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Vic Smith wrote:
On Wed, 24 Oct 2007 16:48:37 -0400, wrote:

On Wed, 24 Oct 2007 13:43:17 -0500, Vic Smith
wrote:

in Cook
county. RE tax last year was 4K, for a 1200 sq ft house
Then the taxes shouldn't shock you. I wonder why all the snow birds
have their panties in such a bunch. They make it sound like they are
getting robbed. I guess they are just ****ed that we cap tax hikes to
3% for homesteaded residents. 3% a year still adds up pretty fast and
they reset the assessment if you move to whatever you paid so you
could buy a smaller house and end up with higher taxes.

Maybe the squawkers came from low tax areas, maybe they're
just plain squawkers. Taxes aren't cheap here, but it's a decent area
with good schools, which always eat most of the taxes.
My home insurance cost is low, about 500.
BTW, 1200 sq ft here is different than in Florida, because there's
another 1200 sq ft of basement. But then a bungalow style house like
I have has small rooms compared to a 2000 sq ft house in Florida.
But I will miss my basement, and maybe my detached garage.
Nice retreats.
Anyway, I'm thinking about going at least 20 miles inland from the
gulf, probably north of Tampa, but not really sure.
The housing price/insurance difference by staying away from the salt
will buy a nice boat and years of marina space. And no way I could
get the wife - or myself really - to move where there's a possibility
of tidal surge taking the house unless I was wealthier than I am.
I really need to get down there for a few weeks just "investigating"
instead of "vacationing."
I've got some work to do on the house up here too, if I want
to rent or sell it, so I'm looking at 2009 for the move, and who knows
what changes will happen before then.
But hey, at least this has got me putting down some plans.
I mentioned before planning a short stay at a relative's inland home
during this vacation to give my wife a view of something other than
the waterfront condos and resorts we always go to.
Though I enjoyed the visit and learned a lot too, it was done mostly
to turn my wife into considering Florida. It worked.
I love it when a plan comes together!

--Vic

Might I suggest you investigate the area from Tallahassee south to the
gulf, via Route 319. The terrain is hilly, a lot different than most of
California, Tallahassee is an interesting small city, there's a big
national forest along the way, and when you get down to Panacea, there's
good boating and fishing.