Job on E. Robinson St. Where to live with a $2500/mo rent budget for a SF home? (Tampa: gated)

[GordonGecko]

I have 2 job offers, one in Coral Gables and one in Orlando (Same Pay). I'm starting to lean a little more towards the Orlando job.
I would like to get some feedback as to where to live in Orlando considering my budget.

$2500/mo to rent initially for the 1st 6-12 months and then we would buy a house around $465K.

We (Wife and a baby) currently live in a 2,350 SF home with a pool (built in 98) in a nice gated WCI masterplanned community in SW Florida. Where would you want to live with that budget considering the job is located on East Robinson Street?

I would like to stay within a 30 Minute MAX driving time to work.

A Townhome or a Condo is out of the question for the Wife. (We also have 2 large Dogs). And of course she wants a pool, but it might not be possible.....She would also prefer to live close to shopping/restaurants and hopefully a nice area for jogging.....

I am researching on where to live now and I will probably rent for the 1st 6-12 months. If anyone could also give me an idea of good areas to find SF home rentals around $2500/month, I would truly appreciate it.

Thanks!

[doogie88]

Anywhere north of there I would guess. I don't live in Orlando so I'm not sure about travel times in rush hour. Lake Mary is nice but in rush hour I would guess it may take just over 30 minutes.
Also hear Oviedo is nice.
Winter Park
Maitland
Altamonte Springs
Lake Mary
Are my guesses.

[blueoktober]

You can actually live downtown in Eola Heights. It's a very upscale neighborhood of young families (and old money!). You would be within 2 miles of where you will work, within 5 miles of everything you could ever want or need (shopping or dining wise). You will also be in a very vibrant area that's always bustling with people. There are several lakes downtown (I live on Lake Davis) that is alive day and night with people walking their kids, dogs or just exercising.
The houses are a mixture of Colonial style, Tudor, and new construction. The area is beautiful. You most likely won't find a pool but the "Pleasantville" type homes and atmosphere make up for it.

You will literally be able to walk to cafes, coffee shops, book stores, art galleries..etc. I would also suggest Delaney Park (That's where I live). It's also within 2 miles. Beautiful old neighborhood with a mixture of great people. It's always active as well. There's Thornton Park (a bit higher to say the least), Audoban Park (about a mile further away but still very nice), and so many other areas.

People on here will scream till they're blue that downtown is dangerous and scary and don't live there. I always say, GOOD, stay away. Right now the area is beautiful, booming and just all around so much nicer than most of Orlando. You have all your big box stuff but you also have cool local shops and cafes. The side of downtown that's dangerous is West of I4. Everything east is definitely nice if you aren't into tract housing and cookie cutter strip malls. It's as safe if not safer than anywhere else. I guess you could say we live in a "bubble" because I see women walking alone around the lake at 11 at night. Good luck to you and check out those areas. There are TONS of places for rent, they all generally take pets and you should be able to get what you want for around $2000 a month easy. Your dogs will love you for living downtown too as there are several special events for dogs and pet lovers.

Oh and for commutes? I live downtown and drive against the traffic to Altamonte Springs and it takes at least 30 minutes each way. Lake Mary is about 10 more miles so I would say 45 minutes minimum.

[doogie88]

How can you actually find a place to rent in Eola Heights? Everything I find is just 'downtown' and have no idea where it is.

[blueoktober]

Originally Posted by doogie88

How can you actually find a place to rent in Eola Heights? Everything I find is just 'downtown' and have no idea where it is.

I would contact Palm Properties. Most of the signs I see downtown that are for rent have a Palm Properties sign on them.

You can look on a map - the area is between N. Mills, E. Colonial, N. Magnolia, and E. Robinson. If you do the Street View option on Maps.google.com it will give you an idea of what it looks like.

But seriously, call Palm Properties and just ask about houses for rent in the Eola Heights area or Delaney Park. I know of at least 3 good sized houses for rent around here. They have been on the market for quite awhile too.

[rholborn]

Hi! Welcome to the area! Both areas are great, but you can definately get a lot more for the money here in Orlando. The further south you go, everything becomes more expensive. I think renting for awhile can be a great idea, this way you get to know the area well. I live in Lake Mary which is a suburb of Orlando and we love it here. The schools are great, fabulous family community, and there are also a lot of other suburbs of Orlando that are great too! You could even live in Oviedo, and jump on the 417 to get to work. Feel free to PM me anytime for links, questions, I'm happy to help you!

[TampaBirdlady]

Thanks for the info about this area of town. It does sound somewhat like my area of Tampa. I'll be driving out this weekend to snoop around and see what it's like first hand. Which exit do we take off of I4? Or is it off 417?

[doogie88]

Originally Posted by blueoktober

I would contact Palm Properties. Most of the signs I see downtown that are for rent have a Palm Properties sign on them.

You can look on a map - the area is between N. Mills, E. Colonial, N. Magnolia, and E. Robinson. If you do the Street View option on Maps.google.com it will give you an idea of what it looks like.

But seriously, call Palm Properties and just ask about houses for rent in the Eola Heights area or Delaney Park. I know of at least 3 good sized houses for rent around here. They have been on the market for quite awhile too.

Thanks a lot.

[GordonGecko]

Someone told me about Windermere....How far of a drive to Downtown this would be?

Can I find a $2500/mo rental there?

[carolac]

Consider the Delaney Street area and into Conway. It's 10-20 minutes to work on the back roads--never get on I-4 and the 408. I've seen some nice homes for rent in that area.

Originally Posted by GordonGecko

I have 2 job offers, one in Coral Gables and one in Orlando (Same Pay). I'm starting to lean a little more towards the Orlando job.
I would like to get some feedback as to where to live in Orlando considering my budget.

$2500/mo to rent initially for the 1st 6-12 months and then we would buy a house around $465K.

We (Wife and a baby) currently live in a 2,350 SF home with a pool (built in 98) in a nice gated WCI masterplanned community in SW Florida. Where would you want to live with that budget considering the job is located on East Robinson Street?

I would like to stay within a 30 Minute MAX driving time to work.

A Townhome or a Condo is out of the question for the Wife. (We also have 2 large Dogs). And of course she wants a pool, but it might not be possible.....She would also prefer to live close to shopping/restaurants and hopefully a nice area for jogging.....

I am researching on where to live now and I will probably rent for the 1st 6-12 months. If anyone could also give me an idea of good areas to find SF home rentals around $2500/month, I would truly appreciate it.

Thanks!