FLORIDA - time to dive back in ?

We finally sold our US property towards the end of last year at around 60% profit over 10 years or so.
Happy memories of sun-filled days by the pool and many trips over the years to our favourite Gulf Coast.
We started thinking seriously about selling when a big hurricane took a huge left turn about 40 miles short of the property and then age and grandkids restricted our visits.
Done right and with proper due diligence and location,location,location it can be a great adventure.
But avoid Orlando at all costs ...
And the return of the past 10 Years of S&P 500 was 192%.... Just confirming what we already know - property is high risk asset class with a low return given the risk involved.
 
It sounds like the Wahaay got a monetary benefit as well as personal enjoyment from owning the property.
This is correct. I picked up the Florida place when the market there had tanked quite a lot.It still hasn't come back up to those levels but I'm happy to walk away with a decent profit and a decade's worth of good memories.A couple of holiday rentals over here have been a far better short-term investment although I got rid of those too when the short-term letting rules changed.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy playing the markets too and I've horsed a fair bit into travel stocks in the last month but sitting on my back porch looking across Tampa Bay to the Sunshine Skyway Bridge smoking a decent cigar with a glass of wine has brought me much more pleasure than the recent boost in EZJ did.
 
This is correct. I picked up the Florida place when the market there had tanked quite a lot.It still hasn't come back up to those levels but I'm happy to walk away with a decent profit and a decade's worth of good memories.A couple of holiday rentals over here have been a far better short-term investment although I got rid of those too when the short-term letting rules changed.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy playing the markets too and I've horsed a fair bit into travel stocks in the last month but sitting on my back porch looking across Tampa Bay to the Sunshine Skyway Bridge smoking a decent cigar with a glass of wine has brought me much more pleasure than the recent boost in EZJ did.

Where will you holiday now?
 
Where will you holiday now?
Well this summer we have a villa in Greece for two weeks, 10 days in Barbados sometime in the Autumn postponed from April and a two week cruise at Christmas around SE Asia.
We have travel vouchers from Aer Lingus for an aborted trip to the Carolinas and others from Lufthansa for another 2020-postponed trip, this time to Panama.Both were holiday home exchanges.It would be nice to fit them in.
We'd also like to pop over to Florida to see how our former neighbours are getting on.
Just waiting for the all-clear to travel from the UK in mid-June or possibly earlier if their vaccine progress continues and when we've also had our second jabs on the NHS.
Fail to prepare,etc etc.
Yourself ? Any plans ?
 
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...very reasonable property taxes and a rapidly diminsihing supply of good properties.

My sister lives in Miami. Her annual property tax is $35,000 per annum. She thinks it’s a colossal amount.

How much was your property tax?
 
My sister lives in Miami. Her annual property tax is $35,000 per annum. She thinks it’s a colossal amount.

How much was your property tax?
Not as much as that.
The HOA fees were tasty enough though,probably because we overlooked the water.
 
Fail to prepare,etc etc.
Wise words.
I had a two week self-catering holiday in Connemara last July, and when handing back the keys booked it again for this July. The landlady had us pencilled in but said she's booked up for the summer of 2021 a year in advance. It never happened to her before.
Last month I've also booked a hotel for three nights after our self-catering holiday. Had to wait for a cancellation and fortunately one arose.

I won't be booking any foreign holiday though, not until this pandemic plays out. I had a trip to Ìtaly in May 2020 postponed and who knows when I'll get to reschedule that. Just this morning I heard some scientist on the radio predicting it'll be 2025 before the entire world is vaccinated. I assume any "vaccine passports" will be time limited as per vaccine duration. Yet another expert was on the radio yesterday saying that people who have had Covid are protected for six months. Assuming vaccines are no better protection that natural Covid antibodies, then any vaccine passport may only be valid for six months after the date of full vaccination.

You should be OK with SE Asia though. Vietnam are zero Covid, only 35 deaths and AFAIK Cambodia has been very successful too.
 
Wise words.
I had a two week self-catering holiday in Connemara last July, and when handing back the keys booked it again for this July. The landlady had us pencilled in but said she's booked up for the summer of 2021 a year in advance. It never happened to her before.
Last month I've also booked a hotel for three nights after our self-catering holiday. Had to wait for a cancellation and fortunately one arose.

I won't be booking any foreign holiday though, not until this pandemic plays out. I had a trip to Ìtaly in May 2020 postponed and who knows when I'll get to reschedule that. Just this morning I heard some scientist on the radio predicting it'll be 2025 before the entire world is vaccinated. I assume any "vaccine passports" will be time limited as per vaccine duration. Yet another expert was on the radio yesterday saying that people who have had Covid are protected for six months. Assuming vaccines are no better protection that natural Covid antibodies, then any vaccine passport may only be valid for six months after the date of full vaccination.

You should be OK with SE Asia though. Vietnam are zero Covid, only 35 deaths and AFAIK Cambodia has been very successful too.

Greece will be open this summer, Barbados is the most vaxxed Caribbean country so far with India donating 100,000 Covishield vaccines, the US has vaxxed twice as many people as the EU ( thanks to Trump's Operation Warp Speed ) and Florida, despite its age profile, has been one of the more successful states re Covid.
SE Asia is 10 months away.Who knows what state the world will be in by then.
And six months immunity ? The UK is already planning its booster shot regime for the winter.I wouldn't be surprised if it's combined with a flu shot eventually.
 
Well this summer we have a villa in Greece for two weeks, 10 days in Barbados sometime in the Autumn postponed from April and a two week cruise at Christmas around SE Asia.
We have travel vouchers from Aer Lingus for an aborted trip to the Carolinas and others from Lufthansa for another 2020-postponed trip, this time to Panama.Both were holiday home exchanges.It would be nice to fit them in.
We'd also like to pop over to Florida to see how our former neighbours are getting on.
Just waiting for the all-clear to travel from the UK in mid-June or possibly earlier if their vaccine progress continues and when we've also had our second jabs on the NHS.
Fail to prepare,etc etc.
Yourself ? Any plans ?
Sounds magnificent and I hope you get to go on them this year!

Most likely a month in Wexford which I'm ok with, we've just had a baby and it'll be nice to spend time (hopefully) with family.
 
Sounds magnificent and I hope you get to go on them this year!

Most likely a month in Wexford which I'm ok with, we've just had a baby and it'll be nice to spend time (hopefully) with family.

I love holidaying in Ireland and we were so lucky with the weather during Lockdown last year.
But like everyone I need some sun now.
My neighbours have been checking out staycations but they nearly had a heart attack at some of the prices being asked for holiday rentals.
 
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