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Hi: We are considering relocating to the Treasure Coast area, but researching homes we find that that the minute we add "Pets" as a filter we lost two thirds of the homes. We are still a year away from moving and will want to rent for six months to a year before buying. Are pets an issue since we have two big labs?
Yes, everywhere. I worked my way up from Ft Lauderdale to Vero partially because of the "pet" thing and I only had two TINY birds. And I mean tiny. The size of my thumb! But that was in 2008 with the market being a mess and people being stupid.
You'll probably need to rent a house. One Lab may work in a complex but I don't know about TWO. ANd yes DEFINITELY rent before buying.
I'm a pet sitter/dog walker and some of my clients have two large breeds in houses that are rentals. In some HOAs there are limitations too on size, even my own HOA allows ONE dog 25 lbs. But it's a 55+ community, I can't speak for all.
If you add Pet -- some listing it's filled in, some it's not. There is also Yes, No, and Restricted. The computer does not know how to tell the difference. Restricted just means ...what do you have and how many before I say yes to your pet. My listing always say restricted, so your search will not be as accurate as it could be.
55+ communities usually do limit the size and number of pets. I have 2 clients right now that have a pet and looking at condos for them has been very frustrating and very tedious. I have had to call every single one to find out their specific rules, which many times only apply to certain buildings in an entire complex.
Two labs may be a problem -- 2 big dogs - you love them and they are probably big babies, but owners of a rental house don't think that because they think the house will be torn up. It will be an "ask first" situation. That is not uncommon with large dogs at all.
People who have Pit bulls, or as they like to try to sneek Stafordshire Terriers name by me, I won't even go there because 99% of the answers will be no. Too much liability.
If you add Pet -- some listing it's filled in, some it's not. There is also Yes, No, and Restricted. The computer does not know how to tell the difference. Restricted just means ...what do you have and how many before I say yes to your pet. My listing always say restricted, so your search will not be as accurate as it could be.
55+ communities usually do limit the size and number of pets. I have 2 clients right now that have a pet and looking at condos for them has been very frustrating and very tedious. I have had to call every single one to find out their specific rules, which many times only apply to certain buildings in an entire complex.
Two labs may be a problem -- 2 big dogs - you love them and they are probably big babies, but owners of a rental house don't think that because they think the house will be torn up. It will be an "ask first" situation. That is not uncommon with large dogs at all.
People who have Pit bulls, or as they like to try to sneek Stafordshire Terriers name by me, I won't even go there because 99% of the answers will be no. Too much liability.
This is a good point. The search criteria can be funky. And there are even communities with seperate HOAs in each BUILDING. Like Reflections in Sebastian condos. I looked there and one building had NO reserves and another one did.
In WPB my son had a giant Dane and we used a realtor. We selected rental houses he liked on an MLS search, and let the realtor deal with the pet restrictions. He got a very cute single with a fenced yard in a historic sub division near a dog park, and it worked out fine. He also added another Dane, his sister in law's and the landlord was ok with it.
In Vero there are MANY houses with appropriate neighborhoods I work around the Mall-ish area every day. TONS of streets are not really what you'd call subdivisions but neighborhoods. Called "Unincorporated" or the West Vero Corridor. (In the MSA) There are streets that are rural. specifically west of 58th (the street that the mall is on). Some are even not blacktop but sand type of thing.
Starting at Oslo Ave all the way up to Wabasso. In fact, some east of 58th, too.
I work for someone right now that had two pit bulls in a rental around 58th and 8th Ave but when they broke up, the dogs split up and one person took one. Now, the father lives down the street so that may have played a part. But it's very loose in that neighborhood. People have all kinds of dogs, boats, vehicles and it's nice and laid back. There are streets of houses and some are quite HUGE properties on 8th. Just for example. That applies to the entire Vero Metro, actually.
Just today the neighbors kids, all barefoot were driving 3 and 4 wheelers with bikes attached by ropes around the neighborhood and the BIG dog following them having a blast. Old school fun. Those kids are always outside playing. And the dog jumps in a little ravine type of thing, cools off and starts up all over again. My dog walking client is jealous she wants to join them!
