Don't wait 8 months. Move now :)

We used Steve Kling Painting (352 750-0426) for our lanai floor, entry concrete and garage floor. It is best to have this done before bringing things down. This past year, we ask Steve to return to paint the outside of our house.

Think about where you are going to put each piece of furniture. Don't bring it if you do not have a use for it. Order new furniture for delivery when you arrive if you can. (Just reread your post and see you already have this in mind. Good thinking.)
Get ride of stuff you have not used in years.
Your garage will probably be a storage area for items that can take the heat. Think about shelving and what you will store there.
Line up your auto insurance so you have the paperwork to register your cars as soon as you get here. If you have a lien holder you need info from them. Assume you have home owners insurance.
If you do not do your own income taxes keep your current person for the year you move. You will have a part year return for your current state and you may not find someone here that knows your state.
Make your moving arrangements now. Consider if you can get a better deal if you move in the middle of the month do that.
Consider getting to the home a couple of days before the movers. This means pack some supplies in your car to get you through the first couple of days or if the mover gets delayed.
Assume you have a will, poser of attorney etc. If not use a FL attorney. If you have these documents they should be ok but still is a good idea to discuss with an FL attorney. For example the executor of your will has to be a blood relative or a Fl resident.

If you are thinking of crown molding or wains coating, do it before furntiure is in.

I'm already there, mentally !!!

Question, is there any benefit to doing this sooner rather than later?

Great suggestions, thanks for taking the time to reply!!

Many people benefit financially from moving to a state with no state income tax. If this is the case, you want to do all the things that can prove FL residency ASAP in case your previous state asks for proof of when you moved.

You want to be able to show that you are domiciled in FL. That does not just mean "buying a house in another state". It involves doing things that prove you consider that state to be your permanent, legal home (i.e. getting a FL license, registering your cars, registering to vote, etc.)

We closed on our current house last year on Oct. 31 and went straight to the DMV. It was so much easier to say that we were PA residents for 10 months and FL residents for two when filing our taxes. PA income tax isn't bad, comparatively speaking, but we still saved a chunk of change by not giving them money for Nov. and Dec.

kathy

Great info Kathy, and yeah, we be leaving PA in a hurry too !!!

Hi all,

We purchased an Iris home in Village of Southern Oaks, spitting distance from the food trucks and the pitch & putt course. Many of the homes there are just getting ready to be occupied, with another 36+ lots sold and ready to be built. We close at the end of September.

We've been reading all the threads here for months. We arrived this past Thursday, looked at almost 50 homes since, and signed a contract to purchase on Sunday.

We will be moving from Oregon, and start the domicile change right after we close. We will eventually sell our Oregon home, but that will take a while.

Thanks to everyone here for the tips of what to expect, and what it takes to get the home "move-in" ready.

Mike