Possibly being relocated to the Sarasota/Bradenton area.... (Tampa, Largo: for sale, real estate)

[bettyjean2623]

My husband is being offered compensation by his company to move to the Sarasota/Bradenton area....I am looking for info on the area. We are a family of four, myself, my husband and our two daughters ages 17 & 15. We will live in a nice apartment, but would prefer a single home or duplex if possible.
We were planning on renting for the first year, maybe two while we get to know the area. We do have dogs, not vicious breeds.

Schools, living communities, family activities, etc are welcome. We love the beach as well Thanks in advance!!

[photoman_6]

you must realize that the Sarasota/Manatee counties area encompasses over 600,000 residents, and myriads of neighborhoods, from the rundown to the private. You need to determine a budget for rental, and then, together with the information as to where your husband is going to have to commute to, then ask those questions.
bear in mind that most rental situations may look askance at "dogs", unless they are small and single.

[bettyjean2623]

He was told to look in this area as it will be closest to his work. Our budget is roughly $800-$900 if possible but again I'm not familiar with the area and how much decent rentals are. I'm prepared to pay a deposit for my animals. They are flea treated and crate trained.
Any information on schools, good reasonably priced vets, etc. is greatly appreciated.
Also, I know a lot of people use Facebook group pages to show their rentals, so if anyone knows of them as well I would appreciate being told about them.
Thank you!!

[Nancy in Nokomis]

I would try North Port - which is still in Sarasota County and still good schools - and you might be able to find a nice, single family home that accepts dogs for $900 but more likely $1,200 and up a month. North Port is only about 30 minutes to nice beaches. Sarasota/Venice is usually more expensive. A lot of landlords will not accept pets but I find if you tell them about your pets and how well behaved and clean they are - they might reconsider - talk to them or show a picture.

[Sunshine Rules]

My first suggestion is to research rentals now, before your family makes a final decision about moving to Sarasota. That is because rental rates for anything with at least 2 bedrooms tends to start in the $1100/month range and go up from there. One bedroom condos are typically renting for $800 - $900 a month. A lot of the local rental inventory is used as seasonal rentals, i.e. winter rentals, so that helps drive up the prices for people looking for the standard annual rentals.

South Venice or North Port may offer more affordable rental options, but commute times should also be taken into consideration if your spouse is going to work in north Sarasota or Bradenton area.

Most of the local apartment complexes can be found by doing a google search. For other rentals, it's a mixed bag, you have to check out the 20+ rental sites where owners may post rentals. Some of the more popular ones I can't name here because c-d will block them out (considered to be competing sites).

You can also search for rentals listed thru real estate agents on the public version of our local MLS at:
Florida Homes for Sale direct from MLS

[Zach Ashton]

Forget it 800 to 900 is next to impossible, except in substandard areas - not happening

[JohnGiovanni]

Originally Posted by Zach Ashton

Forget it 800 to 900 is next to impossible, except in substandard areas - not happening

Yea and even then, that's hard to find even in bad areas.. anything where you get a whole apartment to yourselves with 2 rooms or more, it will run you more than 900 even in the hood.

[srq2]

It is very hard to find affordable rentals, especially for a family- you should defnitely look south - venice/ nokomis, etc. Riverview High school would be a fine school for your daughters. Sarasota is awesome place, you'll love it.

[srq2]

Originally Posted by bettyjean2623

Schools, living communities, family activities, etc are welcome. We love the beach as well Thanks in advance!!

also - know that our area has a lot for young people. Even the county libraries have teen programs over the summer. Check out the County parks summer guide for a ton of activities. (sailing camp, paddleboarding, crew, etc.) There is a lot to do here, just know that much of it can be expensive. We have amazing thrift stores and secondhand shops. My favorite vet is Gary Reinhardt vetcenterofsarasota.com

[JohnGiovanni]

Originally Posted by srq2

also - know that our area has a lot for young people. Even the county libraries have teen programs over the summer. Check out the County parks summer guide for a ton of activities. (sailing camp, paddleboarding, crew, etc.) There is a lot to do here, just know that much of it can be expensive. We have amazing thrift stores and secondhand shops. My favorite vet is Gary Reinhardt vetcenterofsarasota.com

Yea even SCF area I discovered has a nice thrift shop now too. I saw it from the outside but I didn't go in but I see they got one there now. There may be just as many thrift stores around there as the Tampa area even has or Pinellas. I mean it, I see nothing in my travels even here or find very little I want to buy. The ones in Largo are more expensive.. even the Goodwill and a few mom and pop ones. I remember the Bradenton/Sarasota area having at least just as many good finds though.