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The Florida Move Guide: The Unofficial Moving to Florida Warning, Decision and Help Guide
A study published by population researchers at The University of Florida showed that for almost 3 decades, hundreds of thousands of people have moved out of Florida every year. Be more confident than ever you're making the right decision.
A popular saying by Florida promoters is that over a 1000 people a day move to the state. What you won't hear them talk about is that over a 1000 people a day pack up and move out of the Sunshine State every day too. That's supposed to be a secret.
As a real estate broker in Florida, half of my day was spent showing homes to buyers thrilled about moving to the Sunshine State. Most of these buyers intended to live in Florida long term or permanently, many for retirement.
The other part was spent listing homes for people who wanted to sell and move out. I sold hundreds of homes for people that wanted to move out of the state. I noticed that almost all of these sellers had similar complaints about living in Florida and the reasons why they had to get out. They also explained how disruptive and expensive moving there and moving out was, but they grew to dislike Florida so much they just had to do it.
Of course this doesn't happen to everyone. There are many that love Florida and stay long term. That is covered in the book too, because many of them also have the same things in common that you should know about.
What will this book do for you? I am confident this book will help you learn if Florida is really right for you, or not, before you move. If Florida is right for you, it will help you move to Florida in a way that will increase your odds of a successful long term relocation or retirement. The Florida Move Guide has helped many 1000's of people avoid expensive mistakes.
A popular saying by Florida promoters is that over a 1000 people a day move to the state. What you won't hear them talk about is that over a 1000 people a day pack up and move out of the Sunshine State every day too. That's supposed to be a secret.
As a real estate broker in Florida, half of my day was spent showing homes to buyers thrilled about moving to the Sunshine State. Most of these buyers intended to live in Florida long term or permanently, many for retirement.
The other part was spent listing homes for people who wanted to sell and move out. I sold hundreds of homes for people that wanted to move out of the state. I noticed that almost all of these sellers had similar complaints about living in Florida and the reasons why they had to get out. They also explained how disruptive and expensive moving there and moving out was, but they grew to dislike Florida so much they just had to do it.
Of course this doesn't happen to everyone. There are many that love Florida and stay long term. That is covered in the book too, because many of them also have the same things in common that you should know about.
What will this book do for you? I am confident this book will help you learn if Florida is really right for you, or not, before you move. If Florida is right for you, it will help you move to Florida in a way that will increase your odds of a successful long term relocation or retirement. The Florida Move Guide has helped many 1000's of people avoid expensive mistakes.
172 pages, Paperback
First published March 25, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 23, 2013
Let me start by saying that it is rare I read a book I dislike!
And no matter what, there is no book that I do not take away something positive, including this one BUT...
I think Ron Stack either despises Northerners, Out of Staters, Snow Birds, Retirees, etc OR is trying to preserve residence in the State of Florida for natives alone.
Of course if your a tourist your welcome to visit & spend your money.
For some perverse reason I could not put down this book, so I could move forward to the next chapter of doom & gloom that awaits me if I dare to move there!!!
I hate to tell ya, Ron ole boy, everyone in Florida is from somewhere else!!! Unless of course your a Semenole!!
Does moving south always work out....NO
But sometimes it does!
And in my case, we have no choice, with my husband close to retirement, but not close enough, his company which is located all over the U.S. is minimizing it's NY corp & expanding the FL corp, which will also be good for the people there, because the expansion will bring long & short term jobs to the area.
If we do not relocate, he will not have a job!
So I was looking for a book with practical info on moving to Florida & like I said there certainly is some good info, but every good piece of info is laced with a horror story.
Now maybe the horror is good for those who have only vacationed in FL once or twice during the winter & the caution should be heeded. With great grandparents & grandparents who have lived in FL since the 40's & I have been visiting FL since the early 60's, including experiencing hurricane Cleo which hit Miami in 64 where my grandparents lived! And again in 2005 in Orlando, hurricane Wilma, where my daughter lived. Not to mention the numerous hurricanes throughout my life that hit Long Island, including such doozies as Donna, Hazel, Gloria & more recently Sandy!!!
All were terrible, all incurred problems & sacrifice, but the storms he described are all the worst storms wrapped into one!!
You will not make friends, you will never have another happy holiday, your family will not visit you, you will miss your old home & friends so much you will probably move back within 2 years. You won't find a doctor, dentist, hairdresser, barber, minister or undertaker like yours back home.
You will have problems finding a home & a reliable realtor.
Alligators, Bugs & Mosquitos.....oh my!!!!
Only idiots anywhere leave their pets out unleashed in unsafe areas!!
Bugs, spiders, Mosquitos, & snakes....yup they are every where just different ones!
We have brown recluse spiders, pretty nasty & bites untreated can kill! Snakes, not much to worry about here on the Island, but on the mainland NY, NJ, there are rattle snakes.
