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I am looking into Sebring Florida. Looking for Rental homes on a lake, which lake is best and where should I look before I visit? I am also interested in the schools. My son will be going into 5th grade. How is the school system? My wife and I are very active, how is the social life? We are also fans of working out, is their good fitness clubs around?
I working buddy of mine retired and moved there and loves it, he of course is a fish and gold nut.
He is 63 and tells me the area if full of people his age with not much to do after 8 pm as everyone is asleep...... ???
Sebring is very nice, lakes and golf courses are beautiful.
I guess I didn't see much action going on after 8 pm or so when we are down there.
I maybe wrong but it seems to be to me much more of a retirement area.
However there are some nice small towns close to this area. Look into Lake Placid maybe?
Actually, Lake Placid is the "smaller town" and Sebring the "bigger city" in the area with nicer shopping areas and schools. Cracker Trail is supposed to be the nicest public school in the area. Look into the other blogs about sebring in this site. A lot of them are talking about people moving into the area with kids and giving info about this.
I am looking into Sebring Florida. Looking for Rental homes on a lake, which lake is best and where should I look before I visit? I am also interested in the schools. My son will be going into 5th grade. How is the school system? My wife and I are very active, how is the social life? We are also fans of working out, is their good fitness clubs around?
We moved to Sebring FL. in 2005. My Husband's job sent us here. We are in our 30's and We love Highlands County. We were wanting to buy a Home in Sebring after we rented and got a feel of the town. We discovered that you can find more land to build on and also more house for your money in Avon Park.
We bought some land and built a house in Avon Park off of State Road 64.
The schools here are great. They are much more advanced in learning than the schools up north in my opinion. My son is in Kindergarten and he goes to Avon Elementary. I was worried at first because I had him in a private day care in Sebring. I was thinking of placing him in a private school. But figured I'd give public school a shot. I did and I am so glad. The staff at Avon Elementary are very friendly.
As far as being boring..... Well it's quiet here. There is not really much to do in the Summer.... But Summers are for vacation anyway!
I am the type of person who doesnt like to be in an area like Tampa. Too much going on. I like living in a small quiet town away from the action, but still close enough to go there and visit and come back home in the same day. Orlando, Lakeland and other big areas are only 45 min. to an hour or so away. So if you want a place to live that is quiet, come here to live and smell the oranges when they blossom. I'm never moving back up north again!
There are a few places where you can go and enjoy yourself here. Lot's of hiking and bicycling can be done at Highland's Hammock State Park. There are a couple fitness clubs that I am aware of of. Could be more. Maybe visit the YMCA and see there. Just an over all good place to be.
rental Homes on the Lake could be costly. We rented a double wide when we first moved here and we paid 900 a month for that. Check with Prudential Realty or Century 21 and they can lead you in the right rental direction. We rented from Century 21 and it was quick and easy. When ever we had to make a service call, they were taken care of immediately. Hope this helps in your decision making!
We live in Sebring, Have been here 10 years but vacationed here since birth.
We are in a bad drought now so fishing is not the best and the lakes have ecoli.. which is normal for droughts and such. The summers are hot and quiet, but we are currently growing. Younger people are coming in (we are 33 and have a young child)
The lake homes are pricey, rentals can be good but watch for age limits. New developments are coming onto the lakefronts but there are issues with impact fees and permits, zoning and such. There are nice condos near us on the lake, but have no clue on what the details on them are. Living on the lake is not all it is cracked up to be, between the bugs that come in and the fish smell and all that, not worth the hassle.
I would stay away from Fred Wild and definatley get your kids in Cracker Trail Elem. which is a higher quality school. We now homeschool because of the damage Fred Wild did. If you are renting, then you will not need to worry about taxes, also, Sebring is a high gas price town.
We are close enough to everything exciting on the coasts and in Orlando, but far enough away to still relax and not worry too much about the tourists. There takes adjusting to life here, it is slow and I must say coming from up north and being raised up there, the school system here is not more advanced compared to what type of schooling I had up there, but of course times have changed and it all depends on personal opinion and what is acceptable to the person.
It is relatively safe here, just keep your doors locked and vehicle secure. Just like every growing city or town, we have our bad apples that like to do bad things. We are happy here, have no plans on moving. Sebring is growing and changing, but it is all good.
So hope you come down and join us, the weather is perfect this time of year!!!
Being a military spouse of 21 years, I have a bit of knowledge under my belt about moving to small and large towns alike. A very good friend of mine lives in Sebring, so I have been there several times. Being honest but certainly not wanting to step on anyone’s toes, I for one would not move there. As Floridabound09 said, it is a very slow town and yes, it does wrap up fairly early every night... nearly dead on Sunday. Everyone has their own personal preferences, but for you to be so young and full of life... to consider moving to a town where there are only a hand full of restaurants, no place to go out for an adult evening, only Wal-Mart to purchase what you need... I shake my head. Sorry to all that live there and love it, as I said, to each their own. I for one, even when I just spend a week there visiting am looking for something to do other than roam the aisles of Wal-Mart during the day and watch TV at night. If a job is encouraging your decision, well I hope your spouse has one waiting for them as well. The job market there is a bust as well as the pay scale. My friend is looking to leave (has been for the last year) and has a very gorgeous home. She’d like to sell but the housing market is such that she would loose her shirt. Perhaps a nice enticement for those coming in, but once here, consider it a “Hotel California” because there are so many trying to unload their homes she can’t get out.
