Moving to Sarastoa, Bradenton area (Plantation, Sarasota: foreclosure, renters, HOA)

[kellyck]

Hi, I am a widow with 5 children living in Ohio. We are planning to move to Sarasota, Bradenton area this year. I am only able to spend $1300 at most on rent. I am desperately trying to find information on good, safe neighborhoods with good schools. I know that is a lot to ask. I am open to any gulf coast area, not just Sarasota and Bradenton, as long as it meets my requirements. Any help you can give me will be greatly appreciated.

[TamRE]

There is another current thread on this same exact topic Sarasota/Bradenton. Here is the link: //www.city-data.com/forum/sarasota-bradenton-venice-area/1241182-moving-sarasota-bradenton.html

If you do a search on Sarasota and Bradenton in city-data, you will find a lot of information on neighborhoods, schools, and recommendations. North Port is in south Sarasota County and it might be another option for you. The rental prices are less expensive and the city is not as crowded. It has great schools.

As far as renting, I would recommend contacting www.rentmeflorida.com. You can go to their web site and search for properties for rent that are currently available. Also, a Rental Specialist would be able to help you.
They currently have a 4 bedroom townhome for $1250 a month in Beneva Ridge in Sarasota. Click the image below to see larger:


If you want to do some research on the schools here are the links.
Sarasota County Schools - Sarasota County Schools, Home

Manatee County Schools (Bradenton) - School District of Manatee County Florida

[Sunshine Rules]

No offense, but Beneva Ridge would not make a list of places I would suggest. I am not a rental specialist, but I know the community in question.

The rest of the information is great, would totally agree with it.

I'd add one more thing, there are homes and condos in our area that are in foreclosure that the owners are renting out, since the foreclosure process can literally take years to complete. These are often offered at prices slightly below the average for the area. You do have to take some precautions if renting a property in foreclosure.

There have been significant changes to the federal law as of 2009 that are of benefit to tenants of homes in foreclosure that you should be aware of. Before May of 2009, most renters lost their leases upon foreclosure. The rule in most states was that if the mortgage was recorded before the lease was signed, a foreclosure wiped out the lease.

These rules changed on May 20, 2009, when the president signed the "Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act of 2009." This legislation provided that leases would survive a foreclosure -- meaning the tenant could stay at least until the end of the lease, and that month-to-month tenants would be entitled to 90 days notice before having to move out.

An exception was made for the buyer who intends to live on the property (owner occupy). This buyer may terminate a lease by giving the tenant 90 days notice.

There are some other concerns about renting from a landlord who's property is in foreclosure. It is doubtful that the owner will maintain the home or make repairs if something breaks, such as A/C, appliances or leaks.

If you rent a property that is in foreclosure, it might be a good idea to contact the attorney listed on the foreclosure documents and forward a copy of your lease to him/her so the owner's lender is aware that a tenant is residing in the property. You wouldn't want to come home one day and find the bank sent a company over to change the locks because they thought the home was vacant. There was a recent article in the Sarasota newspaper regarding that happening to several unsuspecting tenants.

One other thing - most landlords in foreclosure are also neglecting to pay the mandatory HOA or condo fees on the property. FL just passed a law that states that a community association is entitled to recover the monthly rent amount from a tenant when the owner who is renting the property is delinquent in the payment of association assessments. So in a case such as that, the monthly rent would be paid to the HOA instead of the landlord until back due fees are recovered. There is a specific process in place for HOAs to follow in order to do so.

To see if a property you are looking to rent is in foreclosure, you can go to the Clerk of Court web site in the county where the property is located and look up the owner's name. If you see a Lis Pendens filing, the foreclosure process has been started.

For Sarasota county, the clerk's web site is:
SARASOTA : Clerk of Circuit Court & County Comptroller (click on "online services" & then "official records")

For Manatee county, the site is: Home

Stringer Management is probably the largest and best known rental management company in our area. They do have current rentals listed on their web site at: www.stringermanagement.com/


For the size home you need, you may find North Port as a cheaper rental option than Sarasota. Just keep in mind that North Port also has a number of homes in foreclosure, so be sure to check the foreclosure status of any proeprty you are thinking of renting. North Port is in southern Sarasota county & the Sarasota clerk of court link is listed above.

