Melbourne, FL best budget apartment communities? (Cocoa, Cocoa Beach: real estate, apartments, lease)

[valeriemckay]

Hi folks, My 71 year old husband and I (54) plan to relocate to Florida and after researching these forums, have Melbourne on our short list. We've been visiting friends in their waterfront condo in Cocoa Beach the last few winters, but that's not in the budget, but we do know we want Brevard County.

We will be living on a fixed income due to recent illness (mine) and I'm not sure what kind of work I'll be able to do, so for the time being, that isn't a consideration as far as location. (My former occupations included licensed practical nurse, public housing manager, reference librarian, and information architect, fyi.) My husband is a former respiratory therapist and addictions counselor, but currently works part time delivering parts for Advanced Automotive. I'd like to do a 12 month lease so we can get our bearings. ANYWAY with a limited income of about 38K (this is a low ball estimate to be on the safe side), are there any apartment communities you can recommend that would be:

Safe
Accessible (husband has arthritis, needs parking near door)
Fairly quiet
Diversity is fine, ethnic, ages, etc.
Dog and cat friendly
Nice place to come home to?

Thanks for any help you can give. At this point, I have Bridgewater Pointe and Lake Pointe on my radar, so if you have any comments on those complexes it would be helpful.

I know this forum has a large range of people with incomes well above ours, and I know we're asking for a lot given our current financial situation.

FYI: My son is considering in investing in FL real estate, with the goal of us managing the properties, overseeing any renovations, handling tenants, etc., but I am loathe to begin that process until we're relocated and can really research this on the ground for him, so that's the next stage of our adventure!

Thanks for any advice you can give us.

[singlefin]

The Lagacy apartments on Hibiscus blvd in Melbourne is a very nice, well run complex that has an excellent management team. The complex is located in a good area close to everything and maybe a 15 minute drive to the beach. I own a house beachside and have a daughter who lives there. We often comment on how nice the grounds and units are compared to some of the homes on our street.
Good luck.

[valeriemckay]

Thanks for the reply. My husband and I (plus cat and dog) have settled into Lake Pointe apartments in Melbourne. So far things are going well; I posted a review on an apartment ratings website where previous residents tell me that this place is horrific to live, but that has not been our experience so far, however I realize that we need to be here at least a full year before we can give a real picture of what it's like. At this point we're happy with our decision, the grounds are lovely and green and neighbors have been friendly -- and of course, the prices are SO much lower than costs in the Boston area, making this a place we can live within our budget, as we deal with reduced finances and health issues.