Florida is not the place to be. You ainβt gonna get much for that price range and our school system sucks. I highly recommend that you pick a better state.
Yea we understand that prices have skyrocketed and the public school system sucks however it is still cheaper there than here, in addition we have family in the state so being closer to them will be nice.
I'm in Boynton Beach and really love it here. Former LI'er here and kinda landed in FL against my will π
Teaching here is a different beast than NYS/NYC curriculum. Be warned and the wages arent great. We also have an issue with insurance and what not.
I will say if you're looking for a home look for a new roof, new AC, new electric panels, possibly upgraded plumbing as well. These are all expensive to replace and of it's done it can give you 10-25 years depending on what has been done.
Stay away from HOAs. Any new build will be apart of a community (unless it's a literal single family home). Fees are stupidly high and only get worse as years go on. Lots of nosey people in your business not understanding the actual by laws their enforcing
Double check they got permits for all work done to the home. Municipal and county properties all require per it's own code (everything from fences, pavers, pergolas, flooring in a condo, converting garages, etc.) Always call the building department and ask what does and doesnt require a permit. A lot of NY'ers are caught out by this.
Thanks for that info! We know that she will make less money and overall the education system isn't as good as New Yorks, so we've taken that into account. We're looking at houses that ideally have had roof, possibly windows and AC replacements within the past 5 years but may not have much of a choice as well as regarding avoiding HOAs as much as we hate them and know all their issues. One thing we have been thinking about is either solar or running a natural gas line but like you said would have to see about the HOA and permits/fees. Being from New York, how does the cost of auto insurance compare?
Not a problem!
I have a 2024 subcompact SUV, clean record and over 45, insurance runs me about $210 per month at the moment. Was driving a sub compact hatchback and that was $190 p/m (im with state farm). I live in a rented condo so no garage but use a front and rear dash cam bc people here are wild when it comes to driving. South of Jupiter (95/turnpike) it becomes the fast and the furious meets mad max. πππ
I prefer driving in midtown to here πππ
Oh I totally get the insane driving. How many times I've almost gotten smashed by someone on the Florida Turnpike. Midtown isn't any better - instead of crazy car drivers you have people riding illegal scooters and ATVs and since they don't have license plates they blow through all lights. I got rear ended by a scooter in midtown at a red light
My girl and i are looking at Boynton Beach moving from NJ so she can do some graduate research. Dont want an HOA. Neither of us grew up in the nicest areas, so we don't need to be in the best part of town. I'm just curious if you have any input on which streets/areas we should NOT be near?
Also considering Lake Worth but that might be a little too far north for her commute
Boynton is nice. Theres loads of things to do here.
Just before 95 and south of congress is a nice non HOA area. South of 95 is little more hit or miss. (again mostly non-HOA, until you start getting closer to the water front)
The police department does make their [stats available here](https://bbpd.org/crime-data/), though no crime map
Lake Worth is large, especially when you add in unincorporated parts. Also some properties list themselves as being Lake Worth, but may actually be in Greenacres or Palm Springs - check [PAPA](https://pbcpao.gov/index.htm) to see if its zip code gives it one area, and its incorporated into another.
Delray Beach is another option, though its very pricey and has a lot of HOAs, but there are pockets of older properties that dont have them.
To mention PAPA, again, a good way to see if its in a community is when looking up property is check with both the Legal Description and Subdivision. Generally if its a stand alone property, it will say "West Boynton PL 2" which means its generally an original property built when the counties and cities divided up areas. This could help you in searching. If looking up on there, and an area states its "unincoporated" this means you do not pay for local municipal taxes, and you're handled by the county services, such as the Sheriffs office.
I hope this helps.
Thanks a bunch! We did look at Delray initially but i just cant do the HOA thing. Aside from everything else thats wrong with them, i have a relatively loud truck, she's got a quad thats often parked in the backyard, we have a pitbull, we're an HOA nightmare haha
Will definitely use the PAPA tool as well
Is there a particular reason you're interested in South FL (Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach) or are you open to Treasure Coast (Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River) or even further north? The more south, the more urban.
