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Posted almost 12 years ago

Now is a Great Time to Buy in Florida!

My husband and I currently live in northeast Ohio. We are young empty nesters sick of the cold winters here on the North Coast, so we have been watching the Florida real estate market for some time, waiting for the time to be right for use to make a move. 


I thought our chances were shot when the prices ran up to crazy amounts in the early 2000's, after all, our goal is to downsize, both in terms of house, and payment. However, those same little ranch houses that were selling for over $200,000 are now back down to reasonable amounts. 


We've spent considerable time in different areas of Florida to get a feel for what we like best. We did not seriously consider the panhandle, because weather still can get pretty cold there. We've looked at the Keys (still too rich for our goals), Ft. Lauderdale area (ditto), Daytona (too windy, and the water is colder than I like in the winter), Ft. Myers area (nice and very inexpensive, but not sure about work opportunities for the husband) and Tampa/St. Pete/Clearwater--an area about which we have found lots to love. Prices are good, but work prospects are great, too. The Gulf  beaches are amazing-- the water is warm and shallow, and the waves are not too much even for our little grand-peeps. 


We are actively looking for a great place to lay our heads, and keeping all of our options open. We know that we do not want a condo, but the amenities are great with those-- would be nice to have a pool that somebody else cleans. For this reason, we are considering mobile homes as well as single family dwellings with room for a pool. 


As I said, prices are great right now-- so we are hoping that by the time the snow flies here again--- we will be there. I will be updating this blog with great homes and great deals I find, whether they are something we are considering ourselves, as some of you might also benefit from what I ferret out. 


I love to write about real estate and other finance issues, like refinance home loans.




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