Heat, Humidity & Heat Stroke....I will say here that because the weather is nicer all year & you are less covered up that it is 300 times more imperative to wear sunscreen & protect your self from skin cancer!!! On heat & humidity, if you live on the coast you already know them both!!!! It's not different, just longer!
So if you want to have a laugh or have a sadistic compulsion to plunk down $9.00 like I did for the Kindle version, more for a physical copy, get the book.
But if you want realistic info, ask your friends who have done it join an online group or even email me.
We will be making the corporate move in June 2014. I'll be happy to give you the low down - Good & Bad.
And I wont even charge you!!!
If it weren't for the fact that this is a forced job transfer, believe me, I'd stay on Long Island, but my husband & I are positive people & we are out going & we will make this work.
When life deals you Oranges, make Orange Juice!! And we will!!
Sorry Ron, this book is not a fair evaluation of moving to Florida!!
And no matter what, there is no book that I do not take away something positive, including this one BUT...
I think Ron Stack either despises Northerners, Out of Staters, Snow Birds, Retirees, etc OR is trying to preserve residence in the State of Florida for natives alone.
Of course if your a tourist your welcome to visit & spend your money.
For some perverse reason I could not put down this book, so I could move forward to the next chapter of doom & gloom that awaits me if I dare to move there!!!
I hate to tell ya, Ron ole boy, everyone in Florida is from somewhere else!!! Unless of course your a Semenole!!
Does moving south always work out....NO
But sometimes it does!
And in my case, we have no choice, with my husband close to retirement, but not close enough, his company which is located all over the U.S. is minimizing it's NY corp & expanding the FL corp, which will also be good for the people there, because the expansion will bring long & short term jobs to the area.
If we do not relocate, he will not have a job!
So I was looking for a book with practical info on moving to Florida & like I said there certainly is some good info, but every good piece of info is laced with a horror story.
Now maybe the horror is good for those who have only vacationed in FL once or twice during the winter & the caution should be heeded. With great grandparents & grandparents who have lived in FL since the 40's & I have been visiting FL since the early 60's, including experiencing hurricane Cleo which hit Miami in 64 where my grandparents lived! And again in 2005 in Orlando, hurricane Wilma, where my daughter lived. Not to mention the numerous hurricanes throughout my life that hit Long Island, including such doozies as Donna, Hazel, Gloria & more recently Sandy!!!
All were terrible, all incurred problems & sacrifice, but the storms he described are all the worst storms wrapped into one!!
You will not make friends, you will never have another happy holiday, your family will not visit you, you will miss your old home & friends so much you will probably move back within 2 years. You won't find a doctor, dentist, hairdresser, barber, minister or undertaker like yours back home.
You will have problems finding a home & a reliable realtor.
Alligators, Bugs & Mosquitos.....oh my!!!!
Only idiots anywhere leave their pets out unleashed in unsafe areas!!
Bugs, spiders, Mosquitos, & snakes....yup they are every where just different ones!
We have brown recluse spiders, pretty nasty & bites untreated can kill! Snakes, not much to worry about here on the Island, but on the mainland NY, NJ, there are rattle snakes.
Heat, Humidity & Heat Stroke....I will say here that because the weather is nicer all year & you are less covered up that it is 300 times more imperative to wear sunscreen & protect your self from skin cancer!!! On heat & humidity, if you live on the coast you already know them both!!!! It's not different, just longer!
So if you want to have a laugh or have a sadistic compulsion to plunk down $9.00 like I did for the Kindle version, more for a physical copy, get the book.
But if you want realistic info, ask your friends who have done it join an online group or even email me.
We will be making the corporate move in June 2014. I'll be happy to give you the low down - Good & Bad.
And I wont even charge you!!!
If it weren't for the fact that this is a forced job transfer, believe me, I'd stay on Long Island, but my husband & I are positive people & we are out going & we will make this work.
When life deals you Oranges, make Orange Juice!! And we will!!
Sorry Ron, this book is not a fair evaluation of moving to Florida!!
May 27, 2016
I have mixed feelings about this book and that's without even considering the bountiful, grossly overlooked grammatical errors.
First of all, the majority of it is worst case senario/a series of extremely unfortunate events, many of which are blown out of proportion. For example, there are wolf spiders in Florida and they look really scary. However, they are also in Kentucky and a vast majority of the country. Aside from their commonality, they are ground dwellers that don't spin webs, live in holes, eat bugs, and are afraid of humans. They are all over the place where I live in northern Kentucky, but rarely ever seen. I'm fact, in 35 years I've only seen them THREE times. I'd amazing how many people have NEVER seen one even though they live in areas where they are "common".
If you manage to continue reading beyond the "Don't move here because XYX!!!" you will eventually find a portion with some somewhat helpful information. However, that doesn't come until the very end.
