Sarasota, Bradenton or somewhere in between... (Naples, Riverview: fit in, for sale, real estate)

[Snow Over It]

Anyone remember the sitcom "Green Acres"? Well I feel like I'm living the millennial version. Any Advice Appreciated! --

Long story long--

We are a Midwest Family w 2 teenage boys - 15 and 13

Hubby has worked his A** off for the better part of 20 years, made some good decisions, and is in a position to "cash out" -- meaning we are blessed to have the means to make decisions based on wants, not needs.

The plan was always to wait it out until the kids graduated, then migrate south. But last winter was a game changer. We both said we were DONE with Midwest winters, then, as always, forgot about it once spring hit....until the first cold blast hit this week. We are moving south - NOW....or as soon to NOW as possible.

We currently live in an affluent, high growth, Midwest metro area. We have proudly sent our kids through the public school system here. Both hubby and I were parochial kids 1-12, so it was initially a tough decision for us to go public. It was and still is the best decision for our boys, given our demographic and location. Our current school district is nationally ranked and one of top districts in our state.

We have family in Naples, but its just too old and staid for us. Having done the research. the Sarasota-Bradenton area is where we want to be. The issue is WHERE! My loving family is a dichotomy wrapped in an enigma and coated with a heaping ladle of bull puckey. HELP!!!

Goal is to move by February 1. We have decided that our boys -- current Sophomore and 7th grader - will attend Out of Door Academy. (Please don't judge, but if you have constructive criticism either way, I would love to hear it. I do not think either boy will qualify for PineView, and we think they will do well in a smaller environment...I hope. It is a tough age to move.)

Upper School is at Lakewood Ranch, so I am leaning toward that area, since I have no desire to have a new teenage driver traveling all over an unfamiliar city. Even though we are going private, I would still like to be in an area that has a quality public school option. My research shows this as Lakewood Ranch HS in Manatee or Riverview HS in Sarasota. Am I wrong? Hubby is in "retirement mode", so I keep having to redirect him that we have 5 more years before we are empty nesters. Until then, its all about the kids. And if they are accepted to ODA, then we should embrace the LWR lifestyle, even if it is far from the beach.

The issue is that Im not sure we are LWR people. We LIVE in our house. It isn't an museum or some other showcase. Hubby has a car issue (he says hobby, I say fetish) - he is constantly working on something in the garage -- it's his down time. We have a 3 car garage here in Ohio and I haven't been able to pull into the garage for the last 2 winters. The boys need a basketball hoop in the driveway, or more importantly, proximity to their peers. As for me...I want the quintessential Mediterranean style Florida home with the pool cage to keep out the bugs and enough room to compensate for losing our teenage basement man-cave. I don't want to do outside maintenance. I have boys for that if necessary.

Is there a neighborhood that can make us all happy? Any and all advice, comments and critiques appreciated! I was hoping to wait a few more years before we made the move, but now that we decided its a done deal, I can't wait to get there! Just need to know where "there" is!!!

[stumble]

If the commute to school is not too bad, Parrish could meet your other needs.

[bbronston]

I think your overall plan sounds right but I don't think you are going to be happy in a HOA community. Most, if not all, will have some rules that are going to conflict with your husband's hobby. That's assuming that there are revving engines or cars on lifts involved. Someone in those communities will probably object to seeing this or hearing it and, if there are rules specifically dealing with such things, they would be right.

I think you might like being in one of the areas outside the HOAs. They tend to be on larger lots and further east but not always. Or, consider buying or leasing a commercial or flex space that would be appropriate for your husband's hobby.

BTW...I just heard a long term weather prediction that sets up for a warmer winter winter up north and a colder, wetter winter down here so there may not be a need to rush down here in the middle of a school year.

[RoadVettes]

Concerning your husbands "car issue"...I am also a victim of this "fetish" (have been my entire life ). We live in LWR and love it. The way that I can enjoy my hobby in a deeded community is that we looked for a home that had a large 3 car garage and installed an independent A/C unit (not window unit). I have my cars and lift inside and keep the doors closed. No issues with neighbors or HOA. As a matter of fact when I take the old cars out for a drive, neighbors always come over to look a them with interest. The key is to respect others and you won't have a problem .

[Cardiff by the Sea]

Just want to say that I love Out of Door Academy. I don't have kids there but went on a tour with a friend who was checking it out for her kids. I was very impressed. It is shockingly pricy but you get the money back in terms of the big college scholarships the majority of kids are offered at graduation.

