Moving to FL from North, maybe Lake Mary (Tampa, Orlando: fit in, 2014)

[MovingtoFL2014]

Hi,

We are thinking about moving to FL, specifically Lake Mary some time this year. We have three boys 11, 5 and 1. I have my own internet business. We've had this on our mind for a while but this winter in the north and our 11 year old going into a middle school riddled with drugs is really pushing us to make this decision ... however we are so so nervous to make the jump!

Our biggest worries are the following:

1. What are the schools like? We hear schools in Seminole Cty are great but they say the same things about the schools where we live now in NJ and there's not much good about them .. unless other school districts are just worse.

How are the middle schools in Lake Mary really? Any of them straight up bad? and why?

Anyone know of Millenium Middle School?

What about Greenwood Lakes Middle?

2. What is the economy like? We know the area is still trying to come out of the recent crisis but is it getting better? Are the prices of homes going up?

If we invest in a 4BR/2BA home for about $350k, do you think it will hold and maybe even appreciate?

3. Speaking of homes, gated or non gated? Are those high HOA fees really worth it? We hear Heathrow is nice but fees are high .. and the living there is a little 'too high'. Meaning there's so much money there you might not fit in if you're not there.

Are the neighborhoods that are non-gated safe? Is Lake Mary in general safe?

What about the Lake Mary High School area?

What about below W Lake Mary Blvd or above HE Thomas Jr Pkwy?

Where should we stay away from?

How exactly does Longwood and Sanford relate to Lake Mary .. do they share schools?

4. Jobs .. are there jobs other than in the tourism industry? Any high-paying?

5. What is the business community like? Does everyone do business in Downtown Orlando area? What is the deal with that new Sun Rail?

6. Extreme heat .. is it true summers are brutal? How high does it go? What do you do, just stay inside with AC? Stay in water all day? What do people do when there are power outages?

Is the electric utilty expensive? How much do you pay monthly in the summer vs other months?

7. APARTMENT LIVING: We're thinking about living in an apt before we find the perfect home .. what kind of demographic lives in apts there? Students? Transient workers? Families?

Any recommendation on which apts we should look at?

8. When you call the police, do they come?

9. Other options: are there other areas as nice as Lake Mary? Good schools is our priority along with low crime, nice and quiet family area.

10. Hospitals, are there any world-class hospitals in the area?

What is insurance like? Does everyone have to get healthcare from the new Obama healthcare exchanges or how does that work there?

11. What about other insurance? How much is home insurance? Auto insurance? Do all homes there need some sort of flood insurance or Hurricane insurance?


Sorry for all the questions but we're close to making this decision and we still have so many concerns.

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by MovingtoFL2014

Hi,

We are thinking about moving to FL, specifically Lake Mary some time this year. We have three boys 11, 5 and 1. I have my own internet business. We've had this on our mind for a while but this winter in the north and our 11 year old going into a middle school riddled with drugs is really pushing us to make this decision ... however we are so so nervous to make the jump!

Our biggest worries are the following:

1. What are the schools like? We hear schools in Seminole Cty are great but they say the same things about the schools where we live now in NJ and there's not much good about them .. unless other school districts are just worse. Lake Mary/Sanford schools have been traditionally strong and are very sought after in terms of relocation.

How are the middle schools in Lake Mary really? Any of them straight up bad? and why?
Both are very good to excellent and I would probably lean toward Milennium as it's newer and has better facilities.

Anyone know of Millenium Middle School?

What about Greenwood Lakes Middle?

2. What is the economy like? We know the area is still trying to come out of the recent crisis but is it getting better? Are the prices of homes going up? The economy has been tough in Central Florida but areas with great schools have recovered well. The demand is high in Lake Mary and as a result homes have been selling quickly.

If we invest in a 4BR/2BA home for about $350k, do you think it will hold and maybe even appreciate?
If it was priced fairly (at market value) to begin with, yes.


3. Speaking of homes, gated or non gated? Are those high HOA fees really worth it? We hear Heathrow is nice but fees are high .. and the living there is a little 'too high'. Meaning there's so much money there you might not fit in if you're not there. Gated communities are not worth it unless you're nervous nellies. Lake Mary has a very low crime rate and if you have a home security system would say that is sufficient.

Are the neighborhoods that are non-gated safe? Is Lake Mary in general safe? Yes, very.

What about the Lake Mary High School area? Pretty safe.

What about below W Lake Mary Blvd or above HE Thomas Jr Pkwy? Pretty safe

Where should we stay away from? Can't think of anywhere.

How exactly does Longwood and Sanford relate to Lake Mary .. do they share schools? Lake Mary and Sanford do in some areas, Longwood...no.