Lastly, there is absolutely nothing in this book that a decent amount of research (read: Google, it's FREE) won't uncover. In fact, if you really are moving to Florida I sincerely hope you use more than just this book as a resource because this book lacks sooo much information that I personally feel should have been included for a book with this title.
First of all, the majority of it is worst case senario/a series of extremely unfortunate events, many of which are blown out of proportion. For example, there are wolf spiders in Florida and they look really scary. However, they are also in Kentucky and a vast majority of the country. Aside from their commonality, they are ground dwellers that don't spin webs, live in holes, eat bugs, and are afraid of humans. They are all over the place where I live in northern Kentucky, but rarely ever seen. I'm fact, in 35 years I've only seen them THREE times. I'd amazing how many people have NEVER seen one even though they live in areas where they are "common".
If you manage to continue reading beyond the "Don't move here because XYX!!!" you will eventually find a portion with some somewhat helpful information. However, that doesn't come until the very end.
Lastly, there is absolutely nothing in this book that a decent amount of research (read: Google, it's FREE) won't uncover. In fact, if you really are moving to Florida I sincerely hope you use more than just this book as a resource because this book lacks sooo much information that I personally feel should have been included for a book with this title.
Read
July 24, 2014This book was a very good book for anyone thinking about moving to Florida. This book, instead of giving several reasons why one would want to move to Florida, does its best to convince the reader why they should not consider moving to Florida. So if after reading this book, someone still decides to move to Florida, they will be prepared for the worst.
And that is perhaps the worst part of the book. While it presents every known calamity which might possibly befall someone in Florida, it doesn't present these in a balanced way. It assumes that if something can go wrong, it will go wrong. And that extreme philosophy is just as harmful as the philosophy that nothing would ever go wrong. All that it says about hurricanes, and alligators, and swarms of bugs, and heat, and other potential disasters are presented as givens.
The one warning it didn't give was because of political correctness, I'm sure. It didn't warn about the red-neck ultra-conservative politics that would make Genghis Khan shiver.
David Kimball
And that is perhaps the worst part of the book. While it presents every known calamity which might possibly befall someone in Florida, it doesn't present these in a balanced way. It assumes that if something can go wrong, it will go wrong. And that extreme philosophy is just as harmful as the philosophy that nothing would ever go wrong. All that it says about hurricanes, and alligators, and swarms of bugs, and heat, and other potential disasters are presented as givens.
The one warning it didn't give was because of political correctness, I'm sure. It didn't warn about the red-neck ultra-conservative politics that would make Genghis Khan shiver.
David Kimball
July 18, 2016
If you are truly interested in retiring and moving to Florida, then please don't read this book. The author is a Florida real estate agent who is a total Debbie Downer who I really can't imagine actually sells any property at all.
April 7, 2023
The Florida Move Guide covers it all: different types of insurances, deeds, bugs, insects, neighbors — you name it. So why only a two-star review? Mr. Stack does everything humanely possible to try to dissuade you from moving to the state of Florida.
While I can appreciate warnings and what to look out for, his absolute negativity for all things Florida makes me wonder why HE would want to live there. Again, if you are looking to compile a list of things to “consider”, it’s all here in this book, but its the delivery that leaves A LOT to be desired for.
In one section called “Native Floridians” alone, he basically denigrates native Floridians as being dirty, uneducated, and alcoholic people who can only hold down jobs dedicated to lawn care. Really? And this is from a so-called realtor of the state!!
WOW!! Do yourself a favor: pick up another book if you’re looking for a more cultured and more honest review of the things that need to be considered before making the move, because this sure as hell isn’t it.
While I can appreciate warnings and what to look out for, his absolute negativity for all things Florida makes me wonder why HE would want to live there. Again, if you are looking to compile a list of things to “consider”, it’s all here in this book, but its the delivery that leaves A LOT to be desired for.
In one section called “Native Floridians” alone, he basically denigrates native Floridians as being dirty, uneducated, and alcoholic people who can only hold down jobs dedicated to lawn care. Really? And this is from a so-called realtor of the state!!
WOW!! Do yourself a favor: pick up another book if you’re looking for a more cultured and more honest review of the things that need to be considered before making the move, because this sure as hell isn’t it.
September 20, 2020
Who would ever want to live in such a wretched place!? How do you want to die? FLA offers unlimited options! Hurricanes, fires, floods, alligators, bankruptcy and more. Or maybe just sit by your pool and die of depression?
My hope is this book keeps everyone else who’s thinking of moving there away, making it better for me!
My hope is this book keeps everyone else who’s thinking of moving there away, making it better for me!
August 28, 2021
I loved this boldly honest book about what to expect when you decide to move to the sunshine State. We actually did it in February 2021 and this book helped us a whole lot! We have two copies of it because my husband and I were reading it at the same time. I highly recommend this to anyone who is even remotely considering a move to Florida.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews