A Place in the Sun

Hot Properties in Florida

 

Property in Florida

Warm weather all year, the best children’s entertainment on the planet, competitive year-round flights, an exciting, English-speaking culture: what a wonderful option is Florida for your holiday home, retirement or permanent emigration. All with nicely sized homes and villas that are inexpensive by international standards.

The classic property choice for British buyers is the spacious, modern villa in central Florida, with a pool and within 15 minutes’ drive of the gates of Disneyworld and Universal Studios. Helping pay for the property with rentals is possible, but ensure you’re in an area where that’s legal.

Don’t limit yourself to property hunting in central Florida, however. The “Sunshine State” is the size of England plus Wales and a fair chunk of Scotland, and there is a wide variety of housing styles, cultures and prices. There are arty and bohemian towns like Sarasota, cool and wealthy enclaves like Naples, historic cities like St Augustine, or cool party towns/cities like Miami, where Latin America comes to spend its money on condominiums and having fun. A new feature in Florida is villas of up to 12 bedrooms so several families can vacation together – Americans just think bigger than most of us.

Florida will be heaven if you like golf, yachting, sea fishing, kayaking, or those great American pastimes: shopping and eating. For children, the warm weather and wide open spaces mean it’s not just about theme parks. Florida is known for its horse ranches, its fast cars at Daytona, “Space Coast” where the shuttles once flew from.

Florida has some specific advantages over other winter sun destinations. The USA has the world’s most advanced systems for choosing the right property, from drone footage to interactive virtual-reality videos where you can “walk through” a property without ever leaving the UK. Buying processes are simple, relatively safe and cheap – budget for around three per cent extra in buying costs. Estate agents have to be highly trained and licensed before they can call themselves “Realtors” and they work for you, the house hunter.

There aren’t many downsides to Florida, and even they can be taken out of the equation with planning. The most obvious is hurricanes: ensure your property meets building regulations. Permanent emigration can be expensive, but there are visa schemes, or just do what many northern North Americans do, just stay here for the winter like migrating snowbirds.