# movin from brissy to florida...heaps of questions



## ozcroboy (Apr 15, 2010)

hi guys. just registered and have a few ??? that mite make the transition easier.

i plan on travelling to miami beach for the 1st 6 mths via share accom or renting a place solo then i plan on buying a house. oh got a green card aswell so its not a holiday. also moving end of may. 

1: whats a nice costal area that isnt borin as bat ****. still has a good social life and is safe and affordable? clear water beach and boca raton have been mentioned to me. how are these like for entertainment and liveabilty? i want to be near the water so i can go boating etc. dont want to spend ova 400k on a decent house so maimi beach is out of the question 

2: whats the best mobile phone carrier as i need a phone within a few days off getting off the plane?

3: what is a good bank for me to open an acc n credit card with that isnt going to be swollowed up in another gfb situation but still provide good customer service and flexibilty?

4: whats the best website to find accom? tried craiglist but very few pictures

5: whats a good site for organising private health insurance? what do i need to look for so i dont get ripped as i kno nufin about private health?

um bout it for now but will ad as i remember

thanx in advance guys!!


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## Skippy13 (Oct 1, 2008)

How did you get your greencard?


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## jayde (Jun 2, 2009)

Your plan to check out different locations may need a recce as what you are seeking may be different to others, I enjoyed visiting clearwater but I am not in your age group so it may not appeal for the same reasons. Housing doesnt seem to be picking up so much atm so you may well pick up a bargain.

There are prepaid cell phones where you can byo, verizon and sprint dont use sims but ATT and T mobile do, so you can use a quad band if thats what you have. I found t mobile to be the least expensive but again it depends on use, and you pay for incoming and outgoing both calls and sms, so you also may need a sms package is you rely on them a lot.

I was able to open an account with Bank of America, before I had all the documentation that some banks require, they are allied with westpac i think.

Craigslist is the main one, if you email they may be able to send pics.

Private health insurance was impossible for me to get until I had been here 6 months but may be obtainable through your employer. You may want to look into immigrants insurance, as medical costs are horrendous (a few days in hospital as well in excess of $20,000) being uninsured is horrible.

Hope you find what you are looking for, things are certainly different living here and culture shock is a reality.


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## ozcroboy (Apr 15, 2010)

Skippy13 said:


> How did you get your greencard?


dv lottery


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## ozcroboy (Apr 15, 2010)

jayde said:


> Your plan to check out different locations may need a recce as what you are seeking may be different to others, I enjoyed visiting clearwater but I am not in your age group so it may not appeal for the same reasons. Housing doesnt seem to be picking up so much atm so you may well pick up a bargain.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


yeah was expecting as much  looking forward to it. thanks for the info u provided!! responses under each question i asked in the quote section above


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## jayde (Jun 2, 2009)

ozcroboy said:


> yeah was expecting as much  looking forward to it. thanks for the info u provided!! responses under each question i asked in the quote section above


Hollywood, Fort Lauderdale and Pompano would all be worth checking out (a reccie or reconnoiter) as a cheaper alternative to Boca, though as all places there are good and bad areas, if you want I will run any past my hubby (hes yank, lived here all his life) or you can check <http://www.city-data.com/forum/fort-lauderdale-area/624284-where-best-neighborhoods-south-florida.html>

Phones and buying minutes are a bit different, but you will get used to it.

Not sure on the realtors and whether they do share accom.

Health insurance sounds unrealistic, would have thought a budget of more like $400 a month to get proper cover unless you are a student and qualify for something that way. There are a few aussie students here so you may find a way to connect with them, the site british expats has a USA forum too.

You are welcome to PM me, as I say it is quite different living here and finding a safe place to stay would be a priority and so knowing which areas are ok is important.


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

On the issue of finding accommodation to share, you should try googling "apartment share" or similar terms combined with some of the towns you are considering. In some cities, there are agencies set up to handle only apartment shares or roommate situations - or you may find some real estate agencies that advertise their apartment share services.