My impression is that your kids have to be good students but not fabulous students to get in. I would not worry about them not being accepted. I don't think the competition is like trying to get in Pine View because Pine View is free. I think at ODA if they are qualified and you can pay, your kids get in.

If your plan is move in Feb, you might want to think about coordinating the transition now. My parents moved 4 times in 4 years when I was growing up, and sometimes I was ahead of the class I went into, but mostly I was behind. Being behind is especially traumatic in subjects that are cumulative like math. I am sure ODA would work to ease the social transition, but you can't make the whole thing easier on them if the academic transition is seamless.

If you can manage your husband's car issues, LWR could be good in terms of having classmates as neighbors. Lonely teenagers are grumpy teenagers.

As far as where, the is a LWR home show the next month. Come on down and check it out.

[Sunshine Rules]

Lakewood Ranch is a beautiful, award winning master planned community in south Manatee county. The neighborhoods, roadway landscaping, community amenities are, with very minor exceptions, well kept and have what we call in real estate great curb appeal. There are community parks, walking trails and nature preserves throughout the Ranch.

Lakewood Ranch is also known for the long list of deed restrictions that contribute to the manicured and maintained neighborhoods. There are restrictions regarding colors you can paint the homes, landscaping and plants used, what you can and cannot put in both your front and back yards, fencing and even the number of dogs you can have (in all but the northern most neighborhoods it is 2 dogs per household). Obviously a lot of people love LWR and the rules & regs as the population there keeps growing. But LWR is not for everyone.

Snow Over It, before buying (or renting) in any deed restricted community here but especially in areas such as Lakewood Ranch, the best advice I can give is to obtain and read the deed restrictions before commiting to a purchase agreement (or lease, should you decide to rent first). There are other subdivisions still within the Lakewood Ranch high school district that would not have as many deed restrictions as LWR, where your sons can have a basketball hoop and your husband enjoy his car hobby. (Lakewood Ranch does not allow homeowners to leave up garage doors, by the way.)


If you are not familiar with our area or the neighborhoods you are researching, your best option for now might be to rent first so you can take more time to learn your way around and determine what area would actually work best for you and your family. Sometimes what looks good on paper doesn't function well in reality. It's easier and cheaper to get out of a lease than to buy and then resell a home within a short period of time.

[photoman_6]

If you are committed to coming down here in February I would recommend looking to rent a house and lease a commercial space where you can move your vehicles, tools and anything else that might not fit into the rental house. If your finacnes allow, you might consider building a teardown east of I 75, or an area like Panther Ridge which is a bit further out but still within reasonable distance of everything except the beach. The area is a bit more laidback when it comes to restricctions.

Perfect world I would have purchased a teardown and rebuild with a 4-5 car garage outbuilding on 1-2 acres when I moved down here 4 years ago. Probably doable for 500k

[dpbarr2000]

Moderator cut: off topic

There are plenty of non deed restricted homes for sale west of I-75 that would allow for your needs. Unfortunately for some, that would require actual knowledge of these areas.

[Nancy in Nokomis]

We moved down here with a 10 and 11 yr old so I know exactly what you are going to face. Lakewood Ranch is not for you - I am pretty sure they will not allow a basketball hoop - some HOAs do not even allow you to have a car in a driveway at night - which will not work when your teenagers have cars.

I live in a neighborhood in an HOA in Nokomis which has few restrictions - lots of kids in the neighborhood (which is rare) - most homes have 3 car garages which is good for the car enthusiast - but the way you describe your husband I think you would do best in Mission Valley Estates or Sorrento Ranches in Nokomis which are homes with at least acre lots - few restrictions - and in a good schools system. Sarasota County schools are ranked higher than Manatee County. You need either no HOA or a very non-restrictive one. Homes here are mostly the nice Florida style pool homes with cages so you will like them.

Just remember it is not very exciting down here and full of Snowbirds in the Winter - but it really is Paradise

[calico777]

Originally Posted by dpbarr2000

The cabal on this forum repeatedly promotes communities like Lakewood Ranch. It's easy to sound like an expert on this area, because it's fairly homogenous. Recite a few marketing points, voila, expert analysis.

There are plenty of non deed restricted homes for sale west of I-75 that would allow for your needs. Unfortunately for some, that would require actual knowledge of these areas.

Three agents on this thread so far, the first two explained that LWR has a lot of deed restrictions which would interfere with OP's life style and that there are other communities that are a better fit for the OP I am sure that THAT is the information a newbie is looking for, not an inflammatory post about 'cabal'