Moving to FL (temporarily)... looking for advice!

[jessily]

Hi DISers! I'm posting here because I know many of you are familiar with Give Kids the World and I've seen similar discussions here before

My husband and I are planning to "move" to the Orlando area from January-May next year. We're both able to work from home and are taking our jobs on the road so I can spend some time volunteering at Give Kids the World. I was in the College Program in '05 and volunteered there every chance I got (sadly not very often since I didn't have a car)... I've been wanting to return ever since. I was actually inspired by someone who called into the podcast a year or so ago who was making a similar move (wish I could remember who it was!).

We're headed to FL this weekend to look at apartments (and check out Food and Wine) and I wanted to see if anyone has any tips. Especially in terms of what FL neighborhoods might be best to look in for apartments. I've got a short list of apartments complexes and I'm leaning towards one that's on the south side of Disney World mostly because I wouldn't have to drive through Disney to get to Give Kids the World. Any general tips on neighborhoods, local traffic, or anything else that might be helpful? If the podcast listener who made a similar move happens to read this, I'd love to hear about your experience We're a young couple with no kids and are interested in an area where we could potentially meet people since we don't know anyone in FL. Since it's short term (5 months) and we'll be working from home, I'm using Give Kids the World's location as my main marker for finding a place to live.

Thanks in advance!

 

[SamSam]

Hi DISers! I'm posting here because I know many of you are familiar with Give Kids the World and I've seen similar discussions here before

My husband and I are planning to "move" to the Orlando area from January-May next year. We're both able to work from home and are taking our jobs on the road so I can spend some time volunteering at Give Kids the World. I was in the College Program in '05 and volunteered there every chance I got (sadly not very often since I didn't have a car)... I've been wanting to return ever since. I was actually inspired by someone who called into the podcast a year or so ago who was making a similar move (wish I could remember who it was!).

We're headed to FL this weekend to look at apartments (and check out Food and Wine) and I wanted to see if anyone has any tips. Especially in terms of what FL neighborhoods might be best to look in for apartments. I've got a short list of apartments complexes and I'm leaning towards one that's on the south side of Disney World mostly because I wouldn't have to drive through Disney to get to Give Kids the World. Any general tips on neighborhoods, local traffic, or anything else that might be helpful? If the podcast listener who made a similar move happens to read this, I'd love to hear about your experience We're a young couple with no kids and are interested in an area where we could potentially meet people since we don't know anyone in FL. Since it's short term (5 months) and we'll be working from home, I'm using Give Kids the World's location as my main marker for finding a place to live.

Thanks in advance!

I don't have any advice for you, I just wanted to say 'Wow, I love what you're doing'.

 

[EDuke98080]

Hi DISers! I'm posting here because I know many of you are familiar with Give Kids the World and I've seen similar discussions here before

My husband and I are planning to "move" to the Orlando area from January-May next year. We're both able to work from home and are taking our jobs on the road so I can spend some time volunteering at Give Kids the World. I was in the College Program in '05 and volunteered there every chance I got (sadly not very often since I didn't have a car)... I've been wanting to return ever since. I was actually inspired by someone who called into the podcast a year or so ago who was making a similar move (wish I could remember who it was!).

We're headed to FL this weekend to look at apartments (and check out Food and Wine) and I wanted to see if anyone has any tips. Especially in terms of what FL neighborhoods might be best to look in for apartments. I've got a short list of apartments complexes and I'm leaning towards one that's on the south side of Disney World mostly because I wouldn't have to drive through Disney to get to Give Kids the World. Any general tips on neighborhoods, local traffic, or anything else that might be helpful? If the podcast listener who made a similar move happens to read this, I'd love to hear about your experience We're a young couple with no kids and are interested in an area where we could potentially meet people since we don't know anyone in FL. Since it's short term (5 months) and we'll be working from home, I'm using Give Kids the World's location as my main marker for finding a place to live.

Thanks in advance!

A vast amount of the rentals in nice residential areas may require a 7 month minimum lease so you may want to ask that question when looking at properties unless you can find a sublet. There are some really cool unique apartments in Celebration although I am not sure of the prices. Good luck!

