There are so many really adorable, affordable houses in Florida

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just a random whine. I follow some Instagram accounts that post house listings for good examples of certain house styles, including bungalows (I freaking love bungalows). Often these houses, which are usually recently renovated with thoughtful, original details, have very high price points, and I ooh and aah over them knowing I will never be able to afford a perfect little bungalow in, say, west Los Angeles.

But every now and again these houses are actually reasonably priced at like 350-700k. And then I'll look and they are always, always in Tampa, Florida.

I get it, the houses are cheaper because they are in a place that I, and many other people, don't want to live. I just want to live in a charming little bungalow but that's going to run me 1.5-2m in the DMV even if it's like 1600 sq ft. Waaaaaaaah, I'm being a baby, I want a pretty house even though I'm not rich.

Go ahead and tell me to stop whining now.

You could always move to Florida like thousands of people like you have done over the past couple of years.

Homeowners’ insurance is crazy expensive and you’ll have to replace your roof long before you should to keep coverage. And the bungalows you’re looking at in that range are not in the best areas though. The nicest parts of Tampa are practically as expensive as McLean now — it’s been discovered.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If I was going to buy a “nice cheap house” & proximity to jobs didn’t matter, I would consider a gazillion other places in that price range before I’d consider FL. Mainly in PA (Hershey, Lancaster, Lititz & Philly burbs) or Charlottesville area.

Cute. It has to be cute.

I also won't consider Florida. But if you WILL consider Florida, and love bungalows, you can find a great one in Tampa for 625k, I promise.

NP

Global warming, sea level rise, and FL politics. No thank you. Hard pass.

[Anonymous]

Can you post an example of what you find "cute"? I don't think these, for example, are any less cute than what you could find in say, South Tampa:

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/6409-Eastern-Ave-Takoma-Park-MD-20912/37341328_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/3403-Eastern-Ave-Mount-Rainier-MD-20712/37519913_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4207-28th-St-Mount-Rainier-MD-20712/37524808_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4012-Hamilton-St-Hyattsville-MD-20781/37514524_zpid/

[Anonymous]

Florida is doomed. Just no.

[Anonymous]

South Tampa is quite lovely. Beautiful homes, walkable, good schools. It has always been one of the pricier areas in the metro but since the pandemic has really just exploded in price. Unless you want a complete gut job, you would need to spend an absolute minimum of $750k, but more realistically in the $1 mil+ range, to get one of those "cute" houses.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2605-W-Sunset-Dr-Tampa-FL-33629/45050491_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/575-Bosphorous-Ave-Tampa-FL-33606/45111788_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/3004-W-Chapin-Ave-Tampa-FL-33611/45061300_zpid/

"Cute" houses in the $500k price range are very rarely going to be in nice areas. That's just how Florida is- most of the nicer areas with good schools, safety, family friendliness etc. tend to be newer, master-planned community, suburban sprawl type neighborhoods. Most of the older, non-suburban sprawl areas tend to have really crappy schools and just aren't nice. (Think: Florida man.) The areas that are older/walkable/"cute" AND nice (South Tampa, Winter Park, Coral Gables, parts of Sarasota off the top of my head) are few and far in between and as such are in VERY high demand and these days pretty much equivalent in price to the nice parts of the DMV.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Florida is doomed. Just no.

Like it or not, FL is the future, despite the hideous politics and climate issues.

Just look at population/economic trends. Which states are experiencing population growth? Which are losing population? Where's new manufacturing going? (Hint, it's not the NE or Rust Belt).

We're in the midst of an historical transition, perhaps the largest we've seen since the post-WWII suburbanization.

Places like FL and TX are "winning" and places like NYC, Chicago are "losing".

Neither climate nor politics are likely to change that anytime soon.

[Anonymous]

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/5301-N-Central-Ave-Tampa-FL-33603/45092661_zpid/

Like, this house is "cute"...but it's in a very...erm...up and coming neighborhood I personally would not choose to raise my family in. The schools would be an absolute non-starter for me (and I'm a product of FL public schools and always roll my eyes at the "FL schools are universally awful!" comments...if that tells you anything). And it's within viewing distance of one of the busiest interstate stretches in the entire state. I can't imagine paying $650k for it (although I'm sure someone will).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:South Tampa is quite lovely. Beautiful homes, walkable, good schools. It has always been one of the pricier areas in the metro but since the pandemic has really just exploded in price. Unless you want a complete gut job, you would need to spend an absolute minimum of $750k, but more realistically in the $1 mil+ range, to get one of those "cute" houses.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2605-W-Sunset-Dr-Tampa-FL-33629/45050491_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/575-Bosphorous-Ave-Tampa-FL-33606/45111788_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/3004-W-Chapin-Ave-Tampa-FL-33611/45061300_zpid/

"Cute" houses in the $500k price range are very rarely going to be in nice areas. That's just how Florida is- most of the nicer areas with good schools, safety, family friendliness etc. tend to be newer, master-planned community, suburban sprawl type neighborhoods. Most of the older, non-suburban sprawl areas tend to have really crappy schools and just aren't nice. (Think: Florida man.) The areas that are older/walkable/"cute" AND nice (South Tampa, Winter Park, Coral Gables, parts of Sarasota off the top of my head) are few and far in between and as such are in VERY high demand and these days pretty much equivalent in price to the nice parts of the DMV.

