[TKramar]

Originally Posted by cubanjennie

My husband is a physician and has been offered a job in Sebring. We're in our late 30's and have two small kids (5 & 7). Our main goal is a good place to raise our kids. I used to live in Miami and we now live in a "small" town of TX (close to 200,000 people). I want to move back to FL because of weather and to be closer to family but my husband will only move to a small or smaller town. any advice about Sebring, Springhill, New Port Richie, Ocala, or any other small towns of FL. PLEASE!!

There's a LOT of doctors, especially out Sun N Lake area...but only ONE dentist in Sebring itself. In a mall where the K-Mart is.

[jim browning]

I live in Lake Placid and own property in Sebring. It's terrific to live here in LP. Nice people and relatively crime free. Our church, First Presbyterian, is awesome. The pastors are terrific and the people are family. Coming from Fort Lauderdale originally, the churches down there are huge and overcrowded.

Sebring is the busier town. I wouldn't want to live in or near Spring Lake due to the noise from the racetrack and the dangers of driving on 98 (one lane each way). Some people love it out there, good fishing on Lake Istokpoga nearby and Lorida is very pretty "country".

We like Lake Placid because of the home-town feel it has, where people wave to you as you go by and the property values seem to stay a bit higher here. The lakes are incredible here- especially Lake June for recreation, Lake Placid,Clay,Huntley and Grassy are fun too.Moderator cut: not allowed Commercial properties are selling well, home sales and vacant land were hit hardest by this market. We had 2 terrific boom years and investors made tons of profit flipping vacant land and putting up spec homes. You can do really well by buying now. It's a buyers market. Use extreme caution and a good local attorney when dealing directly with a by-owner.

I will list some of my favorite areas- these are just my preferences, so please take no offense if you don't agree.

Placid Lakes, Sylvan Shores, Bear Hollow and Parker Island in Lake Placid.

Orange Blossom Estates, Golfview-Harder Hall, lakeview around lake Jackson, Hammock Rd in Sebring.
Sun n lakes of Sebring is nice, especially if you are in the medical profession or are in need of a hospital close by, but their tax/bond situation needs to be addressed/fixed.

I just turned 40, we have two toddlers and this has been a great area to raise them. Hope this helps. God bless!

[cubanjennie]

thanks for the info jim. we got a contract from sebring and are planning to move there in a couple of months. we're probably going to rent something first, to give us time to look around at properties and get a good deal. we're losing money in our house in Texas due to the market so we're hoping to make it up in Florida. thanks for the info about the "best" areas- that will be helpful as a starting point to look at.

[jim browning]

Venus is just south of Lake Placid by 10 miles or so. 20-30 acres with a house for 300k? Not possibble in Sebring or Lake Placid. You may get 20 acres for $250k and put a mobile on it. There are alot of good deals here. It's a buyers market. Shop around and you will do well. Mod deleted

Gators- Yes there are gators here. In every lake and canal. But, some lakes have less than others. Lake June has a few, but we still enjoy swimming in it without concern. We wouldn't swim in Lake Istokpoga for example, but it's one of the most beautiful and best fishing lakes in Fl. (it's loaded with gators- the indians named the lake and means something like "lake of the dissappearing man") There are recreational lakes and there are fishing lakes. Any person coming from the city should take the time to learn the habits of the wildlife here to avoid conflict. For example... locals will not swim in any lake as the sun is setting or at dark... a person from a big city who is unfamiliar may attempt skinny dipping and splashing around. What they don't know is the habits of the gators who are probably equally enjoying their frolicking. To them the vibrations sound like a mating call and the unknowing couple in the water have just invited every male gator in the lake to their lovefest.

And bugs the size of birds. I was amazed at a mosquito the size of a quarter that was polka-dotted and sucking my arm. I don't have a problem with mosquitos here except early in the am or after dark. How do we live? Screenrooms.

Generally, anywhere u go in Florida you will have gators and bugs. But, you also have terrific fishing, you can see the stars at night, the air is fresh, very low crime, you can have horses, or grow your own food. I live in a residential community and I can make a fire in my backyard at night without a hassle. It may be boring for some people. Depends on what you do for entertainment. If it involves the bar scene..stay in a big city. If you want a great place for your kids and family..move here. The churches are small and welcoming , the people are friendly and there is hardly any traffic concerns.

I was born and raised in Fort Lauderdale. I have 2 small kids and a wife here. Now the only thing I miss about Fort Lauderdale are my old friends,the beach, and some of the restaurants.

[jim browning]

Your welcome!
You and your family can do well here in real estate now. Hopefully you can sell your texas home without losing too much more. Be sure to shop around here and take the time to drive thru the areas. There is plenty of opportunity for small-town DR.s in Lake Placid and Sebring if he wants to start a small practice here. I think the better hospital is Highlands Regional is Sebring. Florida hospital is large, but, I have had kids in both hospitals and as a consumer prefer HRHospital. Tons of medical jobs here. Very small schools for the kids and inexpensive daycare. All schools have their issues, but the small classrooms and access to teachers/administration make up for it. We love it here. It takes some settling down at first. We can goto most major cities in under 2 hours if we want. Disney is easy..we can leave early in the morning, enjoy the parks, have a good dinner and get a room for the night. Sleep in(with kids sleeping in is 8:30ish), go shopping on the way home and be home by noon. I hope this helps too, regards, Jim

[felicks]

My family is planning to move to the Lake Placid area in a few months. Could anyone that lives in Lake Placid/Sebring tell me the utility/cable/internet/etc. companies I need to contact to set up service? I've tried searching on the internet already, but not a lot of info available.

thanks!

[pbarber]

I'm really new here (just found you guys) and I've skimmed over most of this thread, but I don't see what I'm looking for - advice about any RV Resorts in the Lake Placid/Sebring area.

[jim browning]

Hello

The utility companys that I use in Lake Placid are. Progress Energy - power you can also call Glades Electric, Comcast for both cable and internet is the best value for high-speed internet, for dial-up I'd go with THE HOME TOWN NETWORK
Phone is your choice... sprint,ect.. Water and sewer are generally not needed here because we mostly are on well and septic, unless u live in Placid lakes, then placid lakes utilities will provide you the water. Use Culligan to check and change the water filters for your well water pumps.

RV parks. Depends on your preferences. 2 in south sebring are very different.. Buttonwood bay is big and beutiful/amenities... Lake josephine rv is small and cute, but lots of rules. in south lake placid, you have Alpine RV and Sunshine RV resort.

glad to help.. if you all need plants/trees or grass when u get here, drop me a line!

[KelseyILY]

Originally Posted by cubanjennie

thanks for the info. I heard Sebring is getting a Michaels, circuit city, and panera bread in their new shopping center? Is there a Target in Sebring?

Yupp A Michaels And Panera And Circurt City And Nowww A Olive Garden! And Nope Theres No Target Is Sebring! Well Anways I Live In Sebring And Im 14 And Its Pretty Awesomee Sebring Has Really Good Schools And Its A Family Place And A Small Town Everybody Knows Everybody Pratically!

[jet4624]

Can't Imagine why anyone would dislike this place. Saw on the news this morning that we would get temps in the high 80's. Also saw that temps would be in the high 80's as far as Knoxville, TN.

We always have a breeze (something Wash. D.C. area can't say) and almost NEVER get temps above 96.

I've lived in Highlands County, Florida for 40 years and can't imagne enjoying life much elsewhere.