buying with kids near sarasota (University, University Park: city hall, rentals, HOA fees)

[lovemyfourkids]

Hi! My husband will be working in Sarasota. We have 4 kids under 9 and are looking for a home that will be in a safe, kid friendly neighborhood. We don't want hubby's commute to be over 30-40 minutes. I'd appreciate any direction you can give me as he leaves SOON and I have no idea where to even look! We'd like to buy so that we don't have to keep moving the kids. Thank you in advance!

[TamRE]

The location would depend on your price range and search criteria. Do you want to be in a deed restricted community with HOA fees or a non-deed restricted area? What type of amenities, if any, might you be looking for in a community? Golf, pool, tennis, clubhouse, fitness, etc? Are you looking for more of a kid-friendly community with a park or playground nearby? What area of Sarasota will your husband be working in?

[StepHome941]

I agree with TamRE in that the location will depend on your price range. If you can afford it, obviously Sarasota is your top choice. If you would like something more budget friendly, you can check out North Port, we are around a 40 minute commute although it could be a little more than that depending on where in Sarasota he is working (for example, is his office near I-75, or in downtown Sarasota or near US 41? North Port also now has a SCAT express service running from City Hall to Bee Ridge (Doctors Hospital) then Sarasota Memorial Hospital and then downtown Sarasota - there was an article in yesterday's North Port Sun about the service. You cannot view their articles online (you can only read the headlines unless you have a subscription) but if you check out their Facebook page you can actually read the full articles. You can find a 4 bedroom home in North Port for much less money than Sarasota and there are also top rated schools. North Port was a sleepy town up until the early 2000's and over the past 10 years the population tripled from 20,000 to around 60,000, with 10,000 of those 60,000 being school age children. The primary reason is people who want to be near Sarasota but wanted much more (and newer) home for their money!

[Sunshine Rules]

Originally Posted by lovemyfourkids

Hi! My husband will be working in Sarasota. We have 4 kids under 9 and are looking for a home that will be in a safe, kid friendly neighborhood. We don't want hubby's commute to be over 30-40 minutes. I'd appreciate any direction you can give me as he leaves SOON and I have no idea where to even look! We'd like to buy so that we don't have to keep moving the kids. Thank you in advance!

What is the general location of your husband's employer? North Sarasota, south, downtown?? Commute times say from south Sarasota to north or northeast Sarasota can be 30 minutes or more due to traffic in the winter months, so knowing general location would make it easier to suggest neighborhoods for you.

The other big question is price range of homes. What price range do you feel comfortable with? The inventory of 3 bedroom or larger homes under $200,000 in Sarasota is very tight at the moment, and buyers have to move quickly when a listing comes on the market.


Although I understand your concerns about moving more than once, your best option may be to rent until you learn your way around Sarasota and decide what will work best for your family, especially if you've not visited here previously.

[lovemyfourkids]

He's going to be pretty close to Lakewood Ranch Hospital from what I can tell on a map. If we decide to rent, I'm not sure where to even begin looking so I hope knowing the general area will prompt a more specific search. Rentals seem to be pretty high in the area though. We would be looking to spend less than $300k and would love to either have a pool at our home or in a community. I like the idea of a gated community and would like to be in a neighborhood with other children. I have heard that North Port is not a desirable area. Maybe this was old information...?

[bbronston]

Why wouldn't you want to live in LWR? You can find a home for that price range or find a rental, the schools are top notch, the amenities are excellent, and it is obviously close to work. Central Park, in particular, could be perfect for you.

[Sunshine Rules]

If you're looking to stay closer to Lakewood Ranch, Greyhawk Landings on SR64 is gated, has a large community pool, clubhouse with fitness equipment, playground, tennis, and sports fields like baseball & soccer. The lots are larger than some of the newer construction homes in the area and it has A rated school districts.

Also on SR64, west of Greyhawk Landings is Heritage Harbour, a smaller master planned community. Stoneybrook at Heritage Harbour is gated, has a variety of recreational amenities including 2 community pools, tennis courts, rollerblade rink, sand volleyball court and a rec center. Heritage Harbour has a large fishing lake, a number of sports fields, playgrounds and walking trails. You can get a feel for that community by looking at their community web site at www.heritageharbourcommunity.com.

Lakewood Ranch's Central Park is also gated and has a 10 acre park with playground & splash park, picnic tables, sports fields and 2 dog parks, but only one of the neighborhoods within Central Park has a community pool (Claremont), the others do not. It seems to be popular with young families, I always see kids playing either in the park or on sidewalks and in yards.

Also within Lakewood Ranch are the 2 non-gated villages of Summerfield and Greenbrook. Again, both have nice parks but neither has a community pool.

Within about a 5 minute drive of LWR is River Place, a gated community with a smallish clubhouse, a community pool, playgrounds and nature trails. It's located just south of the golf community Tara.

If you're willing to consider non-gated communities, Mote Ranch is about 10 minutes west of LWR and has several nice neighborhoods such as Chaparral, Longpond, Copper Ridge & Carlyle. They all share a large community pool on Honore Ave in a small park with an observation dock on the Braden River and a place to launch kayaks.

Another non-gated community about a 5 minute drive from LWR is Creekwood on SR70. Creekwood has a community pool and basketball courts.


There are other communities I can name that are within a 10 - 15 minute drive of the LWR area if you'd like more options.

[Oobie119]

Sunshine has some great alternatives to LWR....don't rule out Manatee county..the schools out East are very good. Look into the University Park area also.

[lovemyfourkids]

Thank you Sunshine Rules! This may be a stupid question, but since we don't have many of them where I am, is a gated community necessary? I'm wondering if these exist because of a high crime rate...? I am interested in communities a little further out and would appreciate suggestions. Any thoughts on the buying vs renting dilemma?

[blueherons]

Originally Posted by lovemyfourkids

Thank you Sunshine Rules! This may be a stupid question, but since we don't have many of them where I am, is a gated community necessary? I'm wondering if these exist because of a high crime rate...? I am interested in communities a little further out and would appreciate suggestions. Any thoughts on the buying vs renting dilemma?

Rent first then buy later. Reason being is you can get a better feel for the area and aren't stuck.

We have so many gated communities because people like them so much not because of crime. While a gated community will deter theives, it just doesn't seem to be a big problem in most areas. There are pockets of crime here in places like Newtown which is away from Lakewood Ranch.