Car Rental
One of the great delights of spending part of the year in Florida is the marvellous opportunity for traveling around the state and despite increases in petrol and gas guzzling American cars, petrol remains way below British prices.
For the vast majority of snowbirds it is necessary to rent rather than buy a car. The problem with buying a car is obtaining insurance without the necessary domicile requirements. Experienced snowbirds find it can be cheaper to shop around for different offers whilst in Britain and sometimes change rental companies during the stay to maximize special deals.
Costs
The cost of living for second home owners in Florida is very much a case of swings and roundabouts. With average winter temperatures in the 70s you will probably not be running to much air conditioning and whilst you are away you can keep the thermostat at home in England on a minimum level.
The major additional costs in owning a second home are property tax, property insurance and ongoing maintenance such as pool and garden. To cover these costs as well as the mortgage (if you decide to take one out) many Snowbirds decide to rent out their property when away.
The cost of living in Florida during the winter is a plus –heating or air conditioning is rarely needed, plus you can operate your UK system at a lower level whilst away.
Food costs are comparable; many eat out more often than in the UK but judicious use of early bird specials and senior discounts plus the local discount vouchers book from many bookshops combined with lower prices anyway, keeps costs reasonable. If travelling, petrol and hotel costs are also lower.
To rent or not to rent
This can be quite an important issue for those snowbirds keen to cover their costs .If you prefer not to rent out your home in Florida you might wish to look carefully at maintenance free properties such as condos or town houses. Some snowbirds have found that neighbours have been delighted to look after your home when you are back in Britain and there are also companies that will keep an eye on things.
If you prefer to rent out the property when you are not using it you will need to look closely at rental options and zoning requirements. You are not necessarily best served by choosing a property in a huge area zoned for rental, as firstly you may not get much of a feeling of community whilst you are staying there and secondly lots of other people are in competition with you from a rental perspective.
Locations
So if you fancy the snowbird lifestyle in Florida where do you start looking? Location is a key criteria and all to often British buyers make a major mistake of making the house the priority rather than the location. This is often because they have seen some really attractive looking properties advertised in the UK that seem great value for money compared to Britain.
However you need to compare like with like, houses in many parts of Florida remain quite a lot cheaper than in Britain. Unfortunately some sales people take advantage of this and point unsuspecting British buyers to an unsuitable property that might pay the agent and developer a high commission but does nothing for the buyer.
It’s always worthwhile seeking independent advice regarding which locations may work best for you and which agents have a proven track record in showing you all the options, not just their pet developments paying higher commission rates. Agents and developers are not always the best people to offer you a balanced perspective on all the alternatives and you can save a lot of time and money by talking to an independent adviser first.
If the winter sun is an important factor in your choice bear in mind that some of the alternative destinations being flagged up because of their comparatively low prices such as the Florida panhandle are further north and there are fewer hot winter days!
Type of house
There are a number of considerations in choosing the ideal winter retreat. Obviously your budget is a significant factor and at the present time and the good news is that there are some significant bargains on the market– although an irony of the American system is that the best bargains are bargains because sometimes they are badly marketed and hard to find so it’s vital you know what to look for - click here for details of a full briefing session.
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What are your interests? Many snowbirds have commented how important it is to realize that as they are in their second home for up to 6 months they need a lot more to occupy them than they did for shorter holidays. You can find a wide range of communities, some for over 55s, some focusing on golf, fishing, tennis or other activities others based around a country club with an excellent programme of social activities or an area where there are excellent arts and theatre events.
Many Snowbirds look forward to the company of relatives and friends whilst they are in Florida and so opt for a two or three bedroom property rather than one bedroom – of course more bedrooms also provides greater rental opportunity if desired.
Flights
Although there may be a perception that flying time makes Florida seem too distant an option for a second home, many of those approached put this into perspective and felt the advantages justify the eight hour flight. One tip, its worth paying for a ticket that allows an optional change of dates – for approximately £100 it means you can alter your return flight dates to Britain if you would like to extend your stay in Florida, or indeed need to return to Britain earlier than planned.
Prior to recent UK Government plans, there has been a tendency for many Brits to take earlier retirement. Whether you are retiring in your 40s, 50s or 60s will have an impact on the lifestyle choices you make. Some prefer the relative peace (though not always calm given the range of activities on offer) of the over-55 communities which can be found throughout Florida. These communities often provide lot of facilities but for better or worse the communities are obviously not demographically balanced - one of the most favoured being an entire City - Sun City where golf carts provide the main form of transport.
What happens if you tire of your seasonal flight each year?
After a number of years snowbirds seem to go in three distinct ways in relation to their annual migration to the Florida sun.
Some find they prefer life in Florida and do not want keep returning to Britain. This group often starts looking at permanent options such as the EB -5 visa. However due to the minimum investment of $500,000 ($267,000) they often need to sell their UK home to go down this path.
Some Snowbirds do the opposite and prefer to remain in the UK. In their case they often decide to sell their second home in Florida so from that perspective it’s important they initially bought a home in a location that is readily saleable whatever the market conditions at a later date.
The third group is those that seem to continue with the Snowbirds lifestyle, it seems programmed into their way of life and they love many aspects of life in both Britain and Florida.
Florida is being seen more and more as the ideal winter retreat for those not wishing to leave the UK permanently, indeed many British snowbirds cite the active outdoor lifestyle with blue skies, romantic sunsets and all day sunshine as being considerably more fun and healthy than virtual hibernation resulting from the grey drizzly and cold British climate. The ultimate accolade - Brits who originally thought that Spain was the answer are now selling their Spanish property – disenchanted by language and crime issues and turning instead to Florida!