One thing, though, is that I wouldn't arrange for any accommodation lasting more than a few weeks until you get there and can inspect the premises in person. There are simply too many things that can go terribly wrong in a flat you've rented off the Internet.
Cheers,
Bev


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## ozcroboy (Apr 15, 2010)

Bevdeforges said:


> On the issue of finding accommodation to share, you should try googling "apartment share" or similar terms combined with some of the towns you are considering. In some cities, there are agencies set up to handle only apartment shares or roommate situations - or you may find some real estate agencies that advertise their apartment share services.
> 
> One thing, though, is that I wouldn't arrange for any accommodation lasting more than a few weeks until you get there and can inspect the premises in person. There are simply too many things that can go terribly wrong in a flat you've rented off the Internet.
> Cheers,
> Bev


yeah ive already rented just holiday units in sth beach for 2 weeks until i get there then going to hit te pavements and go to units t inspect for more permanent accom. def not agreeing to aqnything ova the net


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## ozcroboy (Apr 15, 2010)

also been lookin at suburbs etc and it says miami beach is extremely high in crime ( anywhere with tourism is i guess) but surfside just up the rd is pretty good and only a stones throw. anyone had any dealing or lived in surfside b4? search some of the other suburbs listed above and they are still fairly high in crime. atm its lookin like boca raton or surfside???


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## TrulyBridget (May 12, 2010)

Hello, I am a native Floridian so I will be able to help you out a bit. Miami is high on crime, but that is the bad areas. Like all cities, there are 'safe' areas and 'not-so-safe' areas and it is up to your own discretion; mainly just use common sense and you should be okay.  

Now, as far as Clearwater is concerned it is beautiful but overtly touristy and thus the prices are going to be higher. In general, any beach town is going to be higher than a land locked one. My favorite places have been: Bradenton, Anna Maria Island, Siesta Key, etc. These are all BEAUTIFUL places and I would live in Bradenton in a heartbeat. I prefer the West Coast to the East because the waves are milder, water is clearer, and generally speaking the water is warmer. You could try Vero Beach as well but again, very touristy. Considering the economic depression, a lot of houses are selling at reduced costs but I am not for sure if there are 400,000 dollar houses in any of the cities I have mentioned. I am sure there are but, mainly they will be in the 200,000 (I am playing it safe with my figures and going larger) range. The entertainment is wonderful and I loved the nightlife--laid back, casual and still fun. You really can't go wrong. 

From my understanding of cell phones down in Australia (and seemingly the UK), you just buy some credit and voila! You have a cell phone. Basically same applies here. We have Tracfone, Virgin Mobile, AT&T Go! Phone, Verizon pre-paid and all the other stuff. Just go into Wal-Mart and look at the plans. So far, to me, Metro PCS has the best deal with 30.00-45.00 a month and unlimited everything. No contracts and no hassles. They can also 'flash' your phone and turn it where it will work with their system. I am not for sure about non-US phone but they should work just the same. If that doesn't work, then they sell phones for around 30-300.00 dollars. You could probably just buy a cheap one at Wal-Mart and have them 'flash' it for you. 

All banks suck. But which one sucks the least? I would go with a bigger international bank; I hate Bank of America with a passion. Go with Wachovia or someone of that sort. Bank of America will get you for every little thing and overdraft fees are killer!!! If not Wachovia, then 5/3 Bank seems nice and from what I heard everything seems to go well there. 

Okay, what more. Craigslist? I don't know if I would trust it. Look at websites like Century 21 and Remaxx which are licensed realtors. Unless you are looking for someone with a flat already and who wants to share. The there is a website called roommates dot com and you can check to see if the person is legit. 

As for healthcare, under the new reform, I don't know what to tell you. Look at things like Blue Cross & Blue shield. They seem to have a decent form of healthcare for not a lot. Our healthcare is extremely high no matter what you do, unfortunately. Hopefully we will have NHS just like our UK cousins or like in Oz. 

I hope my answers have helped some. I hope you like Florida. You should be just fine with the weather (heard it is very similar to Australia) and Floridians are generally very nice and friendly. You'll be a big hit with the girls (or guys if you like them) because of the hot Aussie accent.  

Cheers! x


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## ozcroboy (Apr 15, 2010)

geez pretty indepth and tanx for that. wallmart is pretty much the one stop shop for almost anything? how does chase bank go as ive been recommended to them?


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