I don't understand the lure of the condo. These people that buy these waterfront condos instead of buying a house. I don't know, maybe it's just me, but I rather pony up some extra cash and get a house. I hate the condo lifestyle. so generic and so bland. Give me a nice house on a canal and I'll be a happy camper. I don't need 2k people living above and below me. No thank you.
I know Ocala very well. I spent 3 years in Gainesville. I'll tell you what, Gainesville still offers a lot of bang for the buck. Sure, you are not on the water but you are just 90 minutes away from Daytona, Tampa, Orlando and Jacksonville. It's a kickass town with great schools, 5 great hospitals, great sports and the most beautiful girls in the country. You can buy a nice house there for a song and a dance. There is where your value is.
Hello Mav, Well, I was once young, bright eyed, and bushy tailed like you are now. When we moved to florida, I had the world by the tail with a down hill pull. I laughed at the older folks with all their complaints and such. but some how the years come and go so fast before you know it your in the winter of your years, and things start to change. Places like condos become a little more understood, as your life style changes like it or not. That is not to say condo-living is for every body. Gainesville is a great place to live and raise a family, and have a lot of fun, tho I don't live there. Florida has many vastly different landscapes to choose from, panhandle, east coast, central highlands, the keys, and central west gulf coast, where I live. There is truly something for every one. There is sort of a freeze line just north of Tampa, from there up frost can come a few times every winter, and in harsh years, hard freezes. Some like those areas because they feel more like back home at the holiday times of the year. Others go farther south so as never to have to deal with the freezing cold anymore. I'm rambling to long here, so one last thought, three final words of wisdom for those thinking of investing in the housing market here. LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION ! Thanks for Reading!
Normally I would agree that this thread is like every other real estate bash I've seen on ET, but the difference here is that I've been immersed in Real Estate in almost every community from N. Tampa to Alabama (along the coast)..... I can only share what I've seen, which is that there's a ton of supply on the market along the coast of Florida, even on beachfront property in places like Destin/Sandestin/S Walton...there are significantly fewer buyers in the market then there were 6 months ago (which is explained away by the brokers 'due to seasonality')... So, say what you will about predictions of gloom and doom, but no place, not even the beachfront property, will be immune to the housing decline/crash which has already started.... By the way, waterfront property in Tokyo fell as much as 80% when their market fell apart.....and they swore it would never happen to them just as many of you now swear.... Get out there and spend a week or two playing 'local real estate broker'...then come back here and tell us what you've discovered....
I live in the orlando area and the biggest problem is in the school. Many families are coming from up north with kids and the schools are over crowded with no plans to build more . They just had a school tear down thier outdoor basketball court to put more portable classrooms in. In Orlando they just added a $9,000 impact fee to new houses to cover expenses of schools . The amount of new developments in Orlando is incredible. But these builders must know what thier doing or may be it just like trading where greed will bite you in the a$$ in the end.
Hello, You are most correct, all areas of Florida are in the same boat on this issue. It has never changed but, the reason being, tho many communities are very cosmopolitan, we are still under the Good Ole Boy system of Local politics ! Not meaning to offend any, but this is still the very deep south, we want them to come here and bring the Yanky Dollars, but our system of running things remains unchanged. Example; there was an event involving the emancipation proclamation, well when all the dust settled, the mind-set became, well if we can't own slaves anymore, we will simply pay slave wages, and that for the most part continues to this day. But it is still a great place to live and prosper.