Sold my house and moved to SW Florida

[PortTobacco II]

Hi Everyone,
So I sold my house on the Potomac River in Southern, MD on Monday 8/3 at 1pm. Right after the closing me, my wife, and two dogs jumped into the Expedition with the boat in tow and headed SOUTH. Right into the Tropical Storm. We made to Rocky Mount, NC the first day. Based on the local weather I was watching in Rocky Mount, it looked like the eye of the storm came pretty close to our location. It didn't seem like much of a TS. We have been through worse.

We made it to Jacksonville, FL the next day and to Naples by Wednesday at about 5pm. We dropped the boat off in a storage field up in Punta Gorda. Storage cost is about $100 a month. We are staying with my mother-in-law until September when we move into an apartment. I am not seeing any homes that I want for what I want to pay.

Thursday night here in Naples we had to put our dog Toby down. The cancer finally became too much for the poor boy. My wife was giving him some Chinese herb that our Maryland Vet suggested but it stopped helping him.

Anyways it is kind of sucky and freaking boring in SW Florida so far. Especially with this stupid Virus stuff. Hoping I did NOT make a mistake moving here. But the main reason to move here was to be closer to my mother-in-law and daughter.....so I have to give it time I suppose.

 

[Canuckjetboater]

Hi Everyone,
So I sold my house on the Potomac River in Southern, MD on Monday 8/3 at 1pm. Right after the closing me, my wife, and two dogs jumped into the Expedition with the boat in tow and headed SOUTH. Right into the Tropical Storm. We made to Rocky Mount, NC the first day. Based on the local weather I was watching in Rocky Mount, it looked like the eye of the storm came pretty close to our location. It didn't seem like much of a TS. We have been through worse.

We made it to Jacksonville, FL the next day and to Naples by Wednesday at about 5pm. We dropped the boat off in a storage field up in Punta Gorda. Storage cost is about $100 a month. We are staying with my mother-in-law until September when we move into an apartment. I am not seeing any homes that I want for what I want to pay.

Thursday night here in Naples we had to put our dog Toby down. The cancer finally became too much for the poor boy. My wife was giving him some Chinese herb that our Maryland Vet suggested but it stopped helping him.

Anyways it is kind of sucky and freaking boring in SW Florida so far. Especially with this stupid Virus stuff. Hoping I did NOT make a mistake moving here. But the main reason to move here was to be closer to my mother-in-law and daughter.....so I have to give it time I suppose.

@PortTobacco II .....yes, give it time. You have been through a lot of like-altering experiences in a short period of time. You are in a part of North America that many can only dream of being in. You will heal from the loss of your friend Toby and the sheer exhaustion of selling, moving and travelling all in a very fast time frame. Soak-up the weather, have a few beers, rest-up, meet some people, get your boat wet. In no time at all you will be laughing! Best of luck!

 

[VitaminSea]

Sorry to hear about Toby. Parting ways with a pet is always a challenge, and quite frankly sucks.

Housing prices in Florida right now are in my opinion slightly inflated and fueled by low rates.

Renting and exploring the area might be the way to go in the interim.

I am not sure what members are your way, I though @veedubtek was around that part of the state and can suggest places to get out and boat or things to see and do.
I am up in the Orlando area, but can speak highly of the intercostal around Sarasota. Also, Naples/Marco Island is a beach. Never boated there, but should be lots to see. They call it something to the effect of the land of 1,000 islands.

Also, a trip to the Northern Keys (Key Largo) would be something on my list to check out.

 

[PortTobacco II]

@VitaminSea and @Canuckjetboater Thanks guys. I need to let the dust settle. And yes should get the boat wet soon.

Yes Walt (@veedubtek) was great to me last year when I vacationed in Punta Gorda. He let me park my trailer at his shop. Maybe I will pop in and say hi to Walt.

 

[mrdubean1]

I'll drink one for your dog, and one for you too. Im moving to FL eventually, and I can't wait!

 

[Dean P]

Sorry for your lose of Toby. My son and his wife picked up a pup couple weeks ago and named him Toby. I hope he treats them as well as your Toby treated you.

I too came to Florida 30 years ago from New England; no friends, no wife and no family here. As noted you will meet new people, buy a new home and be with family. Nothing is better than that. I never regretted coming here and I will never move back. As long as you like being outdoors and can deal with the heat and humidity you'll be fine.

I'm in St Petersburg, a little north of you. If you're ever up this way, give me a shout and I'll buy you a beer (or 2). Good luck and stay safe.

 

[ourlee]

Moving to be near family is never a bad idea. Enjoy the low interest rates, house hunting is great fun. Good luck.

 

[brian86992]

Grew up there. Such a nice city and you'll see how different it is "in" and "out" of season.

Take the boat out to Key Wayden and enjoy!

 

[I_squared_r]

Sorry about your Toby. I also had a dog named Toby and he was an amazing black lab.

 

[InmyElement]

That is a lot to go through..give it time. My dad moved to Venice from Minneapolis and didn't look back. I would visit during the fall and winters..best place to be in the winter. The beaches are too hot this time of year, but wait till winter.
My Dad met some of the best friends he ever had in his Venice community.
Good luck with your new adventure.

 

[Jebinok]

Sorry for your lose of Toby. My son and his wife picked up a pup couple weeks ago and named him Toby. I hope he treats them as well as your Toby treated you.

I too came to Florida 30 years ago from New England; no friends, no wife and no family here. As noted you will meet new people, buy a new home and be with family. Nothing is better than that. I never regretted coming here and I will never move back. As long as you like being outdoors and can deal with the heat and humidity you'll be fine.

