Relocating...where to live (Tampa, Plantation: bank owned, short sales, foreclosures)

[msujohn]

I may be relocating to Florida and will be working in Bradenton. I'm married with 2 kids (1st and 3rd grade) where are some good places for me to live that are no farther than 30 minutes away from Bradenton? I want to make sure that they have top notch schools and family friendly. My budget for a house would be between $425k - $550k. Any advice would be appreciated.

[SoFLGal]

There are many fantastic schools in Sarasota and Manatee county's Here's a website where you can see how the schools are rated:
School Accountability Report...
or www.GreatSchools.com for opinions

Here are the Sarasota school districts by zone: http://www.sarasotacountyschools.net...lrp/zones.aspx
Here are the Manatee county FCAT scores: School District of Manatee County FCAT Grades

Southside services most of the downtown area south of Main St. North of Main would be mostly Booker school district. Downtown (southside village) might work for you depending on where you are in Bradenton.

Sarasota ranks as one of the top districts in the state by a number of measures, including test scores, graduation rates and teacher compensation.

It offers distinctive programs tailored to different student needs, including Florida's only school for the gifted, the state's largest special needs school and one of a handful of career-focused high schools.

Alright, if I were checking out schools other than Pine View (Osprey is too far south from Bradenton) these are the schools that I would look into, in order. This is also the order they fall in if you look at the stats on the state of FL.

I'll throw some zip codes in as well to use for a general guideline but make sure you double check them with the map provided and the local school board as the map/zip codes may change slightly if they add a new school.

I'm going to also include a few neighborhoods within each zip code. Keep in mind that there are many other communities in each zip code worth checking out. I'm just trying to give you a starting point. Also if the community is very large it might encompass two or three different schools.

Please use this website when searching for properties: www.myfloridahomesmls.com It's the most up to date website.

If you could give us a little more infomation it would also help to recommend more specific areas. Were you looking for a gated community or not? A newer home or is an older home OK? What kind of things do you like to do-golf, tennis, boating, go to the beaces?

The elementary schools in Sarasota county that would be close enough to Bradenton are Southside, Lakeview, Tatum Ridge and Fruitville.

Sarasota County Schools

For Elementary
Southside Elementary (34228, 34236, 34239, 34242)
Most of the downtown Sarasota condos, the condos/homes on the south end of Longboat Key, Bay Isles, Bird Key, Bungalow Hill, Cherokee Park, County Club Shores, Granada, Harbor Acres, Lido Key, McClellan Park, Poinsettia Park, St Armand's, some of Southgate.

Lakeview Elementary (34241)-Bent Tree, Country Creek, East Lake, Forest at Hi Hat Ranch, Founders Club, Foxfire, Gator Creek, Heritage Oaks Golf & Country Club, Lake Sarasota, Misty Creek, Myakka Valley Ranches, Preserve at Heron Lake, Red Hawk Reserve, Saddle Creek, Secluded Oaks, Serenoa, Trillium, Tuscana

Tatum Ridge Elementary (34240)
-Barton Farms, Colonial Oaks, Deer Hammock, Founders Club, The Hammocks, Laurel Lakes, Laurel Meadows, Laurel Oak Estates, Oak Ford Golf Club, The Paddocks, Palmer Farms, Palmer Glen, Sarasota Golf Club, Sarasota Polo Club, Shadow Oaks, Summerwood, Tatum Ridge, Villages at Pine Tree-(Marsh, Ponderosa, Spruce Pine)
Garden Elementary(34285, 34292, 34293)

Fruitville Elementary(34232)-Hidden Oaks, Nottingham, Sherwood Estates, Sherwood Forest, Woodland Park

For Middle
Sarasota Middle (34231-34242)

High School
Riverview(34231-34242)

Manatee county Schools

Elementary Schools
Robert Willis Elementary(34201, 34202)-Carlyle at the Villages of Palm Aire, Country Club East at Lakewood Ranch, Edgewater Village, Lake Club, Lakewood Ranch, Lakewood Ranch Country Club, Long Pond at Mote Ranch, Mote Ranch, Panther Ridge, Preserve at Panther Ridge, River Park at Mote Ranch, Riverwalk Ridge Cypress Banks, University Park

Gene Witt Elementary(34212)-Country Creek, Country Meadows, Foxbrook, Greyhawk Landing, Hidden Oaks, Mill Creek, Rye Wilderness,

Gilbert W McNeal Elementary(34202)-Concession, Greenbrook Village, Lakewood Ranch, Summerfield Village

Braden River Elementary(34202, 34211)-Braden Pines, Braden Woods, Oakbrooke at River Club, River Club North & South, Rosedale, Summerfield Village

BD Gullett Elementary(34211, 34212)-Central Park at Lakewood Ranch, Greyhawk Landing, Panther Ridge

Ida M Stewart Elementary(34209)-Perico Isles, Pinehurst, Riverview Landings, Shaws Point, Wisteria Park, Woodlands Park on Palma Sola Bay

Anna Maria Elementary(34216, 34217, 34228)-Anna Maria Island, Bay Palms, Bimini Bay Estates, Cortez, Emerald Harbor, Holmes Beach, Ilexhurst, Key Royale, Long Beach, Longboat Key, Shore Acres, Sleepy Lagoon, Wells Bay Harbor

Virgil Mills Elementary(34219, 34221, 34222)-Ancient Oaks, Copperstone, Covered Bridge, Fairways at Imperial Lakewoods, Fosters Creek, Heather Glen, Kingsfield Lakes, Lexington, Waterford, Whitney Meadows, Woodlawn Lakes

