Will be down the Orlando area next month--Need the Usual Help with Neighborhoods! (Altamonte Springs: apartment complex, rental market)

[HeckOutOfNJ]

Well, another prospective Florida employer is having me come on down to Orlando at the end of next month. This one I have a good feeling about, but what I don't have a good feeling about is salary (I sense the ol' "you-can-take-a $60k-pay-cut-because-FL-is-so-much-cheaper-than-NJ/NY" nonsense...and of course, I'm exagerrating on the pay cut, but still...) My goal is to shoot for what I make now.

In any event, I would like to know what areas are like Dr. Phillips that I can rent a house in? From what I understand, Dr. Phillips is a very nice neighborhood but is a bit on the pricey side. I could afford it, but I would much rather rent something with a little bit more house, and also where my fiancee and I are not fearing for our lives. It's just us, and two small dogs (cutest Japenese Chins ever. .) We're shooting for kids, but we're not there yet. I would like a 3/2 house with a garage to rent and I'm willing to spend at minimum $1000 and at most $1350...could maybe go $1400 but that would depend on the house and neighborhood.)

My thing is, I do not want to live in the ghetto, nor in a neighborhood where I will be surrounded by tourists. I do not want to live next door to the theme parks, though I don't mind if I'm nearby them (just not right there.) My fiancee does want to check out the Mouse....

Please help, because I will have a limited window to actually see these places (on top of Dr. Phillips) while I am down there.

Thanks.

[Mr Idealism]

Are you hellbent on renting a house as opposed to an apt? Where will you be working if you land the job? You can rent a 2/2 apt in the Dr. Phillips area for around $1300/month. A 3/2 is going to be closer to $1500. Other areas nearby that are worth considering that may or may not be cheaper are Windermere, Winter Garden, Ocoee, Lake Buena Vista, Conway, Belle Isle, and Williamsburg.

To answer your main question, "is there anything like Dr. Phillips?." The short answer is NO. We've been house hunting for a couple years now, and after living here for nearly 2 years, we keep coming back to DP. If you don't mind being further out, Winter Park and Maitland are also great places to live. A lot of people will recommend Lake Mary, Sanford, Altamonte Springs, Oviedo, and Lake Nona, but it really depends on where you want to be. Since you mentioned DP, I would almost assume that those areas are out of the question.

[HeckOutOfNJ]

Originally Posted by Mr Idealism

Are you hellbent on renting a house as opposed to an apt? Where will you be working if you land the job?

One of the major employers in the Orlando area. I would prefer not to answer (publicly) though I'm not opposed to answering that in a PM if you want to send one to me. I do have an interview with this employer lined up. I have seen more houses than apartments in FL for the same cost it would be to rent an apartment in the Northern NJ/NYC area, so while I'm not "hellbent" on renting a house, I can't see myself not doing it for the cost. Because my work is a bit on the specialized side, I do also anticipate seeing at a minimum the same gross salary I currently enjoy. (I'm not asking for folks to believe me on that...but it's pretty much happening if I'm making this move.) The only other place I'm familiar with (from my readings here) is Windermere. Winter Garden seems to be a mixed bag, that's why I'm asking for help. I have not looked at Oviedo, but I would love to know more about it. My quick research suggests it might be ideal, but I wouldn't mind towns a bit more northern of Oviedo and in that general area, as opposed to DP.

Originally Posted by Mr Idealism

To answer your main question, "is there anything like Dr. Phillips?." The short answer is NO. We've been house hunting for a couple years now, and after living here for nearly 2 years, we keep coming back to DP. If you don't mind being further out, Winter Park and Maitland are also great places to live. A lot of people will recommend Lake Mary, Sanford, Altamonte Springs, Oviedo, and Lake Nona, but it really depends on where you want to be. Since you mentioned DP, I would almost assume that those areas are out of the question.

When you say house-hunting, do you mean to buy or to rent? I'm not looking to own for at least 5-10 years. Based on how much I plan to save, on top of what I already have, plus the housing market down there, I anticipate I can own almost outright. I would prefer to rent as I'm not sure if I will "love" Florida, though if I'm with this particular employer, I could see myself there a minimum of 3-4 years, but that will depend on where I live, which is why I have to get that right from the onset. All I care about is a safe, quiet neighborhood that is not trashy. I know I said "ghetto" in my earlier post, but I wasn't trying to link that to a particular race...one thing that class and trash have in common is that neither discriminates. Though my preference is on the side of class, of course.

Hopefully others can respond. I really am looking to live up to my name.

[Mr Idealism]

I'm more concerned where the location of your job would be, as opposed to what employer. That will help give us a better idea of where you should be searching.

A quick trulia search (which I've learned is just a tool) shows that you'd be spending a minimum of $1500 for a sfh in Dr. Phillips, and that's for a home that is not updated. The rental market here is MUCH different than the housing market. Supply and demand.

[chopchop0]

Originally Posted by Mr Idealism

I'm more concerned where the location of your job would be, as opposed to what employer. That will help give us a better idea of where you should be searching.

Bingo. No point in living in DP if you have to work in lake mary. Will be an awful commute on some days to say the least.

[HeckOutOfNJ]

I'm not married to DP. I just know that was one of the better neighborhoods. In fact, after thinking about it, DP would probably elongate my commute.

If it helps, it appears I would be working in East Orlando. East of Route 434 and north of Route 50.

I'm not opposed to going to a neighborhood that would get me more house for my rental dollars, but I can't be in a trashy neighborhood, either. I don't have a problem with diversity either, just so long as the neighborhood is safe, quiet and has an excellent school system. (For my future kids...plus, even if kids weren't an issue, excellent school system=excellent neighborhood.)

[chopchop0]

Look at winter park or Altamonte springs

[brinkofsunshine]

Is your heart set on totally suburban living? Because if you don't mind being close to downtown, there's some really charming neighborhoods on the east/southeast side of downtown that may be reasonable in terms of commute time. As far as I know, neighborhoods like Thornton Park, Lake Cherokee, and Delaney Park are safe and have really lovely homes. Maybe someone else can chime in about the schools, as I'm not sure what they're zoned for. Generally the best school districts are Dr. Phillips, Windermere and Winter Park.

I personally wouldn't live on the east side of town where you'll be working. I commute over there twice a week from Dr. Phillips. I don't really mind, although I can imagine 5 days a week could get tiring. But.. I love Dr. Phillips, so I won't budge

[HeckOutOfNJ]

I would like to try to keep my commute to a minimum of 30 minutes, and that's with traffic and hopefully without tolls. I will have seek counsel from my perspective employer as well. I know that Orlando is also a huge college town as well, so I'm not trying to live near a frat(ernity) house (though living near female coeds wouldn't be so bad, but I'd imagine my fiancee would then Lorena Bobbitt me, so that'd probably would be out as well...lol.)

I've been looking at current craiglist properties, and I would prefer not living in a HOA or apartment complex. I wouldn't mind going through a realtor to deal with an owner/property managed property, but coming from the Northern NJ area, I'm too familiar (personally--only did that once) with paying a realtor fee that equals one month rent. While I could afford that, I would prefer not to. I just want to live in an area where it's quiet and safe, but not too far away from a good hospital, and other urban amenities like shopping.

So far, all I have is an interview, but I'm preparing for the best case scenario. I'm still employed where I'm at, and I can remain employed indefinitely. But having a chance to move down to FL has numerous advantages for me, personally and I can't ignore that.

[brinkofsunshine]

You may have to adapt to living in an HOA neighborhood as this is Florida: land of infinite subdivisions, especially if you live anywhere suburban.