Family Wanting to Move from Jacksonville to Kissimmee/Orlando Area (Altamonte Springs: relocation, broker)

[LittleMommao2]

We have lived in Jacksonville our whole lives. We thoroughly enjoy Orlando and all it has to offer for families. As with all cities I know they have their bad things, as Jacksonville is top of the list for crime. So we are not strangers to that. It all depends on the area you live. We have lived in Mandarin, which is a nicer area of Jacksonville and we are looking for something comparable. We have a 4 year old and 2 year old. We are looking for some areas that are great for families and great schools as our 4 year old will be starting elementary school next year. We would like some ideas on where we need to start looking, neighborhoods, best areas to live, best schools, etc. Any advice will be appreciated.

[rcnkat]

hi littlemomma02
I have lived in Kissimmee my whole life..I have seen alot of changes...just
like I am sure anywhere else...Kissimmee used to be a cowtown....
it has grown to big quite big now..... some parts of Kissimmee are nice...
traffic has gotten to be horrible but, then so is traffic in Orlando...
I assume you don't mind the busy-ness so try Celebration. The homes
are nice but expensive....The Pleasant Hill Road area has alot of nice
custom built homes as well as planned subdivisions....traffic is congested
though.....
you may want to even try St Cloud or Harmony....not sure of your price
range for homes....but, In Orlando Winter Park is considered very nice
and quite expensive......you may try Windermere..
I personnally do the private school thing as I don't care for the public
school system....hope I don't offend---just my own opinion.....
hope this helps.....
Kat

[GOODTOGO]

I haven't lived in the Orlando/Kissimmee vincinty but a year now, and don't have alot of expertise, but for what I have seen so far, I would say look into Lake Mary, Oviedo, Clermont, Altamonte Springs, Windermere, Weikva (sp), Apoka and Celebration, but plz stay away from where I reside, Poinciana/Kissimmee....It is out in the boone docks and extremely congested...If there was a hurricane forget-about-it...only 2-4 lane roads....totally behind the times for the growth it has seen in the past l.5 yrs. We love our new home of 1 yr but are looking to move down the road...bad decision on our part...moved here from south Fl. and fell in love w/the pearly gated community but didn't give much thought to the lack of conveniences back then...AND the LOVEBUGS are a major NIGHTMARE in Sept/Oct and sometimes in Jan...you don't see this on the east coast of FL..good luck..hope this will help you and your family in searching for neighborhoods in Central Florida......

[rcnkat]

oh I forgot...the Dr. Phillips area is nice to..but pricey as well.

[Prichard]

I've lived in Orlando all of my life, but really like the Jacksonville area. Although I'm not crazy about downtown Jacksonville area, I love the beaches (Amellia Island) to the north and St. Augustine to the south. I also like the little bit of change of seasons y'all get. In fact, if I were going to move from Orlando, Jacksonvill is the only other city in Florida I'd consider.

Being from Jacksonville, I'd say that you should be looking in Seminole County in the North Orlando area. Try Longwood, Winter Springs, Oviedo, Lake Mary. Closer to town, try Winter Park (expensive) or Maitland.

[LittleMommao2]

Thank you all for your advice.. I will definetly look into those areas. My husband and I were talking that we might rent somewhere for about 7 months to take a look and take our time finding a home and a neighborhood, so that we dont move and get locked into somewhere we dont like. We have rented vacation rentals off 192 and the congestion from the tourist traffic is crazy. We will definetly look into Celebration and east side of Orlando. Any one know of any homes that are for rent, please let me know? Or of a Realtor that could point us in the right direction. Thank you Orlando for your help!!

[Prichard]

There are pleanty of homes for rent in and around Orlando. Just figure out where you think you want to live first. Then get the Orlando Sentinel and look for houses for rent. Try some of the online services as well. If you still think you need a realtor, then get a good independent one (not Coldwell, Remax, ERA, etc.) in the area you are looking. The "chain" brokerages are awful, in my opinion. Any tom, ****, or harry can be a salesman for one of these outfits, regardless of experinece, so long as they pay their monthly "desk fee". On the other hand, an independent Broker is usually someone who is proven and respected in the area. He/she gets business from word-of-mouth, repeat clients, by putting "sold" signs in front of houses they have listed, and some local advertising, rather than national "chain" advertising.

[watsont3]

I don't want to hijack this thread but I didn't want to start a new one. My wife and I have been receiving a lot of brochures and literature from the Kissimmee area. It is on our list of possible relocation sites because of its closeness to Disney in case we decide to try to work part time plus my wife and I love Disneyworld.
I assume that it can be congested but how is traffic in the area? Does it have a large city feel or would it be closer to light suburban? I live in Lancaster where traffic is getting horrendous due to the growth around here and I originally come from Long Island, home of the world's longest parking lot, the LIE, so I have lived through heavy traffic.
We have a bunch of information from a 55+ manufactured home community in Kissimmee called Whispering Pines. Does anyone have any thoughts on this place and is it in a heavily congested area?
We will be down on Fla. for about a week just after Thanksgiving and we are trying to narrow down the list of places that we want to look at on this trip. Are there any places close to Disney that would be a better choice? Any input will be greatly appreciated.

[lulu]

I visited Celebration when we went up to visit our friends & there is one word for it...'Gorgeous' - a unique place for sure. They had like a car show going on a few months back... Don't know what homes cost, but it must be expensive.

[rcnkat]

hi watsont3
not sure of where Whispering Pines is can you give me an address?
as far as traffic---Kissimmee is growing bigger everyday...if you are used
to traffic then it probably won't bother you.....my only worry for you is that
I know this first hand as my parents live in a manufactured home---just be
careful....we have hurricanes to think about....my parents lost their home
2 years ago during Hurricane Charlie....it was devastating to see them lose
everything they had.....they are both on social security and they had to get another manufactured home--it is new and hopefully stronger to
withstand any other hurricanes that may come along....just something to think about okay??? good luck...