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@ Rexlan: No, what I said was ONLINE scams abound. But I have no need to defend my profession to someone who is so clearly out of the loop in regards to today's technology. But I must say yours was an odd comment coming from someone in real estate...now THAT "profession" really is a penny (or less) a dozen... Your insecurity prompted your responses, I guess. Very understandable.
Your comment was out of the blue nasty. You clearly have some serious issues. Please remove yourself from this thread. You are not wanted, not welcome, not knowledgeable, and not in the least helpful. Any future comments from you on this thread will be reported as harrassment. I will not feed the troll. Have a nice life.
lindsay, the commute is not bad at all from say Lakewood Ranch to Tampa/St. Pete. You would then have a HUGE market to pull from. You might look at things from that angle, plus Lakewood Ranch is a premier community here and a very desirable place to live. And yes, probably only 20 minutes or say via interstate to downtown Sarasota.
Thank you, @gypsychic (love your screen name, by the way!) I didn't realize Tampa was that close. Having lived in South Florida for years before we moved out of state, I just didn't spend much time on the West Coast, so I overestimated the distance. (Should have checked...my mistake!) I will look towards Tampa for opportunties. Sounds like Lakewood Ranch would be a good place to look for a home.
My husband, teenaged daughter and I are considering a move to Sarasota but I have a few concerns. First, every picture I look at is 90% or more white/grey haired. We are an active, busy family, and don't want to end up some place where we won't have a lot of peers (we have that problem now, but for the opposite reason. We live in a college town, so almost everyone is under 25!)
I am also discouraged by the listings I have been able to find for jobs in my field. I do social media marketing, content marketing and search engine optimization -- and I am seeing maybe one or two jobs on the big listing sites. That's not a good sign. Am I missing something or that reality?
We are also not sure what area of town to look in for a home. We will probably rent for the very short term (a couple of months), and that appears tricky as we have a big dog (67 lb Rhodesian Boxer mix) and a cat. We want to buy a 3-4 bedroom home, 2000 sq ft and up, up to about $350,000, somewhere within 20-25 min commute of downtown. I like cottage style or Craftsman style houses, preferably two-story -- can't stand ranch houses or open floor plans which I know is tough for most areas of Florida. We also need an excellent high school, as our daughter is gifted and very musical/artsy. Moving will be hard on her, so we need to do it right!
My husband and I are both orginally from the Miami/Fort Lauderdale area, but have been living out of state for several years, and haven't been to Sarasota since forever ago.
Any ideas/suggestions?
Thanks!
#1 ~ Sarasota's main gravy train is tourism which includes heavy snowbird action from November/early season through April/end of high season. Because of last years weather, everyone's coming back from up north & they're coming earlier than usual. Those "white haired" snowbirds usually triple the population & make it profitable for our economy. If you're from Miami/Ft. Laud ~ I'm sure you've seen them before...
#2 ~ Jobs here are generally based on the tourist industry, followed by medical industry ~ catering to all those "white haired" people.
#3 ~ Your dog will make it tougher to find a rental due to size/breed & a "couple of months" rental ~ not really heard of ~ seasonal rentals make more money for landlords & again, rentals are grossly overpriced because of Siesta Key #1 beach status. Those awesome bungalows in my neighborhood ~ Hillview area rent high because of proximity to Sarasota Bay, i.e friend's of mine pay $1,400/month for a 2/2 base. Yes, this is the land of the 70's ranch style home. If you're flush with dough, you might be just fine.
Thank you, @ladywithafan. Rents in Austin for a house run around $2,500 a month for 4/2 or 4/3 of 2000-3000+ square feet, so it sounds like Sarasota might be similar for the size if a 2/2 is $1400
Tourist industries aren't promising for what I do, but it's useful information. Thanks. Unfortunately, that population, especially of a certain age, is less likely to use the web or social media for information. That is discouraging.