Case studies
Central Florida case study:
“Paul and Kath Bates from Edinburgh spent a number of family holidays in Orlando and fell in love with all the attractions – they enjoy travelling from their central Florida villa, they find hotels inexpensive and spend quite a time on the roads visiting various parts of Florida, making sure they are back for the Christmas day highlights including the Christmas buffet and show packages on offer at many of the resort hotels. Paul keeps in touch with home news on his laptop, watches live premiership football action. Kath commented that a major factor for them in having a second home in Florida was the weather – “Back in Birmingham I was diagnosed with SAD several years ago and when Paul retired we felt Florida was the ideal choice for a second home – we both feel more healthy now – we still find the theme parks magical at Christmas and return loaded with bargains from the sales for our children and Grandchildren.”
West Coast case study:
| Derek and Marion from Devon made the decision to buy a retirement home in Sarasota after looking at Spain and France. They decided Florida offered the most attractive option. “The winter weather was a deciding factor - we also struggled with learning a foreign language and did not want to be tied to the British community.” They chose a golfing and tennis community in Palmer Ranch between Osprey and Sarasota and fell in love with the lifestyle – “The City is not too big but has great facilities. We always find old friends inviting us over for traditional American Thanksgiving festivities” said Marion “and Christmas at the clubhouse is wonderful”. We are also cruise fanatics and the 5 day Caribbean cruises are so reasonably priced. Derek runs through their typical day whilst in Florida – “I like an early round on the golf course - Marion joined the Volunteer turtle watch, another early morning activity.We love to visit the wonderful state parks across the road and hire a canoe for close up views of the exotic wildlife. We fish in places where a catch is guaranteed and can be barbecued in the evenings – beats the local take away, the choice of theatre and opera is superb and a walk in the evening sunset is a perfect finish to the day” |
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East coast case study - Fort Lauderdale
Mike and Audrey own property Fort Lauderdale; we asked them why they choose to live the snowbird lifestyle. Audrey retired early from a career in banking and Mike owns a publishing Company. Their UK home is in Northern Ireland. Both of them love travel and have spent years trying lots of different destinations and types of holidays to identify that elusive destination which would give them a base, a place to call (a second) home. Since buying in Florida they have really not travelled much at all other than to be in their home here in Fort Lauderdale.
Why did you opt for Florida?
Weather. Previously we owned a property in Spain. However we became fed-up with the way of life in Spain. Florida offers much more value for money.
Why Fort Lauderdale?
It has everything. City, shopping, beach. It is the Venice of America. Orlando is only a 45 min flight, Bahamas an hour or less, we can drive to south beach in 30 minutes. The canals are a big draw. We wanted to have a boat (which they now do it’s docked at their home). We can fish off our own dock; see the Manatees as they swim by. We can choose a beach day, a shopping day, a fishing/boating day, a relaxing on the dock day. Restaurants are first class. Our house is off of Las Olas Blvd on Hendricks Isle in the heart of downtown Fort Lauderdale.
When did you buy?
We bought our first property in 2004 (a town house, dry lot in the city of Ft.L) We bought our present property in 2005 as a long-term investment for potential retirement, after deciding the area offered everything we wanted, indeed with the dollar so low we have subsequently invested in other property in the area as long term rental investments.
How practical is coming and going
I questioned if they feel that is a long haul - "It's so worth it" was the answer. Flights are easy and quite reasonably priced.
Health Insurance/Car rental
They have BUPA International and feel it is an absolute must. Car rental is arranged long and short term through a broker.
Is paying bills whilst away a problem?
Setting up utilities in America can be a challenge but we have now set up everything on Direct Debit/ Auto-pay and it works very smoothly.
How about the Hurricanes
"Everywhere in the world you live with one kind of weather threat or another. Our experience last year, we were here for Wilma, was that people really come together and help each other" "Great community spirit" We suffered some damage but it did not take too long to get everything back in order. We would not be put off by the weather.
Getting away from the grey sky is what we come here for."
Checklist:
• Do discuss your lifestyle choices first - what’s important for you apart from sunshine, i.e. a supportive community, culture, great beaches, travelling, shopping, a sport - tennis, golf, bowls etc.
• Do match your lifestyle choices with an appropriate location and community, before buying a house.
• Don ’t seek advise from a specific Real Estate Agent or Developer specialising in one location or area, many Agents will be partisan towards their own area .
• Don’t buy on the basis of the house itself – first select the location, then the house. So many Brits fall in love with an off plan house design but do not give enough thought to the whole community – staying in a place for up to 6 months a year is very different from a holiday!
• Avoid areas with transient communities full of short term rental properties if you want to feel a sense of community in the neighbourhood.
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If you are considering retirement to Florida either seasonal or permanent we provide a detailed and impartial briefing session on all the implications, for details please click here
Andrew Bartlett an acknowledged expert on property trends and relocation in Florida, writes articles and answers readers’ questions for several British publications including Florida Magazine, Escape Magazine, Place in the Sun, Sunday Times, America, and The Red guide to buying Property in America and is regularly consulted by journalists and broadcasters. His consumer web guides have received numerous accolades.
Andrew was a Senior Government Official for 20 years before relocating to Florida several years ago where he was headhunted to set up specialist British property and relocation teams for Coldwell Banker and Remax - America’s largest estate agents. He then established a uniquely impartial and independent relocation and property briefing company working between Britain and Florida. He has written a number of watchdog style articles on overseas property and emigration selling techniques.
