Can I afford to move to/live in Sarasota? (Jacksonville: rent, crime)

[AustinsSingleMom]

When I visited Sarasota last year, the place really spoke to me. I left thinking, "This is where I'm gonna retire".

But, I don't think I can wait til retirement..I'm 38.

I'm seriously thinking of making the move now..well, not *right* now, but after I sell my Fremont home, if I can sell my Fremont home. Most likely, I will be able to sell it, it's just a matter of when and for how much. If I sell it, I would have enough money to buy another home outright (something in the 300-400K range), which is what I'm hoping to do, so that I won't have to worry about a mortgage payment each month. I want to spend more time with my 2 year old son. I'm a single mom, so if I stay home with my son and not work, we won't have any income.

That's why I'm wondering, how much would it cost to live comfortably in Sarasota for a single mom who has a toddler to take care of?
When I say "live comfortably", I mean living without having to worry about paying the monthly utility bills or the monthly groceries or other monthly expenses.
Monthly expenses would *not* include rent or mortgage, or car payment.
What would child care cost? There is a very strong possibility that my parents will help me with caring for my son but, as this is not guaranteed at this point in time, I'd like to know what child care would cost.

If I keep my current job (most likely, they will let me work full-time from home if I request it), my salary will be $100k/yr.
I'd actually like to switch employers, though, as I currently work ~80hrs/wk and this is preventing me from spending much quality time with my son.
If I switched employers, most likely, I would do the same thing or something similar to what I'm doing now (which allows me to work from my home).

I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts on my plan. Would I be making a mistake, moving to Sarasota at this time?

[beerme1]

I don't see how you would have any problem at all with that kind of a budget. What kind of work do you do if I may ask?

[Peter the Brit]

Having lived in Sarasota the past eleven years and planning a move my comment is the place is full of old rich people who are overcharged fro everything.
It is not a place for the young who want a faster life. My kids came aged 10 and 14 and could not wait to leave
Consider Tampa Jacksonville Fort Myers as alternatives

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by AustinsSingleMom

When I visited Sarasota last year, the place really spoke to me. I left thinking, "This is where I'm gonna retire".

But, I don't think I can wait til retirement..I'm 38.

I'm seriously thinking of making the move now..well, not *right* now, but after I sell my Fremont home, if I can sell my Fremont home. Most likely, I will be able to sell it, it's just a matter of when and for how much. If I sell it, I would have enough money to buy another home outright (something in the 300-400K range), which is what I'm hoping to do, so that I won't have to worry about a mortgage payment each month. I want to spend more time with my 2 year old son. I'm a single mom, so if I stay home with my son and not work, we won't have any income.

That's why I'm wondering, how much would it cost to live comfortably in Sarasota for a single mom who has a toddler to take care of?
When I say "live comfortably", I mean living without having to worry about paying the monthly utility bills or the monthly groceries or other monthly expenses.
Monthly expenses would *not* include rent or mortgage, or car payment.
What would child care cost? There is a very strong possibility that my parents will help me with caring for my son but, as this is not guaranteed at this point in time, I'd like to know what child care would cost.

If I keep my current job (most likely, they will let me work full-time from home if I request it), my salary will be $100k/yr.
I'd actually like to switch employers, though, as I currently work ~80hrs/wk and this is preventing me from spending much quality time with my son.
If I switched employers, most likely, I would do the same thing or something similar to what I'm doing now (which allows me to work from my home).

I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts on my plan. Would I be making a mistake, moving to Sarasota at this time?

Sarasota is a fabulous place to live, and with your situation you can live very comfortably here. No one comes here for the "faster life" as referenced by the above unhappy poster. This place is laid back and relaxed - can't be beat as far as me and hubby are concerned. I don't know about the "switching employers", not sure what you do but job market here is pretty bad.

Other than that it is as affordable as you want it to be, it all depends on how fancy you need/want to live. Feel free to DM me with any questions, there is no where else I would rather live, for me and hubby this place has it all.

Good luck!

[AustinsSingleMom]

beerme1

I specialize in enterprise and developer software support, and have been doing this kind of work for many years. I love it. It's usually high pay, low (relatively low) stress. It's great work if you're comfortable with programming and don't mind interacting with customers who are administrators and/or developers.

While I have a nice salary, I'm working a crazy number of hours, and I need to put a stop that somehow. My last 4 jobs, I made about the same salary, but never had to put in as many hours as what I'm putting in now. I don't like it. My son doesn't like it.

If I were to switch employers, I wouldn't be getting 100k, especially with the current job market...that's why I was wondering what I'd need to support me and my son if we lived in Sarasota. This is really what I'm wondering most about...

Peter the Brit
Thanks for your suggestions pointing me to other FL cities. I have been to other FL cities (Miami, Ft Lauderdale, Orlando, St Petersburg, difft cities in the Panhandle (though this was many years ago)). I found them to be all quite different from one another, and I liked each of them, but none of them "spoke to me" the way that Sarasota did. I haven't been to Tampa, Jacksonville, or Ft. Myers but I will definitely check those out..

gypsychic
You're right. I don't really need a "faster life". I just want some semblance of a modern city + easy access to Gulf beaches. Sarasota has both, from what I saw. I love the Panhandle beaches as well, but the cities in the Pandhandle are not as progressive as I'd like.

