Is two weeks long enough to make a decision on Sarasota? (Tampa: rent, buying a home)

[nature1]

This summer my family and I will be visiting the Sarasota area for two weeks. Previously we thought we would be able to take an extended trip of about six weeks, but things came up and two weeks it is. I have spent a fair amount of time in the area through the years but my husband has never been to Sarasota (we live in Cali). Do you think this is long enough for him to see what SW Florida is all about? (and hopefully fall in love with it)

Making this move would be a huge event for us so we want to make an informed, carefully considered choice. The plan is to spend one week on Siesta Key and one week on Sanibel but not to put too much pressure on this one trip. As the trip approaches I will surely be asking for suggestions on must see/do activities. I'm just really hoping he loves it!!!!

[nphomeowner]

While your here ride around the different areas a LOT and see what you both like. Vacation is different from full time residency so make sure where ever you choose is YOU! If you aren't sure, rent for a year or so before committing to buy.

[TamRE]

The two places you are staying are resort style vacation areas, so you won't get the true feel of the entire area by being there. You need to venture out. Unless, you only want to live in one of those two areas (Siesta Key or Sanibel). Some people can make a decision in a week. Others may take longer. There are many factors to consider - employment, lifestyle, price range, amenities, etc.

Researching the area ahead of time does help. Also, I would suggest reading the online newspapers for the areas of interest. That is what helped me get a good feel for what was going on in the communities before I moved here. I read about what was going on in the schools by going to the school web sites. They post photos and happenings. You can even read the board minutes.

Newspapers
Sun Newspaper - www.yoursun.com
Herald Tribune - www.heraldtribune.com
Island Sun - Island Sun And River Weekly

Schools
Sarasota County Schools - Sarasota County Schools, Home
Lee County Schools - Welcome to The School District of Lee County
Charlotte County Schools - Charlotte County Public Schools Home Page

[ja1myn]

I moved to Sarasota after spending a week here lol.

[Sunshine Rules]

I moved to Sarasota after spending a week here lol.

Me too! And the week I first visited Sarasota happened to be in August. My (then boyfriend) husband took me out to Longboat Key to walk along the beach and I was hooked. We went back north, I finished college and we moved on down.

[hillhouse]

Wow - what a timely thread. My wife is a former Floridian (Tampa area) temporarily trapped in the upper midwest, and we're down to just convincing me that the Sarasota area is where we really want to be.
We just rented a house for 2 weeks in August, so we can scout the area and help me to decide if I can really handle the heat of more than one Florida summer day at a time. We also considered staying on Siesta Key, but since we'd likely be buying a home on the mainland, we rented inland a bit - that will get us to pass through the areas we're interested in as we visit the keys. I've suscribed to this thread, and will have a lot of my own questions too as summer approaches. Thanks for reading my mind, OP - and sorry for the thread hijack! Now to see if I can scan those newspapers without the boss noticing...

[mrs.cool]

Scan the web instead of newspapers, hill. It's MUCH easier to go undetected! Look at my posts! You'll see they're mostly during working hours!!!

[PixiStix]

I was sold on Sarasota our first visit so yes, I'd say in 2 weeks it could be done. HOWEVER, finding "your" specific area in Sarasota? No way....

Rent for a year, trust me. Where you think you want to be when you very first move here is often NOT the place you want to be after living here for some time. Trust me on that

[NYtoOsprey]

I made the decision in a weekend but I had a specific part of Sarasota to look at which zoned me in to a smaller research area. Instead of being in vacation mode we went to the mall, the libraries, the school, stores, drove all around and yes, the beach. I left thinking, "yeah, i can do this"

[siestachica]

I was hooked after a week, and we moved lock stock, 2 cats and a baby from Spain....life's too short, I do wish we had rented though. Siesta Key is great but the traffic can be sooo crazy. It's the price you pay for paradise...good luck with your move