Amazed at home prices near Kissimmee........

[loveysbydesign]

Ok, what am I missing? When did school choice become a bad thing? I wonder how many in PA fighting/spreading the word against the plan, have kids stuck in failing schools.

Not to get this thread off track, I just posted it as I knew there are others on this thread who are from PA and looking to move to Florida.
It's not that school choice is a bad thing, it's that schools that are already failing due to lack of funding due to NCLB act and other things will lose even more funding and could eventually close if this is passed the way it is written now. Instead of helping the struggling schools it will only hurt them more. Plus it could lead to overcrowded classrooms in the schools the children choose to go to.
I am all for school choice, but at what expense?
Right now I have 1 child in my local school district's middle school and 1 in our local charter school(her 1st year there) as well as 1 who will start Kindergarten in 2 years.

 

[disneyjunkie]

I'm not going to comment on the PA school stuff again. There's a bunch of great info here for those of us planning to move to FL. Don't want to risk the off topic stuff getting the thread closed.

 

[snowywhite89]

Ok, what am I missing? When did school choice become a bad thing? I wonder how many in PA fighting/spreading the word against the plan, have kids stuck in failing schools.

I am with you.

 

[loveysbydesign]

I also wanted to add that a bunch of the listings I had saved for the general Kissimmee/Davenport areas have dropped further in price on realtor.com
Also I was wondering if anyone could recommend a small town that is nice within an hour of WDW?
My hubby is not too keen on developments and has said he'd prefer to be in an older home in a small town(like under 5000 people) Are there any that exist in the area? Or are we better off sticking with a development?

 

[snowywhite89]

I also wanted to add that a bunch of the listings I had saved for the general Kissimmee/Davenport areas have dropped further in price on realtor.com
Also I was wondering if anyone could recommend a small town that is nice within an hour of WDW?
My hubby is not too keen on devlopments and has said he'd prefer to be in an older home in a small town(like under 5000 people) Are there any that exist in the area?

Haven't you wondered why the home prices are going down?

The more important question is where will your DH and you work?

 

[loveysbydesign]

Haven't you wondered why the home prices are going down?

The more important question is where will your DH and you work?

We are not planning to move til the spring/summer of 2013 so we are just doing research right now on the areas we would prefer to live in that are within an hour of the WDW area.
Not that I need to explain myself snowywhite89, but my dh is the main income for us as I am a work-at-home mom. I have my degree in Early Childhood Education and do part time child care in my home right now and I also make handmade goat's milk soap and other 99% natural body products that I sell through my website, so I can do that almost anywhere as I order most of my supplies online.
For my dh he can basically work anywhere that has manufacturing and/or shipping and receiving as his background is in inventory, materials and production planning. That being said he has also worked for many years in warehouses on the floor doing the actual shipping and receiving. I know that it may be hard for him to find a job but thankfully he has a wealth of experience and knowledge to lean back on.
We would never move until he has a job. He has done some general searches for jobs in Florida and we were quite surprised to see that there were pretty many he could have applied for. That being said we are not moving now so we are researching now.
Now I know things don't always work out as planned and if we can't move then, then so be it. Dreaming about it and researching about it are enough for me right now.

 

[disneyjunkie]

Loveysbydesign, if you haven't done so yet, check out the Orlando board at city-data.com

 

[loveysbydesign]

Loveysbydesign, if you haven't done so yet, check out the Orlando board at city-data.com

Thanks..I will check it out!
I am a major researcher in my family and my dh counts on me to keep him up to date on any info. I find. He currently works 9-10 hour days and has an almost hour long commute so I am the one who does most of the research for anything in our family, whether it be vacation, major purchases, moving etc.
I love this thread and all the info. people are sharing on it!

 

[Mrs. Charming]

Ok, what am I missing? When did school choice become a bad thing? I wonder how many in PA fighting/spreading the word against the plan, have kids stuck in failing schools.

loveysbedesign hit the nail on the head, exactly that. Instead of fixing the troubled schools, they're sticking this crappy band-aid on the problem. IF they actually gave the "scholarship" money to the troubled school in an attempt to make it better, you'd have a better education for ALL of the students instead of a few "chosen" ones who will have the opportunity to go to a private school.

I think I know where you're coming from. I, myself, am against thing because I don't want the schools my kids will be enrolled in to fail. I don't want to see ANY school fail. Just put the money back into the failing schools to get them up to snuff. Make them more successful, make them safer. Education is the key to success. Honestly-- I can see though that people in snobby and affluent areas would be livid because of poor kids tarnishing the "reputation" of their beloved schools. I can see this happening actually, we're this poor little town 2 towns over from a really rich town. I can see the angry mob already!

 

[savannahcat]

I'm ready to drop PA like a bad habit!

It seems there are many of us that feel this way - though I don't live in PA, but just across the border in WV. I have Raynaud's Syndrome and can't wait to get out of the cold weather!

On our last trip to WDW, we began driving through neighborhoods north and west just to get a feel for the area. I know we won't be moving anytime soon, so I'm in the dreaming and researching stage too. My DH could transfer within his current company, but I'm in the middle of a Physical Therapist Assistant Program and won't graduate until 2012. I see lots of opportunity in Florida on the job openings bulletin board at school, so that is encouraging.

