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

[Paul F.]

That's like saying California is dangerous because it has earthquakes, never mind that only a sliver of California along the coastline is the dangerous part. I'm sure that the entire state of Florida isn't uniformly blanketed with mosquitoes.

While I agree with your premise in broad theory... I lived in Florida for a couple years.. And it IS uniformly blanketed with mosquitoes.
Where there aren't tidal swamps, there are fresh water wetlands, and where there aren't fresh water wetlands, there are drainage ditches full of water. And the mosquito's are big enough to qualify for figher-escort from the Navy in Jacksonville...

[N-OS X-tasy!]

davester wrote: That's like saying California is dangerous because it has earthquakes, never mind that only a sliver of California along the coastline is the dangerous part.

I'm sure the folks who suffered through the Northridge, Landers, Sylmar, and Imperial Valley quakes might take issue with that statement. The largest fault in the state -- the San Andreas -- runs pretty far inland throughout a significant portion of the state:

[rtwdwk]

take it from someone who lives in Florida as a transplant. You dont want to move here.

[AlphaDog]

rtwdwk wrote:
take it from someone who lives in Florida as a transplant. You dont want to move here.

I think the place from which one is transplanting from makes a big difference. Like PaulF., I was not a happy Florida transplant, but many people are. As I've wondered why some like it and some don't, I think the humidity and mosquitoes in Florida aren't as alien to some people as they are for others. I come from the Pacific Northwest, where we have low humidity in comparison to many other parts of the country, and we certainly don't have the bugs that are so prevalent in other places. (I think the area in which PaulF. lives is in some ways similar - low humidity and few bugs.) For me, Florida would never be a comfy place to live. My brother in law, who lived in southwestern Ohio most of his life, happens to enjoy living in Florida now that he's retired. He likes being warm 12 months a year!

[Spock]

I have lived in the hot humid far east so Fl. is just fine.

Disney World Baby !!!

Don't have a problem with mosquitoes, out county sprays regularly.

I don't do cold and shoveling snow sucks. (Whatever snow is)

[kap]

For a three months summer I stayed in FLA, specifically, Tavares and Orlando. The humidity, the heat and the mosquitoes didn't bother me much; the sunbathing alligators in the front yard did. Since having settled in CA for over 20 years, I have become spoiled weather-wise.

[kap]

A mere $780 per year for property tax. We paid 8x that much for a 1900 Victorian house! But then a $52 K house could never be found in So CA, or could it?

[macphanatic]

The key question is how much is windstorm insurance going to cost for that home. You may pay more for the insurance than you do on the mortgage payment.

[kap]

Does windstorm insurance cost more than an earthquake one?

[kap]

A couple of co-workers are long time renters. Each merely pay $700 per month for rent for a one bedroom in not a bad area. They don't have any incentive to own a home because the money they are saving they invest instead of paying for high mortages, taxes, home maintenance, etc.