does anyone have anything GOOD to say about bradenton?? (Miramar: real estate, renter) - Sarasota - Bradenton - Venice area - Florida (FL) -Manatee and Sarasota Counties - Page 2 - City-Data Forum

Racelady88 · 02-21-2008, 07:38 AM

I am renting a 3 bedroom for $1000/month. It is one of the over priced houses for sale that nobody will buy. I agree, you will have a very hard time finding anything under $1000 in any area that you would want to live in.

You didn't say what line of work you are in, but the job market here is not very good. I hope your fiancee's offer is solid and includes a minimum of 12 months guaranteed work/pay.

Ladywithafan · 02-21-2008, 08:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Evey

I am renting a 3 bedroom for $1000/month. It is one of the over priced houses for sale that nobody will buy. I agree, you will have a very hard time finding anything under $1000 in any area that you would want to live in.

You didn't say what line of work you are in, but the job market here is not very good. I hope your fiancee's offer is solid and includes a minimum of 12 months guaranteed work/pay.

Right on...Bradenton has a pretty bleak job market at present. You can always check out Bradentonherald.com, the newspaper & then go to the Help Wanted section.

Lennon128 · 02-22-2008, 11:39 PM

currently i am a title searcher and she is a property manager. the property she will be managing has been there for 20 or so years, with the same owners and management company, so it shouldn't be going anywhere (unfortunately. i was hoping it might so i could use it as an argument to stay). as for me. no clue what i'm gonna do. i been looking in the area, and yeah, nothing has caught me eye, and it'll be tough as i need at least like $14 an hour...

roblimo · 02-23-2008, 08:57 AM

With all the vacant speculator houses around, finding a $1000/month rental is easy now. $700 - $900 will get you a really nice, fixed-up older place where I live (Village of the Arts, near McKechnie Stadium) but if you're white and equate brown/black neighbors with crime and fear, you wouldn't like it here.

But there are positive aspects to living in our area. We know most of our neighbors, so the "thugs" outsiders see are, to us, okay young guys who keep an eye on things and scare away thieves. And barking dogs and lots of Mexicans with children... all this keeps our crime rate LOWER than in the "out east" areas where both parents are working and the kids are abandoned after school, and half the houses are empty either because they are owned by failed speculators or because they are second homes for up-north richies who only come here a few months a year.

Plus we have lots of interesting activities in the Village of the Arts, if you're the kind of person who enjoys outdoor music, parties, and that sort of thing.

To each their own. If you are willing to put up with horrible driving (hardly any traffic law enforcement), and other deficiencies, in return you get comparatively uncrowded warm-water beaches, cool neighbors, and a generally "live and let live" atmosphere.

Make no mistake: This is not paradise. But it's pretty much an okay place to live in an "is what it is" sense.

gypsychic · 02-23-2008, 09:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roblimo

With all the vacant speculator houses around, finding a $1000/month rental is easy now. $700 - $900 will get you a really nice, fixed-up older place where I live (Village of the Arts, near McKechnie Stadium) but if you're white and equate brown/black neighbors with crime and fear, you wouldn't like it here.

But there are positive aspects to living in our area. We know most of our neighbors, so the "thugs" outsiders see are, to us, okay young guys who keep an eye on things and scare away thieves. And barking dogs and lots of Mexicans with children... all this keeps our crime rate LOWER than in the "out east" areas where both parents are working and the kids are abandoned after school, and half the houses are empty either because they are owned by failed speculators or because they are second homes for up-north richies who only come here a few months a year.

Plus we have lots of interesting activities in the Village of the Arts, if you're the kind of person who enjoys outdoor music, parties, and that sort of thing.

To each their own. If you are willing to put up with horrible driving (hardly any traffic law enforcement), and other deficiencies, in return you get comparatively uncrowded warm-water beaches, cool neighbors, and a generally "live and let live" atmosphere.

Make no mistake: This is not paradise. But it's pretty much an okay place to live in an "is what it is" sense.

