Downside to living in Gotha? (Orlando, Sanford: low crime, house prices, buying)

[billycee]

We are considering buying in windermere dr phillips bay hill and winter park
but now i am considering gotta...it seems cheaper....is there a downside...why does it translate in lower house prices?
Thanks

[kyle19125]

You're really all over the map and as pointed out on another thread, will truly be so if choosing the west side to live with children in school in Baldwin Park and North Orlando. The distance you're driving can also be replicated in similarly desirable areas like Oviedo, Tuscawilla, Lake Nona, Sweetwater Oaks/Wekiva or Belle Isle/Conway in case you're thinking you've already narrowed to the most exclusive areas already. In other words I would suggest more homework and a few day visit. In terms of Gotha being "cheap", I would attribute to it's location which borders some less attractive areas and point to some weird zoning where nicer home developments border unattractive plots of land with commercial, light industrial or agricultural purposes as well as non-HOA homes in non-HOA condition if you get my drift.

[billycee]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

You're really all over the map and as pointed out on another thread, will truly be so if choosing the west side to live with children in school in Baldwin Park and North Orlando. The distance you're driving can also be replicated in similarly desirable areas like Oviedo, Tuscawilla, Lake Nona, Sweetwater Oaks/Wekiva or Belle Isle/Conway in case you're thinking you've already narrowed to the most exclusive areas already. In other words I would suggest more homework and a few day visit. In terms of Gotha being "cheap", I would attribute to it's location which borders some less attractive areas and point to some weird zoning where nicer home developments border unattractive plots of land with commercial, light industrial or agricultural purposes as well as non-HOA homes in non-HOA condition if you get my drift.

Thanks that helps.
I am finding the houses in winter park to be much smaller and much more expensive for a shorter commute.
I did look at Oviedo etc I think outside college baldwin and winter park and even within those areas the inner side is a short commute but everything else is simply 45 in traffic....
i am visiting again in october...till then hope you guys stay safe...Irma looks scary

[bmw335xi]

Originally Posted by billycee

We are considering buying in windermere dr phillips bay hill and winter park
but now i am considering gotta...it seems cheaper....is there a downside...why does it translate in lower house prices?
Thanks

Nothing really wrong with Gotha, especially on paper...

Most of the households make double the median household income. Crime is very low and most of the residents have college degrees as well. However, it is near so so areas.

[bmw335xi]

Originally Posted by billycee

Thanks that helps.
I am finding the houses in winter park to be much smaller and much more expensive for a shorter commute.
I did look at Oviedo etc I think outside college baldwin and winter park and even within those areas the inner side is a short commute but everything else is simply 45 in traffic....
i am visiting again in october...till then hope you guys stay safe...Irma looks scary

Since your children are going to private school, I'd skip Oviedo, still check it out, but it is very bland. The only good things about it is low crime and good public schools. It's a good option if you work at UCF as well.

[RunsOnCoffee]

Originally Posted by billycee

Thanks that helps.
I am finding the houses in winter park to be much smaller and much more expensive for a shorter commute.
I did look at Oviedo etc I think outside college baldwin and winter park and even within those areas the inner side is a short commute but everything else is simply 45 in traffic....
i am visiting again in october...till then hope you guys stay safe...Irma looks scary

That's 45 minutes one way to their school, time for drop off and another 45 minutes back home. Doing that twice a day is going to stress you out and eventually burn you out. I'm speaking from experience. Before we moved here from South Florida it took me up to two hours for morning drop off for my son due to rush hour traffic. We lived 16 miles from his school. The afternoon wasn't nearly as bad, but that was still an hour round trip. I did that for 10 months. My son is also autistic and when we relocated to from South FL to central FL we made sure we were within a reasonable distance from his private school. We now live in Oviedo and he goes to school in Winter Springs. It's a 15-20 minute drive to his school with morning rush hour. I just couldn't spend hours a day in a car any longer. It was really hard on our family. Another thing that I should mention is if they make school friends those kids will most likely be living in the area where they go to school. If they want to visit or have sleepovers they are 45 minutes away. And don't forget about school activities, parents nights, etc are going to be a 45 minute drive to get to. If you volunteer at the school it won't be an all day thing. If you volunteer in the morning then go home after you'll just be turning right around to go pick the kids up.

ETA: I know people think Oviedo is boring and too rural, but we love it here. We had a bald eagle hanging out by the pond in our backyard this morning. We don't have more than a few big box stores such as Target, bed Bath & Beyond, TJ Maxx and Home Depot, however, we are really close to Sanford and Waterford Lakes for shopping.

[Arcenal813]

Originally Posted by RunsOnCoffee

ETA: I know people think Oviedo is boring and too rural, but we love it here. We had a bald eagle hanging out by the pond in our backyard this morning. We don't have more than a few big box stores such as Target, bed Bath & Beyond, TJ Maxx and Home Depot, however, we are really close to Sanford and Waterford Lakes for shopping.

I don't quite get what's boring about it myself. It's a quiet town, but is minutes away from UCF, right off the 417, close to Winter Springs/Longwood and Sanford... It's not like one has to stay within city limits at all times.

That being said, I recently went to the Oviedo Mall with my kids to catch a movie. What an ugly mall that is.

[RunsOnCoffee]

Originally Posted by Arcenal352

That being said, I recently went to the Oviedo Mall with my kids to catch a movie. What an ugly mall that is.

It's bad. There's not much in there. I don't know how it's stays profitable. They are building a family friendly entertainment area, but what it needs is better shopping.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by RunsOnCoffee

ETA: I know people think Oviedo is boring and too rural, but we love it here. We had a bald eagle hanging out by the pond in our backyard this morning. We don't have more than a few big box stores such as Target, bed Bath & Beyond, TJ Maxx and Home Depot, however, we are really close to Sanford and Waterford Lakes for shopping.

Not to mention Winter Park is a short drive and has arguably as much if not more than most places in the Orlando area.

[billycee]

Originally Posted by RunsOnCoffee

That's 45 minutes one way to their school, time for drop off and another 45 minutes back home. Doing that twice a day is going to stress you out and eventually burn you out. I'm speaking from experience. Before we moved here from South Florida it took me up to two hours for morning drop off for my son due to rush hour traffic. We lived 16 miles from his school. The afternoon wasn't nearly as bad, but that was still an hour round trip. I did that for 10 months. My son is also autistic and when we relocated to from South FL to central FL we made sure we were within a reasonable distance from his private school. We now live in Oviedo and he goes to school in Winter Springs. It's a 15-20 minute drive to his school with morning rush hour. I just couldn't spend hours a day in a car any longer. It was really hard on our family. Another thing that I should mention is if they make school friends those kids will most likely be living in the area where they go to school. If they want to visit or have sleepovers they are 45 minutes away. And don't forget about school activities, parents nights, etc are going to be a 45 minute drive to get to. If you volunteer at the school it won't be an all day thing. If you volunteer in the morning then go home after you'll just be turning right around to go pick the kids up.

ETA: I know people think Oviedo is boring and too rural, but we love it here. We had a bald eagle hanging out by the pond in our backyard this morning. We don't have more than a few big box stores such as Target, bed Bath & Beyond, TJ Maxx and Home Depot, however, we are really close to Sanford and Waterford Lakes for shopping.

Which school does your child go to if you don't mind me asking....I am considering Lodestone although I did look into Alpine as well and Quest.
For my son communication and language is a big problem.