Finding My Paradise

Have you ever dreamed of moving to Florida after you retired?  I did just that even though it was the hardest move I'd ever made. I was fed up with shoveling snow to get to my car, clearing it out of the driveway, shoveling a path to get to the mailbox, and what's worse, having to do it over and over again all winter. On the other hand, I'd be leaving my family and neighbors and all the familiar places and scenery and the familiar way of life.  But the call of the sunshine was impossible to resist, so I did it!

One day I was looking around on eBay and saw several mobile homes listed for bidding. To make a long story short, I ended up bidding on one from eBay, and Voila! I bought myself a home, site unseen except for online photos, and now here I am in 78 degree weather while my friends and family up north are digging themselves out of a second snow storm in 1 week (I truly do feel bad about that).

This all happened in under 2 months' time and I'm as surprised as anyone that now I'm a resident of sunny Florida, 20 minutes from the Atlantic Ocean on what's called The Treasure Coast.  I've lived here for over a year now and I've found out a lot of things I didn't know or didn't expect - some good, some not so good. Some of this blog is simply to tell you how my acclimation to this new world has gone and for those of you who are thinking about moving south for retirement, perhaps give you a heads-up about some issues I had no clue about before moving here and to ask you for your tips about adjusting to such a new way of life.  If you've already made a similar move, did you feel overwhelmed with questions about what to do first and where to go to get answers?

I drove down here in 17 hours with my car filled with all my necessities and things I just couldn't live without, like my bed pillow and family photos.  The previous owner had left some furniture and accessories like a sleeper sofa, scatter rugs, curtains and lamps. It was all livable for now.  If you move here and need furniture right away, many people use Rooms To Go. 

Hurricanes and Insurance

A hefty chunk of your money will go toward purchasing home insurance. As far as I know, there is only one company down here that sells it, so you can't shop around. For my home in this community, I pay approximately $1,100 annually and that does not cover fire or flood. This house did have some damage done to it by a hurricane 6 years ago, so I know it is possible it could happen again.

Other Living Expenses

Another expense I wasn't aware I'd have is having my home pressure washed twice a year. Mold or algae grows on the outside, generally on the north side, as well as on brickwork and driveway. This is done by someone who will do it for about $60 per wash. I'm thinking of buying my own pressure washer and doing it myself. It will pay for itself in a short time.

Also in this community, we have something called an osmosis water fee (not sure what this is). But it costs an extra $231/year, plus your usual $18/month water service cost.  Have you ever heard of an osmosis water treatment?  Clue me in if you know what it is!

We get a special deal with Comcast Cable for a pretty good price. It's $400/year and I get about 80 or more channels (at least 6 are in Spanish, about a dozen are repeat channels in HD). This does not include any major movie channels like HBO, Showtime, etc. They do have different price levels for you to choose for more or fewer channels.

Becoming a Legal Resident of Florida

First, I had to change my car insurance over to Florida. I stayed with the same company I had in PA because they were good to deal with and have comparable prices and good discounts. It was a surprise to me though that I had to pay a fee of $267 just to change over. I kept the same coverages, same car of course, and I was lucky that my payment is $6/month lower than before. I figure it will be 45 months before I make up that $267 charge!

Then, a Florida driver's liense. It took about 20 minutes, so not bad. I produced my PA driver's license, another form of ID and took a short eye exam. They took a new photo and I had my new license in hand for a fee of only $27. You can also register to vote at this time.

Next I had to register my car, a compact. What a shocker this one was. I had read online that the cost would be $100, but they said the fee just changed recently and it cost me $400! If you have a larger car, you'll have a larger fee. I received my license plate right then and there. Now I was officially a Florida resident. It's so strange to see a Florida license plate on my car after having a PA one for about 30 years!

And speaking about registration fees, there's another one: just like a car, you have to register 2 halves of your your mobile home, costing $114 annually.

Remember, all these fees only increase as time goes on. Like my lot rent, which increases every year.  Naturally there are always expenses with home ownership and these are some that you'll need to factor in to your budget.  The usual expenditures such as repairs and replacements exist here as well as anywhere else, but to me, giving up the snow storms and dangerous driving conditions makes it well worth it.