As for my pup, I guess I am spoiled with the very dog-friendly vibe here and in several other cities in which I have lived. Everyone seems to have a dog, and most are big ones. No silly breed or size issues. Never could understand those, since small dogs bark more, do more damage to a property, etc. But our dog is part of the family, so she is a part of the decision of whether we move there.
I appreciate your information and especially the details. :-)
Location: Sarasota/ Bradenton - University Pkwy area
4,619 posts, read 7,541,245 times
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Hi,
You mentioned needing a short-term rental, perhaps a couple of months. Right now the short terms rentals are pretty much booked for the winter season. Most will be taken thru April of 2015, the "season" here ends with Easter. Finding a short-term rental that will allow 2 pets (but especially a large dog) is going to make it very difficult. I was searching for just such rentals for a customer the other week and found just 2, one was in Venice. Both wanted $2200+ per month and the largest was just 1240 sq ft living space. Most short-term rentals are typically condos, not single family homes, so that is why finding one that allows pets is tough.
Many sites, including city-data, offer demographics for cities such as Sarasota. However, they typically give the demographics for the city of Sarasota, not the entire metro area (which is much larger than the city).
I find the size of metro Sarasota a nice compromise, not too small and not too large. The city of Sarasota has a good downtown area with lots of unique shops, restaurants (everything from burgers to fine dining) and art galleries. Because of the number of large, upscale condo communities in the downtown area, you'll find a diversity of people frequently the downtown area from many areas of not only the United States but other countries too, including many parts of Europe. We do have lots of retirees in Sarasota, but we also have young families and good school districts.
There's also a diversity of activities and events. Of course, our beaches are second to none and Siesta Key beach has won national recognition for best beach. There are many other beaches in our area that are not as well known as Siesta Key but just as beautiful and much less crowded. We have Myakka State Park in Manatee county and Oscar Shearer State Park just south of Sarasota if you like camping, fishing, kayaking and hiking. Sarasota is known for it's many cultural opportunities. We have performing arts centers such as the Van Wezel, dinner theaters, ballet, symphonies, jazz, bluegrass, comedy theaters. Sarasota's more unique offerings include the Ringling home and museum, Mote Marine Laboratory and Selby Botanical Gardens.
If you're into sports, Sarasota does host spring training for the Baltimore Orioles and Bradenton the Pittsburgh Pirates. Nearby Tampa has the Bucs football team as well as Rays baseball & Lightning Hockey teams. Ellenton, just north of Sarasota, has an ice skating & sports center.
You'll find Sarasota is also diverse when it comes to groups. You can join groups for bicycling, motorcycle riding, kayaking, sailing, the circus, jazz, badminton, barbershop chorus, orchids, garden clubs, history buffs and various political groups to name a few.
Sarasota plays hosts to events throughout the year, including sea food festivals, art festivals, film festivals, craft fairs, classic car shows, off shore boat races, motorcycle poker runs, fishing tournaments, golf tournaments & more. Downtown Sarasota hosts First Fridays, with live music, each month. Lakewood Ranch has monthly Music On Main events with live music and family friendly activities.
My best advice to anyone thinking of moving here is to do your research carefully before pulling up roots and moving. For some (like me) it's the best decision they ever made. For others, moving to FL was their worst mistake and within 1 - 2 years of coming here they move back "home" again. If you can, visit the area several times and get to know it beyond the typical Chamber of Commerce/tourism type information. Staying at a beach front resort for a week is not the same as living here day to day, driving to work in traffic, working to pay the bills.
I hope you find what you're looking for, whether it's in the Sarasota area or not.
My husband, teenaged daughter and I are considering a move to Sarasota but I have a few concerns. First, every picture I look at is 90% or more white/grey haired. We are an active, busy family, and don't want to end up some place where we won't have a lot of peers (we have that problem now, but for the opposite reason. We live in a college town, so almost everyone is under 25!)
I am also discouraged by the listings I have been able to find for jobs in my field. I do social media marketing, content marketing and search engine optimization -- and I am seeing maybe one or two jobs on the big listing sites. That's not a good sign. Am I missing something or that reality?
