Goodbye Oklahoma!

[fsusurfer]

After 5 years living and working in Oklahoma, I have accepted a great job opportunity back in my home state of Florida. I have really enjoyed living in Oklahoma, but its time for me to get back to the place I'm from. Below I'll list some things I liked/disliked about living in Oklahoma

Likes:

1) Bricktown: A lot of people on this site like to say whats wrong with Bricktown, but if it went for Bricktown I wouldnt have hung around this state as long as I did. I live in Bricktown, and living there for the past 5 years has been a blast.

2) Cost of living: The cost of living in this state is generally pretty reasonable, and a night on the town with a date can be had for under 100 bucks easily. Hard to say that about other metro areas.

3) The People: I have encounterd many great people in my 5 years here. Generaly speaking, the people of Oklahoma are super nice.

4) NBA downtown: Honestly, this is one of the big factors that kept me around for the last year and a half. Living across the street from an NBA area was great. Hopefully for your sake, a new team will be back soon.

5) The women: Gotta say, there are some beautiful women in Oklahoma! I will always support that position!

Dislikes:

1) Cost of living downtown: I've said it before, the prices of condos downtown are outrageous, and thats one of the main things that drove me from the city. I have rented downtown for 5 years and I am really ready to buy a place. I can buy a place near the beach in Florida for about the price of a lot of the places downtown. Also, the new job I have accepted(same field) in Florida pays about 20% more than the position I have been in here. Living anywhere else in OKC I would have been bored out of my mind, and at the salary I am making here, I couldnt afford 250,000+ for a condo. The problem is, salarys in Oklahoma are not up to par with salaries of other major cities. However, the price of living downtown is going up. Hopefully for the sake of people wanting to live downtown, one of the 2 areas will correct itself.

2) Not really much to do: Found many a day when there wasnt a whole lot to do. For some people thats not a problem, but I always like having something to do. I also may be because the things I love to do, I am not able to do here. (fish, surf, beach, ect.)

3) Weather: I hate cold weather!

As I have said, I really enjoyed the excitment of living here the last 5 years and it was a great experience for me. But, I have been a fish out of water for to long now, and its time to return! I wish nothing but the best for Oklahoma City and the people of Oklahoma. I leave physically, but a part of me will always remain. I'll stop by every now and then to see whats going on. Good luck Oklahoma City!

[Karried]

We'll miss you... I really hope you can come visit and fill us in on how you're liking Florida.

* Hang tight for a few months before you buy in Florida .. market is pretty unstable right now.. but you'll be able to pick up something nice for a good price as loans are (have been) adjusting and people are unloading their investment properties. The longer they sit, the less they will take..also start comparing insurance costs now so you can factor that into your pre-approval loan process. Rates have increased drastically because of the weather.
* Personal opinion, not to be taken as investment advice :-)

Don't forget us here and Good luck in your new endeavor!

[Easy180]

Good luck fsu!

Should have at least waited to move until after hurricane season

[BDP]

Congrats on your new job and on being able to return to the beach. Sounds fun. I think most active people would share you views on available entertainment here, but I think the next generation will have more to do, hopefully.

And when you speak of us, speak well.

[Pete]

Best wishes to you!

And I think the first two of your dislikes are changing and if you return in a few years I'll think you see some real improvement in both areas.

As for the 3rd, not much we can do about that!


Good luck and spread the word about OKC.

[mranderson]

I know what you mean by the term a fish out of water. I felt that way in Dallas and really feel that way in Oklahoma. Oklahomans are Midwest, but southern in thinking. Not a good mix for this midwest boy. Plus I too hate the weather, but for me it is too hot.

Good luck and always remember. Any board dedicated to Oklahoma City always welcomes people interested in our city... No matter where they live.

[metro]

Yeah, sorry to hear your moving to Florida, although that would be my alternate place to live after Oklahoma.

As far as your questions/comments/observations go:

1. How did you live in Bricktown for 5 years? There hasn't been any housing developed as of yet in Bricktown. The Centennial will be the first but won't be open until this summer. Do you mean you lived in Deep Deuce? It's key that us locals start to differenciate the different districts, especially since the Triangle is now developing nicely. We must continue to educate locals on this issue because obviously the media doesn't know they exist for the most part. We'll have to educate the media from the inside out that there are other districts in this city besides Bricktown.

2.) Cost of living: Cost of living is among the cheapest in the nation, well more than just reasonable. Unless you're in San Fran, Chicago, or NYC I have to somewhat disagree on a reasonable night on the town. Although other larger metro's are more expensive in nearly everything. You can still have a nice night on the town for $100 or less. I've lived in Atlanta in addition to OKC and have spent plenty of time in nearly every major US City and they are fairly comparable for what you get. If you want a 5 star restaurant in OKC, it's not much more expensive in say NYC. Yes NYC has much more pricer ones, but I think you get my point.

