!

[Connie B.]

I second Brevard County. We have Viera in the south part of the county which is a planned community with schools, shopping areas, etc. We have Cocoa and Titusville, Melbourne and Palm Bay on the "mainland." We have Merritt Island and then the beaches area. Lots to choose from, lots of differently priced areas. Lots of retirees. Lots of good doctors and hospitals. We are near Orlando which has many specialty doctors and hospitals. With the Space Center winding down, lots of homes for sale.

When it comes to hurricanes look at the shape of the land in Brevard County. Cape Canaveral (named by the Spanish) helps steer hurricanes away from us. While we do get hit on a rare occasion most of the hurricanes tend to go south of us into the Gulf of Mexico or turn northward and hit the Carolinas and farther north. The great thing about a hurricane is there is plenty of warning. You load up your RV and head away from the hurricane. Each location you may choose for a residence has some natural disaster. Since I have lived in Brevard County since 1959 and still home base here, I feel I can say it's a great place to be.

We like the coast because it is warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer than Central Florida. Plus if you are into water sports or just looking at the wildlife, Brevard County is super. We home base in Titusville. A nice town, good shopping, close to Orlando and Merritt Island shopping, etc.

Good Luck on your choice. Welcome to Florida. Connie B.

[dmcb]

George, we live in Citrus county near Inverness. The area is somewhat rural but has good shopping and related things. It is an area with a series of inland lakes.
Inverness is a nice town with low crime and good medical care. It is a weekend place for people from Tampa/St Pete.
It is a place most want to live but it is difficult to make a living so there are a lot of retirees.
Also an area with lots of snowbirds.
We have owned property here for over 35 years and have watched it grow. During that time we have never been hit with a destructive 'cane. Something to think about in Florida.
I always suggest someone think about the area South of Gainsville because that is where the frost line seems to be. Not that we don't get a frost from time to time but you can grow citrus here and much farther north, you can't.
I also suggest a person look North of the Tampa area because of the large amount of people. The strip from our county east to the Daytona area is quite nice. I think you would enjoy any of that area but of course any area would have to be inspected for your personal preferences.
Lake Panasoffkee was mentioned. It is a few miles from Inverness. A nice laid back area. All of the area I mentioned is close to Webster. If you are into flea markets, Webster is every Monday and is the largest flea market in Florida.
Now is the time to buy in Florida. The prices are very good. There is a lot of good buys in our area. The only real industry was building. When the bubble burst, that died. Many of the people doing the building left the area and that left more homes on the market. Having an RV allows one time to explore good buys and make low offers. Another thought on this subject. As I mentioned many retire here. As much as we don't like to think about this, retirees come, build a home, furnish it with new things, and die. The people left with the property often don't live near and have no interest. They now have to compete with forclosed property and bank short sales. So there is a good buy waiting somewhere.

[George Stoltz]

Doug and others,

We met with a Realtor today in Inverness. We have decided to locate here in winters and travel outside of Florida from May until October.

I appreciate all the fine input that comes from so many Escapees.

[dmcb]

We have to meet George. Maybe lunch?

[Don & Deb]

Our plan is similar.....we just purchased here : http://www.mtolivesh...m/template1.asp .....the plan is to winter there.....and travel outside Florida from May until October also.

Enjoy and be safe...........

[EBendana]

've lived in Florida for 20 years, and due to my job have traveled the entire state...we just bought a double wide Manufactured home in a wonderful community called The Woodlands at Church lake...its about 45 miles NW of Orlando, on US 27 at the Florida turnpike. The reason we love this community...surrounded by Wetlands, so it will never become a concrete jungle, large lots, lots of mature trees, amazing huge clubhouse with two pools and fitness center, the friendliest people...only about 10-15 minutes to decent size city (Leesburg and Clermont), its a 55+ but they allow 20% of folks to be less than 55, as long as they are over 40...

Feel free to give me a call and if you are in the area worth a look....oh, and you can store your rig onsite in secure storage for only $30 per month. If you come, ask for Jeff Wrede to show you around...we paid 40K for a 2003 1100 sq ft 3 bed 2 bath home, large porch, shed and covered carport...new homes from 85K, used homes ranging from 10K and up...monthly lot rent about $400 which includes basic cable, water, trash pick up and use of all the amenities...also, 10 minute drive to free access to the 5 chain of lakes, so lots of boating. We ride a motorcycle and love the fact that there are rolling hills.

Please use my name, since we do get a refferal if folks buy in (one month free rent!)

Ellen Bendana
407-417-3490