time to move on?

[FishKeepR]

Hey all...My wife and I have decided that maybe its time to move on. I'm a 50 year old self employed masonry contractor and my wife is a 47 year old Reading Specialist at the local middle school here in rural Pa. We have raised 5 kids here and are currently raising two of our grand kids (thats a whole 'nother story). We both are not fans of winter in Pa. and were thinking of moving south to the Gulf Coast of Florida.
So I just have a couple of questions, My wife has a masters degree in reading, whats it worth on the Gulf coast? And what are the employment opportunities like for teachers there?
I've been in the masonry buisness since 1974, I really don't know much of anything else! But, I think it's time for a change. I really don't want to be a bricklayer anymore. I like to work and can think on my feet with the best of 'em. I need something less phisical but creative to do for a living, any suggestions are welcome. Do you think a teacher and a dumb old bricklayer can live in peace and harmony on the gulf coast somewhere between Clearwater and Sarasota? All questions and suggestions are welcome.........

[Fred_J]

The median price of a house in the Tampa Bay area increased at 25% a year for the past four years. The Tampa web site is TBO.com. You should still be able to find the article. I would think Clearwater and Sarasota homes would be a little bit more expensive.

They do think it is time for the real estate boom to slow down. Depending on which newspaper or newscast you pay attention to.

[mrferrit]

i enjoy it where i am at here in st petersburg its real nice and quiet not too sure about the job opertunities but i do know a big one here is retirement..lol.. but i didnt find the price of homes here too unreasonable i got mine 2 years ago at 100g and its about 160 now its a 2-1-1 car garage corner lot with above ground pool just kinda mid class neigherhood but im a youngin though good luck
dennis

[pnosko]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7670760#post7670760 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by FishKeepR
My wife has a masters degree in reading, whats it worth on the Gulf coast? And what are the employment opportunities like for teachers there?Do you mean in English or Spanish?

[Hobster]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7672508#post7672508 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by pnosko
Do you mean in English or Spanish?


:lol: :lol:

I think you will find that the pay for teachers here in Florida is probably worse than other states. The housing market has recently gone nuts so it is hard to attract qualified teachers that can afford to live here. Contstruction on the other hand is out of sight, so you should be able to make a decent living.

[Sk8r]

Don't forget the rest of the Caribbean: the Texas Gulf Coast around Padre and Galveston is perhaps a little less pricey.

[Confooseld]

Perhaps? My dad closed on a two story house 3 blocks from the beach a couple of days ago for 78,500. I don't know anywhere that you can still do that.

[JeRmZ]

I think if you stay north of the Tampa Bay area ... in and around what we call the "Nature Coast" you can still find some reasonably priced homes.
As for Teacher Salary, I do know this .... a friend of mine just graduated with a BA in English. She got a job at the local high school starting at $30k

[FishKeepR]

Hey...thanks for all of the input! We've started doing some research on the web and my wife made a few phone call too. We've lived in Pa our whole lives and making the decision to move south is gonna be a tough one, especially since we both will have to find employment at 50 years of age.

[Wilafur]

i hope you guys like hurricanes. :D

[Hobster]

Just a FYI, the area between Clearwater and Sarasota is heavily populated and has a high cost of living. ( grew up in Clearwater long time ago) Unless you have some special reason for liking that area, I would also consider more nothern Fl. If I could get out of SW Fl I would go north of Gainesville somewhere. JMO

[Agu]

My wife and I did that 4 years ago. Moved from Minnesota to Venice (south of Sarasota). We'll never go back to cold winters again.

Taching is a slam dunk for jobs but the pay isn't very good. She'll need to negotiate a better salary based on her experience.

Being in the construction business you should be able to find a foreman job pretty easily. I have no idea how it pays though.

Although there's been a housing boom, builders are getting stuck with a backlog and are offering some pretty good incentives . Now is a good time to negotiate prices with motivated sellers pretty much anywhere in Florida.

[pnosko]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7674808#post7674808 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Agu
My wife and I did that 4 years ago. Moved from Minnesota to Venice (south of Sarasota). We'll never go back to cold winters again.Only old people dislike cold Winter weather.

[mandrin13]

I moved from VA to Tampa(actually Valrico)and its better tyhen up there.Its warmer and I have oppertunities for a hurricane party,lol,gtg.

[jgoodrich71]

If you don't mind going a little more north and west, the panhandle, between Tallahassee and Pensacola may be a little bit more affordable place to live. Lots of nice communities, Panama City, Fort Walton, Pensacola to name a few. These places always are looking for qualified teachers, and due to all the recent hurricanes, the construction business is booming along here.

[sassyfish]

I live in S FL. Great life here! Only problem is traffic with all the UHauls on the Hwy. Welcome, future Floridian. Just in time for Hurricane season, and I don't mean football.

[Agu]

Just read in the local paper average construction wage is $20.00+/hr (2004 statistics) and there are 13,000 unfilled construction jobs as of last May in Florida.


fwiw,

[FishKeepR]

Agu...once again, thanks for the info! We may have hit a roadblock in our quest. My wife just sort of mentioned to her mother that we were "THINKING" of moving south and it brought on a major hissy fit reaction, we'll have to give her some time to calm down. In the mean time we are contacting a realtor up here.