IT...Depends....
Having done all my boating in the Pacific NW, my advice is mostly annecdotal. But I have bought a boat up in BC and brought it south, and bought another in SF and had it trucked north to Oregon.
I read where it is common for hulls to show blistering shortly after moving from salt to fresh water, and that would be consistant with both the boats I "imported" to our river sailing venue. The blisters were not terrible, but within the first few years I did have to open, fill, and fair some. None have reappeared on either boat.
As to buying a boat in a warm salty region, I would see the far (!) greater concern as overall UV degredation of everything plastic from the waterline upwards. That's the reason boats in the southern US are always cheaper than the ones north of lat. 47. Often a LOT cheaper.
Whether it's the gel coat on the deck, the hatch lenses, or any other plastics, the more-equitorial UV is hard on 'em.
It gets back to price. If the boat is over 20 years old, and you have enough $ slack in the difference between what you pay and what the market value for a turn-key model is, then buy it and refurbish over the course of the first few years. (If the only way you can have the work done is at boatyard rates, this logic may preclude all boats costing more than zero, however.)
Sidebar: IMO, one of the reasons we see repeated narratives on this site about restoring "classic" Ericsons is that these boats have the design and initial construction reputation to justify personal time and effort later.
Good luck on your decision, and keep us informed.
Best,
Loren in PDX