Roblimo, I am glad you are posting here. I have read many of your blogs after visiting the Village of the Arts last year back when we were considering a move to Bradenton. I think you summed it all up pretty succinctly.

I know that while I myself, am always attracted to the artsy Bohemian areas such as yours, I also have lived in such an area once, and for me I have to say never again. It takes a certain type of person to live with a little "city grittiness", and we here on the forums are trying to explain what it is all about to those asking, before one makes a mistake. I think you have laid it all out quite nicely.

I thought that Bradenton is a town with a lot of potential if only they had some good city leadership, which it appears they do not. The town is beautiful with all the waterfront and old trees, and of course the beaches are just great. I hope you and all the artists can keep on keeping on and building your nice little neighborhood - we have a lot of artists here in Lakeland, but no real "village" like you have there. I just love all the creativity I saw when we visited.

Please keep posting here, I love to read what you have to say!

Ladywithafan · 02-25-2008, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lennon128

currently i am a title searcher and she is a property manager. the property she will be managing has been there for 20 or so years, with the same owners and management company, so it shouldn't be going anywhere (unfortunately. i was hoping it might so i could use it as an argument to stay). as for me. no clue what i'm gonna do. i been looking in the area, and yeah, nothing has caught me eye, and it'll be tough as i need at least like $14 an hour...

Property management is a good field in Florida; that's currently what I do....title searching jobs in Bradenton? Not sure with the real estate market as it is.

As for starting at $14/hour, good luck, depending on the job, your computer skills, etc....I'm not thinking Bradenton for that....google title companies and start putting out some feelers...

Racelady88 · 02-25-2008, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ladywithafan

As for starting at $14/hour, good luck

Yeah, ummmm, that might not be a realistic figure.

Oobie119 · 02-25-2008, 10:55 AM

Better settle for apartment living for a while if you want to spend 900-- We're renting a 2 BR apartment in a craphole and we pay over 900. Someone mentioned that the higher the street the better and this is true.. Try to stay closer to Manatee Avenue and past 59th-- This is NW Bradenton and you'll be fine. Or East bradenton is beautiful also, just a bit further from the beaches. It depends what your used to also. "Crappy" all depends on what your coming from. Parrish is also very nice where the homes are affordable. You are smart to rent first I would just suggest you compromise on either price or size!

TKramar · 02-28-2008, 03:14 PM

I like it.

aquabluesrq · 03-15-2008, 10:31 PM

Stay away from Bradenton.... I repeat...Stay AWAY from Bradenton. Sorry to all of you who live in Bradenton, but my 3 month stay proved to be nothing short of a disaster! I has car parts stolen right off my car, I was harassed by homeless ppl daily and we had UPS packages stolen right from our front door. Not to mention the fact that most of the retail areas are horrendous, although they are adding some nice retail at the corner of 14th and Cortez. I'm sure there are very nice parts of Bradenton, but IMO Sarasota is WAAAAAAAAAAAAAY better. I moved here from Raleigh, NC about 2 years ago, and I feel the Lakewood Ranch/University Parkway area of Sarasota is probably one of the best areas of Sarasota-Bradenton. Most everything is new, and they are developing like crazy right now. Prices are negotiable as far as rents go and there are plenty of affordable apartments and condos in the area for 2 income households. I currently live in a 1700sf BRAND NEW condo with water, trash and basic cable included for 1150/month. Prior to that, we rented a 1900sf condo with cable and trash included for 1100/month. If your not afraid to negotiate, name your price and you are likely to get it if it's reasonable. Jobs in the area, I feel, are a bit scarce. At least jobs that pay more than 7/hr. I still can't get over the fact that there is no tax on groceries or your car! In NC they taxed damn near EVERYTHING the could get their grubby paws on! There are plenty of good things about the Sarasota-Bradenton area, and in my opinion, they far outweigh the negatives. As for crimes and gang activity, all I can say is LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION! Of course, as with any other city, there will be some random craziness in the "safe" areas, but for the most part, it is very easy to figure out what areas to stay away from. I personally have never had a run in with gangs, but I wouldn't be surprised that such activity exists in certain areas.