[SoFLGal]

I have grown up in Sarasota county and am now raising my three daughters here. I love it here and couldn't think of a better place to raise kids! I would never consider rising my kids in any of the three above referenced cities, but that's just me. I like to live in an area with great schools, not a lot of crime, that is very clean and close to the beautiful beaches. Sarasota provides all of that for me and my family.

I really think you would be very comfortable living here. Even if you made half of what you are making right now you'd be fine. Your budget for a home puts you well within reach of many of the nice neighborhoods in Sarasota county.

My children attend Pine View School for the Gifted in Osprey and we absolutley love it! It's been ranked as the top school in Florida and one of the top schools in the Nation. It does not start until 2nd grade though. There are plenty of great preschools in Sarasota to investigate though before looking into Pine View. You could try New Gate or Julie Rohr Academy. I don't know the prices but I'm sure they would tell you if you called.

Good luck!

[beerme1]

I agree with SoFLGal that even if your income were half of what it is now you would be comfortable.
But you stated that
"I mean living without having to worry about paying the monthly utility bills or the monthly groceries or other monthly expenses.
Monthly expenses would *not* include rent or mortgage, or car payment."

I admit that statement perplexes me. You've stated your home will be a cash purchase so thats fine. But if you own a Bentley and have a monthly car loan payment that would put a big dent in a 50K salary :-)

We are are conidering moving down there. We were originally focusing on the Tampa area. Like you though the Sarasota area has us hooked. It is a very cool locale to be sure!
My fear is that I can get a lot more house for the same money and I mean a lot more house and that appeals to me as well as having a much larger job market. Now we may look at the Ft. Myers area and achieve a better bang for the dollar on a house there and maybe a slightly better job market than Sarasota but, it aint Sarasota!
To sum it up we love the Siesta Key area and want to be able to call that home and will figure out a job somehow.

[AustinsSingleMom]

beerme1,
I guess I'm somewhat nervous about the thought of moving and taking a pay cut (or maybe just the taking the pay cut part) because I feel that even with 100k, I'm not living comfortably (or, at least, not that comfortably). But, then again, this is 100k in San Francisco, where everything is insanely expensive, not just the housing. For example, if I had to put my son in day care (thank GOD for my parents who care for him while I work), that would set me back no less than $1500/month. About a year ago, I was spending about $800/mo for gas (since, at the time, it was $5/gallon and I was commuting 45/mi each way). When it's cold here (and there are a lot if times I feel it's cold here), gas & electric are easily 200-400/month. These kinds of things add up..they add way up.
Maybe I'm just trying to play it too safe.. I like you're thinking about making Siesta Key home.

SoFLGal,
Thanks for your addition to the thread! My son is *the* most important thing to me, so I'm really glad to hear that you think Sarasota is good place to raise kids.

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by AustinsSingleMom

beerme1,
I guess I'm somewhat nervous about the thought of moving and taking a pay cut (or maybe just the taking the pay cut part) because I feel that even with 100k, I'm not living comfortably (or, at least, not that comfortably). But, then again, this is 100k in San Francisco, where everything is insanely expensive, not just the housing. For example, if I had to put my son in day care (thank GOD for my parents who care for him while I work), that would set me back no less than $1500/month. About a year ago, I was spending about $800/mo for gas (since, at the time, it was $5/gallon and I was commuting 45/mi each way). When it's cold here (and there are a lot if times I feel it's cold here), gas & electric are easily 200-400/month. These kinds of things add up..they add way up.
Maybe I'm just trying to play it too safe.. I like you're thinking about making Siesta Key home.

SoFLGal,
Thanks for your addition to the thread! My son is *the* most important thing to me, so I'm really glad to hear that you think Sarasota is good place to raise kids.

I can assure you, you will probably LAUGH when you see how cheap it is to live here compared to SF! And as mentioned before, it also really depends on you and how extravagant a lifestyle you want to lead. But you will get a LOT of home for your money here, and if you don't buy a huge home, your utility bills can be very cheap - we don't need to run heat or air for over half the year (weather is better closer to the coast) and really you almost never need the heat - I think I turned it on twice this past year. There is no state income tax here, no tax on groceries and there are shopping, groceries and restaurants in every conceivable price range. We have so many wonderful amenities in a small city of this size - just about everything the larger cities in Florida have. And the downtown area is very cosmpolitan, as we have a lot of Europeans relocating here, some part time, some full time. And Sarasota has beautiful parks and beaches, museums, etc. Lots of things to do that are cheap or free.

If Sarasota "spoke to you" then this is your place. This is how I feel about it. It has a special energy or vibe that I don't find in a lot of places - I personally always look for that feeling in an area - it's either there or it's not. Some places have a vibe that "repels" me, I will not mention the names of those places. Bottom line, it can be good to go with that "gut" feeling.

I hope this helps. I know it's scary to move tso far, but this is a small friendly community, and it accepts people from everywhere.

Good luck to you!

[Delta Dog]

Don't move, the job market is terrible!
The crime is getting worst!
I have lived in Sarasota/Bradenton for 30 years and it is a laid back environment.
Iam originally from California.

Did you see the movie Pirates Of The Carribean?

Do you remember the flying Dutchman ship?
Some of us have been here so long that we have become a part of it!
It is difficult every where in the U.S. to survive, Florida is at the top of the list!

Be a snow bird!