Where to live in MCO?

[fugghedabowdit]

A question for those who are MCO based.

We're looking at the possibility of relocating down there in the near future, and I was wondering if anyone could recommend a neighborhood thats good for families and has good schools. Preferably something not too crazy expensive, if that's possible. Thanks in advance.

 

[8vATE]

A question for those who are MCO based.

We're looking at the possibility of relocating down there in the near future, and I was wondering if anyone could recommend a neighborhood thats good for families and has good schools. Preferably something not too crazy expensive, if that's possible. Thanks in advance.

Do some googling and I think you will find a website that has a rating of all the Florida public schools...
They use an A to F scale and I'm pretty sure you can search by city/county.

 

[uba757]

Fug, We purchased a new home just south of Orlando in ST. Cloud in the last month. We are just off the Turnpike and the commute to the airport lot is 20 minutes in traffic. ST. Cloud is still kind of rural and not very populated, schools are pretty good, property taxes are also on the low side compared to the rest of the state. If you want PM me and I will give you all the info on ST. Cloud and the other towns around Orlando and what we found out about them. UBA757

 

[AMRCostUnit]

Try realtor.com. I found my house in the Treasure Coast (Stuart/Jensen Beach/Port St Lucie) off of there. You can narrow your search and then go to Google Earth and see what is around the house like big roads, malls, landfills, proximity of other house, no sidewalks, etc. We eliminated several houses using this. Saves time when you physically go to look.

When you find a place be sure to check on the future of the area on city or county websites, road commission, etc. You don't want to have that freeway extension or new landfill go thru your backyard in 5 years.

Also go here:

http://offender.fdle.state.fl.us/offender/offenderSearchNav.do

We also eliminated several nice houses due the the proximity of some of the above.

Having gone to ERAU in Daytona (1985 grad), I loved Deland. Two very nice parks (Blue Springs and De Leon Springs) About 40 miles N of MCO. I was willing to commute to MIA. When I moved from ORD 18 months ago there wasn't much on the market I could afford. So now I drive the 120 miles to MIA. Probably a better arrangement.

Now it is a buyers market for sure. Your timing is good. You should do well for $250k-300. I had a good realtor there... PM if you want a referral.

Unit
Moving Sucks

 

[Skimatic]

Suggestion.

When I moved to MCO 7 years ago, I rented an apartment for 9 months and scouted the area. During that time I found the area and a new house and signed the contract to buy.

The best decision I ever made in MCO. This gave me time to look at all the counties, cities, schools, etc.

It's a buyer's market now in MCO and the prices will keep falling for about another year or two. Last week on the MCO radio talk shows, the realtors say the inventory of unsold homes on the market is 4 times what it was last year at this point in time.

Being a military guy, this is how we did it whenever we changed bases, rent for about 6 months, then buy. When it was time for us to move and sell, we were already in a good neighborhood and had no problem selling, except when Jimmy Carter was in office and the mortgage rates were 12-15 percent and the prime was 18%.

But then again, thats a different topic.

 

[Whiskerbizkit]

The big problem down here now is insurance and property taxes, at least in S. FL. You are going to see 2k-3k just for insurance and about 3k-5k for taxes, so be prepared! Since you are new here you cant take advantage of homestead. Ive been here for most my life and I watched my insurance increase 10 times, $681 a year to $5800.

 

[SDF2BUF2MCO]

It's a buyer's market now in MCO and the prices will keep falling for about another year or two. Last week on the MCO radio talk shows, the realtors say the inventory of unsold homes on the market is 4 times what it was last year at this point in time.

It may be a buyer's market but it is still way out of wack compared to a few years ago. Case in point, we sold our home in Orlando a couple of months ago for over twice what we paid for it in 2002 (I'm not complaining though!). I think Orlando has gone nuts with the price of homes (granted they aren't as high as last year). Compared to the NE or CA it is still "cheaper" though. My property taxes were $4K a year on a (recent selling price) $480K home. Home owners insurance was $1,400. Then you have that "stupid" home owners dues depending on your neighborhood can be from $300 to $1,000 a year. Loved not having the state wage tax. Good luck in living in Orlando. I will miss the winters and the Gators but not much else. In hindsight, I wished we would have bought in a smaller community outside of MCO.

We lived in Windermere area and the schools were allegedly pretty good. If you want to fit in you need to drive a Beemer or a Mercedes (joking somewhat)!

 

[Whine Lover]

"Where to live in MCO?"


A lot of people down there live in "Houses"...


YKW

 

[Sonny Crockett]

Lots of options in and around MCO. I bought a home in a Fly-In community and love it, however the prices have doubled since 2002. Still Florida is a nice place to live, I love South Florida as well, but its hard to beat Central Florida.


