Buying a Home near Disney

[MrToad1]

My wife and I are planning on moving down to Central Florida and purchasing a home. We are from Massachusetts so the house prices down there look incredbile. The problem is I have heard so much about the bad crime rates there. Can anyone tell me where we could buy a house in the 200K area where we can feel safe? We are looking for a place no further than 1 hour from WDW. Winter Haven? Kissimmee? Altamonte Springs? I trust you all here and feel this is the only place I can get a trustworthy answer about this. I just want a nice neighborhood we can feel safe in. Thanks in Advance for your help!

 

[Nemo14]

My wife and I are planning on moving down to Central Florida and purchasing a home. We are from Massachusetts so the house prices down there look incredbile. The problem is I have heard so much about the bad crime rates there. Can anyone tell me where we could buy a house in the 200K area where we can feel safe? We are looking for a place no further than 1 hour from WDW. Winter Haven? Kissimmee? Altamonte Springs? I trust you all here and feel this is the only place I can get a trustworthy answer about this. I just want a nice neighborhood we can feel safe in. Thanks in Advance for your help!

The Cleremont area has some nice new developments, but I'm not sure what the house prices are there.

 

[ImaYoyo]

It depends on how close to Disney you want to be. The closest to Disney will be celebration, windermere and independance. Price-wise you're looking at 400k to 500k for a small single family home (3 to 4 bedroom) in those areas. As you move away from Disney, the prices get lower.

 

[MrToad1]

thank you both for your suggestions. I went looking into the Clermont/Minneola area and loved what I saw there. Its is only about 35 minute drive from WDW and also 35 - 40 minutes from Orlando which is perfect. Also the homes in that area seem to be right at the area I am looking for -225K-. Right now driving to work takes me 45 minutes, so If I were to drive to Disney and its only 35 minutes then thats great!

 

[primetime52]

I have relatives who live in Altamonte Springs and it's a great area to live in. Most of the housing developments look very new. There are lots of parks, golf courses, restaurants, etc. I don't know if you have grade school age children, but one of the selling points for my aunt when she moved there was the fact that it's in a very good public school district. As for its proximity, I think it's about a 45 minute or so drive to WDW.

I haven't seen any crime stats for the area but I can't imagine them being high. To be honest, I don't think the crime rate is high anywhere in the Orlando area, relative to other cities of that size. Crime rates in Miami and Tampa are probably much higher.

 

[ImaYoyo]

I have relatives who live in Altamonte Springs and it's a great area to live in. Most of the housing developments look very new. There are lots of parks, golf courses, restaurants, etc. I don't know if you have grade school age children, but one of the selling points for my aunt when she moved there was the fact that it's in a very good public school district. As for its proximity, I think it's about a 45 minute or so drive to WDW.

I haven't seen any crime stats for the area but I can't imagine them being high. To be honest, I don't think the crime rate is high anywhere in the Orlando area, relative to other cities of that size. Crime rates in Miami and Tampa are probably much higher.

Crime rates in orlando are fairly high, especially within the last two years. Last year, Orlando set a new record for homicides since they've been keeping track.

 

[cloudboy]

I am not sure where in Mass you are from, but you will probably find the crime rate much higher - much more noticeable, anyways. There's not the community structure you have up north. Keep in mind, too, that commute times will vary - while no where like what you are probably used to if you do the 495/128 /93 thing, they do have some pretty bad rush hour traffic. And that is usually done in hot weather, too. Oh, and when figuring out home size, keep in mind no basements. You would be surprised how much you use your basement, if only just for storage!

 

[tednvon]

Hi, not sure what the budget is and what the family situation will be, but My spouse and I spend 3 months in a developement that is very close to Disney, and is about 1/2 rentals and 1/2 owner occupied. It is in the Celebration School District which is excellent by Florida standards.

The homes are a little older (like early 90's)but most have 3-4 bedrooms/2 baths, heated pools in the back and may come with lots of furnishings. It is super close to Disney, and may not want to be that close, but we love it.

Here is a map of lots of the developements that cater to Disney families coming to rent homes...http://www.thedibb.co.uk/villa/map.htm Most of them are rental only, but Indian Ridge has lots of families. You can see Indian Ridge straight south of Animal Kingdom.

They also have huge recreation areas in the middle of the complex that are as big as football fields and set up for soccer or baseball/softball. There is also a big community pool. The homeowner dues are really low, under $200 a YEAR because you do all your own lawn care.

The homes have nice lots and natural gas.

I know lots of folks are selling to take profits out as they were purchased back then for under $125,000. Homes are selling in the $230s and may go lower...might be worth a look....www.realtor.com put in zip code 34747 and look in a price range of $200 to $300 and you will see a homes from Indian Ridge and Indian Ridge Oaks, right next door...also will see some Lindfields which is also very close, but not sure which school district.