[SoFLGal]

Originally Posted by kellyck

Hi, I am a widow with 5 children living in Ohio. We are planning to move to Sarasota, Bradenton area this year. I am only able to spend $1300 at most on rent. I am desperately trying to find information on good, safe neighborhoods with good schools. I know that is a lot to ask. I am open to any gulf coast area, not just Sarasota and Bradenton, as long as it meets my requirements. Any help you can give me will be greatly appreciated.

My first question is about a job. Do you have a job lined up? Right now the unemployment rate is pretty high so I'd suggest getting that piece of the puzzle worked out first.

Of course, you would probably want to rent a home with in close proximity to your employment.

It would help to know the ages of the children to better recommend an area.

You'd get the best rental rates in the North Port area. You could probably get a 4 bedroom with a den Adams home for around $1200 per month.

Sarasota county has one of the best school systems in the state of Florida. It also has Pine View School for the Gifted, which was ranked the top school in Florida and one of the top schools in the Nation. It is a public school and the requirements are that you live in Sarasota county, have an IQ of 130 or more, pass the achievement tests required and have teacher recommendations. I have a child who attends PV. It's a great school but it's not for every kid. It services grades 2nd-12th. Here's some more info on that subject:
Welcome to Pine View School
Pine View School - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Public Elites - Newsweek.com
Pine View wraps up perfect Olympics | HeraldTribune.com | Sarasota Florida | Southwest Florida's Information Leader
America's Best High Schools: Gold Medal List - US News and World Report

There are many other 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

Here are the school districts by zone: http://www.sarasotacountyschools.net...lrp/zones.aspx

Southside services most of the downtown area south of Main St. North of Main would be mostly Booker school district. The Palmer Ranch area is mostly Ashton school district. There are other schools in the area but these are ones that I have either had personal experience with or I have friends that have kids in the schools.

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 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.

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.

Venice Elementary (34285, 34292, 34293)
The island of Venice, Bellagio on Venice Island, Lakes of Jacaranda, Pinebrook, South Venice, Venice Acres

Ashton Elementary (34233, 34238)-The Palmer Ranch communities(Arielle, Botanica, The Hamptons, Turtle Rock, Serenade, Stonebridge, Village Walk, Wellington Chase), Center Gate Estates, Colonial Oaks, Emerald Gardens, Grove Point, Three Oaks

Cranberry Elementary (North Port)
-(34286, a certain section)

Taylor Ranch (southern Sarasota county)-(34292, 34293)-Governors Green, Gulf View Estates, Blue Heron Pond, Lakes of Jacaranda, Myakka River Trails, Park Estates, Pelican Pointe Golf & County Club, The Plantation, Pennington Place, South Venice, Stoneybrook at Venice, Venice Golf & County Club, Southwood, Woodmere Lakes

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

Gulf Gate Elementary (34231, 34238)-Palmer Ranch communities-(Country Club of Sarasota, Deer Creek, Prestancia,
Marabella, Mira Lago, Palisades), Beneva Oaks, Coral Cove, Gulf Gate, Southpointe Shores,

Laurel Nokomis Elementary (mid Sarasota county)-(34229, 34275)-Bay Point, Calusa Lakes, Casey Key, Huntington Pointe, Isles of Sarasota, Laurel Pines, Laurel Woodlands, Mission Valley Estates, The Oaks, Park Trace Estates, Rivendell, Sawgrass, Shakett Creek, Silver Oak, Sorrento East, Sorrento Shores, Sorrento South, Sorrento Woods, South Creek, Southbay Yacht & Racquet Club, Stoneybrook at Palmer Ranch, Venetian Golf & River Club, Waterfront Estates, Willow Chase, Willowbend, Willowbrook

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)

Phillipi Shores(34231, 34242)-Aqualane Estates, Bay Island, Florence, Hansens, Harmony, Hidden Harbor, The Landings, Mira Mar, much of Siesta Key, Oyster Bay Estates, Phillipi Cove, Philipi Gardens, Pine Shores, Point Crisp, Princess Gate, Ridge Wood, Sanderling Club, Sandy Hook, Sarasota Beach, Siesta Cove, Siesta Estates, Siesta Isles, Siesta Bayside, Tortoise Estates

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

Englewood Elementary (southern Sarasota county)(34223)-Artist Acres, Bay Vista, Boca Royale, Deer Creek, Eden Harbor, Englewood Farm Acres, Englewood Gardens, Englewood Isles, Englewood Pines, Manasota Gardens, Manasota Key, Overbrook Gardens, Stillwater

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