We are also not sure what area of town to look in for a home. We will probably rent for the very short term (a couple of months), and that appears tricky as we have a big dog (67 lb Rhodesian Boxer mix) and a cat. We want to buy a 3-4 bedroom home, 2000 sq ft and up, up to about $350,000, somewhere within 20-25 min commute of downtown. I like cottage style or Craftsman style houses, preferably two-story -- can't stand ranch houses or open floor plans which I know is tough for most areas of Florida. We also need an excellent high school, as our daughter is gifted and very musical/artsy. Moving will be hard on her, so we need to do it right!
My husband and I are both orginally from the Miami/Fort Lauderdale area, but have been living out of state for several years, and haven't been to Sarasota since forever ago.
Any ideas/suggestions?
Thanks!
Florida does attract a lot of elderly people due its year round warm weather and a number of other reasons. Sarasotas median age is 50. I'm in my early 40's with three kids and I feel like we fit in just fine in Sarasota.
Now as far as your job, can't a lot of that be done remotely? I would assume you could do SEO from anywhere in the world, right?
Renting with a Rhodesian (I have a Rhodesian too!) or most pets, is going to be difficult. You're also coming into the height of season. Many of the short term rentals are already rented out. Have you tried VRBO, FlipKey, HomeAway, etc to see what you can find?
$350K might be a little bit of a stretch in the direct downtown area but I can give you some areas to research. You might also want to try SouthGate or Gulf Gate for other alternatives.
Here are some areas to search for the quaint, unique, historical homes. Keep in mind some of these areas are only a few streets.
Avondale-around Alta Vista St, Brewer Pl, Irving, Lincoln
Badger Heights-S Osprey Ave, Loma Linda
Bayview Acres- off of Bayview and Siesta Dr
Bungalow Hill-Just slightly south of Hudson Bayou, between Orange Ave and Osprey Ave. Pomelo Ave (I lived there as a teen before it was the cool area to live in ), Citrus Ave (I have two friends who live on this street and love it), Orange Ave and some of Alta Vista.
Desoto Park-Hibiscus St, Clematis St. Many mid century and early century homes.
Then you have Floyds-which encompasses Loma Linda St and Prospect St.
Pinecraft-If you're looking for reasonably price, craftsman type bungalows-look to the Pinecraft area. Many of these simple homes were built by the local Amish community, who still live in the area. The streets you might find the bungalows on are Gilbert, Kruppa and Good.
Poinsettia Park- Many of the flower streets are located here. Oleander, Goldenrod, Rose, Magnolia and Webber. Most of the historical homes in Poinsettia Park were built in 1926 when it was established.
Pomelo Place and Pomelo Park-Alta Vista, Bahia Vista, Novus are streets in this neighborhood. It abuts the Bungalow Hill area.
Burns Court-This area was developed by Owen Burns in the 1920's. Hence, the new restaurant in Burns Court called Owens Fish Camp. Many of these small, brightly colored, Spanish style bungalows are on the National Register of Historic Homes.
If you're looking for charming downtown condos then look at The Frances Carlton condos at 1221 N Palm Ave. They were built in the mid 1920's and are with in walking distance to downtown and Marina Jack's. Most are very small (under 1000 sq ft).
The Orange Blossom Towers located at 1330 Main St is another great historical condo building still standing. Built in 1926, these condos are much larger then the Carlton condos but the price tag is much larger as well. Most are in the range of 4000 sq ft.
Granada Park-Flores Ave, Jacinto Ct, Palonia Ct, Camino Real. Great neighborhood with lots of old oaks trees lining the streets and some of the earlier Sarasota homes dating back to the early 1900's are in this neighborhood. It's situated right over the north Siesta Key bridge.
Husdon Bayou around Bay St has some quaint old Spanish Hacienda style homes.
Laurel Park is more of an "up and coming area"-Laurel St, Ohio PL, Oak St., Morrill St- There are several little 2/1's built from 1922-1925. It was first established in 1905 by Mr. John Gillespie when he built a 9 hole golf course in Laurel Park as well as the first home in this neighborhood.