3.) People: Totally agree with you here

4.) NBA, although no housing is across the street from the Ford Center, I understand with you and also agree.

5.) Women, agree although I'm married so ... (Maxim Mag and others constantly rate OKC as one of the best cities for single men because of the women)

Dislikes:

1.) Cost of Living Downtown: agree and it sucks (for us young professionals who can't afford a quarter million and want to be downtown now, not years from now). although I did get a nice one in Midtown for dirt cheap. Unfortunately this is how the game is played, higher end first. This will continue to correct itself as you can see with the new announcement (predicted but not official until today) about the Maywood Park Lofts (many in the mid to low 100's). Don't forget about Harvey Lofts which are also low to mid 100's and have been available for awhile now.

2.) not much to do? there is plenty to do. I've lived here about 26 years and I still haven't done it all, and some things I have done are rapidly changing. Granted we don't have a beach, etc but we can't change our geography. There are things you can do here you can't on the coasts.

3.) Weather- can't change, well unless this Global warming thing continues, then we might be alot closer to the ocean.

All in all, I wish you well, don't get me wrong. Just some food for thought. I wouldn't worry about holding off to buy a home. You can't go wrong with home ownership, dispite an inflated market. And as you said, you're tired of renting for 5+ years. Some equity is better than no equity. Please come visit us occasionally.

[writerranger]

Best of luck to you, my friend. Stop by and check-in when you can.
There's no place like home....There's no place like home....
Glad you're getting a chance to go back!

-------------------

[BG918]

It would definitely be hard living away from the beach if you're from somewhere like Florida or California. It would also be an adjustment getting used to our cold winters. Good luck back in Florida, I love that state (well, the south part at least) and I may be joining you down there someday. I like OKC, and I'm glad you liked it too.

[Karried]

Just some food for thought. I wouldn't worry about holding off to buy a home. You can't go wrong with home ownership, dispite an inflated market. And as you said, you're tired of renting for 5+ years. Some equity is better than no equity.

Not to go off topic too much here, but Metro ( and I mean no disrespect) You can go wrong with home ownership.. very, very wrong.

There are hundreds of thousands people finding out the hard way that they can go wrong with real estate.. ie foreclosures, homes they can't sell because of a gluttony of homes for sale (oversaturated market) or people who have gotten in over their heads on a low teaser rate only to find out once the interest rate adjusted and their salary didn't, they can't make the payments. Real estate can be very volatile.

Renting isn't always a bad thing compared to buying an wayyyy overpriced home.

I can point you to a hundred articles or more that say it might not be the best time to buy right now.

Existing-home sales, prices continue downward slide

Anyway, not to be gloom and doom.. just trying to save fsusurfer some grief.... if he can hang on a few months, there will be deals to be had, left and right.

[metro]

Well agreed Karried, and I too used to be a Realtor and a Mortgage Broker so I can speak with informed knowledge. I have also lived in and visited Florida many times. I realize there are thousands who have lost money in real estate, but a good informed decision and a FIXED RATE, can still get you a deal, even in an inflated market. For every person losing money, there are just as many making money. If you do your homework, you can still get a good deal no matter the market. Now perhaps if he was to buy a half million or more dollar property and sell it quickly, he may lose money in an overpriced saturated market, but obviously since the $200,000 downtown units here were more than he could spend, or at least wanted to, that sure doesn't get any more in Florida, especially south florida. Now say he get's a fixer upper at a good price (perhaps even a bankruptcy or auction) and knows what he's doing. More than likely he won't lose, despite the market. Good market or bad market, someone is always making a good deal or losing money on every piece of property. Just my two cents...

[Karried]

Anyway, not to be gloom and doom.. just trying to save fsusurfer some grief.... if he can hang on a few months, there will be deals to be had, left and right.

Just to clarify, I'm not saying fsusurfer shouldn't Buy a Home.. but I am thinking (and these are my personal feelings based on being a Licensed Realtor, having owned 5 homes and reading constantly about the current market trends).

I think many more people will feel the pinch in the upcoming months when their loans start adjusting. The market is already near saturation in Florida, many more people will list their homes in Spring because historically in a normal market, homes sell in Spring.. when sellers realize in a few months that this isn't a normal market and start getting desperate to sell and lowering their asking prices...Bingo is his name oh.. or fsusurfer is his name oh - prequalified, ready to swoop in and save the day (or the house against foreclosure) and get the home of his dreams at a drastically reduced price..

That's what I'm talking about..

[Tim]

So long surfer! Remember, if you read the terms of use for OKCTalk, chapter 8, subsection 3(b) states that "anyone moving to a beach/resort area must on demand produce lodging for visiting OKCTalk moderators, power posters and members at large." Take care!

