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Old 12-20-2007, 10:49 AM
 
11 posts, read 37,049 times
Reputation: 13

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Considering relocating to the Orlando Area.

I have been offered a job which would be paying in the range of 74K yearly. Our family has been down 2x already to familiarize ourselves with the Area. I am married with a 2 year old son. We would be settling in the the Winter Garden area, more precisely a subdivision called Stoneybrook West. We are looking at purchasing a home in the 200K - 250K range.

Now we are still negotiating salary and relocation package at this time. From the locals I would like to get a feel for cost of living. Want to know if this salary is adequate for Orlando.

1. Monthly cost of tolls from Winter Garden to Orlando (W. Michigan Street Area)
2. Real estate taxes in Winter Garden?
3. Insurance for both home and car?
4. Our elementary school is Whispering Oaks. I have read some good reviews, but know that the school is only 2 years old. Anyone have any personal comments about the school? Not sure about middle or high schools in the area either.

I have done some research, but the estimates on taxes and insurance are sometimes 2x to 3x apart, both high and low. Want to get the real story from a local. This will really help me to negotiate a good starting salary and relocation package.

Regards,

Hopefully new resident of Orlando.
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Old 12-20-2007, 11:35 AM
 
975 posts, read 3,719,640 times
Reputation: 263
Sorry, I can't help you with the information you seek, but congratulations on your move. You will find Orlando far superior to Charlotte in terms of entertainment and things to do, an it's much closer to the beaches.
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Old 12-20-2007, 12:55 PM
 
Location: San Antonio
55 posts, read 208,417 times
Reputation: 32
I'm familar with Stoneybrook West and hear lots of good things. Great shopping nearby and close to all the interstates. Your property taxes will be about $4300 per year and home insurance about $90.00 per month. Your vehicle insurance (depending upon carrier, type of vehicle and driving record will cost about $1100. per year). I would suggest purchasing an e-pass for the toll roads (visit on line sites to order in advance).
Good luck!!
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Old 12-20-2007, 02:29 PM
 
Location: Orlando FL
1,065 posts, read 4,130,949 times
Reputation: 427
To figure real estate taxes on any home you purchase, a good rule of thumb is to take 85% of the purchase price. And multiply it by 1.8-2%. That will be a good estimation of your yearly tax bill.

The insurance ko1212 put is pretty accurate, but of course will depend greatly on a number of factors from how far away from a fire station you are, how much coverage you take out, how long ago the house was build and how it was built, etc. Stoney Brook West is a much newer area so I'm sure they are all up to current hurricane codes, and all the homes I've done in the area weren't in flood zones so you shouldn't have to worry about that either. I'd estimate between 80-140/mo for Homeowners Insurance.
Car insurance is going to vary HUGELY depending on your car and zip code. you can always just go on progressive.com and get a quote. Stoney Brook West's Zip is 34787.

If memory serves there are 3 or 4 tolls (depending on where you get on) to get to downtown. All in all you'll probably spend about $3-4 a day. Get an epass and you don't even notice. I don't know how anyone that lives in orlando gets around without their epass.

Can't really comment on the status of schools, but you can get all the school stats you can look at here. http://schoolgrades.fldoe.org/
And to find out other schools that will serve the specific address you move to, check out here https://www.ocps.net/Parents/Pages/FindaSchool.aspx
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Old 12-20-2007, 05:38 PM
 
Location: O-Town
1,781 posts, read 6,938,238 times
Reputation: 503
With that salary I think you will be just fine. And the stoney brook area is really nice!

I just hope you realize how hot it is here in the summer not to much comfort in outdoor activities. But other then that I love it here 20+ years and counting.
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Old 12-27-2007, 03:39 PM
 
4,167 posts, read 9,288,232 times
Reputation: 2446
Stoney Brook West is a very nice area. You'll be fine there but like everyone else says E-pass is a must commuting from there. Congrats on the job and welcome to Central Florida.
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Old 12-27-2007, 10:19 PM
 
207 posts, read 923,492 times
Reputation: 129
IMHO you should rent a house, in the area, for a couple of years before buying anything down here. Home prices are slowly but surely falling back in line with fundamentals. For example, a $250K house down here would sell for about $125K in Charlotte. The cost of housing, in Florida, has been out of control over the years, but is undergoing a major correction. So why buy a $125K house for $250K today, when you can rent a $500K house (today's sale price) for about $1,600 a month, and potentially buy that $500K house, numerous years from now, for $250K? Just my 2 cents!
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Old 01-05-2008, 09:32 PM
 
74 posts, read 70,177 times
Reputation: 25
Default I can help

Hi there in a Realtor in the area and actually live close to Stoneybrook and my 7 year old attends Whispering oaks. About the school all i can say is yes it is new but very good. Our daughter is in 1st grade and this is her 2nd yr there and we are very happy and she is very happy there. In regards to tolls to get to michigan along 429 then to turnpike you are probably looking at no more that $1.50 -$2.00 each way. In relation to property taxes and insurance this entirely depends on what you buy, but i would suggest for Stoneybrook West your budget would put you at the bottom end of the homes available, not that they are bad homes. We have several friends there and my office has some properties listed there and they are nice homes and its a nice gated community with a nice golf course, which reminds me i must get out there for a round....lol



Nick

Last edited by Yac; 01-07-2008 at 09:40 AM.. Reason: :)
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Old 01-10-2008, 10:14 PM
 
Location: Windermere
1 posts, read 3,143 times
Reputation: 10
Hi! We actually just moved down from Charlotte 5 months ago. We live near the backside of Disney and my son goes to preschool in Winter Garden. It is a very nice area and Stoneybrook West looks really nice. Hope I can help with your questions:

1. I used to travel from Baldwin Park to Winter Garden while our house was being built. The tolls are around $1.75 depending on where you get off or get on. We bought a sunpass, but that does not save you any money just convience.
2.We have not got a tax bill yet, but the Real Estate taxes here are way higher then they were for us in Charlotte, but the housing here is so much more then Charlotte. Guess Florida has to make money some way.
3.Our home insurance & car insurance have not changed too much. Just depends if you get flood insurance or not. We heard insurance was much higher here, but it really is not.
4.Do not know much about the school. I do know that West Orange is the High School and I have not heard such great things about it. I am sure by the time your son is in High School they will have built a new one.

Hope this helps! Florida is a big change from Charlotte, but we are really starting to like it here. If you have any more questions please feel free to contact me.

Good luck!
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Old 01-12-2008, 04:15 PM
 
34 posts, read 100,159 times
Reputation: 21
I can't wait to move back to the Charlotte area. I can't afford to live here in Florida. Think twice before commiting to buying. Good Luck
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