Sarasota-possible relocation (mortgage, home, where to live)

[Rushmore]

I love living here.

That said, the biggest concerns for newbies are:

1. THE HEAT. For four months (June--Sept), it sometimes feel like the surface of Venus around here.

2. Culture shock. If you're from someplace like a big city or a small town, this can take some adjusting to.

None of this bothers me at all, but I know it does some folks.

Visit as often as possible first, and even after that, rent for a year.

Good luck.

[andrea lee]

Hi! I am moving to Sarasota from Massachusetts- I have made the final decision!- in spring/summer 2014. From my visits there ( I even have a tatoo drawn from a real photo of a siesta key sunset i experienced, on my body done in 2008 , so that I could carry it with me every day). I am a single mature Mom with a son with AUTISM who would be entering high school then, and a daughter who will be living with me and going to a local college there. Though I am scared, I know in my heart its where we all belong. looking to spend about $200 k on a 3-4 bedrm home with a small private yard of some type, and I will be looking for a part to full time job in social work/therapy- I have a MS now and work as a therapist to children with ADHD and Autism and their families. I love the culture, the downtown, the beaches... any advice re where to live, and AUTISM resources? I will rent before we buy for sure.... looking forward to living in paradise sarasota ALL advice APPRECIATED..

[Rushmore]

Originally Posted by andrea lee

Hi! I am moving to Sarasota from Massachusetts- I have made the final decision!- in spring/summer 2014. From my visits there ( I even have a tatoo drawn from a real photo of a siesta key sunset i experienced, on my body done in 2008 , so that I could carry it with me every day). I am a single mature Mom with a son with AUTISM who would be entering high school then, and a daughter who will be living with me and going to a local college there. Though I am scared, I know in my heart its where we all belong. looking to spend about $200 k on a 3-4 bedrm home with a small private yard of some type, and I will be looking for a part to full time job in social work/therapy- I have a MS now and work as a therapist to children with ADHD and Autism and their families. I love the culture, the downtown, the beaches... any advice re where to live, and AUTISM resources? I will rent before we buy for sure.... looking forward to living in paradise sarasota ALL advice APPRECIATED..

Sounds like Gulf Gate is calling. Small houses, great little neighborhood.

Best of luck.

[Sunshine Rules]

Hi Andrea,

Renting before buying is a smart move if you're not yet sure of what neighborhoods would work best for your family. That being said, if you find a rental in a neighborhood you think you might like to buy in, you can take it for a "test drive" and see if it's a good fit.

As someone already said, Gulf Gate south of Clark Rd might appeal to you. It has a voluntary HOA and some deed restrictions but not excessive as the neighborhood dates from the 1960's. For rental searches, it's zip code 34231.

Closer to downtown Sarasota, Alta Vista and Paver Park are popular neighborhoods with buyers. Zip codes mainly 34237 but also 34239. Paver Park homes were built mainly in the late 50's and early 60's by the Paver brothers, Stanley and Paul. Many of the homes in this neighborhood are now being renovated. Alta Vista means "high view" and the Alta Vista neighborhood (south of Ringling and north of Bahia Vista, west of Tuttle & east of US301) is not in a flood or evacuation zone. The neighborhood is rated one of the 10 most walkable in Sarasota. These 2 neighborhoods are also close to Payne Park, which offers playing fields for sports, walking paths and a skateboarding park. Alta Vista has quite a mixture of living options, from modest bungalows to higher end homes and duplexes.

The South Gate area is partially in the city, partially in the county, nearer to Siesta Key Drive. It's a mixture of 1960's and 70's ranch style homes, 50's bungalows and cottages. It's also near Arlington Park which has great recreational facilities, including a community pool. The actual South Gate community has a voluntary HOA and if you join, you can pay just under $100 extra each year to use the South Gate community pool and center, which is on the Tuttle roundabout just south of Webber St. The South Gate area zip codes are 34231 and 34239. Also in that same general area is the neighborhood Forest Lakes Country Club, which has nice 1960's - 80's ranch homes.

East of South Gate, near Bahia Vista and McIntosh, is Tamaron. Tamaron is a deed restricted neighborhood of 1970's and 80's built homes on decent sized lots. The HOA is very reasonable at $75 per year. Zip code 34232. The community is well maintained and popular with buyers, homes here don't stay on the market for very long.

