Thinking of Moving To Sarasota - Need Advice (North Port, Venice: apartment, rentals)

[kailey210]

Like many others on this posting I am considering moving to Florida and have been researching the Sarasota area. I have read some of the threads where people have written saying that it is not a good idea to move there at this time due to the lack of jobs and the pay being low. I understand that is very true, however where I live up north it is very much the same. To get a very small, cookie cutter apartment you are paying roughly $1,200- $1,500. Plus utilities, not to mention the cost for heat in the winter, which is outrageous. An administrative job pays between $8-$15 and are very scarce. The community I live in has one of the worst school systems in our state. Therefore, I do not believe we would be any worse off making the move to Florida where we can enjoy year round warm weather and a tropical paradise location instead of a bland environment and blizzards. Can anyone recommend a very family friendly neighborhood in the area with a great school system as my child will be starting Kindergarten in September. We would like to be in a small, tight knight community where it would be safe to go on nightly walks with our son and dog, but close to a lot of attractions such as dining, shopping, beaches, family activities, parks etc. Perhaps you can recommend another part of Florida where there are affordable rentals and potential jobs available. We would be renting in the Sarasota area for now to get a feel for the area. I have seen many affordable rentals including houses, but I am uncertain if these house rentals are cheap because they are in bad neighborhoods or if that is just the going rate. If anyone has suggestions and advice for me I would really appreciate it! Thank you for reading my post.

[Ladywithafan]

Originally Posted by kailey210

Like many others on this posting I am considering moving to Florida and have been researching the Sarasota area. I have read some of the threads where people have written saying that it is not a good idea to move there at this time due to the lack of jobs and the pay being low. I understand that is very true, however where I live up north it is very much the same. To get a very small, cookie cutter apartment you are paying roughly $1,200- $1,500. Plus utilities, not to mention the cost for heat in the winter, which is outrageous. An administrative job pays between $8-$15 and are very scarce. The community I live in has one of the worst school systems in our state. Therefore, I do not believe we would be any worse off making the move to Florida where we can enjoy year round warm weather and a tropical paradise location instead of a bland environment and blizzards. Can anyone recommend a very family friendly neighborhood in the area with a great school system as my child will be starting Kindergarten in September. We would like to be in a small, tight knight community where it would be safe to go on nightly walks with our son and dog, but close to a lot of attractions such as dining, shopping, beaches, family activities, parks etc. Perhaps you can recommend another part of Florida where there are affordable rentals and potential jobs available. We would be renting in the Sarasota area for now to get a feel for the area. I have seen many affordable rentals including houses, but I am uncertain if these house rentals are cheap because they are in bad neighborhoods or if that is just the going rate. If anyone has suggestions and advice for me I would really appreciate it! Thank you for reading my post.

Anna Maria Island has one of the best elementary schools, the island is a pretty tight knit community and the rentals are reasonable.

[SoFLGal]

Most of the schools in Sarasota county are pretty good. You might also want to try the Gulf Gate area. There should be some homes in there to rent that are pretty reasonable.

The south Venice area might be another idea for rentals that are reasonably priced.

Possibly North Port, due to the price and what you could get. You could pick up a new home 3/2/2 for around $900 per month. North Port, generally, is a bit more spread out than some of the other areas but there areas that have homes close together.

[Carbondated]

North Port has by far the highest concentration of families and most affordable rental houses. There are plenty of rentals to chose from there, as well as, a median age (around 40 yrs old?) that is well below any in the area.

I'm surprised at you SoFLGal.... I thought it would be your first suggestion!

[angelnfl]

I second North Port. Very kid friendly and lots of great neigborhoods. Plus like Carbondated said, we are a much "younger" crowd compared to some other areas. Plus if you want more of a country feel but still being close to large cities and amenities, North Port is ideal. My neighborhood had block parties once a year to welcome new neighbors and for everyone to get to know one another better. Unfortunately we grew too fast and now there are too many to invite and it ended up being too much work . Still think its a great idea for neighbors to get to know one another, but all the work shouldn't be mainly on one family.

[kailey210]

Thank you all for your responses. Northport sounds great! It sounds like what i would be looking for. I saw some house rentals on craigslist going for under $1,000. Is this typical of the area or are there certain "bad areas" of the city? The prices just sound too good to be true. There is NOTHING in this area that look that nice for that price. I am concerned that Northport may be a little far from the center of Sarasota. I assume that is where most of the jobs are?? I am looking for something administrative or legal admin. I do have my bachelor's degree so I am hoping that may be beneficial. My husband is an excellent tow truck driver. In your opinion do you think there would be opportunities for us. Do you think we should focus our attention in perhaps a busier area with more job potential? Thanks again.

[SoFLGal]

Originally Posted by kailey210

Thank you all for your responses. Northport sounds great! It sounds like what i would be looking for. I saw some house rentals on craigslist going for under $1,000. Is this typical of the area or are there certain "bad areas" of the city? The prices just sound too good to be true. There is NOTHING in this area that look that nice for that price. I am concerned that Northport may be a little far from the center of Sarasota. I assume that is where most of the jobs are?? I am looking for something administrative or legal admin. I do have my bachelor's degree so I am hoping that may be beneficial. My husband is an excellent tow truck driver. In your opinion do you think there would be opportunities for us. Do you think we should focus our attention in perhaps a busier area with more job potential? Thanks again.

I think you'll just have to hit on something. The job market is tough everywhere-Sarasota, Venice, North Port. You need to have a resume that knocks your socks off. When I was interviewing for an assistant a few weeks ago I was amazed at all the resumes that looked like garbage-grammatical errors, spelling errors, bad looking resumes, etc. I sure wouldn't move without a job lined up though.

Here are a few pages of jobs in the Herald Tribune:online jobs, job search and career education - Sarasota Herald-Tribune - Sarasota, FL - HeraldTribune.com

Here's some in the Sun newspaper:
PortCharlotteSunHerald online recruitment classified ads

Look on Craigslist too, that's were we posted for our assistant. You could also check the above papers for rentals. I have a few names of people in town that have rentals as well.

There is a small neighborhood in North Port with 1950's & 60's homes. Other than that most of the homes in North Port are 2000 or newer.

[steve1077]

North Port is the ''boonies'' in the Sarasota area--35 miles from downtown Sarasota. No real downtown, no history, no tradition, just cheap housing and plenty of it. Not near the Gulf. Basically a service town to service the people in Osprey and Sarasota proper. I'm not knocking it as I'm sure many like it but I'd sure check it out before buying as it may take you years to sell.

[Ladywithafan]

Everyone's looking for administrative positions in Sarasota....I'd suggest going through a temp firm. Forget the newspaper. And with so many people looking for this type of job, pay will be as low because supply is exceeding demand.

[kailey210]

Thanks for all of your responses. Could anyone suggest other nice neighborhoods perhaps a little closer to Sarasota?