Hi - Thank you very much for your reply. Well this is where it all gets complicated eh? Well I have been to alot of the Florida areas, west coast, central and north, and funily enough, not too much in the tourist areas (thankfully). So I was thinking of somewhere inland - but within easy reach of the Gulf Coast - a couple of hours wouldn't be too much. Yes you are right, I know nothing of the taxes, ground/lot rents required, how they charge for utilities or services, its a minefield. I suppose the intial option for a mobile home was the relative economic cost. Up from that I guess is a condo or manufactured home. Any thoughts on that yourself? We will of course make a long visit to search properties and areas before making any big decisions. I am just trying to prepare the ground for a 'grand plan',which I hope to be able to put in place in about 2 years. If we do settle on the states, I know we will have to have a base here aswell for the 6 months we need to be out of the usa. Thank you so much for your quick reply. Christine