I also work for someone EAST of 58th around the 40ies in a subdivision and there are a couple homes with large dogs who even stay outside alot and bark when I pull up.
I am not a huge fan of Craiglist but it has worked out very well for me once in Jacksonville, and not well at all for me in Hollywood. You have be be smart with that and investigate the owners just as well as they investigate YOU. And NEVER give money without a property walk through, not even a deposit.
You'll find rentals. If I can help you when the time comes let me know. I'm no realtor but am driving the streets all day long LOL. I relocated long distance and it was a nightmare so I always feel bad when someone else faces that daunting task. PLUS there are areas people never even SEE because Vero is so spread out. For some reason people just don't think of how LONG it takes to drive up and down every road because literally they change one block to the next and you can't assume you KNOW what you're looking at.
It cracks me up people get off I95, drive down 60 and think Vero is "ugly" because they don't really drive anywhere else except commercial streets or glance down half a block OFF the commercial streets.
Last edited by runswithscissors; 07-30-2013 at 11:41 AM..
if you are buying you can have pretty much anything you want. There is a limit of 5 dogs before someone starts wondering what you're doing. If you choose an HOA to buy in, just check first if they have a limit of one dog or more and if there is a weight limit. Single family homes in an HOA usually limit dogs to 2, no weight limit, but there are some with no limits at all.
When you see people at the Tradition dog park or when the had Yappy Hour (which was really fun) you see just about every kind of dog there is. Here is a photo from when we used to have Yappy Hour...
When looking for a rental in St. Lucie/Martin Counties, I found the apartments were less fussy about the pets. In fact, one, Kitterman Woods, has a billboard saying they welcome large dogs. Be advised that you will likely be asked to pay a pet fee, not a refundable deposit, for perhaps each pet.
We certainly had a harder time finding a small house which would accept our small dog and indoor cat, but eventually we did, though the carpet was already a piece of dreck so I suspect they weren't too worried since it'll be due for replacement soon. We still had to pay a single pet fee. The potential for damage keeps most landlords from giving in when they don't have to in a seller's market, and the potential for legal trouble, particularly with large dogs, is another problem they'd either rather not deal with or cannot because it affects their insurance.
Hope you don't have a pickup truck either. We found a lovely community of small homes, with a rental that had everything we wanted, and our pets were no problem, but we couldn't live there if our pickup was going to be parked anywhere but the garage which we needed for storage. However, most homes you would be looking at are not in similar communities.
If you are a year away from moving, it's a bit of a waste doing much looking now. We began looking two months before our moving date and realtors didn't even want to talk to us if we weren't interested in moving in as soon as the property was available. However, when you get a little closer, perhaps dealing directly with owners rather than realtors will give you some room to bargain for your pets. Finally the foreclosures are flowing through the courts, many being bought up by those interested in buying for investment/rental, so there's likely to be more rentals available later rather than sooner, giving the renter an advantage.
Realtor and homeowners do not want to wait any long period of time for a tenant to move in. Looking months in advance will not work. Owners wont usually accept anything more than 45 days out- otherwise they are losing money with an empty house---logical. If they already have a tenant in place that gives more than a 30 days notice, then the owners know to put it up again. MOST tenants dont do more than 30 days notice so there is no way to know very far in advance that a house will become available. That is why we dont want to work with people who need something this December....no way of knowing what will and will not be available.
Good rentals disappear rather quickly. If a house has been on the market a long period of time...it kind of says...something is wrong with that house or its way overpriced.
Consider that the rental market (people looking for rentals) has doubled. With foreclosure and short sales those owners can no longer purchase a house and therefore have to rent.
P.S. There's a dog beach in St. Lucie County just north of the Martin/St. Lucie County line which I bet your dogs would love!
Make sure they don't go in now, they can get sick and possibly die if they drink to much of the toxic water. Potentially toxic algae confirmed in St. Lucie River; residents urged to avoid contact | Photos, Map
MARTIN COUNTY — The bad news in the St. Lucie Estuary just got worse.