4. Jobs .. are there jobs other than in the tourism industry? Any high-paying? Yes and relatively few.

5. What is the business community like? Does everyone do business in Downtown Orlando area? What is the deal with that new Sun Rail? Not very large in comparison to what you're used to. No, there are a few commerce centers including Maitland (and Lake Mary itself) which is much closer than Downtown Orlando.

6. Extreme heat .. is it true summers are brutal? How high does it go? What do you do, just stay inside with AC? Stay in water all day? What do people do when there are power outages? Not that bad with everything air-conditioned. The past few years Philadelphia (near you) has been hotter on average in June and July than here. Power outages are very rare.

Is the electric utilty expensive? How much do you pay monthly in the summer vs other months? I think electricity tends lower than gas in terms of climate control. $150-$200 a month is a good estimate for the summer months in my opinion.

7. APARTMENT LIVING: We're thinking about living in an apt before we find the perfect home .. what kind of demographic lives in apts there? Students? Transient workers? Families? A mix, working people mostly most of whom cannot afford to buy and those who don't plan staying for many years.

Any recommendation on which apts we should look at? Pebble Creek, Bell Timacuan or the Colonial Properties in Heathrow.

8. When you call the police, do they come? Umm, yes.

9. Other options: are there other areas as nice as Lake Mary? Good schools is our priority along with low crime, nice and quiet family area. There are other areas but none "better" in my opinion.

10. Hospitals, are there any world-class hospitals in the area? Yes, we have both Orlando Health and Florida Hospital.

What is insurance like? Does everyone have to get healthcare from the new Obama healthcare exchanges or how does that work there? It's a national initiative so yes.

11. What about other insurance? How much is home insurance? Auto insurance? Do all homes there need some sort of flood insurance or Hurricane insurance? Home insurance runs around $2000 a year on average give or take a few hundred. Auto insurance is around $1000 a year for full coverage on a financed vehicle. There is no "hurricane insurance" and flood insurance is rarely needed here in the center of the state though some new construction tends to push the envelope in some instances being in low-lying areas near a lake for instance.


Sorry for all the questions but we're close to making this decision and we still have so many concerns.

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

Hope this helps, answers are in red.

[MovingtoFL2014]

Thanks so much for your help! All of that info was very helpful!

[Sunshine7375]

I am also moving from the North ( NY specifically). My children are also 14, 7, 2, Lake Mary has been recommended by a good friend and I am still looking for the perfect home.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by Sunshine7375

I am also moving from the North ( NY specifically). My children are also 14, 7, 2, Lake Mary has been recommended by a good friend and I am still looking for the perfect home.

What are your criteria in terms of renting/buying budget and other "must haves"?

[NJJ]

My family is moving to Florida for my husbands job located in Lake Mary. We settled on Heathrow, Lake Mary after many months of research of all surrounding towns. I have a 17, 15 and 13 year old. My oldest will be attending college in Florida, and my 2 younger ones will be attending private school in the Orlando area. We are very excited about our move. I would be happy to provide any information as I have done it all! Good luck to all with your moves!

[Niturastogi]

Hi,
Planning to move to lake Mary,my husband works at lake Mary
So looking for an area around lake mary with Indian community
And great schools.
Please help

[clearlevel]

You could also try looking into the Windermere area. It's much bigger, has more luxury and upscaled homes and stores. From what I hear the schools are good. There are also many upscaled private schools throughout Orlando that some parents send their kids to. The Windermere area is connected by toll expressways to Downtown Orlando so you can be there in 20 minutes.

There are many other areas like Lake Nona that are nice too.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by clearlevel

You could also try looking into the Windermere area. It's much bigger, has more luxury and upscaled homes and stores.

It's actually much smaller. Lake Mary alone is at 16K in population and Windermere is just over 3000 in population and places like Alaqua, Alaqua Lakes, Magnolia Plantation and Heathrow are every bit as luxurious and upscale.

[clearlevel]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

It's actually much smaller. Lake Mary alone is at 16K in population and Windermere is just over 3000 in population and places like Alaqua, Alaqua Lakes, Magnolia Plantation and Heathrow are every bit as luxurious and upscale.

I was talking about "Windermere area" which includes Dr. Phillips, Windermere, Winter Garden and other unincorporated parts of Orange County. It's huge. They have so much land and they keep building stuff. The land area of Dr. Phillips alone covers more area than that whole Lake Mary area you're talking about. You can just tell by looking at the map.

The Lake Mary area is a good size, but it's nothing compared to other huge luxury areas that exist in Tampa or Southeast or Southwest Florida. Where they have miles of nothing but luxury homes and tree-lined streets that look like you've stepped into a resort area. Lake Mary lacks a lot of the luxury amenities you would expect, like an upscaled mall, more upscaled restaurants and upscaled grocery chains and restaurants. It just depends on your lifestyle.