Moving to Orlando next week ... Please help us!

[chopchop0]

Originally Posted by annerk

Another who doesn't have a clue.

We have all sorts of outdoor activities, an aquatic and athletic complex, a new wine bar, a number of independently owned and chain restaurants, a movie theater, parks, ball fields, HILLS, horseback riding, shopping, bowling, a variety of credit and non-credit classes, the list goes on.

Right. Im sure the restaurant and wine scene is up there with Sand Lake Rd and Park Ave And the shopping is pretty much equivalent to Milennia, right? And you've probably got a couple of IMAX theaters to boot, too, huh?

Im sure you like living in Clermont, but don't kid yourself about where it lies in the pecking order of Orlando's finest areas in terms of amenities and things to do. Clermont is nice because it has that more rural, country feel with rolling hills yet you're not far from Orlando.

[annerk]

Originally Posted by chopchop0

Right. Im sure the restaurant and wine scene is up there with Sand Lake Rd and Park Ave And the shopping is pretty much equivalent to Milennia, right? And you've probably got a couple of IMAX theaters to boot, too, huh?

Im sure you like living in Clermont, but don't kid yourself about where it lies in the pecking order of Orlando's finest areas in terms of amenities and things to do. Clermont is nice because it has that more rural, country feel with rolling hills yet you're not far from Orlando.

And those areas don't have the boating, fishing, and bike riding that Clermont does. Our wine and restaurant scene is slowly gaining a foothold. We have a world-class triathalon (does Winter Park or Dr. Phillips--is the shopping in Dr. Phillips equivalent to Millennia?). Clermont has plenty to offer, don't knock it unless you actually know what is here.

[duttygal86]

Originally Posted by shawneelow

If you are white you should be okay. If you are a dark minority stay clear of kissimmee. The houses are beautiful the community is a racist cancer.

Its more like, if you can't speak spanish, no matter what race you are, stay out of Kissimmee. Its not a RACE issue in Kissimmee, its a LANGUAGE issue.

[totsuka]

Why live way out there?

[Soup Not See]

Originally Posted by annerk

Another who doesn't have a clue.

We have all sorts of outdoor activities, an aquatic and athletic complex, a new wine bar, a number of independently owned and chain restaurants, a movie theater, parks, ball fields, HILLS, horseback riding, shopping, bowling, a variety of credit and non-credit classes, the list goes on.

You forgot Montverde Academy and the most beautiful ghost town in the southeast, Bella Collina.

[annerk]

Originally Posted by leftee

You forgot Montverde Academy and the most beautiful ghost town in the southeast, Bella Collina.

I heard that real estate has started to move again in Bella Collina, mostly REO's that are selling for a small fraction of what they were skyrocketing to in 2006. (Bella Collina is a prime example of everything that was wrong with the real estate market.)

[chopchop0]

Originally Posted by annerk

I heard that real estate has started to move again in Bella Collina, mostly REO's that are selling for a small fraction of what they were skyrocketing to in 2006. (Bella Collina is a prime example of everything that was wrong with the real estate market.)

Agreed. I've heard of lots selling there for nearly 400%+ of their selling price now. By far some of the worst speculation in the whole area.

Chris Tucker's "$6 million" mansion was bought in 2007 and went into foreclosure with an assessed value of $1.6 million

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz...reclosure.html

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/...cowboys-gallop

Set in south Lake County hills overlooking Lake Apopka, Bella Collina was touted as the next exclusive community during the soaring housing market five years ago, catering to an opulent lifestyle. But today there are a mere 32 luxury mansions and homes amid a sea of 768 vacant parcels. Some quarter-acre lots that sold for more than $1 million three years ago are now worth less than $60,000, according to county property records.

[merriweather]

I'll say it again...having driven A LOT of the area as a tourist over the past few yrs, people should not be signing leases without first visiting the apt/condo/home (ie...mold) AND checking out the neighborhood / surrounding areas FIRST!

You need to be comfortable where you live (ESPECIALLY if you have children) and also be ok with where you will play/bank/shop/dine. You CANNOT know these things without visiting. It DOES matter who your neighbors are so that you & your family feel safe, whatever that might mean to each of us.

It may take a bit more $$, but I would rent in a well-regarded tourist hotel first for a week or two at least. Drive around. Ask questions. There are so many great places to live in the area, but like everywhere else, there are many places that look ok online but once we visited, we felt living there, we could NEVER be happy.

[CouchTater]

We're hoping to move down that way later this year and when we went down last year I was really impressed with Clermont out of the many towns we looked in. Maybe it doesn't have quite the amentities for the most part it looked clean and modern.