 

[fall08CP]

I'd say celebration or hunter's creek. I would avoid kissimmee because it's hit or miss, but there are some parts of town that others may be able to recommend. I really like hunter's Creek. It's a cute town that doesn't feel so touristy. If you see any apartments that you'd like recommendations on, just ask. There are a lot of people on here that either currently or previously have lived in the area. If you're interested in celebration, look at the garage apartments. They used to be on a member website, so you may need an "in" with someone in the community.

As pp said, 7 months is typically the minimum. Will be tough to find something shorter unless you take over someone's lease. Orlando isn't cheap.

Good luck! It's a really fun place to live. I did the collage program in 08 so I'm probably close to your age. I'd suggest meetup.com to find other young people. Most of my friends were from work, so I'm out sure where else I'd go to meet people there. A local faith-based organization with tons of young couples reached out to me and we met up frequently for coffee or lunch, so if that's your cup of tea, I can pass that on over PM.

 

[jessily]

I don't have any advice for you, I just wanted to say 'Wow, I love what you're doing'.

thanks

A vast amount of the rentals in nice residential areas may require a 7 month minimum lease so you may want to ask that question when looking at properties unless you can find a sublet. There are some really cool unique apartments in Celebration although I am not sure of the prices. Good luck!

Thanks for the heads up! I got the 7 month answer from the apartment I called yesterday. We may have to adjust our plans or just pay for an extra month that we're not there.

I'd say celebration or hunter's creek. I would avoid kissimmee because it's hit or miss, but there are some parts of town that others may be able to recommend. I really like hunter's Creek. It's a cute town that doesn't feel so touristy. If you see any apartments that you'd like recommendations on, just ask. There are a lot of people on here that either currently or previously have lived in the area. If you're interested in celebration, look at the garage apartments. They used to be on a member website, so you may need an "in" with someone in the community.

As pp said, 7 months is typically the minimum. Will be tough to find something shorter unless you take over someone's lease. Orlando isn't cheap.

Good luck! It's a really fun place to live. I did the collage program in 08 so I'm probably close to your age. I'd suggest meetup.com to find other young people. Most of my friends were from work, so I'm out sure where else I'd go to meet people there. A local faith-based organization with tons of young couples reached out to me and we met up frequently for coffee or lunch, so if that's your cup of tea, I can pass that on over PM.

Thanks for all the great suggestions. We're planning to check out a complex near Celebration that's run by the Camden company. They also have a place in Hunter's Creek so I think we'll visit there as well. I'll definitely check out meetup.com. I'd heard of it before but not thought to look there. Thanks!

 

[Metro West]

My best advice to you is to stay away from the touristy areas because of the traffic...not only daily traffic but during heavy travel periods. Hunter's Creek would be a good area and there are lots of rentals down there. Plus you are centrally located from WDW, SeaWorld and Universal.

Good luck in your move.

 

[jessily]

My best advice to you is to stay away from the touristy areas because of the traffic...not only daily traffic but during heavy travel periods. Hunter's Creek would be a good area and there are lots of rentals down there. Plus you are centrally located from WDW, SeaWorld and Universal.

Good luck in your move.

Thanks! We're going to check out the Hunter's Creek area this weekend.

 

[CastawayJP]

There are A LOT of homes in Celebration with garage top apartments for rent. You might be able to avoid the 7 month lease problem if you are renting from a private owner. Good luck!

 

[fall08CP]

Thanks for all the great suggestions. We're planning to check out a complex near Celebration that's run by the Camden company. They also have a place in Hunter's Creek so I think we'll visit there as well. I'll definitely check out meetup.com. I'd heard of it before but not thought to look there. Thanks!

Is it Camden world gateway? That's a very popular complex for young adult cast members.

 

[jessily]

Is it Camden world gateway? That's a very popular complex for young adult cast members.

We did check our Camden World Gateway, but they don't have any short term leases available for our time frame. I got the impression that a lot of cast members live there. Camden also has a property in Hunter's Creek and a new one called Town Square which is near Celebration.