Sarasota - Such conflicting perspectives! (Holiday, Longboat Key: foreclosure, mortgage broker, good credit)

[Ladywithafan]

I just had to peruse this thread again...so much negativity in regards to SRQ...hey...life's really not that bad...in fact, we're going to celebrate ghetto tonight with "The Hooker's Ball"...once again, something for everyone in SRQ...the Cabanna should be rockin' while we're all in our fishnet stockin

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by Ladywithafan

I just had to peruse this thread again...so much negativity in regards to SRQ...hey...life's really not that bad...in fact, we're going to celebrate ghetto tonight with "The Hooker's Ball"...once again, something for everyone in SRQ...the Cabanna should be rockin' while we're all in our fishnet stockin

Lady - you sound like a fun person - wish I'd known you when I lived there!

[Ladywithafan]

Originally Posted by gypsychic

Lady - you sound like a fun person - wish I'd known you when I lived there!

Thank you

If you ever heading down my way, pm me & I'll meet you at O'Leary's!

[dishing the 9411]

I am amazed by this thread. I have lived here for 5 years and have nothing but great things to say about this city. What I have noticed is the people who live in paradise are much more critical than the ones who live in elsewere. There are issues, but this city is like no other. The arts, the culture, the beaches, the people... there are some of the most wonderful and talented people living in this town. Every time I venture out of Sarasota I realize how lucky I am to call it home.

[mariadbd]

We've just bought in Lakewood Ranch. Each community in Lakewood Ranch (and most are NOT gated) has a different environment. Greenbrook is highly family orientated (adventure park, roller skating rink, nature trails), Country Club is golf, Edgewater is by the huge lake with walking trail), and, overall, we have found nothing to dislike. Believe me - I'm picky. I have 2 boys of 3 and 7 and we saw so many families out biking and walking around the Ranch on our numerous visits and every other house has children - that we feel comfortable moving there. I like the fact that it is maintained continuously, that the parks are checked daily, that there are monthly "movies in the park" for children, monthly events for the community and great things coming - dinner theater, whole foods market, Neiman Marcus, etc. It's handy for the airport, the beaches, to get to St Armands Circle, etc. There are many who say that Sarasota (and the Gulf Coast in general) is for the elderly. It's only natural that, in Winter, you will get a lot of snowbirds coming down from the North for a few months (and why not, who wants to live in snow when they get older?), but that doesn't mean that Sarasota is not for young families and we don't just disappear when the part-timers come in.
In Lakewood Ranch, the vast majority are permanent residents. You only need to go to the ice cream shop on Main Street, or the parks to see the number of young families. We chose the Greenbrook community because of this. If "cookie cutter" means my roads and landscaping are keptspotless and I get community events each month - then I'm cookie cutter (even though we are probably the least cookie cutter family in history)!
Just do your own research and ask parents that you see when you visit. In addition try looking at Welcome to Lakewood Ranch which will show you the different communities.
Good luck!

[helojafo]

Wow, well said mrmeisterman.

Personally I'm originally from up north, but I've lived all over the Tampa Bay area in the last 22 years. I decided to settle for good in the Sarasota / Bradenton area because it suits our lifestyle and personalities. We're a young active couple with middle school children and we find it to be quite conducive to meeting everyone's needs in our family. The area is beautiful with many newer amenities and the crime rate is quite low comparatively speaking.

As for Lakewood Ranch being gated, only the country club is actually gated. Most of the community is outside the gates of the country club and is easily viewed as you drive around on Lakewood Ranch Blvd. There are many other terrific, active family neighborhoods to choose from depending on your tastes and budget.

This thread reminds me of the story about the wise old China man who was sitting by the side of the road as a young China man came walking along towards his village. The young man asked, "Old man, what kind of people in the village a head?" The old man replied with a question, "What kind of people where you come from?" The young man replied, "Where I come from the people are warm, kind, and gracious, they would give you the shirt right off of their back!" The old man replied, "Those are the kind of people you will find in the village a head."

A short while later another young man came walking along the same road towards the same town and upon seeing the old man he asked, "Old man, what kind of people in the town a head?" The old man replied with a question, "What kind of people in the town where you come from?" The young man said, "In my town the people are liars, cheats, and thieves. They would steal the shirt right off of your back!" The old man replied, "Those are the kind of people you will find in the village a head."

People tend to find exactly what they are looking for and expect, ignoring the things that they are not focused on and seeing just what is most important to them.

[smiledoc1]

Originally Posted by dishing the 9411

I am amazed by this thread. I have lived here for 5 years and have nothing but great things to say about this city. What I have noticed is the people who live in paradise are much more critical than the ones who live in elsewere. There are issues, but this city is like no other. The arts, the culture, the beaches, the people... there are some of the most wonderful and talented people living in this town. Every time I venture out of Sarasota I realize how lucky I am to call it home.

Hi Dishing,
The reasons you mentioned were the very reasons we bought in Sarasota. After our visit we headed to the east coast and as soon as we got close to WPB we knew we made the right choice. The west coast is more our style. And Sarasota seemed to have the right mix we were looking for.

Best,
smiledoc1

[smiledoc1]

>>The area is beautiful with many newer amenities and the crime rate is quite low comparatively speaking.<<

Hello helojafo,
I read on a previous post that you are a retired police officer. Can you give an opinion as to why you think the crime rate is lower in Sarasota than in other cities in the area?

Thank you,
smiledoc1

[Bette]

[quote=jay2007;3422543]Boca Raton east coast got ' artsy' and 'premium' and ' pricey' and the sensible people saw overinflated taxes and inflated prices and rents and left, moved out, because high taxes means stupid greedy population and no committe oversight and auditing of the local tax assessor. People flee from greedy corrupt governance. Decent people flee and crime enters. Drug dealers ran Boca into the ground. You can not go into a shop that is not covered with iron bars on the windows and doors.


Wait - are we talking Boca Raton, FL - iron bars? Like where?
We do not have an overabundance of drug dealers here. We have a great mayor here (Steve Abrams) who is leaving due to term limits - I know Steve and his family - great people.

Where do you get your information? This is mis-information and you are not correct on this one.

[Bette]

Originally Posted by jay2007

There are a few thousand foreclosures in sarasota right now. With more coming on market in 2008 and 2009.
Almost twice as many forclosures in boca raton. A predatory lenders and flippers paradise.

Wise towns and intelligent counties, the mayors of the towns and the public, work together and write laws against predatory lenders, police arrest predatory lenders. In sarasota the posters care about the hookers ghetto ball.

OMG. Does chlorine in a community pool kill syphillis?

Jay - What's this about more foreclosures in Boca Raton than Sarasota? I live here and I don't see that at all. In fact, I see more and more homes under contract. Yes, some people are doing short sales but there are properties being bought. Your number for Sarasota is way high. BTW, a property can go into foreclosure; that does not mean that it gets foreclosed on.