* Need help with Relocating to Orlando *

[wdisneelvr]

We are possibly moving to the Orlando area at the end of this year in Dec/Jan.

My DH has three interviews in Oct for jobs.

We will be needing to rent a house/possibly apt for the first year.

I have no idea how to go about looking for suitable housing. Can anyone recommend a reputable company to help us look? We would like to be in a safe neighborhood and haven't got a clue as to where to start looking.

I did look in the Sentinel for houses for rent, but didn't find much. Houses seem expensive to rent in Orlando, is it better to rent an apartment?

What do ya'll suggest?

Thanks bunches

 

[PaintedStuff]

keep an eye on their online version www.OrlandoSentinel.com

Contact the chamber of commerce for demographics and info about the area.

Is there a synagogue or church you belong to of the same demonination in Orlando? You could call them - sometimes there is a sisterhood or welcome committee that can help.

Is there someone in your husband's industry who can suggest a realtor? But don't get advice on realtors from the chamber of commerce - they'll just refer to you whomever is the biggest sponsor of their events!

Here are three realtors who belong to BNI - a business networking group of which I'm a member (elsewhere in Florida) BNI members are good to know because they have a lot of resources.

Conway Realty
Jane Pfleiderer
3206 S. Conway Rd
Orlando FL 32812
Phone: (407) 509-2945
Fax: (407) 856-5531
Email: conwayrealty@cfl.rr.com

ERA Advantage Realty
Jim Rennie
407 Wekiva Springs Road, Ste. 241
Longwood FL 32779
Phone: (407) 869-4042
Email: jim.rennie@era.com

Buckley Realty
Gregory Buckley
253 Thomas Drive
Casselberry FL 32707
Phone: (407) 695-7355
Fax: (407) 695-7678
Email: gbuckleyrealty@hotmail.com

Good luck!

 

[momof3disneyholics]

We will be relocating there in 2005. We decided to buy our first home there so we contacted a couple of realtors via the internet at first and they sent us all kinds of relocation materials. The realtor that we decided to go with has been very helpful. It is kinda like we have a new friend that has all the inside scoop on living there.

 

[disneygeek]

I know a guy that rents vacation homes that I consider very reputable and honest. We,ve rented from him half a dozen times. He may know of a property suitable or at least who to call. If it were me I'd contact Ray at gemstomehomes.com. Good luck.

Lori

 

[wdisneelvr]

Thanks everyone for the advice.

I am only looking to rent for the first year. Do realtors deal with rental homes? I thought they only sell homes.

I have found a few places on the internet that will help you find rental homes/apts. Does anyone know if they are reputable? They don't charge anything for their services.

Is one side of town better than the other for living?

 

[JustHolly]

We just moved to the Orlando area! You are doing the right thing by renting. If you do not know the area well, and like us, are just "Giving it a try" you don't want to commit to a mortagage until you know exactly where you want to live. That will take some time and a lot of research- difficult to do long distance.

Subscribe to the Orlando Sentinel and/or read it online. I learned a lot about the different areas, and current "hot toics" as well as read advertisements so I knew just where to look for furniture when we arrived.

I'm new at the "Orlando" thing, but as for which side of town to live on, it's going to depend where you find work. My Florida friends warned me, and I have quickly learned, to go from one side of Orlando to the other at peak times is a NIGHTMARE and takes a very long time. In looking for jobs, I'm not even looking right now at Orlando. I live just west of WDW, and I'm looking west. I4 is under a lot of construction, and even getting to some of the places we need to shop takes forever!

So, my recommendation is to live west of Orlando. It is a rural area with lots of orange groves and cows. There are affordable apartments in Celebration and Champions Gate that are very nice. The screening process is very very thorough and they have a high occupancy rate so they can be choosy. Hence, you get "better" neighbors.

For some things, instead of driving into Orlando or Kissimmee, we head toward Lakeland on I4, which is between Orlando and Tampa. It's actually quicker to go in that direction sometimes than to fight the Orlando traffic.

Apartment rentals around here are different than where we moved from. Apartments around here are "Communities" with many ammenities (which you pay for) such as fitness center, business center, car care center, pool, tennis, BBQ pits, etc. They are often gated and have alarm systems as well.

Good Luck in your move. PM me with specific questions. I'm still learning the area, but I can try....

 

[wdisneelvr]

Holly--

Thank you so much for all the great moving tips.

I will PM you a note as soon as I get a chance. You are so sweet to offer your help!

It's hard starting out from scratch and not know what you are doing.

 

[FloridaCat]

You are smart to rent for at least a year. Central FL is wide spread and you mentioned crime being a concern. Another concern will be rush hour traffic, so until DH has a job I woud sit tight on the housing until he has a new position and you know the location of the company.

A three bedrrom home will run 800.00 on up, depending the part of town. A 2 BR apartment will run the same. Again our old motto, Location. The better apartment cpmplexes with good security will be in the ballpark of 1100.00.

Areas west and/or north of DT Orlando are more disireable.

Go to a book store and purchase a Trekker Map of Orlando so you have a feel for the area.

 

[wdisneelvr]

Wow I had no idea that traffic would play such a major role in where you live there.

You all gave me so much to think about, and I have been looking at all the areas you've mentioned.

I am really looking forward to this move since we have been wanting to relocate to the Orlando area for years.

 

[Poohnatic]

We're looking at Clermont here. We'll probably do the same as you, rent for a year and then buy something. Almost all the elementary schools in Lake County are A rated and it's a growing community. I took a lot of advice from people who've already moved there. I know there are apartments right off of John's Lake Road. We'll be renting a house, though.

