Area by "Splended China" (Orlando, Kissimmee: spring break, rentals, crime)

[Palmtreegirl]

We are looking in the area of Formosa Gardens near Spendid China.
Its in Kissimmee.

Does anyone have any idea about this area as far as crime and shopping.
How about schools, is there a hospital near by



Is Sandhill Road total traffic jams.


Thanks in advance.

We are looking to buy a home here in the next 2 months.

[AJ67]

Traffic is hOrrible anywhere around 192

[Jfunk]

This is a good area but is filled with tourists. The Formosa Gardens subdivision has a lot of vacation rentals in it. So, if you are planning on living there I would plan on having new neighbors every week. This will be the case with many of the subdivisions in Kissimmee near Disney. If you are looking to rent the property out as a vacation rental then Formosa Gardens is a good area. I have had clients love the area since they are close to Disney and do not have neighbors and others that have decided to live elsewhere due to the fact that there are no neighbors.

As far as shopping they have been building a lot of retail in the Four Corners area (US 192 & Hwy 27). There are also plenty of restaurants in the immediate vicinity.

[pianogal]

Originally Posted by Jfunk

This is a good area but is filled with tourists. The Formosa Gardens subdivision has a lot of vacation rentals in it. So, if you are planning on living there I would plan on having new neighbors every week. This will be the case with many of the subdivisions in Kissimmee near Disney. If you are looking to rent the property out as a vacation rental then Formosa Gardens is a good area. I have had clients love the area since they are close to Disney and do not have neighbors and others that have decided to live elsewhere due to the fact that there are no neighbors.

As far as shopping they have been building a lot of retail in the Four Corners area (US 192 & Hwy 27). There are also plenty of restaurants in the immediate vicinity.

I would concur with all this...BUT I would NOT want to live in a community with alot of vacation rentals. I think you can imagine all the issues this would bring - none of them pleasant from my perspective. If this is for short term, it would be OK..but not long term. Also, the traffic is horrible!

[cmj_fla]

I was in this area yesterday and could not believe how much it has grown. On that end of 192 traffic is not that bad. There is a new toll road and 1-4 and 27 so commuting to most of Orlando is pretty nice. It is really a nice area but as others have said it is full of vacation rentals. But if it is one of the older developments like Indians Ridge and Indian Oaks (which has its own park and pool) then it is not much of a problem There was practically no traffic on Sand hill (turns into Formosa Gardens) at all when I drove it. I took it to get onto 192 and it was much better than taking Old Lake Wilson and it runs parallel to the new toll road. Overall I like this area a lot and would not worry about the traffic - it is much worse on the other side of 1-4 (on 192) or the crime. The schools there are some of the best in the county (avoid Four Corners Charter School and go with the Celebration Schools instead) and their is a hospital a few miles away (Florida Hospital Celebration) that is one of the best in the area with amazing facitlites (I had 2 of my children there). Pm me if you need more info - Good Luck!

[Jfunk]

Let me clarify my position with the vacation rentals. I do not think that having short term units around is going to cause many problems. The typical person that rents out a vacation home is a family. We are not talking about Daytona spring break here. Most families are hardly even in the homes, they go to the theme parks and come home and go to sleep then do it all over again. I have worked with vacation rentals for over a decade. Like anything else you might find the occasional bad apple but they are typically few and far in between and at least you are not stuck with that bad apple for more than a week.

The main reason I brought up the vacation rental aspect was to provoke your thoughts about possible not living in a community filled with full time residents.

As far as 192 traffic things have been a lot better since all of the road expansion a few years ago. You typically will not have much of a problem with traffic. 192 does become very crowded during the morning hours when Disney is opening and after the parks have closed but once you learn the area you will know how to avoid all of that. There are plenty of alternative routes. You will find other ways in many cases faster ways to get around.