McClellan Park is one of my favorite areas and it dates back to 1916 when it was founded by two sisters. It is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Sarasota. The story goes that the McClellan sisters hired architects to divide "the park". McClellan Pkwy now runs through the middle of this area. During the early 1920's the sisters planted many palm trees, oak and other tropical plants. Many of these plants and trees still remain. There have been many archaeological finds in the McClellan area and it's thought to be an area of Native American significance. Many of the streets in this area are named for Indians-Mietaw Dr, Sioux Dr, Seminole Dr, etc. One of Sarasota's first schools McClellan Park school was built here.
Morton Terrace-runs mostly along Floyd St. Mr. Morton (as in the local Sarasota gourmet grocer Morton's grocery store) was one of the earlier residents of the Sarasota area. The HB Williams home is in the Morton area. It's located at the corner of south Orange and Floyd. It was designed by Thomas Reed Martin and is of Mediterranean architecture. Reed was a prominent architect in the early 1900's in Sarasota. One of his first projects in the area was designing "The Oaks" for Mrs. Potter Palmer. I remember my grandmother talking about him. His office was located on Main St at the time.
These few areas would not be with walking/biking distance to the downtown areas.
Sapphire Shores and nearby Sarasota Bay Park- My ex-MIL lives in Sapphire Shores and has for around 50 years. She has the coolest historical home and loves the area. Some of the streets are Edwards Dr, Acacia Dr, Hickory Ave, Brywill Cir, Ixora Ave and Bay Shore Rd.
The Bay Haven/ Indian Beach Area is cool-This area would include Indian Beach Dr, Virgina Dr, Tennessee Ln.
The Vamo area-across the street form the Westfield Mall also has a few historical homes. I would consider this a transitioning area with a mix of newer homes, craftsmen bungalows and duplexes.
On Siesta Bay Island is an awesome area-This includes streets like Norsota Way, Hamilton Ave and there is currently a home fore sale on Anglin on Bay Island. The price is reasonable but it needs some work.
Keep in mind that the insurance on the older homes can be off the charts. Especially if you have to purchase flood insurance (on the islands). An example is the home on Anglin (on Siesta). The best quote I could get is $8k per year, not including flood.
I remember my grandmother talking to me about many of the areas I mentioned and I suppose that might be where some of my great love of the historical homes of Sarasota comes from.
As far as schools go, you might want to look into Booker High. They have an excellent performing arts program. I attend Booker High as a kid and was in the program. Riverview High also has an excellent and Nationally recognized music dept.
I'm sure you're well aware of Ringling School of Art for a college option. My oldest lives in the downtown area and goes to New College and is an art student. She attended Pine View in Osprey for high school. They have an excellent art and music program.
Siesta Key Beach is one of the most beautiful beaches in the world with it's power white sand, which is nearly 100% quartz. I know some people would disagree but I'd much rather have powder white sand in the winter than powder white snow. No matter where you are in Florida you're never more than 2 hours or so from the beach. Siesta was just rated the #1 beach in America by Dr. Beach.
I love all the sunshine, warmth and bright sunny days. You know that the local paper used to give out free papers if the sun didn't shine. They didn't have to give out too many.
Check out Brohard Beach in Venice. It's a great beach to let your pooch romp in the sand and water.
Florida is full of tropical foliage and is a great place for gardeners, year round. People can also enjoy outdoor sports all year long-hiking, biking, walking, kayaking, golfing, etc We have the huge Legacy Trail for walking and biking.
In southern Sarasota county there's Warm Mineral Springs and Little Salt Spring. Warm Mineral Springs is one of the oldest tourist attractions in FL and people come from all over the world to visit.
This area has a wonderful art community with Towles Court Artist Colony, the many art galleries around, every town has a local art center, there are art festivals going on almost weekly, Ringling School of Art & Design and many resources for artists.
There are many other festivals and fairs just a short drive away.
