Hi, ek!

Very familiar w/ Delray!!! Mentioned it in my original response to you on Dec 5/10 ((H))

OB1

OceanB: I missed your last comment until now...the place we are set to rent is near Delray, but in Boynton. It belongs to a friend of a relative who just bought a house in the same community and is therefore looking to rent her original condo. The complex places a 3-month minimum on rentals and there was a long waiting list for seasonal rentals, according to the agent I consulted.

We plan to drive there, from NYC, sometime in December, and spend a few months in Florida, taking day trips and checking out other areas for possible long-term rental or purchase.

So I will be very interested in your comments about the day to day life in the area..where to shop, eat, etc etc. I think I will begin a new thread about this closer to my departure date...
I hope that you will look for it then!!

OceanB: I missed your last comment until now...the place we are set to rent is near Delray, in Boynton. It belongs to a friend of a relative who just bought a house in the same community and is therefore looking to rent her original condo. The complex places a 3-month minimum on rentals and there was a long waiting list for seasonal rentals, according to the agent I consulted.

So I will be very interested in your comments about the day to day life in the area..where to shop, eat, etc etc. I think I will begin a new thread about this closer to my departure date...
I hope that you will look for it then!!

ek,
Wonderful!
Where exactly in Boynton? Is your place on the beach? Great area!

Good idea to start a new thread on Delray Beach/Boynton Beach
in December. Will you be there for Christmas/The Holidays?

OB1

ekscrunchy,

I was looking at your thread last night and noticed someone had suggested Portugal over Florida, but now the comments are gone! Maybe Fodor's thought it was an ad. I don't know.

Anyway, I read your posts all the time in the Europe forum and know how much you like food and wine. There are lot of rentals with huge swimming pools within a half hour drive of the Lisbon airport. The economy of Portugal is such I bet the owners are very flexible. Maybe not this year, but some other time.

vespa,
It WAS an ad..... for a rental property!

I truly doubt it, because one of the links provided was to a generic ex-pat info website for Europe that included Portugal, and the other was an example of the kind of place available around Lisbon. I don't think the point was about any specific apartment. Doesn't matter it's gone now.


Could be that ekscrunchy would never consider Portugal. It is a longer plane flight. But I think some of the swimming pools are pretty big, and the overall cost of living is a bargain, especially once you factor in food and wine.

Topped for an ad yet again

eks - so, did you ever buy in Florida?

Thursday: We have just begun our third season of renting in South Florida! No purchase so far, but am not ruling anything out. Prices are rising, but there are still bargains to be had, I think...

eks - yes, I'd noticed you'd been driving up and down the east coast. Did you find an area you like? Florida is not for me, but I have friends in Boca Raton.

New Smyrna Beach is my favorite after Key West. New Smyrna has that old time feel, great places to eat not over crowded and affordable still. You can live beachside or river side.

Thursday: It is complicated. My partner has a sister living here and wanted to be close to her, so we are in the Delray/Boynton area, just north of Boca Raton. I like the weather, and the facilities of the condo community (especially swimming pools). There are many lectures and cultural events, but you do have to drive to get to most of them. So there are definite positives.
Condos with an ocean view can be just smashing. (I am not on the ocean, but on an artificial lake, and we do have good bird watching around here)

I hate that the entire area is paved in shopping malls. And that you have to drive to get almost anyplace. For the most part, restaurants have mediocre food at high prices. I have to drive to find good produce. So it is a toss up..I still have not looked on the West Coast, or north of Jupiter.

The drive south from NY can be great fun if you plan a route and can make overnight stops.

Unfortunate.

Ok..you have to be a bit more forthcoming here, Dukey. Or are you, as I suspect, commenting on the location of my winter rental?

Wondering the same thing. It can't be a comment on your location as opposed to Ft. Lauderdale, as "paved in shopping malls", "have to drive", and "mediocre food at high prices" could apply equally to either location.

eks - those are all reasons I'm not fond of Florida, plus it's sooo flat. Add hurricanes and global warming, and weather about the same as NC, where I hate the summers, and I wouldn't consider buying there. When I visited my friends in Boca they took me through Coral Gables to show me a different side of Florida, and I loved staying in the State Parks during a trip with an RV, but there are too many other places.

Curious if anyone has knowledge of the area around Stuart, north to Vero Beach......

We are comfortable for the moment in our rental, but always looking to explore....

I am writing this as a previous resident of Florida.
We will be residents again in the future but having experienced a vacation condo and a previous home in a gated golf/ country club development in South Florida, I hope I can lend some informational facts to the above threads.
First, I'd like to address HOA's. The subject is more complex than just adding what you're costs for HOA fees entail. Florida requires more landscaping fees than normal due to year round growth and temperature. Also, fees to upkeep a pool can be substainial based on the size and type. When you divide the costs of maintaining your own private grounds and pool, you can be at, below, or above fees incurred in condo living. Yes, some people will take on this responsibility themselves but most either have no time or desire to do so. Fees vary from number of unit, size or proximity to water.
High rises tend to charge the most due to lobbies, elevators, parking, etc. that you don't typically see in townhouse living in particular. So you really need to address how you plan to live before you think about HOA fees.
As to where to live, again, think about what you are interested in doing. Do you need a theatre to survive? The Kravits Center in West Palm Beach is magnificent are the numerous theatre's in Miami. Do you want a small town feel with lots to do? Hard to beat Delray Beach downtown but be prepared for the big numbers the closer you get to East Atlantic Avenue which has been booming in recent years . Want a lot of house close to everywhere within 20 -30 minutes? Boynton Beach, Deerfield Beach are good bets. Boca Raton is a bit too sleepy for my taste but very attractive with some great bargains, especially in the older properties. The population downtown there is older. That's not a bad thing, just the way it is until you hit way out west where it becomes younger in general. That being said. the west side of Boca, Delray, Boynton, are basically less costly than downtown with beautiful developments. But here's where you have to take a close look at the costs in equity, HOA fees and dues. You can really get hit with some big fees in a number of these developments so check that out first before viewing that home you'll fall in love with on first sight. Still, there are some reasonable non- golf developments.
I find Stuart and above too far for my taste to the nearest airport, West Palm Beach International. Fort Lauderdale has been basically unscathed by the last round of hurricanes, they appear to have some type of curve to their topography that has been keeping the bad weather north or south of it. I like the Las Olas area and Lauderdale by the Sea but have not been very impressed with the rest of it. Personal taste, many people live there so it has appear to the majority and and the excess of condos on the market make bargains aplenty.
There are places north of Jupiter that are reasonably priced but not enough to do for someone who enjoys cultural events and generous restaurant choices. If you just want peace and quiet, go for it!
You have to really look at places and investigate. Other than Naples I know little about the west coast. Everyone in Naples loves it, I love the small downtown area but there wasn't enough to hold my interest for a year round place to live. Again, it goes back to what you personally want for your lifestyle.
Hope this information gave some food for thought, and all comments are personal experience. Doesn't make me an expert, just sharing my opinions in the hope of helping someone else.

That seems like good information. Thank you. The update here is that I did find a place in the community that we had been renting for the past three winters. (Like most of the other sales here, it was snapped up before hitting the MLS and before the seller had signed with an agent).

Our HOA fee is about $500 and includes tons of classes and clubs, two gyms, several pools including one indoor, theatre, landscaping (if you choose from the approved list of plantings), etc. But we are not on the ocean. Taxes are low, and homeowner insurance looks to be in the area of $900 annually.

There seems to be some deals to be had but prices are rising as far as I can tell.