We've been looking specifically at the Clermont area. Does anyone have any opinions/insight on the private schools in the area (i.e. Christian schools like Real Life Christian Academy)?

 

[PatriciaH]

I think some areas around WDW are great if you are retired or have a great job to transfer to. My parents retired to Celebration since we were there and like it OK. They do hate the heat in the summer and do not go out much then- just like winter for people up north. Winter Park, Windemere, Celebration and Dr. Phillips are all nice.

We were in Celebration for nearly 6 years but were sick of the contract/temp positions we kept getting stuck in and moved back to MA for a great job offer. Pay is low (even professional positions), electric, groceries, tax and insurance are all high. Now housing is back to normal but you have to be SO careful. Many homes/condos are empty, crime can be scary. You will want a better area for schools, etc. but you are going to pay more for that! Most of the young families around us and my parents moved back home in 5 years or less. They could not make it.

It is very different from NY, PA, NJ, MA, NH. Celebration, Winter Park (developed for snowbirds from NY mostly) and areas in Windemere and Dr. Phillips are a little more like neighborhoods up north. Most developments seemed weird to us. No sidewalks. No shops/stores-you have to drive everywhere. No neighbors that have lived there for 30 years Very transient. Lots of strip mall squall.

We are in a really charming town now and housing is crazy so we rent. We have an awesome huge yard and can walk to the train into Boston. Our house is over 100 years old and while I loved our little condo in Celebration, this town is hundreds of years old and has history It was not developed by a huge company in the 90's. I would stick to a vacation home. A few months in the winter in FL is more than enough!

 

[loveysbydesign]

Still checking out homes in the area for fun once in awhile! Found this nice one in Winter Haven http://www.realtor.com/realestatean...-Hills-Cir_Winter-Haven_FL_33881_M68225-76064

 

[Mrs. Charming]

LOL I'm still thinking the same thing... it's so tempting. Look at that house for that price! It's a HOUSE for the price of a nice Mercedes. I've actually been thinking about it a lot lately, I need to get my freezing cold butt out of PA!

 

[punkin]

LOL I'm still thinking the same thing... it's so tempting. Look at that house for that price! It's a HOUSE for the price of a nice Mercedes. I've actually been thinking about it a lot lately, I need to get my freezing cold butt out of PA!

I bet if you offered $50K cash, they would jump at the chance to sell. Wow! the prices are truly unbelievable.

 

[Conservative Hippie]

Well if you bought a house in the area in 2007, looking at prices now will make you want to crawl into a corner and tear your hair out!

 

[Mrs. Charming]

I think some areas around WDW are great if you are retired or have a great job to transfer to. My parents retired to Celebration since we were there and like it OK. They do hate the heat in the summer and do not go out much then- just like winter for people up north. Winter Park, Windemere, Celebration and Dr. Phillips are all nice.

We were in Celebration for nearly 6 years but were sick of the contract/temp positions we kept getting stuck in and moved back to MA for a great job offer. Pay is low (even professional positions), electric, groceries, tax and insurance are all high. Now housing is back to normal but you have to be SO careful. Many homes/condos are empty, crime can be scary. You will want a better area for schools, etc. but you are going to pay more for that! Most of the young families around us and my parents moved back home in 5 years or less. They could not make it.

It is very different from NY, PA, NJ, MA, NH. Celebration, Winter Park (developed for snowbirds from NY mostly) and areas in Windemere and Dr. Phillips are a little more like neighborhoods up north. Most developments seemed weird to us. No sidewalks. No shops/stores-you have to drive everywhere. No neighbors that have lived there for 30 years Very transient. Lots of strip mall squall.

We are in a really charming town now and housing is crazy so we rent. We have an awesome huge yard and can walk to the train into Boston. Our house is over 100 years old and while I loved our little condo in Celebration, this town is hundreds of years old and has history It was not developed by a huge company in the 90's. I would stick to a vacation home. A few months in the winter in FL is more than enough!

That's just like how it is where we live. It's all been developed in the 2000's, what once was beautiful farms and fields is now a sea of Mc Mansions. It's suburban sprawl at its finest, and you have to drive *everywhere.* Ugh! I guess I should be used to it. Housing here is crazy, too, and we're also renting.

Somehow the heat still seems appealing, I'm freezing my butt off at the moment, and our heat is on 74.

 

[Mrs. Charming]

I bet if you offered $50K cash, they would jump at the chance to sell. Wow! the prices are truly unbelievable.

My tummy just did a flip-flop when you said that, I want out NOW!!

 

[Mrs. Charming]

Well if you bought a house in the area in 2007, looking at prices now will make you want to crawl into a corner and tear your hair out!

I can't even imagine how that would feel.

 

[Conservative Hippie]

I can't even imagine how that would feel.

I have to go to WDW once a week just to cheer myself up!

 

[Desiree]

I don't know why I keep lurking on this thread. I am just amazed at these prices. This is oh so tempting.