[metro]

Good point Tim, I second that amendment to the TOS! Although I already have places to stay in Florida, it never hurts to have more.

[CMSturgeon]

FSU my dad just moved from Panama City to Emery, Texas. Well, more like a couple of months ago. Still hasn't sold his home in Panama City. Stinks for him. Thats about as much as I know about Florida. That and Bayquest & Affiliated Financial, talk to people there a lot for my old job.

[fsusurfer]

Thanks for all the well wishes guys! I am acutally moving to Destin/FWB. The prices on homes/condos have dropped considerably and I suspect they will drop more in the coming months. Im going to live with my parents a couple months, save the paychecks, and then buy a place. Of course, I wish the state of Oklahoma and everyone in it the best!

[bigjkt405]

see ya later surfer, I guess I'll catch you around the locker room on warchant.

[jbrown84]

So long, fsu. Spread the good word about our city!

[gmwise]

Godspeed bro

[Karried]

Here are just a few articles to support what we've been talking about ... I honestly think you will get a very good deal if you hang tight ( which sounds like what you are planning on doing). These articles might help you gauge the current market in Florida a bit.....

US workers saddled by houses that won't sell | csmonitor.com

Effects of slow housing market are widespread - 04/02/2007 - MiamiHerald.com


Bloomberg.com: Opinion

This makes me want to move to Florida!

[Karried]

A little more food for thought:

Foreclosures Increase 80 Percent in Florida, Vultures Circle

Apr 03, 2007 -- A shaky housing market and risky loans have helped to fuel a rise in foreclosures in the state of Florida. Struggling homeowners who are looking for a way out are quickly becoming a target for circling vultures and scam artists. The bad news is that the problem is likely to get much worse before it gets better.

People in Florida have been finding it very difficult to hold onto their homes. Foreclosures increased by a whopping 91 percent in Florida since last year. In some areas like Sarasota/Manatee, the increase was even higher-182 percent.
Foreclosure numbers released by RealtyTrac.com indicate that Florida had the most foreclosures in the nation by sheer volume. During February, there were 19,144 homes in some state of foreclosure. This number accounts for 8.5 percent of all foreclosure activity within the U.S.
Mike Kane of Foreclosures Daily reports that there are 2,000 foreclosures in the Tampa Bay area alone each month. About one in every 61 households is facing foreclosure.
Kane blames adjustable rate loans for most of the activity, and expects the foreclosure problems to get worse before they get better given the number of loans set to adjust this year.

But bad loans aren't necessarily the only problem according to some. The once hot Florida real estate market has come to a screeching halt. Sales are down, prices are down, and as a result, many of the people who are in trouble are underwater in their mortgage, owing more on the home than it is actually worth.

Median home prices have declined in almost every one of Florida's metropolitan areas. In some areas, the price declines are much worse than in others, but it doesn't look like there will be any significant gains for awhile.

UC Berkeley professor Ken Rosen chairs the Fisher Center for Real Estate and Urban Economics, and expects home prices to fall throughout Florida for the next two years. While the projected price drop will depend on location, Rosen estimates a 5 to 15 percent decline.

[Karried]

More good news for you Fsusurfer: Patience is a virtue.. you're going to get a 'sweet' deal if this keeps up.

March home sales numbers: YIKES!

Posted on Apr 10, 2007 12:15:10 PM


No big turnaround yet in sight for this housing market.



The much anticipated Spring home selling season is off to a dismal start in the Orlando market.

March sales in the Orange-Seminole area are down a whopping 42 percent from March 2006 despite a 5.83 percent interest rate according to numbers from the Orlando Regional Realtors Association. This is the lowest March sales number since March 1999.
The number of homes on the market has climbed to yet another record figure of 23,547.

So many homes for sale, so few buyers.

The median price is at $240,000, which is about what it was in June 2005.

We are in a flat, droopy market. Looking ahead, with a slowdown in growth, a crackdown in lending standards and an increasing number of foreclosures, there isn’t a lot of relief in sight.

My opinion, and it’s just that, is that there is no rebound in housing this year.

A lot of people aren’t buying because they can’t sell their existing homes. And a large part of the market here always has been people moving up within the area. No selling. No moving. Which means no selling.
What will happen? A lot of sellers have been listing their homes, pulling them off, listing them again, and so on and so forth, hoping for the right timing.

Those that have to sell for whatever reason are going to have to bite the bullet and come down in price, particularly with competition from new homes that come loaded with incentives. That should echo through the market until prices come more into alignment with people’s ability to afford them. The soft-landing scenario has this playing out in an orderly fashion as our growth and job market -- down but still kicking -- bring us back into balance.