Retire2 Florida

As a location for a retirement home Florida has many pluses…..year-round sunshine that beats anywhere in Europe, a quality and spacious home that’s value for money, a stable property market, safe purchase procedures and reliable, licensed real estate brokers (providing you take reasonable precautions), low cost and high standard of living, an English-speaking environment, good leisure facilities and cheap flights.

In addition it has a history, character and variety of landscape unrivalled by almost any other state.

The main drawback is the restriction on the time non-residents can stay there. It’s impossible for foreigners without a permanent residency permit to retire in Florida or any other US state. To live permanently in the US requires an immigrant (permanent resident) visa which is very difficult to obtain. The fact that you own a home there and have enough money to look after yourself is not enough.

There are ways of obtaining a residence permit – including buying or setting up a small business – but you need expert advice from an immigration lawyer.

The good news is that it is possible to get a non-immigrant visa which will allow you to spend up to six months a year there. Many people from Canada , North America and Europe do just that, spending October to March in Florida and avoiding severe winters. Canadian and North American retirees who migrate South for the winter are known as Snowbirds.

If you are wintering in Florida it’s a good idea to buy a car. The USA , and Florida in particular, is totally geared to the motorist and unless you want to walk home with your groceries you need to be mobile. If you intend using the home for just a few weeks a year and renting out for the rest then car hire is the best option.

WHERE SHOULD I GO?

Florida is a big and populous state with 16 million inhabitants and is growing by 250,000 a year. Although it has a large number of retirees living there it also has one of the youngest populations of any US state. The average age is around 36 which has led some commentators to dub it ‘the land of the newly wed and nearly dead’.

There is a huge range of homes available throughout Florida – from mobile homes to luxury beachside villas - and, by UK standards, they are great value for money. So the first step is to choose an area. Florida can be divided into seven regions; the North West or Panhandle, the North East, the central ridge, the coastal plains on each side facing the Atlantic and the Gulf, the Everglades and the island chain that includes the Florida Keys .

The North West stretches from the State’s western border with Alabama to the Suwanee River and includes the state capital Tallahassee, an Old south city where residents still sit on their verandas sipping mint juleps.

It also includes the longest stretches of open beaches in the state, some of the most glorious coastal scenery and is noted for its fishing and seafood.

The North West contains a number of historic towns including St. Augustine , which has been permanently settled by Europeans since 1565, and Florida ’s biggest city, Jacksonville . The coast faces the Atlantic and also has great beaches with points and peninsulas flanked by barrier Islands .

The climate in the Northern regions is warm temperate but is definitely cool in winter – it’s even been known to snow in the Panhandle although that is rare. If you want warm winter days you shouldn’t consider looking further north than Crystal River on the Gulf coast and Daytona Beach on the Atlantic side. Cold snaps can occur as far south as Miami with below-freezing temperatures for a couple of days but they rarely last and frost is rare south of Fort Lauderdale and Naples .

Central West contains the cosmopolitan cities of Tampa , St. Petersburg , Clearwater and Bradenton . It’s one of the fastest-growing regions in America and property on the Gulf Coast is eagerly sought and, consequently, expensive.

Central contains the city of Orlando and the world’s greatest theme parks including Walt Disney World, Universal Studios and Sea World. But it’s also a land of great natural beauty and tranquillity with more than 1,000 lakes and the majestic Ocala National Forest .

Central East has more than 200 miles of beaches including Daytona Beach and is home to NASA Kennedy Space Centre, a unique tourist attraction. Lake Okeechobee is the second largest freshwater lake in the United States and a magnet for anglers.

The South West has sophisticated resorts like Naples and Venice and Collier County is said to be home to more millionaires than any county in America . It offers a wealth of leisure pursuits including fishing, boating and golf but is also a haven for artists and writers and Naples and Sarasota contain renowned arts centres. The coast is a patchwork of 10,000 islands.

The South East is the winter playground of the rich and famous, stretching from Palm Beach to the Florida Keys . Miami is one of America ’s great cities and the Florida Keys , one of the world’s most important wildlife areas. It includes Biscayne National Park , the nation’s largest marine park and the Everglades , home to a number of rare and endangered species including the Florida Panther.

Think carefully and do your research before deciding. Picking the wrong area is one of the main causes of disenchantment among people buying property and is critical if you plan to let it. Top tip is rent and check out the area before you buy.

There’s more information in Buying a Home in Florida , published by Survival Books, £11.95 or US$19.95.

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