Advice for starting the search for a house? (Orlando, Sanford: real estate, apartment)

[strawberrykiki]

Hi everyone! We moved here in July and so far we love it! We are currently living in an apartment near I Drive and we enjoy the activity right now, but we plan to buy a house when our lease is up and we want to be in a quieter area. We've been doing some exploring, but the area is so huge we are feeling a little overwhelmed! The tricky part is my SO currently travels for work and works remotely some weeks. I have been working remotely as well, but it looks like I'll be searching for a local job soon as my contract is going to be up. So it's difficult to narrow things down when I don't know where my future office might be.

That said we want to narrow down some areas we like and hopefully we can narrow it down further when I figure out my work situation. We've looked at some houses in the Hunter's Creek area and this past weekend we ventured up to Winter Park and Maitland. I'm afraid some areas up north might be out of our budget though. We would like to keep it at 300K or less. We know Doctor Phillips is probably out given that range. We'd like an area with a little less hustle and bustle and preferably near to some nature trails/parks for walking. We don't have kids yet, but it's likely we will while we're in this house wherever it may so decent schools are a plus as well.

Any suggestions anyone has would be much appreciated! We don't have a realtor yet, but I'm guessing it's probably not too early to look for one? If anyone has any suggestions they could send me on that front too that would be great! Thanks!

[brinkofsunshine]

I'd look in the newer parts of Windermere and Winter Garden. It's quiet yet still convenient to shopping, the 408 and the 429, plus you're near the Tibet-Butler Preserve and the West Orange Trail for walking.

[bmw335xi]

I'd also recommend Windermere or Winter Garden.

Windermere has Tibet-Butler Nature Preserve and Winter Garden has the West Orange Trail (I like biking on here) and the Oakland Nature Preserve.

[OTownKnight]

Same on the Windermere/Winter Garden areas. Nice houses in the $300k range. Very suburban with subdivisions sprawling everywhere. I wouldn't mind that since people typically are more forced to upkeep their homes due to an HOA, but I know that's not everyone's preferred lifestyle.

The problem with this area is that it's so far west compared to the center of the city, if you get a job near UCF or Sanford your commute is going to be hell. It's tough narrowing down a place before knowing where your office will be as that does have a major impact on quality of life. Rush hour traffic and commutes can be pretty brutal in Orlando.

[chopchop0]

Would wait to buy a house until you actually figure out where your job will be

[strawberrykiki]

Originally Posted by chopchop0

Would wait to buy a house until you actually figure out where your job will be

We aren't going to be purchasing anything until that happens, but we are just trying to get an idea of different neighborhoods for now.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions.

[Crane's Rooster]

Wekiva is within your budget, good schools for later on down the road and plenty of walking and biking trails with nearby Wekiva Springs State Park.

[nfdsouza2001]

Depending on your situation sit down and talk to a real estate professional. I offer free no obligation tours of neighborhoods suitable to your needs/wants.

Originally Posted by strawberrykiki

Hi everyone! We moved here in July and so far we love it! We are currently living in an apartment near I Drive and we enjoy the activity right now, but we plan to buy a house when our lease is up and we want to be in a quieter area. We've been doing some exploring, but the area is so huge we are feeling a little overwhelmed! The tricky part is my SO currently travels for work and works remotely some weeks. I have been working remotely as well, but it looks like I'll be searching for a local job soon as my contract is going to be up. So it's difficult to narrow things down when I don't know where my future office might be.

That said we want to narrow down some areas we like and hopefully we can narrow it down further when I figure out my work situation. We've looked at some houses in the Hunter's Creek area and this past weekend we ventured up to Winter Park and Maitland. I'm afraid some areas up north might be out of our budget though. We would like to keep it at 300K or less. We know Doctor Phillips is probably out given that range. We'd like an area with a little less hustle and bustle and preferably near to some nature trails/parks for walking. We don't have kids yet, but it's likely we will while we're in this house wherever it may so decent schools are a plus as well.

Any suggestions anyone has would be much appreciated! We don't have a realtor yet, but I'm guessing it's probably not too early to look for one? If anyone has any suggestions they could send me on that front too that would be great! Thanks!