Good luck!

 

[V1Cutt]

Brevard County/ The Space Coast - less than an hour to KMCO and next to the beach. Nice ocean breeze keeps the bugs away and cooler in the summer. My wife's a realtor here, PM me if you want some help.

 

[NuGuy]

Brevard County/ The Space Coast - less than an hour to KMCO and next to the beach. Nice ocean breeze keeps the bugs away and cooler in the summer. My wife's a realtor here, PM me if you want some help.

I'd have to agree with V1...somewhat. It's certainly costal.

But some relatives of mine live in Tittyville, and is as close to scuzzy as I have seen on the water for a long, long time. The constant ups and downs at NASA have driven a lot of the white collar crowd away.

But with that, there is opportunity. You can get nice houses in North Titusville for a song, as long as you don't mind living next door to squidbillies.

Nu

 

[psysicx]

Housing market is out of control. The places that like Florida and Socal are coming down but its sill crazy. And the place that were affordable are sky rocketing due to people leaving from Cali and the east. Only places that are affordable are Vegas and Phx. Nothing wrong with those places except the summers.

 

[V1Cutt]

But some relatives of mine live in Tittyville, and is as close to scuzzy as I have seen on the water for a long, long time. The constant ups and downs at NASA have driven a lot of the white collar crowd away.

Nu

I agree, but there is way more to Brevard than just Titusville (although it is closest to MCO) - it all depends on what you can afford and there are areas for all income levels within an hour of MCO.

 

[V1Cutt]

But some relatives of mine live in Tittyville, and is as close to scuzzy as I have seen on the water for a long, long time. The constant ups and downs at NASA have driven a lot of the white collar crowd away.

Nu

I agree, but there is way more to Brevard than just Titusville (although it is closest to MCO) - it all depends on what you can afford and there are areas for all income levels within an hour of MCO.

 

[boost]

I highly recommend Avalon Park. Its on the East side, 25 minutes to MCO, 20 minutes to downtown, it has a nice little suburban downtown center and housing ranging from townhomes to custom homes. Avalon Elementary is an A+ school, and a brand new middle school just opened this year. Check out these sites
www.avalonpark.com and my buddy Joe is a real estate agent in town,
www.milleniumrealtygroup.com/

Good Luck,
boost

 

[XTW]

Having gone to ERAU in Daytona (1985 grad), I loved Deland.

Unit
Moving Sucks

Also being a Spring '85 Daytona grad, I can vouch for the Unit. Deland, and more importantly, Stetson University made weekends interesting!


X

 

[klr1395]

I would recommend Lake Nona Area. Just EAST of airport. 5 min to employee parking. 20 mins from downtown, 20 mins from Disney, something on the order of about 35 mins from SFB. For those that are saying 'what about noise'; since the runways are north/south, and the neighborhoods are so close you almost never see or hear any traffic. Very classy area of town. Bio-tech firm, VA hospital, and UCF Medical center are all going in in that area in the next few years. Northlake Park Elementary is an A rated school and there is a top-notch YMCA located adjacent as well. Just my $.02....

 

[puddlejumper101]

A question for those who are MCO based.

We're looking at the possibility of relocating down there in the near future, and I was wondering if anyone could recommend a neighborhood thats good for families and has good schools. Preferably something not too crazy expensive, if that's possible. Thanks in advance.

I have been looking at MCO myself...probably because you and I are in the same situation. The other area I am considering is Austin, San Antonio...somewhere between DAL and HOU. I love Florida, but it is not cheap. Especially taxes and insurance.

 

[puddlejumper101]

I would recommend Lake Nona Area. Just EAST of airport. 5 min to employee parking. 20 mins from downtown, 20 mins from Disney, something on the order of about 35 mins from SFB. For those that are saying 'what about noise'; since the runways are north/south, and the neighborhoods are so close you almost never see or hear any traffic. Very classy area of town. Bio-tech firm, VA hospital, and UCF Medical center are all going in in that area in the next few years. Northlake Park Elementary is an A rated school and there is a top-notch YMCA located adjacent as well. Just my $.02....

What kind of real estate prices are you seeing in that area? I know there are tons of variables...but just a guesstimate.

 

[learflyer]

I highly recommend Avalon Park. Its on the East side, 25 minutes to MCO, 20 minutes to downtown, it has a nice little suburban downtown center and housing ranging from townhomes to custom homes. Avalon Elementary is an A+ school, and a brand new middle school just opened this year. Check out these sites
www.avalonpark.com and my buddy Joe is a real estate agent in town,
www.milleniumrealtygroup.com/

Good Luck,
boost

I second Avalon Park. Although we don't have any children, it is very family friendly. New stores are opening up every month or so, and you don't have to venture very far to go shopping, out to eat, etc. Although they call it "The worlds largest cul-de-sac" plans are in the works to open the main drag to one of the major toll roads to ease congestion.

