$52,000 for a newly built house in FLA!!!

[incognegro]

two words: fire ants

[The UnDoug]

Erik Estrada link:

http://www.lehighland.com/video.shtml

[rz]

I live in Orlando (14 years) and actually used to own a lot in Lehigh Acres. For those familiar with the state, Lehigh Acres is about 15-20 miles east of Ft. Myers. It is definitely rural, and mostly sparsely built, although many more houses have been built since we owned the lot. The roads are all paved. Each lot is approximately an acre or bigger. Oh, and since it's that far inland, "wind insurance" isn't necessary. Besides, the entire state has a special hurricane deductible for home insurance. I think mine is $2,000. So if my house gets damaged by a hurricane, I have to pay $2,000 before insurance will kick in. On a related point, I also own a condo in Naples, FL (MUCH closer to the gulf than Lehigh Acres) and my yearly insurance is less than one month's mortgage payment.

I bought the lot at an auction, sight unseen, for $800. I sold it a couple of years later for close to 10 times that amount, although if I'd waited a few more years, I could have sold it for more. But I was happy to sell it for a profit. I only visited the lot once... it was mostly covered in palmettos (think short palm trees). Got a letter in the mail from a real estate agent asking if we wanted to sell it, sent back saying yes, and got a contract in the mail the next week.

Having lived here for 14 years, let me make some comments about what was said above. Florida is mostly NOT populated with old people. Yes, there are some places like Miami Beach that seem to be God's Waiting Room. But there has been a massive influx of young families in the last 15-20 years.

Not sure where the CDC comment about living here being unhealthy came from. We've had a couple of cases of West Nile Virus over the years, but as I recall there were cases in other states too. I've certainly never heard anything other than that. If a handful of deaths in the last decade is causing the CDC to get their panties in a knot, well so be it.

Yes, the counties spray for mosquitoes. I can only remember smelling insecticide once, right after a truck went by. I haven't noticed any kind of mosquito problem, unless you get close to a lake, where mosquitoes tend to congregate.

As for heat/humidity... well, either you tolerate it or you don't. I'll gladly put up with 3 or 4 months of it in order to not have to put up with ice and snow. It hasn't gotten below freezing here in Orlando in almost 5 years.

[Jimmypoo]

I used to take breaks from the tri-county of Palm/Broward/Dade, to GO to Ft. Meyers. I think it is great.

[Jimmypoo]

Ditto what RZ says, and Orlando isn't "sub-tropical" -- it's close, but still not quite.
So the heat and the NYrs are near the intensity (time wise) they are in Ft. Laud/Miami.

While the bugs are huge down there, it's not Madagascar, and I don't recall them
being any more vicious than anywhere else. And the closer you are to the ocean
the less bothered you typically are because of the breeze.

Truth be known, I wish i had never left. If I had a good reason to go, I would.

A few rentals of my own submarine (I could rent it out to the Colombians who
make that trip regularly on the way to Miami - which after the fees on $200 million
worth of talcum powder, that ought to pay for the new place and years of insurance.

I'd get a poured concrete home with windows from a bank drive up window - then......
I'd sit back and enjoy the hurricanes.