Being a military spouse of 21 years, I have a bit of knowledge under my belt about moving to small and large towns alike. A very good friend of mine lives in Sebring, so I have been there several times. Being honest but certainly not wanting to step on anyone’s toes, I for one would not move there. As Floridabound09 said, it is a very slow town and yes, it does wrap up fairly early every night... nearly dead on Sunday. Everyone has their own personal preferences, but for you to be so young and full of life... to consider moving to a town where there are only a hand full of restaurants, no place to go out for an adult evening, only Wal-Mart to purchase what you need... I shake my head. Sorry to all that live there and love it, as I said, to each their own. I for one, even when I just spend a week there visiting am looking for something to do other than roam the aisles of Wal-Mart during the day and watch TV at night. If a job is encouraging your decision, well I hope your spouse has one waiting for them as well. The job market there is a bust as well as the pay scale. My friend is looking to leave (has been for the last year) and has a very gorgeous home. She’d like to sell but the housing market is such that she would loose her shirt. Perhaps a nice enticement for those coming in, but once here, consider it a “Hotel California” because there are so many trying to unload their homes she can’t get out.
Best of luck whatever your decision.
There's a K-Mart also, and someone said there is a target? They have TWO movie theaters, one is located in a mall with a number of different stores...
Being a military spouse of 21 years, I have a bit of knowledge under my belt about moving to small and large towns alike. A very good friend of mine lives in Sebring, so I have been there several times. Being honest but certainly not wanting to step on anyone’s toes, I for one would not move there. As Floridabound09 said, it is a very slow town and yes, it does wrap up fairly early every night... nearly dead on Sunday. Everyone has their own personal preferences, but for you to be so young and full of life... to consider moving to a town where there are only a hand full of restaurants, no place to go out for an adult evening, only Wal-Mart to purchase what you need... I shake my head. Sorry to all that live there and love it, as I said, to each their own. I for one, even when I just spend a week there visiting am looking for something to do other than roam the aisles of Wal-Mart during the day and watch TV at night. If a job is encouraging your decision, well I hope your spouse has one waiting for them as well. The job market there is a bust as well as the pay scale. My friend is looking to leave (has been for the last year) and has a very gorgeous home. She’d like to sell but the housing market is such that she would loose her shirt. Perhaps a nice enticement for those coming in, but once here, consider it a “Hotel California” because there are so many trying to unload their homes she can’t get out.
Best of luck whatever your decision.
I should have mentioned...they have a military museum, they have a Lake for you outdoorsy types. I'm not an outdoorsy type, I'm good with a restaraunt or a bar..especially if I can play pool, darts, trivia games, or sing karaoke. And there's a bar not far from Harder Hall that let me do all those things.
Being a military spouse of 21 years, I have a bit of knowledge under my belt about moving to small and large towns alike. A very good friend of mine lives in Sebring, so I have been there several times. Being honest but certainly not wanting to step on anyone’s toes, I for one would not move there. As Floridabound09 said, it is a very slow town and yes, it does wrap up fairly early every night... nearly dead on Sunday. Everyone has their own personal preferences, but for you to be so young and full of life... to consider moving to a town where there are only a hand full of restaurants, no place to go out for an adult evening, only Wal-Mart to purchase what you need... I shake my head. Sorry to all that live there and love it, as I said, to each their own. I for one, even when I just spend a week there visiting am looking for something to do other than roam the aisles of Wal-Mart during the day and watch TV at night. If a job is encouraging your decision, well I hope your spouse has one waiting for them as well. The job market there is a bust as well as the pay scale. My friend is looking to leave (has been for the last year) and has a very gorgeous home. She’d like to sell but the housing market is such that she would loose her shirt. Perhaps a nice enticement for those coming in, but once here, consider it a “Hotel California” because there are so many trying to unload their homes she can’t get out.
Best of luck whatever your decision.
I moved to Highlands County in 2003. I come from a big city in Germany and had my share of military lifestyle as well. I now live in Avon Park and I find there is plenty to do, there is plenty of shopping and there is plenty of dining:
Wal-Mart, Sebring
Wal-Mart, Avon Park
K-Mart, Winn Dixie, Publix, Sweetbay, Family Dollar, Dollar General, Bealls Outlet, Michael's, Ross, Marschall's, Books-A-Million, Petsmart, Bed Bath and Beyond, Circuit City, Pier One Imports
Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Longhorn, Chillies, RJ Gators, Sonny's, Beef O'Brady's, Outback, at least 8 different chinese restaurants, over 10 latin american restaurants, 30+ local cuisine restaurants non-franchised, and any fast food restaurant you can think of.
It's a few hours to get to the beaches on each coast, same distance to the Orlando attractions. The Everglades and the Keys are a nice weekend trip. If that's too far, we have plenty of recreational fascilities, lakes, parks and entertainment to go around such as BBQ competitions, Blueberry Festival at Henscratch Farms, Hammock State Park, Museums, horseback riding for kids, Children's Museum, County Fair, Lawnmower Racing, Crafts Fair at Avon Park's Mile Long Mall...... There's a booklet called "101 Things to do in Highlands County" and it doesn't nearly cover all activities.
Our real estate market is well on its way to recovery. I'm a licensed Realtor living and working in Highlands County. Homes definetely sell and there are plenty of buyers looking to buy in Highlands County. Of course, there are homeowners that completely overpayed for their home during the boom and are now upset about not being able to make a profit. Nobody will buy a home in a down-market and pay the boom-days price for it. I recommend your friend stay put and give the market some more time to recover. We have bottomed out a few months ago, it will take a few years to get back to normal. I don't know what your friend paid for her home but generally speaking, there are always options that can be explored.
Because the vast majority of our residents are retirees, our infrastructure and job market is accordingly. However, if one wants to work, one can find work.
I don't mind living in Highlands County. I'm 40, married, 11 year old daugther, 2 dogs, 4 cats, pool home in Avon Park. I like my life. I'm never bored, there's always something to do.
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Schools and Homes in Highland's County