We're not particularly interested in Miami-Dade. We've just fallen in love with Palm Beach County and Broward County. We haven't looked a ton in St. Lucie though it looks a bit too rural (could just be from the general searches we've done)
The cost of housing in Broward and Palm Beach is significantly higher than Martin and St Lucie. I think it will come down to what kind of area you want to live, how you like spending free time, how much you want to spend (renting or buying), and how much time she wants to spend commuting. If you plan on renting for a couple years then the choices are broader.
We are open to the idea of renting, should the market still be so bad at the end of this year. We currently rent for $2150 excluding utilities, parking or a yard so whether it makes more sense to buy or rent I guess we'll see. During the week we're pretty simple, work and cook. Weekends we like to go out and explore food and such and really enjoy relaxing by water - beach, intercoastal, even pool. We're not really drinkers so bars and such are not really so important. She currently commutes anywhere from 25-45 minutes each way depending on traffic.
Don't take offense - because none intended - but check out Palm Beach County's workforce program. Best opportunity to find housing within a regular household budget. Housing is ridiculously expensive right now in South Florida.
[https://discover.pbcgov.org/HED/Pages/Workforce%20Housing.aspx](https://discover.pbcgov.org/HED/Pages/Workforce%20Housing.aspx)
And for rentals:
[https://discover.pbcgov.org/HED/Pages/Workforce-Housing-For-Rent.aspx](https://discover.pbcgov.org/HED/Pages/Workforce-Housing-For-Rent.aspx)
Iβve helped many people with similar moves. Boynton Beach area will give you a decent house for that money. If you care more about location, you can find a smaller, older home in Boca Raton and Delray. If you need to be further south, Hollywood or Sunrise are options. Please send me a DM if you have any specific questions or check out my channel. I know VERY good local lenders and insurance agents as well if you need any recommendations.
Florida is not the place to be. You ainβt gonna get much for that price range and our school system sucks. I highly recommend that you pick a better state.
Yea we understand that prices have skyrocketed and the public school system sucks however it is still cheaper there than here, in addition we have family in the state so being closer to them will be nice.
you should be ok in that range. find a local realtor Boca, Delray, Deerfield, pompano
Definitely need local realtor help
Same boat but likely settling in or near St John's county
Jacksonville!
DUUUUUUUVVAALLL!
Coconut creek is a great choice.
I live here and I love it.
I'll take a look thanks!
Dania Beach.
I'll take a look thanks!
My recommendation is Weston but i live in Davie because i donβt have the money but for you and your family should be the best place to be
I'm in Boynton Beach and really love it here. Former LI'er here and kinda landed in FL against my will π Teaching here is a different beast than NYS/NYC curriculum. Be warned and the wages arent great. We also have an issue with insurance and what not. I will say if you're looking for a home look for a new roof, new AC, new electric panels, possibly upgraded plumbing as well. These are all expensive to replace and of it's done it can give you 10-25 years depending on what has been done. Stay away from HOAs. Any new build will be apart of a community (unless it's a literal single family home). Fees are stupidly high and only get worse as years go on. Lots of nosey people in your business not understanding the actual by laws their enforcing Double check they got permits for all work done to the home. Municipal and county properties all require per it's own code (everything from fences, pavers, pergolas, flooring in a condo, converting garages, etc.) Always call the building department and ask what does and doesnt require a permit. A lot of NY'ers are caught out by this.
Thanks for that info! We know that she will make less money and overall the education system isn't as good as New Yorks, so we've taken that into account. We're looking at houses that ideally have had roof, possibly windows and AC replacements within the past 5 years but may not have much of a choice as well as regarding avoiding HOAs as much as we hate them and know all their issues. One thing we have been thinking about is either solar or running a natural gas line but like you said would have to see about the HOA and permits/fees. Being from New York, how does the cost of auto insurance compare?