Further east, off of Cattlemen Rd, is Colonial Oaks. This deed restricted neighborhood has a HOA fee of $130 per year and community rec center with basketball court, tennis courts, play & picnic areas. Homes there were built in the 1980's and 1990's. The northern part of the subdivision has lots of tall oak trees. It's an attractive community with nice sized lots. Zip code is 34232.


These are some of the neighborhoods Sarasota has to offer that may appeal to you.

[bbronston]

Good ideas for locations...for work, you might contact the Pinnacle Academy in Lakewood Ranch. They are a school for autistic students but there is also a Center for Autism Resources and Education located at the same location. While they may not be there for the purpose of job placement, I would expect that they'd have to be aware of every resource in the area and that might help identify potential employers.
The Pinnacle Academy
Home « C.A.R.E.

Of course, there are many neighborhoods and rentals out in the Lakewood Ranch area that might work for you, too.

[MARISOL12]

Could someone fill me in on whether sarasota downtown locations (NOT on water) are relatively safe from hurricane damage? I am thinking of moving to downtown Sarasota. I am gong to look into areas in downtown this coming week but coming from NYC and recently experiencing hurricane Sandy, I would like to know if I could be living in downtown Sarasota NOT on water and feel relatively safe, weather-wise.

[ibrad]

Regarding the question about hurricanes and downtown Sarasota. I think most of downtown is very close to the water. You may want to look a few miles east, and you would be better off if you are nervous. Lately, the north east has had worse luck than us on hurricanes. Sandy certainly reminded me how lucky we have been.

[Annieslp]

Hi there!

I have been directed to this forum by a friend and hope my post is in the correct place...

We will be relocating to Sarasota area and a looking for a rental. My husband and I, along with our yr old are British expats living on the Space Coast. We are currently living in a resort style 3bed,3ba corner unit condo, water view and love it but unfortunately there is not much of anything left over here since the demise of the space program..

We would be very grateful for any suggestions of areas to look/websites etc ...

Thanks in advance

[Sunshine Rules]

Hi,

There are literally thousands of websites that pop up when you do a search for Sarasota rentals.
Here are some of the better sites and other options I've found to provide rental information for the Sarasota area:
Some websites that list rentals (annual and/or vacation/short term) in our area:

Rentals.com http://www.rentals.com/Florida/Sarasota/ (easy to use search engines)

Real Rentals http://www.realrentals.com/houses_for_rent/?city=Sarasota&state=Florida+FL


RentalHomesPlus.com http://florida.rentalhomesplus.com/Sarasota

RentalHouses.com http://www.rentalhouses.com/find/FL/SouthwestFlorida/SARASOTA-BRADENTON

Rent Range www.rentrange.com


FlipKey http://www.flipkey.com/search/l/34618/?featured=true&gclid=CLql6oiwtqsCFY125QodFhQwiw

SarasotaRent.net http://www.sarasotarent.net/

Trulia www.trulia.com/FL/Sarasota/

Ebay classified http://sarasota.ebayclassifieds.com/homes-for-rent/?catId=100043



You might try the classified of the local newspapers:

Sarasota Herald Tribune http://www.heraldtribune.com/


Bradenton Herald http://www.bradenton.com/



Here are a couple of the better known property management companies in our area:

Stringer Management
Sarasota, FL
941-922-4959
http://www.stringermanagement.com/


Sarasota Management
Sarasota, FL
941-377-8400
http://www.sarasotamanagement.com/owners_choose.html?gclid=COiWw9qvtqsCFYlM4AodaE9Ze g


Are you bringing pets with you? Quite a few landlords in our area have restrictions on the breed of dogs allowed due to insurance. Some don't allow pets at all and others will require an extra despot for pets.

Short term rentals will be difficult to find right now as we are heading into the winter season and many of those have already been rented for the next 3 months. Annual rentals may be easier to find.

Good luck with your search and welcome to Sarasota!

[Rugs As Art]

I second (third, fourth, fifth...) all who have said great things about Sarasota. I recall leaving Sarasota in mid-90s to go to college and swore I would not move back here. Fast forward some years later and I moved right back here after law school. My wife and I love to take our son to the beach after work and always think... this is what people do for vacation and we can do it everyday!

My family moved here from PA in 1986 to open a rug store. They felt this area was growing rapidly and I will say it has changed a lot in the last 25 years. Correct me if I am wrong, but it seems the town is getting younger each year as this is no longer only a place to retire, but a great place to raise a family. Great beaches, great schools (Pine View, etc.), and great starter neighborhoods (Gulf Gate, Forest Lakes CC, etc.), plus great local restaurants!