I'm in St Petersburg, a little north of you. If you're ever up this way, give me a shout and I'll buy you a beer (or 2). Good luck and stay safe.

I am wanting to move to Florida in the next couple of months, but would like some more info on the St Perersburg area. Mostly job wise, i have been at this steel mill for 17 1/2 years, and have kept my CDL for something to fall back on. and will probably go back to that but NO OTR.....just wondering about the job market and rent prices in that area, also gonna bring the yammie to enjoy.

 

[Scottintexas]

don't know how I missed this one, sorry to hear about Toby, @PortTobacco II how's the adjustment coming along?

 

[Dean P]

I am wanting to move to Florida in the next couple of months, but would like some more info on the St Perersburg area. Mostly job wise, i have been at this steel mill for 17 1/2 years, and have kept my CDL for something to fall back on. and will probably go back to that but NO OTR.....just wondering about the job market and rent prices in that area, also gonna bring the yammie to enjoy.

Absolutely on the Yammi; make sure you bring it! St Pete is all over the place on rent. Near the water will be more costly than inland. Job market? I don't know. Keep in mind Pinellas county has over 1 million people. Good luck!

 

[Brad_Ct]

We moved to Alva Fl. around the same time from CT.. Bought our house here last November and from what I’m seeing we bought just in time before prices started going up. We are not on the water but have a public boat launch a couple miles from us and a marina 8 miles away both on the Caloosahatchee river. We originally were looking for something on the water but couldn’t fathom being 20’ from neighbors so we decided to buy in a country setting with almost an acre lot surrounded by game preserve and farm land. If you need a realtor let me know, the one we used was great.

 

[PortTobacco II]

don't know how I missed this one, sorry to hear about Toby, @PortTobacco II how's the adjustment coming along?

Thanks. It was hard to say good bye to Toby but t was correct think to do. My other dog Maggie has finally adjusted. She was really out of sorts for several weeks.

 

[PortTobacco II]

We finally got a contract on canal home in Punta Gorda. Decent house but needs a bunch of work. Real SELLERS market. The seller bought the house last December and I am paying THEM $165,000 more then they pay 12 months ago. They did put some money into the house...maybe $40,000. They did install a brand new boat lift two months ago...so good for me I suppose. I ended up bidding $5k over the asking price and got the house. There were at least 3 other buyers waiting behind me. We close in early December. The house is in a good location: 10 minutes no wake zone to big water, a short walk to a dog park, a walk to bars & restaurants.

I am learning a lot about this area of SW Florida and building/home improvements. You have to be real careful about the elevation of homes. I paid $250 to have an Elevation Certificate to be created by a local surveyor. My house is right at 9 foot elevation which not great but good enough for my area/street. Anything under that makes Flood Insurance very expensive. Local governments also might NOT give a permit for home improvements if the house is below the desired elevation. I guess they don't want folks improving (investing in) homes that sit below the designation elevation (for my area its 9 foot).

 

[Scuba_ref]

9 feet of elevation, wow! I forgot how flat Florida is! I have 40 feet of elevation gain in my short driveway - but I do live on the side of a massive volcano.

Florida was a top 3 choice for me when we were looking to leave the PNW, but the wife wasn't interested!

 

[rkluck]

Nine feet isn't a lot but it sounds like you have a great spot. We couldn't find what we wanted on a canal. So we went in land a little. But the drive on beach is absolutely great!

 

[Britboater]

Hi @PortTobacco II great to see you've ended up in a lovely small town but then again, I'm biased .
If your on a canal, are you in PGI? I know the prices there are higher compared to surrounding areas but IMO worth it, it's deed restricted and very safe and welcoming.
My home is on 9ft elevation and I have no real concerns, even when Irma hit, the water was only at sea wall height. All these climate activists ball ache about sea levels but then they always seem to buy waterfront property .
Unfortunately with all this Kung flu, and as I'm a British national the President has enforced a proclamation, banning me traveling to the US (so much for all the people saying he hasn't done anything) and not even sure if it will be lifted till next summer or whenever? So my poor boat is sitting on it's lift, with it's shift cables slowly seizing .
Anyhow, enjoy the area, and I'm sure when all this shit storm is over, you will able to really appreciate your new home town.

 

[PortTobacco II]

Hi @PortTobacco II great to see you've ended up in a lovely small town but then again, I'm biased .
If your on a canal, are you in PGI? I know the prices there are higher compared to surrounding areas but IMO worth it, it's deed restricted and very safe and welcoming.
My home is on 9ft elevation and I have no real concerns, even when Irma hit, the water was only at sea wall height. All these climate activists ball ache about sea levels but then they always seem to buy waterfront property .
Unfortunately with all this Kung flu, and as I'm a British national the President has enforced a proclamation, banning me traveling to the US (so much for all the people saying he hasn't done anything) and not even sure if it will be lifted till next summer or whenever? So my poor boat is sitting on it's lift, with it's shift cables slowly seizing .
Anyhow, enjoy the area, and I'm sure when all this shit storm is over, you will able to really appreciate your new home town.

@Britboater yeah the way I look at it is...if you live next to the water, you just might get wet. Take the good with the bad. And that is what insurance is for I guess.

Yesterday this stupid tropical storm Eta decided to come back in our direction. My wife and I decided to drive past the house we are buying to see how the house/lot & street was handling the storm. Looked like it did OK. But we tried to go to that Irish place (Celtic Ray) for lunch and Nesbit street was underwater so we could not get into the parking lot in back. The historic or least older section (W. Marion, Olympian) had some considerable flooding.

Let me know if want be stop at your place spray your cables or anything. I am here full time.