Oscar Scherer State Park in Osprey has canoing, camping, hiking, birding, swimming. Myakkahatchee State Park in North Port has trails where you can bring your horses, you can hike along the trails. Myakka River State Park in Sarasota has tons of great FL wildlife, the Myakka Canopy Walk, which is a bridge that is suspended 25 feet off the ground. It extends 85 feet through the canopy and Myakka also has 38 miles of hiking trails. Manatee County has Little Manatee River State Park which runs right along the river. It has camping, hiking, canoing, etc. Don Pedro State Park you can only get to by boat and is like a private beach. I happened to have the great pleasure of living right beside it as a kid. Venice has Brohard Park, one of the only dog friendly beaches around. Venice is also home to Woodmere Park a 36 acre park where you can let your pooch run and play under the big oak trees. These areas are a haven for photographers, bird watching and outdoor enthusiasts. Sarasota county has more than 200 parks, 109 athletic fields and 16 recreation and community centers.
Also for all the photographers and gardens, Selby Gardens is a must see. It has over 20,000 plants and displays and was named one of America's Top Ten Botanical Gardens.
The Sarasota area is also very kid friendly. We have GWIZ a science museum that caters to kids. The Children's Garden, a whimsical outdoor play area for children. Then there's Jungle Gardens, which is one of the oldest attractions in FL and has flamingo feeding, bird shows, alligators and many other various animals. Spanish Point is a historical site where they have Indian mounds, early pioneer homes and a lots of summer activities for kids. There are YMCA's in every city from Bradenton to Port Charlotte. Sarasota has Mote Marine Aquarium, which gives a wonderful look at the native sea life. They also to a great job with rehabilitating injured animals and returning them back to the gulf. Bradenton has the South FL Museum, Bishop Planetarium and the Parker Aquarium. Stop by and say "hi" to SW FL's very own manatee, Snooty. The Big Cat Habitat in Sarasota is a wonderful place to visit and see the amazing job Rosaire's do with the animals.
Many restaurants offer waterfront dining all the way down the coast. Speaking of restaurants, this area has lots and lots of wonderful, restaurants for any taste. Many mom and pop restaurants. You could spend a whole day out on St Armand's Circle shopping, browsing and stopping in at Kilwin's for some great ice cream. St Armand's has more than 130 shops, restaurants and galleries.
Sarasota and Charlotte counties have some of the best schools in the state and also have Pine View School for the gifted, which is one of the top in the nation.
LOL ... got your panties in a wad. SEO folks are a dime a dozen as you said, I get 3 calls a day, and the kids are great at "social media". Come on ... get real please. If you're making that kind of bucks then you really should stick to it and stay there where you're needed and can earn the $$$$$. You've got a gold mine !
"Director of on-line marketing" ... impressive for sure.
BTW ... I don't peddle houses and never have and I sure don't need to either ... there is a difference, but it is technical.
However, the bottom line; my impression is that you take yourself much too seriously and came/come across as quite arrogant and reasonably nasty - just a cut above us normal people. That is why I gave you a little paddle and I would just as soon not have more of that attitude around. That's just my 2¢ which is worth a penny
@neildiamond11790..... OP could not get on my list.
Edit: I got burned by Obrero on the next page, removed originally text.
Last edited by neildiamond11790; 09-18-2014 at 08:43 AM..
Be the brave one, whats your name and what brokerage you work for. You came off as nothing but an internet tough guy.
OP couldn't get on your list, does that mean you only cater to exclusive high end listings? Or does it mean that a potential buyer does not attract you as a potential client? Or does it mean you are a commercial broker? In 2 of the 3 scenarios, you come off as not good at your job. Potential buyer, you should want. Commercial broker, I would think you would encourage B2B business. That leaves option 1, you only deal in very high end, in which case you would be anything but "us normal people", because not to generalize too much, high end, high wealth people don't tend to mingle with "us normal people".
So most likely you are not in real estate, and just an internet bully. And by the way, you will never be on my list, you don't have to worry about declining me, because I will never be asking for your assistance.
He has his RE contact info right on his page. He's hardly anonymous.
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