Tests by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission lab detected concentrations of Microcystis aeruginosa, a type of cyanobacteria that can produce toxins in the blue-green algae blooms that began covering the estuary this week.
Because of the test results, the Florida Department of Health in Martin County is urging residents to avoid contact with algae in the entire estuary, from the St. Lucie Canal to the St. Lucie Inlet.
a.inline_topic:hover { background-color: #EAEAEA;}Kevin Baxter, a spokesman at the lab, said Microcystis aeruginosa was found in all seven samples collected by the health department.
Baxter said the tests do not confirm the presence of toxins, which would require further analysis.
Dee Ann Miller, a spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, said algae samples taken from the estuary Tuesday are being sent to the department’s lab in Tallahassee to determine if toxins are present.
“We should have results within a week or so,” Miller said.
The toxins in Microcystis aeruginosa can be harmful to people and pets. Exposure to water containing toxins may cause nausea and vomiting if ingested and rash or hay fever symptoms if touched or inhaled.
Mark Perry, executive director of the Florida Oceanographic Society in Stuart, compared the current blooms to the catastrophic explosion of blue-green algae that blanketed area waters in 2005.
“It sure looks like the Microcystis aeruginosa we had back in 2005,” Perry said. “It’s got that same radiator-fluid color.”
Perry said the blooms probably aren’t going anywhere for a while, and they’re likely to cause some serious problems while they’re here and even after they’re gone.
“This bloom could last for several months,” Perry said, “and it could be as bad as we’ve ever seen it.”
The algae bloom in 2005 appeared during the summer and lasted until November, which Perry said might also be duplicated this year.
“With the influx of fresh water from local runoff and Lake Okeechobee dropping salinity levels, the nutrients all that water is bringing and the sunlight from long summer days, we’ve got the perfect combination of conditions for algae blooms,” Perry said.
The algae blooms affect life in the estuary in several ways.
“First, seagrass is being shaded and can’t grow,” he said. “Toxins in the algae can kill lots of little animals like shrimp and crabs. And animals that hunt for food in water that should be clear are being messed up because they can’t see their prey through the algae.”
Even when the algae dies, Perry said, it’s a killer: The dying plant cells fall to the bottom and are eaten by bacteria that use up all the oxygen in the water.
“When the oxygen in the water goes below 5 milligrams per liter,” Perry said, “that’s when the fish kills start.”
Perry called it “the devastation of an ecosystem that, besides being a thing of beauty, is the basis of our economy. To see it like this just makes you sick. In fact, it could literally make you sick.”
If you spot blue-green algae, contact the Department of Environmental Protection at 772-467-5572.
To report fish kills or abnormal fish behavior call:
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 1-800-636-0511
For more information, visit the Martin County Health Department's website. WHAT TO KNOW
Here’s what you need to know about blue-green algae, also called cyanobacteria, that has been reported in the St. Lucie Estuary and the Indian River Lagoon:
Some species produce toxins that can make humans and animals sick, causing stomach and intestinal illness, respiratory distress, allergic reactions, skin irritations, liver damage and neurotoxic reactions.
Swallowing even small amounts of toxin can result in flu-like symptoms including nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. In large amounts, toxins can damage the liver, kidneys and the nervous system.
Swimming or wading in a bloom can result in skin irritation, hives, blisters and rashes.
Inhaling toxins can result in hay fever-like symptoms such as itchy eyes, sore throat and congestion.
Because of their size, children and pets are at greater risk for poisoning.
If you or your pet is exposed to toxins, rinse immediately and thoroughly with fresh water and soap.
To report illness from exposure, call the Florida Poison Information Center at 800-222-1222.
Source: Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Instituteer.
Thanks to everyone for the great comments. I'm not really looking for a place now, but I like to have my ducks in a row and I don't want to waste my time looking into communities where my dogs - or my truck - may not be welcomed. We have lived five years of rural Arizona living and my wife really misses simple things like a restaurant on a Friday night. I love it here, but reality is that we are getting older and should be thinking of public transportation in the future.
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and the landlord was ok with it. 
