[Mathesar]

Hello C-D folks! My wife and I are in our in our mid-20s and looking to "downsize" our location while increasing our quality of life. After 5 years in Dallas, we've discovered it's just way too sprawled and hectic. The corporate culture just isn't for us, and we're more than willing to make the monetary sacrifices that go hand-in-hand with leaving that lifestyle. We're hoping to slow down (as weird as that may sound from a 20-something) and find a nice mid-size town near the ocean where we can start a family soon.

We're thinking in the 25k-75k population range, but we're not specifically restricted. We've looked into Sarasota and REALLY like what we've seen, but so far it's been a little pricey. Looking further into suburbs now. However, we are not limited to that area.

We would like to rent the first year and decide if we want to stay long-term, but we're not completely against buying either. We're hoping to keep rent as much under 1500/mo as possible. If we were to buy, it would probably be in the 150k-175k range. $200k would be possible but a stretch.

We're coming to visit in February and would love to have some input on places to check out. We're planning on taking a car all the way around the coastline, so feel free to let us know if there's somewhere we should check out.

**Also, if there are any young people/couples in our approx money situation, we'd love to hear from you!

Thanks so much everyone!

[Arcenal813]

Sarasota was too pricey? You could always check out nearby Bradenton, or Fort Myers farther South.
Lakeland between Orlando and Tampa isn't bad either. Sebring/Avon Park are other towns you might want to check out.

Rule of thumb is, if sprawl in Dallas bothered you, avoid any of Florida's major cities, as Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, and Miami all suffer from major sprawl issues.

[eagles25]

Just do whatever it takes to get away from those pesky cowboys fans

[Fl1150]

Nocatee would be perfect as plenty of young families and couples who are getting ready to have children are moving their. It's only a couple of minutes from the beach so that's a plus and in a nice family oriented community with tons of amenities. Downside I think your price range might work only in certain communities since they vary by neighborhoods. Look at North Port since your looking into Sarasota for areas with lots of families and decent schools. Expand search because renting in Sarasota is hot right now with lots of competition so get a realtor if your serious about looking for the perfect place.

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by Arcenal352

Sarasota was too pricey? You could always check out nearby Bradenton, or Fort Myers farther South.
Lakeland between Orlando and Tampa isn't bad either. Sebring/Avon Park are other towns you might want to check out.

Rule of thumb is, if sprawl in Dallas bothered you, avoid any of Florida's major cities, as Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, and Miami all suffer from major sprawl issues.

Agree with all of the above^^.. We live right between Sarasota/Bradenton. There are areas in both towns which are affordable, but of course it depends on what your needs/wants are.

We also used to live in Lakeland, which is a beautiful central Florida city. Population 100,000, but feels like a small town. Very relaxed, easy to get to Tampa or Orlando and lots of beautiful lakes. And not touristy like the coastal cities, has a more youthful and friendly vibe, and $$$ go a lot further there.

As the above poster mentioned, rents in Sarasota are very high and in season almost impossible to get anything. That is not to say they don't exist, but you have to look pretty far ahead of time.

Hope this helps!

[OptimusPrime69]

Fort Myers and Cape Coral are decently populated areas. Not too large.

Sarasota is super cute, I love it there.
Also, maybe Port Saint Lucie or northern Palm Beach county on the east coast.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by Mathesar

Hello C-D folks! My wife and I are in our in our mid-20s and looking to "downsize" our location while increasing our quality of life. After 5 years in Dallas, we've discovered it's just way too sprawled and hectic. The corporate culture just isn't for us, and we're more than willing to make the monetary sacrifices that go hand-in-hand with leaving that lifestyle. We're hoping to slow down (as weird as that may sound from a 20-something) and find a nice mid-size town near the ocean where we can start a family soon.

We're thinking in the 25k-75k population range, but we're not specifically restricted. We've looked into Sarasota and REALLY like what we've seen, but so far it's been a little pricey. Looking further into suburbs now. However, we are not limited to that area.

We would like to rent the first year and decide if we want to stay long-term, but we're not completely against buying either. We're hoping to keep rent as much under 1500/mo as possible. If we were to buy, it would probably be in the 150k-175k range. $200k would be possible but a stretch.

We're coming to visit in February and would love to have some input on places to check out. We're planning on taking a car all the way around the coastline, so feel free to let us know if there's somewhere we should check out.

**Also, if there are any young people/couples in our approx money situation, we'd love to hear from you!

Thanks so much everyone!

Your price point is a bit low for many places in terms of desirable housing but agree that the Cape Coral-Fort Myers area is probably your best option in terms of quality of selections and being closest to the average home price with your budget.

[Arcenal813]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

Your price point is a bit low for many places in terms of desirable housing but agree that the Cape Coral-Fort Myers area is probably your best option in terms of quality of selections and being closest to the average home price with your budget.

Depends what they're looking for... You can get a nice, modern, 1200-1500 sqft house in a deed restricted community for that price.

[Restrain]

We moved from Denton to Port Charlotte last year. Reason was housing prices. Like you we had enough of Dallas after 30 years.

I would suggest you get a job first. Although jobs are increasing, you don't want to rent a home until you know where you are going to work. As to a commute, people think that 10 miles is far, but you know,what distant commutes really are. I know of people who live in PC but work in Sarasota for housing prices.

So start your job search. Tampa has a great job growth so don't discount it.

As to short-term rentals while you do your job search, that is going to be somewhat tough. There are mfg home parks with monthly rentals, but most are Over-55 parks. Also, we are in the middle of snowbird season, so rentals are tight. Be careful of Craigslist rentals as people routinely are scammed (renting properties they don't own or manage).

[Mathesar]

Thanks so much for your input everyone!!

Originally Posted by Arcenal352

Lakeland between Orlando and Tampa isn't bad either. Sebring/Avon Park are other towns you might want to check out.

Originally Posted by gypsychic

Agree with all of the above^^.. We live right between Sarasota/Bradenton. There are areas in both towns which are affordable, but of course it depends on what your needs/wants are.

We also used to live in Lakeland, which is a beautiful central Florida city. Population 100,000, but feels like a small town. Very relaxed, easy to get to Tampa or Orlando and lots of beautiful lakes. And not touristy like the coastal cities, has a more youthful and friendly vibe, and $$$ go a lot further there.

You've officially convinced us to check out Lakeland while we're there. While we really do want to "go all the way" and live in a coastal town, Lakeland could be the perfect place to get our feet on the ground before we consider buying. It really does look beautiful.

Originally Posted by Arcenal352

Depends what they're looking for... You can get a nice, modern, 1200-1500 sqft house in a deed restricted community for that price.

That's actually exactly what we're looking for. I think we could even do with less than 1200 as long as it's just the two of us. We do have 2 medium sized dogs so I'm hoping we don't run into too many issues with rentals. Some sort of backyard is a must!

Originally Posted by Restrain

I would suggest you get a job first. Although jobs are increasing, you don't want to rent a home until you know where you are going to work. As to a commute, people think that 10 miles is far, but you know,what distant commutes really are. I know of people who live in PC but work in Sarasota for housing prices.

As to short-term rentals while you do your job search, that is going to be somewhat tough. There are mfg home parks with monthly rentals, but most are Over-55 parks. Also, we are in the middle of snowbird season, so rentals are tight. Be careful of Craigslist rentals as people routinely are scammed (renting properties they don't own or manage).

We're going to visit next month but we'll probably wait until the offseason to actually move down there. I also have a 20-mile commute in horrendous Dallas traffic, so I'm not too worried about that aspect. I'm sure FL traffic can get bad but I would assume it's not much compared to Dallas, which can be hell on earth.