Home & Garden I can't believe how cheap it is to buy a house in Florida!

As a Canadian who's moved to SoCal, I totally understand wanting the heat! Although I live in a city where our winters are the mildest in Canada (yay West Coast), I have heard so many stories about how frigid it is for the rest of the Country. Even our close neighbours in Alberta. Even with the winters we get, I love being in California. I'm just not cut out for the cold! :P

Moving from BC to California wasn't that big of a difference. Sure, we're buying a house in the $600k mark, but I also sold my dinky 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown for almost $400k. To me, you get much more for your money, but it is also area that you're looking into. The house we bought isn't grandiose but it's perfect for us for the next several years.
 
"Why is everybody at OP's throat?"


I don't think everyone is at the OP's throat,but I do understand the quick responses to maybe "defend" this topic. First of all, the word used multiple times by the OP is "cheap" opposed to how "inexpensive" or how "affordable it is for me". Then statements like, "I know the American economy is to blame for such cheap real estate..and now I am looking to buy a house there (winter home) because of the ridiculous low pricing." , "( you Americans really have to get with the times and go metric by the way, lol)" and "After a couple months across the border I've had my fill anyway."can ruffle feathers of proud Americans such as I. I know the OP is entitled to his/her opinion, but I am too and it comes across arrogant and rude.
If I were to say how ridiculously cheap some part of Canada was and how you Canadians need to get with United States customary units, I'm sure I'd get a response or two (or three....)



Well said!
 
Yes real estate in florida is inexpensive...at least compared to other areas in the US Here in the northeastern part of US, real estate is very expensive and we pay high property taxes.

There are things to keep in mind with Florida depending on where you are in life. Real estate and real estate taxes are cheap. But many of the public school districts are not great as compared to the rest of the country. I'm not saying all the school districts but many. That means if you have kids, private school is often necessary which equals about whatI pay in property taxes anyway.

Employment opportunities are another thing to consider.

But given the winter we had here in the northeast, I can totally understand your desire to move to Florida! I've recently concluded that winter sucks. lol Good luck OP
 
One must look at the availability of jobs in the area to understand the prices of housing. I would be considered rich in FL if I could take my Northern VA salary with me. The cost of living in VA is high as well which is equal to the wages.
 
I was floored to see that I could buy about the same size house in southwest Florida (Punta Gorda/Fort Myers) ...

BEFORE you consider this any further, check on Hurricane Insurance. Homeowner's Insurance doesn't cover everything. You may be in for a shock when you see the premiums and the conditions and exclusions.

Florida has not taken a direct hit in several years and people are getting complacent. There are a significant number of people there now that have never endured a major Hurricane.

There's a feeling of unease among people that pay attention to Hurricanes that FL is well overdue for another Andrew ('92) or Summer of '04 when they got hit by four in a couple of months.
 
If I were to say how ridiculously cheap some part of Canada was and how you Canadians need to get with United States customary units, I'm sure I'd get a response or two (or three....)
Darn tootin' you would, eh? I'd hop on my snowmobile tout suite and give you a piece of my mind. If I was really fired up, I'd even throw maple syrup at your door! Take that!
Nothing gets my goat like the refusal of the metric system.
Naturally, I'd leave a nice handwritten note apologizing for the mess. :lol:
 
Darn tootin' you would, eh? I'd hop on my snowmobile tout suite and give you a piece of my mind. If I was really fired up, I'd even throw maple syrup at your door! Take that!
Nothing gets my goat like the refusal of the metric system.
Naturally, I'd leave a nice handwritten note apologizing for the mess. :lol:

:lol:

I don't think OP intentionally meant to sound arrogant and rude. Being a Canadian and moving to the US, I get my fair share of Canadian jokes. If OP spends a lot of time in the US, I'm sure she gets it too. Maybe Cheap wasn't the most ideal word... but yes, I've seen Real Estate in Florida and Texas that are affordable! My fiance's family is from Virginia and they tell us all the time to move out there because we get more bang for your buck (in terms of space and real estate). But I'd pay a bit more of a premium to live close to the water and on the West Coast. To each their own.

I did enjoy Florida when I visited though! It wasn't too humid when I went but we only stayed for a few days before we jumped on a cruise.
 
Yeah, you can. But that was not OP's point unless my grasp of the English language has left me.

Regarding the "2nd home" market, people from Northern Europe bought property in FL after the real estate bubble burst since house prices had plunged. I remember TV programmes on this.
 
"Why is everybody at OP's throat?"


I don't think everyone is at the OP's throat,but I do understand the quick responses to maybe "defend" this topic. First of all, the word used multiple times by the OP is "cheap" opposed to how "inexpensive" or how "affordable it is for me". Then statements like, "I know the American economy is to blame for such cheap real estate..and now I am looking to buy a house there (winter home) because of the ridiculous low pricing." , "( you Americans really have to get with the times and go metric by the way, lol)" and "After a couple months across the border I've had my fill anyway."can ruffle feathers of proud Americans such as I. I know the OP is entitled to his/her opinion, but I am too and it comes across arrogant and rude.
If I were to say how ridiculously cheap some part of Canada was and how you Canadians need to get with United States customary units, I'm sure I'd get a response or two (or three....)

You forgot about the part " exceptional healthcare in Canada". That's the line that made me spit out my iced tea. Let's count all the foreign dignitaries that flock to Canada for healthcare. Or should I count all the Canadians that come to Cleveland.
 
Darn tootin' you would, eh? I'd hop on my snowmobile tout suite and give you a piece of my mind. If I was really fired up, I'd even throw maple syrup at your door! Take that!
Nothing gets my goat like the refusal of the metric system.
Naturally, I'd leave a nice handwritten note apologizing for the mess. :lol:

HILARIOUS!!!:lolots::lolots::lolots:
 
Darn tootin' you would, eh? I'd hop on my snowmobile tout suite and give you a piece of my mind. If I was really fired up, I'd even throw maple syrup at your door! Take that!
Nothing gets my goat like the refusal of the metric system.
Naturally, I'd leave a nice handwritten note apologizing for the mess. :lol:
I apologise for correcting you but; it's "apologising for the mess". lol
 
Darn tootin' you would, eh? I'd hop on my snowmobile tout suite and give you a piece of my mind. If I was really fired up, I'd even throw maple syrup at your door! Take that!
Nothing gets my goat like the refusal of the metric system.
Naturally, I'd leave a nice handwritten note apologizing for the mess. :lol:


Your post made me chuckle. Great stuff, need to read between the lines, eh?

My sister married a Canadian and has lived in Mississauga for 27 years.
I just heard about Canadians and apologizing from my nieces. One of them spent a summer in Spain and was asked--
1. Do you live in an igloo?
2. Are you allowed to drive your snow machine to school?
3. Where is the state of Canada located in the USA?