Another "Moving to Orlando" post - advice and insight welcome :) (Altamonte Springs: real estate, to rent)

[bbbird321]

Hi all -

DH was offered a position just 2 days ago and it appears his start date would be the 13th of January. We currently live in Virginia Beach, VA.

I've done quite a bit of research both here and all over the web; and now I find myself a bit overwhelmed with information!

So, any and all information and suggestions regarding neighborhoods and schools would be GREATLY appreciated. (Please be kind - am sure a lot of this may be redundant for some of you vets...)

Also, I do know something for sure, I spent about 6 months living in Orlando about 3 years ago. The area was right around where Ocoee, Orlando, Apopka and Altamonte Springs meet - off of Hiawassee/Lakeville. We are not interested in that area.

Generally, we like the popular spots often recommended here; Windermere, Dr. Phillips and Winter Garden (which is the closest to my preference, in part, because of the Village )

Copied from the sticky (thank you!):

Where you'll be working. We don't need to know the company, but give us a general idea, ie. downtown Orlando, Lake Mary, Disney, Lake Nona, etc. DH's main office is located in Orlando, near where I-4 and 414 meet. There looks to be a Univeristy of Pheonix campus nearby as well. This is not too important as he will mostly work from home or be out in the field and only go in for bi-weekly meetings. I am a SAHM.

If you need to be on a bus line. (If you do and work shifts that aren't typical office hours, you need to tell us that, too.) N/A

If you have kids and what grades they will be in if schools are important. We have two - DS, 10, currently in 4th grade and DD, 7, in 2nd.

If you'll be looking to rent or buy, and what your monthly rent budget is or the price range to buy. Also how many bedrooms and baths you want. We will be renting for now. We will need a 3br/2ba at a minimum. Also, we have a cat. We prefer a single family home, however, a townhouse is okay, too. Budget - sigh...max. $1500 with minimal flexibility (we understand that there's a price for everything).

If you have specific "wants" like want to be near bar/club scene, want a suburban setting, want to be near an off-leash dog park, etc. We are a young, professional couple in our 30s, with two elementary-aged kids. We want the basics: safety, good schools and day-to-day shopping to be nearby. We don't want to be too close to the hustle and bustle of the city, but don't want to be too much in the country, either.

The more information you can give us, the better the information we can supply in return. Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

-T

[kyle19125]

Actually your husband's job is in Maitland, a northern suburb of Orlando. I would avoid SW Orlando given the commute which would be fairly horrific and soon to be compounded by no doubt decades of work on I-4 through downtown Orlando. For good schools, relative safety and shopping/conveniences I would recommend the Wekiva Springs area in Longwood, which is to the north of Maitland off of 434. It's a beautiful area, nicely fits your budget as well and provides a commute not reliant on I-4.

[bbbird321]

kyle19125 - I must have misread my DH's office location from the map, as it is surely in Orlando and not Maitland. The most notable intersection would be I-4 and 414, near the University of Phoenix campus. I will edit the original post. I'll also look into Wekiva Springs in Longwood as it's always helpful to have another option, thank you!!

[brinkofsunshine]

Maitland and Altamonte Springs are going to be the closest, and are both considered good areas from what I know. Winter Park is close by as well, but budget may be a problem there. Winter Garden/Windermere is about a 30 minute drive but does have tolls. Dr. Phillips would be about 25 minutes without traffic.. with traffic, that's another story. I-4 can be awful.

[bbbird321]

brinkofsunshine - Thank you!

[hiker45]

My advice is to not buy a house. Rent instead.

We don't live in Orlando, but we visited there many times in the last 40 years to visit my wife's parents.

Orlando has some very nice areas and some pretty bad areas, and they can be close to each other. Over the years, we have seen some good areas go bad, probably along with a decline in the home values.

Rent a house so you can get used to the area before you buy a place.

[bmw335xi]

I've moved 10 times in my life and I can say Dr. Phillips / Windermere in Orlando was the safest feeling place I've ever lived. However, the above member is correct that many good areas are next to bad areas too, but I've found that in every city. Dr. Phillips / Winderemere are nice all over. I'll be ready to settle down in 2-3 years and I plan on going back to Orlando because it was my favorite place for a long-term type of move. Real estate is cheap, the weather IMO is great, streets are beautifully landscaped, plenty of good schools, everywhere is green, and there are plenty of things to do.

[bbbird321]

Thank you, hiker45 and bmw335xi (we have a 335, too, aren't they great?!)

We are still learning more about the different areas - in the last 24 hours I've become more intrigued with Lake Mary and possibly Winter Park. Seems the schools are great (maybe better in Seminole County) and we may get a bit more for our $.

As I mentioned in my first post, we'll definitely be renting first, and the commute to DH's job isn't terribly important since he will mostly be working from home.

Thanks again for the input. If anyone has anything to share in regards to Lake Mary and Winter Park, please do. I'm reading through previous posts, as well...

-T

[bmw335xi]

Originally Posted by bbbird321

Thank you, hiker45 and bmw335xi (we have a 335, too, aren't they great?!)

We are still learning more about the different areas - in the last 24 hours I've become more intrigued with Lake Mary and possibly Winter Park. Seems the schools are great (maybe better in Seminole County) and we may get a bit more for our $.

As I mentioned in my first post, we'll definitely be renting first, and the commute to DH's job isn't terribly important since he will mostly be working from home.

Thanks again for the input. If anyone has anything to share in regards to Lake Mary and Winter Park, please do. I'm reading through previous posts, as well...

-T

You're welcome and yes they are great, I was so happy when I bought it, I created this name lol.

Anyways, Winter Park is the most expensive part of Orlando in my opinion. It has a very nice downtown and isn't full of cookie cutter HOA's found in almost every other part of the Orlando area. It's much much much more desirable than Lake Mary, so I wouldn't really compare them together. You will definitely be paying more to live in Winter Park vs Lake Mary and if you visit, you will know in 1 second why. Lake Mary though is perfectly fine and safe, but a bit boring in my opinion.

[ladylove2014]

Would you say Winter Park is pretty safe everywhere? Is it spread out? Do the have Walmart, Sams Club, tj maxx, etc. stores or do you have to travel to another town?