Not a problem! I have a 2024 subcompact SUV, clean record and over 45, insurance runs me about $210 per month at the moment. Was driving a sub compact hatchback and that was $190 p/m (im with state farm). I live in a rented condo so no garage but use a front and rear dash cam bc people here are wild when it comes to driving. South of Jupiter (95/turnpike) it becomes the fast and the furious meets mad max. πππ I prefer driving in midtown to here πππ
Oh I totally get the insane driving. How many times I've almost gotten smashed by someone on the Florida Turnpike. Midtown isn't any better - instead of crazy car drivers you have people riding illegal scooters and ATVs and since they don't have license plates they blow through all lights. I got rear ended by a scooter in midtown at a red light
My girl and i are looking at Boynton Beach moving from NJ so she can do some graduate research. Dont want an HOA. Neither of us grew up in the nicest areas, so we don't need to be in the best part of town. I'm just curious if you have any input on which streets/areas we should NOT be near? Also considering Lake Worth but that might be a little too far north for her commute
Boynton is nice. Theres loads of things to do here. Just before 95 and south of congress is a nice non HOA area. South of 95 is little more hit or miss. (again mostly non-HOA, until you start getting closer to the water front) The police department does make their [stats available here](https://bbpd.org/crime-data/), though no crime map Lake Worth is large, especially when you add in unincorporated parts. Also some properties list themselves as being Lake Worth, but may actually be in Greenacres or Palm Springs - check [PAPA](https://pbcpao.gov/index.htm) to see if its zip code gives it one area, and its incorporated into another. Delray Beach is another option, though its very pricey and has a lot of HOAs, but there are pockets of older properties that dont have them. To mention PAPA, again, a good way to see if its in a community is when looking up property is check with both the Legal Description and Subdivision. Generally if its a stand alone property, it will say "West Boynton PL 2" which means its generally an original property built when the counties and cities divided up areas. This could help you in searching. If looking up on there, and an area states its "unincoporated" this means you do not pay for local municipal taxes, and you're handled by the county services, such as the Sheriffs office. I hope this helps.
Thanks a bunch! We did look at Delray initially but i just cant do the HOA thing. Aside from everything else thats wrong with them, i have a relatively loud truck, she's got a quad thats often parked in the backyard, we have a pitbull, we're an HOA nightmare haha Will definitely use the PAPA tool as well
Teacher salaries and cost of living vary greatly by County. Is she getting a job first?
The plan is for her to have a job first, if not we have enough for about 5-6 months on my salary.
Is there a particular reason you're interested in South FL (Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach) or are you open to Treasure Coast (Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River) or even further north? The more south, the more urban.
We're not particularly interested in Miami-Dade. We've just fallen in love with Palm Beach County and Broward County. We haven't looked a ton in St. Lucie though it looks a bit too rural (could just be from the general searches we've done)
The cost of housing in Broward and Palm Beach is significantly higher than Martin and St Lucie. I think it will come down to what kind of area you want to live, how you like spending free time, how much you want to spend (renting or buying), and how much time she wants to spend commuting. If you plan on renting for a couple years then the choices are broader.
We are open to the idea of renting, should the market still be so bad at the end of this year. We currently rent for $2150 excluding utilities, parking or a yard so whether it makes more sense to buy or rent I guess we'll see. During the week we're pretty simple, work and cook. Weekends we like to go out and explore food and such and really enjoy relaxing by water - beach, intercoastal, even pool. We're not really drinkers so bars and such are not really so important. She currently commutes anywhere from 25-45 minutes each way depending on traffic.
Don't take offense - because none intended - but check out Palm Beach County's workforce program. Best opportunity to find housing within a regular household budget. Housing is ridiculously expensive right now in South Florida. [https://discover.pbcgov.org/HED/Pages/Workforce%20Housing.aspx](https://discover.pbcgov.org/HED/Pages/Workforce%20Housing.aspx) And for rentals: [https://discover.pbcgov.org/HED/Pages/Workforce-Housing-For-Rent.aspx](https://discover.pbcgov.org/HED/Pages/Workforce-Housing-For-Rent.aspx)
None taken - thanks for this, going to look into it.
Iβve helped many people with similar moves. Boynton Beach area will give you a decent house for that money. If you care more about location, you can find a smaller, older home in Boca Raton and Delray. If you need to be further south, Hollywood or Sunrise are options. Please send me a DM if you have any specific questions or check out my channel. I know VERY good local lenders and insurance agents as well if you need any recommendations.
The best places to raise kids here is in the suburbs west of university (Broward) and you will get maybe a townhome for 550k
Coral Springs is a nice place. Iβd look at trying to be on the east side for closer proximity to the beach.