Three weeks ago, my family went on a trip and spent a day in Clermont. Just about everyone we talked to was raving about it and telling us how much they loved it. We visited Clermont Elementary and one of the parents was in the office while I was waiting for the guidance counselor..she'd moved there six years ago and said it was the best place she'd ever lived.

I don't know if that helps you out. DH has friends who lived in Sanford and they loved it there, but if your husband's job puts him on the west side of town, Clermont is a good starting point to look. Best part is that it's about 25 minutes from WDW!!!

Suzanne

 

[wdisneelvr]

You are all so sweet for helping out with such great advice.

I will be checking out the Clermont area. It sounds nice.

I'm not totally sure yet, but looking at a map, one of the places my DH might be working is close to the Orlando Regional Hospital. Is that downtown Orlando?

I guess we'll be finding out about the driving headaches when we go down next month for the interviews. We are going to take a day to go looking around the different areas.

 

[sap1227]

I live in Northwest Orange County, in Apopka. We love it here. Both Sanford and Apopka have "bad" sections (real bad sections) of town, but they also have great areas, so if you hear bad things about either one, they are probably true, but don't mean the whole city is bad. If you have any questions about this area, I would gladly answer them. I have lived in Apopka since 1985.

Good Luck!

Christy

 

[JustHolly]

I agree that Clermont is a good area. We have friends that live in Clermont. It is only about 20 minutes from where we live. We drove there a couple weeks ago to go to a furniture store. The views from Rt. 27 of the rolling (low) hills and orange groves were beautiful! The school district is supposed to be very good, and it is convenient to WDW.

We did look at apartments in the Clermont area and were not impressed with any. We didn't spend a whole lot of time looking in that area though. "Cagan's Crossing" is an apartment complex that is supposed to be decent, but we drove though and it looked sort of "ghetto-y" That opinion is not based on anything but a 30 second drive-though. I may be totally "off"

Again, if DH's job is further east, commute time from Clermont would be lengthy. Unless there is a more direct route I don't yet know, it takes about 20 minutes to get to I4 from Clermont and another 25-30 minutes to reach "downtown" Orlando. Maybe there's a "back way"

 

[wdisneelvr]

Thank you Christy for info on your area that you live in. I'm sure all area's have their not-so-good parts of town.

What I'm looking for really is a house to rent. Is looking in the classifieds a good way to pick out a house? Seems the going rate for a 2brm is around $900 and up. It doesn't look like there is that many house rentals in the classifieds, that is why I was wondering if there were other places to look.

Anyone want to play TourGuide Barbie when we come down? LOL

I have a list a mile long so far for places to check out. I don't think we'll be getting to all of them in one day. This is so hard, how in the world did you all do this????

 

[ducklite]

After looking in the greater Orlando area and researching for three years, we just began construction on a home in Clermont.

I agree with the others that your DH's job location will factor heavily in your decision of where to live. Traffic in the Orlando area can be brutal during rush hours.

If you have kids that will be a big factor as well. There are some excellent schools in the area, but for every great one there is a horrible one as well.

As you don't know the area renting for a year would be a good idea.

There are some really nice areas of the greater Orlando area. Windemere, Clermont, Celebration, Winter Park are all very nice. Dr. Phillips and Metrowest are nice but very congested. Parts of Altamonte are also very nice, but living there could be a challenge traffic wise depending on where your DH is working.

Another poster mentioned Cagan's Crossing. I would avoid that entire area--anything within three or four miles of the intersection of 192 and 27 has a VERY high transience factor. I would also avoid most of Kissimmee due to iffy schools and heavy traffic. If you're interested in Clermont you need to go up towards the Route 27/Route 50 area where there are some very nice apartment complexes.

There are a lot of apartments off the Greenway (417) off Landstar Boulevard which are all new within the past four years or so (many are brand new).

Use www.orlandosentinal.com as a tool--there are hundreds of apartments listed, and most will send you free info.

Anne

 

[wdisneelvr]

Anne--such wonderful tips, I will add them to my ever-growing list of areas to start searching in. Fortunately, we won't be having to look for schools as it will be just DH and I moving to the Orlando area.

It looks like the company my DH may be working for is going to be close to downtown Orlando. I'm not a big city girl, so would prefer not being so close to town. I understand that driving can be downright awful in that area, but what are you going to do if that is where your employer is located???

You all have given me so much to think about. I knew I could count on my fellow DIS-er's for advice. Moving is exciting and scarey at the same time. I've got my fingers crossed as well as my toes that my DH interviews go smoothly and that he will be hired.

 

[2tinksmom]

I'll help you any way I can if you let me come live with you!!

 

[wdisneelvr]

woohoo come on down, the more the merrier I always say!

 

[cherylp3]

I am also planning on moving to Orlando by the end of March 2003.

When I go in November, I'll be looking at apartments.
After we get back , my husband will be looking for jobs.

If anyone can tell me via PM or email the Apartments I should avoid or places I should look at, either would be appreciated.

Thanks Cheryl

 

[Feralpeg]

My DD and I are also moving to Orlando! I am retiring and plan on moving in June of next year. We are building a house in Windermere and it won't be ready until June.

I am also a nervous wreck about the whole moving thing. I've worked for the past 30 years. The idea of not having a paycheck is really creepy. I know I will love the area, it's just all of the logistics of moving that are driving me crazy.

Good luck to you! Maybe will run into each other some day!