I feel like you just described most of the country ha

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Florida is doomed. Just no.

Like it or not, FL is the future, despite the hideous politics and climate issues.

Just look at population/economic trends. Which states are experiencing population growth? Which are losing population? Where's new manufacturing going? (Hint, it's not the NE or Rust Belt).

We're in the midst of an historical transition, perhaps the largest we've seen since the post-WWII suburbanization.

Places like FL and TX are "winning" and places like NYC, Chicago are "losing".

Neither climate nor politics are likely to change that anytime soon.

THIS. A lot of people on this forum bash Florida and I wonder if they have any clue about the massive migration, including of wealth, that is going on in this country.

[Anonymous]

My ILs lived in Boca Raton & then Deerfield Beach. They are insanely well-off, though.

[Anonymous]

I think I understand what OP is talking about. When I sold my house in DC to downsize post-divorce and as my only child was about to leave for college, I looked everywhere for something like my friends in Miami have. Ideally, I'd like a 2 bed-2 bath that is all on one floor and has a decent size living and kitchen area that opens to a patio or sunroom, and all with higher ceilings. I want to be able to entertain groups of 15+, but I don't need all the bedrooms that builders here include in SFHs. And the smaller houses here, like in Trinidad, were built as "working class" houses without the common area space and nicer details I was looking for. I ended up buying a 2-story house with 3 bedrooms, a sunroom (sleeping porch), and a ground floor office in a PGC historic area. It's got a large basement and an unfinished attic that I use for winter storage. It is much more room than what I needed or wanted. But if I bought a 2-bed townhouse or condo here in the DMV, I'd only get a tiny galley kitchen and room for a 4-person table in the dining room and no outdoor space. I wanted things like a full entrance foyer with a coat closet and space for a mirror and small table, marble fireplace surround, cast iron tub, and hardwood flooring throughout. Some of the places on Cathedral Avenue were appealing, but they didn't have private outdoor space besides a balcony.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Florida is doomed. Just no.

Like it or not, FL is the future, despite the hideous politics and climate issues.

Just look at population/economic trends. Which states are experiencing population growth? Which are losing population? Where's new manufacturing going? (Hint, it's not the NE or Rust Belt).

We're in the midst of an historical transition, perhaps the largest we've seen since the post-WWII suburbanization.

Places like FL and TX are "winning" and places like NYC, Chicago are "losing".

Neither climate nor politics are likely to change that anytime soon.

THIS. A lot of people on this forum bash Florida and I wonder if they have any clue about the massive migration, including of wealth, that is going on in this country.

they don't want to accept the fact that people are leaving their shitty states

[Anonymous]

The hurricanes and oppressive heat humidity combo are too much for me. Southern California’s mediterranean climate, and old craftsmans in towns like South Pasadena are more my style. I also like proximity to the mountains.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Florida is doomed. Just no.

Like it or not, FL is the future, despite the hideous politics and climate issues.

Just look at population/economic trends. Which states are experiencing population growth? Which are losing population? Where's new manufacturing going? (Hint, it's not the NE or Rust Belt).

We're in the midst of an historical transition, perhaps the largest we've seen since the post-WWII suburbanization.

Places like FL and TX are "winning" and places like NYC, Chicago are "losing".

Neither climate nor politics are likely to change that anytime soon.

THIS. A lot of people on this forum bash Florida and I wonder if they have any clue about the massive migration, including of wealth, that is going on in this country.

How much of that migration and "wealth" are retirees who will be a massive net negative on the economy?

If I retire to Florida and bring my $2MM retirement portfolio I'm bringing a ton of "wealth" to FL on paper, but how much of that will be sucked up by out-of-state based corporate "senior living communities?" How much of that will sit in a brokerage account doing nothing until I die and my liberal kids who would never willingly set foot in the state get it all?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If I was going to buy a “nice cheap house” & proximity to jobs didn’t matter, I would consider a gazillion other places in that price range before I’d consider FL. Mainly in PA (Hershey, Lancaster, Lititz & Philly burbs) or Charlottesville area.

Cute. It has to be cute.

I also won't consider Florida. But if you WILL consider Florida, and love bungalows, you can find a great one in Tampa for 625k, I promise.

NP

Global warming, sea level rise, and FL politics. No thank you. Hard pass.

D.C. politics. Montgomery Count Md. politics. Throw in all the restorative justice garbage and for fun, maybe a carjacking in your own driveway, yeh, I get why several of my former Bethesda neighbors bolted for Florida during Covid and never came back.