Kinnan Elementary(34243)-Carlyle at the Villages of Palm Aire, Country Oaks, Desoto Lakes Country Club, Glenbrooke, Mote Ranch, Palm Aire, Palm Lakes, Quail Run, University Groves, Rio Mar, Trails, Treymore at Village of Palm Aire, Vintage Creek

Freedom Elementary(34212)-Gates Creek, Greenfield Plantation, Heritage Harbour, Lighthouse Cove at Heritage Harbor, Old Grove at Greenfield, Planters Manor at Greenfield, River Strand, Stoneybrook at Heritage Harbor, Waterlefe Golf & River Club

Tara Elementary(34212)-Barrington Ridge, Braden Crossing, Creekwood, Manatee Oaks, Mandalay, River Landings Bluffs, River Place, Rivers Edge, Silver Lake, Tailfeather Way at Tara, Tara, Tara Preserve, Wallingford, Water Oak

Middle School
Carlos E Halie Middle(34208-34212)

Braden River Middle(32401-34243)

Nolan Middle(34202, 34211, 34251)

King Middle(34209, 34216, 34217, 34228)

High School
Lakewood Ranch High(34202, 34211, 34212, 34251)

Manatee High(34205-34209, 34216, 34217, 34228)

Alternative School
Manatee School for Arts and Sciences

[Big House]

Originally Posted by msujohn

I may be relocating to Florida and will be working in Bradenton. I'm married with 2 kids (1st and 3rd grade) where are some good places for me to live that are no farther than 30 minutes away from Bradenton? I want to make sure that they have top notch schools and family friendly. My budget for a house would be between $425k - $550k. Any advice would be appreciated.

Work with a good agent that knows the area, and you will find something really nice for the budget you have. Depending on where you are coming from you may be very pleasantly surprised at the value you can get for your budget as well.

Where are you coming from? What kind of work do you do. With two young kids, you are probably not retired...

Good Luck!! Welcome to the board.

[msujohn]

I'll be coming from Texas (Housing costs are very low). Just trying to get a jump on this, so I have some ideas on where to look. I debate if it would be better living south of Tampa (30 to 45 minutes away from Bradenton) or in the Sarasota area or somewhere around there. I will be traveling a little (twice a month) so being closer to the airport would be a benefit. From what I have read it seems I need to be concerned with the schools and crime. I'd like to get in an area that has alot of kids (my wife and I are both 40).

[41mag]

Originally Posted by msujohn

I may be relocating to Florida and will be working in Bradenton. I'm married with 2 kids (1st and 3rd grade) where are some good places for me to live that are no farther than 30 minutes away from Bradenton? I want to make sure that they have top notch schools and family friendly. My budget for a house would be between $425k - $550k. Any advice would be appreciated.

in your price range you'll find great deals of houses worth far more than that,we moved recently to the mill creek area right off state rt 64 5 miles east of 75 and found a 3 year old short sale that had 800000.00 invested we picked up for 350000. with a pond view oversized 3 car and a i/2 acre in a culdesac . we spent 15000.00 for repairs and another 45000.00 for a great pool with all the bells and whistles. so they are out there for the picking

[SoFLGal]

Originally Posted by msujohn

I'll be coming from Texas (Housing costs are very low). Just trying to get a jump on this, so I have some ideas on where to look. I debate if it would be better living south of Tampa (30 to 45 minutes away from Bradenton) or in the Sarasota area or somewhere around there. I will be traveling a little (twice a month) so being closer to the airport would be a benefit. From what I have read it seems I need to be concerned with the schools and crime. I'd like to get in an area that has alot of kids (my wife and I are both 40).

One of the clues to a family friendly community is usually a playground. Here are a few specific communities in Bradenton that I would recommend for you.

Greenbrook Village in Lakewood Ranch-This community has a playground and is walking distance to Adventure Park.

Greyhawk Landing-Community heated pool, fitness center, playground, tennis courts, gated

Heritage Harbour-Community heated pool, golfing, playground, park, tennis courts, maintenance free, gated, security

River Strand at Heritage Harbor-Community heated pool, golfing, playground, park, tennis courts, maintenance free, gated, security

Mill Creek-Playground

[msujohn]

So in the Sarasota area, what does the house typically sell for (% wise) compared to the asking price?

[SoFLGal]

Originally Posted by msujohn

So in the Sarasota area, what does the house typically sell for (% wise) compared to the asking price?

It really depends on the specific area quite a bit but if I pull homes in Sarasota that sold in the last 3 months in your price range, they're selling on average for 91% of list price.

If you have a specific area/community in mind I can give more specific stats.

[msujohn]

Thanks for all the replies. I will have to do some homework to look into these areas a little more. Are there any downsides into buying a short sell/bank owned home?

[SoFLGal]

Here's a blog that I wrote that explains how shorts sales and foreclosures work. //www.city-data.com/blogs/blog1...eclosures.html

Short sales usually take a few months to close and bank owned homes can usually close pretty quickly. Three important questions to ask when looking at short sales are:

1. How many mortgages are on the property? If there is more than one it may take an extended amount of time to negotiate.

2. Is the price "bank approved"? If it is then that can considerably cut your waiting time.

3. Has the buyer turned in their short sale package? This can also determine whether it's going to be a long waiting period or not.

Keep in mind that the price that the home is listed at is not necessarily what the bank with accept. Have your Realtor run comparable properties to get an idea of what the bank may take for the property.

My partner and I list many of the bank owned homes in the area. Generally things go pretty smoothly. It's similar to what you'd expect with a regular sale however you won't be receiving a sellers disclosure on the property because the bank has never occupied the home and would not be aware of any issues. Also, the bank usually pays title.