moving to Sarasota

[KMerendino]

Originally Posted by beach43ofus

When a newby says "moving to Sarasota", do they typically mean the City of Sarasota, or Sarasota County?

I think some clarification from the OP could help us to help them out with more concise info.

They seem very concerned about crime. I've lived in 3 different places w/in this forum area, & I've only seen a few areas where crime would deter me from moving there. Those areas are easy to spot in th crime plotting web sites.

Generally speaking, stay away from multiple family dwellings, main roads that have a lot of retail, & places that serve the homeless, & you'll be fine. Try to locate in a residential area of single family homes, not near any retail. Highly rated schools also seem to be in areas of lower crime...generaly speaking. Even if you donthave a child in school, I suggest buying in the middle of a highly rated school cluster.

Funny thing, many newcomers don't even know WHERE they live! LOL many misinformed think if they live in The County of Sarasota, they must also live in The City of Sarasota, which of course is dead wrong.


Similarly many newcomers and fairly new residents that buy in The County of Manatee, then they somehow also must live in The City of Bradenton, which is also dead wrong.


And most weird is many newcomers who purchase a house in Lakewood Ranch, they think they live in The City of Bradenton, or "Sarasota"


Worse yet, many LWR buyers actually believe the Lakewood Ranch is a separate town or city.


Pretty silly really.

[beach43ofus]

Originally Posted by KMerendino

Funny thing, many newcomers don't even know WHERE they live! LOL many misinformed think if they live in The County of Sarasota, they must also live in The City of Sarasota, which of course is dead wrong.


Similarly many newcomers and fairly new residents that buy in The County of Manatee, then they somehow also must live in The City of Bradenton, which is also dead wrong.


And most weird is many newcomers who purchase a house in Lakewood Ranch, they think they live in The City of Bradenton, or "Sarasota"


Worse yet, many LWR buyers actually believe the Lakewood Ranch is a separate town or city.


Pretty silly really.

It can all be a bit confusing to newbies, bit for folks who live here, it should be easy to figure out after a few months.

One tip I try to remember to give newbies is to buy an old fashioned paper map of Manatee and Sarasota Counties (2 maps), & use it as a tool to narrow down their choices. Use different color highlighters to indicate positve and negative attributes. I also used little sticky dots for dumps, water treatment plants, good school cluster footprints, ect., & had mine mounted on a foam board.

If you are buying, its a big decision, so I wanted to use all my abilities to get it right. I got better at it with each buy. Most people dont have the time, or wont make the time to put this much mental energy in to it, & if you are that person, get an experienced realtor in the areas you like.

Know thyself.

[KMerendino]

@Beach43- Being Socratic is not their long-suit, correct? lol



heck, you sometimes have real estate firms and sales people living here for a relative short period, get licensed and they too don't know about the maps, how to use them and even KNOW where THEY live!


I had a lady real estate agent who lives in Tara, that tells others that she lives in "East Bradenton". Now that's the epitome of misinformation even ignorance most would say. Worse, when I told her she was dead wrong, she argued with me. And she SELLS real estate in the two-county area? She didn't even know that The Meadows is not in the city of Sarasota as well...and argued about that too!



Misinformation and ignorance then gets passed along, then perpetuated.


Your suggestion about actually using maps before you plunk down your money to buy a darn house or condo seems elementary and intelligent to me too.


Your additional suggestion about "get an experienced realtor" is many times an oxymoron, and even counterintuitive.....experience in real estate around here in no guarantee to be a reliable source for truth and accuracy. Many locals and natives know this. Being reliant on misinformation or lack of accuracy can produce un-welcomed results.



Don't get me started. This lady I'm referring to didn't even know the largest city in in Sarasota County.


Yes, Know Thyself, in the traditional meaning and several others. Question, verify, and of course be more reliant on "yourself"

[joshan]

Originally Posted by KMerendino

Worse yet, many LWR buyers actually believe the Lakewood Ranch is a separate town or city.

While I do not want to haggle over what makes a city or town. My drivers license says LWR, not Bradenton.... so the state does not really agree with your assessment.

[KMerendino]

Ignorance abounds, sometimes even with GOVERNMENT....imagine that.


Lakewood Ranch is a PUD that is recognized now as a valid POSTAL ADDRESS on the delivery line...nothing more.


Doesn't matter what a DRIVER's LICENSE states on the front of it. My DL has a P O BOX as the address in Sarasota FL - nothing more.


The State of Florida does NOT delineate "Lakewood Ranch" as a town or city within the State....period, full stop. LWR has an IDA but that's IT.



Additionally, why on EARTH would ANY Driver's License of a resident living in LWR describe their address as The City of Bradenton, when they DON'T LIVE in Bradenton in the first place?


For the umpteenth and hopefully final time, LWR is not a town or city in The State of Florida. No sane person should have to haggle over the facts and truth. It's not MY assessment, its'a fact. What some clerk or bureaucrat at the local DMV decides to type in the computer file isn't law. My DL again, has nothing but a PO box #.



Oh my...unbelievable...geezus....wow



Again, get an education about the facts.

[KMerendino]

It's truly amazing to many of us, and in some cases downright offensive, when we meet newbies/migrants/foreign immigrants/illegal immigrants/transplants who enter our State of Florida from many other US states, territories, Canada, SE Asia, Pakistan, India, England/Ireland even Ukraine/Russia lol, who attempt to comment with faux "authority" about aspects of Florida that they really have little or no factual knowledge.


Having transplants is American as apple pie and can be a good thing ! Others might suggest it can contribute to a polluted, boneheaded society. Clearly both exists. I see and hear it all the time.