 

[RP 04]

Lake Nona prices: http://www.divosta.com/homefinder/market.asp?acctcode=1112

 

[V-STALL]

Read this too.

http://forums.flightinfo.com/showthread.php?t=60498&highlight=Deland

 

[Blue Dude]

Ditto the advice to rent for a while before you buy. You just won't fully understand the character of a neighborhood until you have a chance to observe for a period of time. And don't count on a real estate agent helping you decide the right area to live in. They aren't allowed to assist in, let us say, cultural decisions. (In other words, if the neighborhood you're looking at has been steadily transforming into a ghetto/barrio, he can't tell you. Believe me, you'll want to know this.)

Probably the best places to focus are east and northeast of the city. Clermont (W of Orlando) was hot a couple of years ago, but you can hardly recognize it now. St. Cloud (South) isn't bad and you can get plenty of land there for not much money if you want to build. Lake Nona is a fast-building yuppie haven, but you'll have to buy a $400k house on a postage stamp of land with 200 people living within shouting distance. Avalon Park is trying to do the same. Oviedo is nice; older town/family feel, a little expensive. Wedgefield has plenty of acre-plus lots and it's quiet, but you'll probably have to build. Good schools and quick airport access though.

It just depends on what you want.

 

[Pattern-Master]

I would recommend Lake Nona Area. Just EAST of airport. 5 min to employee parking. 20 mins from downtown, 20 mins from Disney, something on the order of about 35 mins from SFB. For those that are saying 'what about noise'; since the runways are north/south, and the neighborhoods are so close you almost never see or hear any traffic. Very classy area of town. Bio-tech firm, VA hospital, and UCF Medical center are all going in in that area in the next few years. Northlake Park Elementary is an A rated school and there is a top-notch YMCA located adjacent as well. Just my $.02....

I would agree, my wife and have been living in East Park for two years now and love it. It makes my commute to EWR much easier because of the proximity to the airport, I'm ten minutes from the terminal.

 

[fugghedabowdit]

Thanks for all the good info everyone.

 

[RP 04]

Pine Hills seems to be popular among SWA pilots, while UAL pilots like to live in the Parramore area...

 

[Jeff Helgeson]

A few options...

Beach area: Coco Beach off the 528 Beeline or Port Orange.

Just north off the 417, Oviedo.

Nice areas, good schools and close to the airport, easy access via hwys.

 

[ERJdca]

I highly recommend Avalon Park. Its on the East side, 25 minutes to MCO, 20 minutes to downtown, it has a nice little suburban downtown center and housing ranging from townhomes to custom homes. Avalon Elementary is an A+ school, and a brand new middle school just opened this year. Check out these sites
www.avalonpark.com and my buddy Joe is a real estate agent in town,
www.milleniumrealtygroup.com/

Good Luck,
boost

I will Second that. I am having a house built there at the moment.

 

[HalinTexas]

My wife lived in St. Cloud for 11 years. Her folks still live there and a another good friend lives in the area. I can't say the schools are all that great, they suck, but the proximity to the airport and beaches, Coco and Melbourne, is pretty good. Have to drive into Kissimmee for any kind of night life. Lots of construction going on that way and eastward along 192, largely due to a new access ramp to the Fl. Turnpike. If you want some country living, that's the place.

Traffic around Orlando is stupid. Not well organized. Lots of toll roads no one uses. Think about this when considering location. Your entertainment and commute may be effected.

The cost of real estate went nuts after I left in early 2003. At the time you could get a really nice home, probably with a pool, for less than $200K depending on location. Coco beach/Canaveral was surprisingly cheap. Might still be worth the look. "B-Line" to the airport is usually less than an hour.

Insurance is kinda nuts. If you buy anywhere east of I-95, it's going to jump. You'll have to buy extra flood insurance for your home and it's pretty high as it is. Florida law basically allows your deductible to be about 10% of your policy. After the FOUR(!) hurricanes of 2004 I think they've modified that law. My in-law's house got hit three times that year. Two of them drew an "X" on top of Kissimmee. They faired well, but lost a couple of citrus trees and their "Florida room" twice. Get good insurance! Flood and Hurrican/storm coverage are different. A year later I still saw "FEMA roofs" in St. Cloud.

The east coast of Florida is mostly Yankee transplants and Cubans while the gulf coast is full of midwesterners. Orlando is a big mix with some European immigrant, Disney employees.

My beefs with Orlando was the traffic first, schools second.