Downtown living, Salary and Transportation in Orlando (Longwood, Lake Mary: apartment complexes, rental)

[novorua]

Hello,

I might be moving to Orlando for a job. I already had interview with company on phone and they are flying me out this week for an in person interview. I have a very good feeling about it and the company is located in Downtown Orlando.

Few questions:

1. Salary - I assume I will get paid around 45k. I am single with no family. With a $45k salary I can afford living in downtown, but should I? I only have student loan payment and some credit card debt I can manage.

2. How is the metro system? Are they usually on time? How is Uber & Lyft service in Orlando? In Austin I swear by Uber & Lyft so I was just wondering. I have an old car so I want to be prepared properly.

3. How is the Accounting industry in Central Florida? I would be involved in Tax accounting at a CPA firm and I am curious to know if there are any other Accountants on this forum.

4. Renting - If I can't live in Downtown Orlando where I work, where can I live in order to have a proper metro system help me on a consistent basis if needed? Also I have one broken lease on my rental history, but I have paid the amount off and I no longer owe them anything. Would that be an issue? Also do most apartments do credit checks for renting purposes?

Thanks for your help!

[PDF]

There is no metro system in Orlando. You will need a car. There is a bus system and a commuter train (not light rail) that runs out of Downtown, but you will still need a car to get around. Others will expand on this, but I wouldn't move to Orlando expecting to live car-free.

[Arcenal813]

Originally Posted by novorua

Hello,

I might be moving to Orlando for a job. I already had interview with company on phone and they are flying me out this week for an in person interview. I have a very good feeling about it and the company is located in Downtown Orlando.

Few questions:

1. Salary - I assume I will get paid around 45k. I am single with no family. With a $45k salary I can afford living in downtown, but should I? I only have student loan payment and some credit card debt I can manage.

2. How is the metro system? Are they usually on time? How is Uber & Lyft service in Orlando? In Austin I swear by Uber & Lyft so I was just wondering. I have an old car so I want to be prepared properly.

3. How is the Accounting industry in Central Florida? I would be involved in Tax accounting at a CPA firm and I am curious to know if there are any other Accountants on this forum.

4. Renting - If I can't live in Downtown Orlando where I work, where can I live in order to have a proper metro system help me on a consistent basis if needed? Also I have one broken lease on my rental history, but I have paid the amount off and I no longer owe them anything. Would that be an issue? Also do most apartments do credit checks for renting purposes?

Thanks for your help!

1. You'll be fine on that salary. For a single person with no family, it's actually considered good for the area -- good in terms of being able to have a nice vehicle, enjoy life, go out, etc.

2. If by metro you mean public transportation in general, it isn't good. At all. Lynx bus is pretty much everywhere, but it's a pretty slow system and will require you to have lots of patience. Our commuter rail is still very new and anything but practical except for those who live/work directly along its single line. Even then, its stops are often in very questionable locations. Want to go to Altamonte? This is where it will dump you: https://www.google.com/maps/@28.6638...7i13312!8i6656
In other words, don't depend on public transportation. You will eventually want/need a car.

3. There are quite a few. You won't be without work. Deloitte (although more of an auditing firm than anything) also has a pretty large office building in Lake Mary.

4. If you're going to rely on public transportation to get downtown, I highly suggest you limit yourself to areas within walking distance to a SunRail station, and there are not many. You might be able to find a decent apartment in Longwood near the station out there. IIRC, they have bran new apartment complexes within walking distance along Ronald Reagan Blvd. Yes, apartments do credit checks, but chances are it won't be a deal-breaker. You might just need to put down a larger deposit.

Good luck

[novorua]

Yeah I was thinking of residing in downtown or perhaps live next to SunRail. Let's see. Thanks for yalls advice.

[Disney_Geek18]

I can answer for the transportation question. We have LYNX running the buses and SunRail Commuter Rail.
For LYNX, it runs 7 days a week, 365 days. There are schedules, but due to traffic and other incidents, buses tend to run late and can be unreliable depending on where you are. Oh, and in Downtown Orlando, there is a free bus service called LYMMO that runs around every 5-20 minutes depending on the line and what time it is, they do run starting early morning and into the late night, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Super convenient if you need to get around Downtown.
Public Transportation Services for Orange, Seminole and Osceola Counties
http://www.golynx.com/core/fileparse..._LYMMO_WEB.pdf

As for SunRail, it is coming up to its 2nd anniversary so it is still very new and still growing. Yes some of the stations are in some outlying areas, but that is because they had to use the existing rail lines. You can use LYNX to get that "final mile" connection from the train. Trains run every 30 minutes during peak hours, and every 1-2 hours during non peak hours. Last train leaves Downtown around 9:30pm going North. And the train does not run on weekends or most holidays, such as today, MLK Day. But overall, when it's running, SunRail is a good option and runs on time (I believe) 99% of the time.
SunRail - A Better Way To Go

There is Uber service around the area, I'm not sure if there is Lyft service though. And I'm not too familiar with it in the Orlando area, but I know there is a decent amount of Uber drivers in the area, especially the closer you get to the tourist district.

Hope any of this info helps.

[WithDisp]

Originally Posted by novorua

Yeah I was thinking of residing in downtown or perhaps live next to SunRail. Let's see. Thanks for yalls advice.

SunRail does not go anywhere particularly useful. The purpose of it is to get people into Downtown Orlando, and aside from Finance, the city core has few employment centers. It should be noted it also does not run on weekends.

There's also a free bus that goes around downtown called LYMMO. Downtown isn't so huge so for the most part you can walk everywhere.

Lyft and Uber exist- and you can certainly get around with them... but the vast majority of bars you may go to are in Downtown Orlando. You can afford a place there on 45K.

[PDF]

There's also a Publix grocery store Downtown. So I'd definitely live Downtown if you're going car-free at least for a little while.

[novorua]

Good advice. I just got in contact with a guy around my age living only one mile from my work (Lake Eola). He is looking for a roommate for around $800. I'd have my own bed and bath. Might be a good deal if I end up moving..

[Arcenal813]

Originally Posted by novorua

Good advice. I just got in contact with a guy around my age living only one mile from my work (Lake Eola). He is looking for a roommate for around $800. I'd have my own bed and bath. Might be a good deal if I end up moving..

Great deal. Lake Eola is an awesome area. Very walkable and close to everything. We make it a point to drive out there on weekends.

[novorua]

Originally Posted by Arcenal352

Great deal. Lake Eola is an awesome area. Very walkable and close to everything. We make it a point to drive out there on weekends.

Seems like it is a nice area (Google images). The office building is right on Lake Eola I believe. I doubt anyone actually gets in the lake, right? Lol.