We have been there 3 winters now and have seen only one incident that had police cars in the area. We have heard of no reports of theft, breakins, or other police issues while were there. This is about 20 miles south of Urban Orlando in Kissimmee.

It may be a bit too close to Disney but we love it.

Have fun shopping....Ted

 

[MrToad1]

You guys are awesome!! thanks so much for all the information. We would actually rather find a place that has no Home Owner Association. My wife and I currently live in a Townhouse and we are sick of Condo Fees so we are definitley looking for a place where we dont have to shell out more money a month on fees.

It seems though that most places I have looked at on Realtor.com all have fees associated with it. What is up with that?

 

[tednvon]

Hi, In Florida most all communities (no condos) have common areas like pools, gardens, gated or at least big bricked entrances with landscaping, play areas that all require some up keep. Every community I can think of has a landscaped entrance, common pool, community area...It's Florida and people are outdoors 12 months a year!

Indian Ridge is about $200/year not a month for a big pool, great open areas and a brick fence around the entire developement.

 

[primetime52]

Crime rates in orlando are fairly high, especially within the last two years. Last year, Orlando set a new record for homicides since they've been keeping track.

Wow. I stand corrected. It seems like such a clean and peaceful city. Maybe us heathens down here in Miami have our stuff more together than I thought.

 

[Jimmy Thick]

We purchased a home in Celebration, FL and it is one of the best areas in Florida. This is where I will retire.

 

[awalkinthepark]

Moved here from MA 2 years ago......definitely culture shock...people are more friendly and are not desperately trying to be perfectly 'PC' all of the time like up north.

I live in Lakeland...far away from I-4...it takes me 56 minutes to get to Disney with moderate traffic....Winter Haven would be about the same with time spent on 27.

Lots of New England and NY transplants in Polk county. I would spend some time down here before buying....we hate the idea of HOAs but there is a positive side to them too..we have seen beautiful houses next to run down shacks w/sofas in the front yard....we stumbled across a nice neighborhood with no HOA...but we spent 3 months searching.

Homeowner's insurance may be pricey...we pay $2400 a year for an older home that can be replaced for under 200k. Auto insurance is a little expensive compared to MA....I was paying $600 a year up north per car....here I am spending about $900 per car per year. Lakeland electric is city owned and just as screwed up as North Attleboro(if you are familiar) electric was up north...inflated rates to cover poor business decisions...my mother on the other side of Polk county complains about $170 electric bills using A/c in the summer..I complain about $350 barely using A/c and would dance for joy over $170 over a non A/C bill....but any bill here is better than $600 a month bills for heat in the winter.

If you are going to work down here...start looking now....and be prepared for lower pay and a little attitude. I've been a stay at home mom for 5 years trying to go back to work....all of my work history is from the Providence/Boston area...my salary was ok for up north.....down right scary to employers down here..I had a hiring manager from a large insurance company call me to lecture me about regional differences in pay.....even after I explained that I understood and that I was OK with less money since my overall expenses are substantially lower here than in MA ...she still couldn't get past it....my husband had similar issues. I stopped putting previous salary history down, I even 'dumbed' down my resume a bit before I starting getting calls for interviews(I won't offer 24/7 availability so not a lot of interest)...my mother in law had to do the same thing in order to get hired down here....she glossed over 20 years of management experience, my mom had to beg for a job as a housekeeper at a hospital after being a 911 operator/police dispatcher for 10 years in a fairly large city up north.

We love it here....but like anywhere there are pros and cons.

 

[MrToad1]

Moved here from MA 2 years ago......definitely culture shock...people are more friendly and are not desperately trying to be perfectly 'PC' all of the time like up north.

I live in Lakeland...far away from I-4...it takes me 56 minutes to get to Disney with moderate traffic....Winter Haven would be about the same with time spent on 27.

Lots of New England and NY transplants in Polk county. I would spend some time down here before buying....we hate the idea of HOAs but there is a positive side to them too..we have seen beautiful houses next to run down shacks w/sofas in the front yard....we stumbled across a nice neighborhood with no HOA...but we spent 3 months searching.

Homeowner's insurance may be pricey...we pay $2400 a year for an older home that can be replaced for under 200k. Auto insurance is a little expensive compared to MA....I was paying $600 a year up north per car....here I am spending about $900 per car per year. Lakeland electric is city owned and just as screwed up as North Attleboro(if you are familiar) electric was up north...inflated rates to cover poor business decisions...my mother on the other side of Polk county complains about $170 electric bills using A/c in the summer..I complain about $350 barely using A/c and would dance for joy over $170 over a non A/C bill....but any bill here is better than $600 a month bills for heat in the winter.

If you are going to work down here...start looking now....and be prepared for lower pay and a little attitude. I've been a stay at home mom for 5 years trying to go back to work....all of my work history is from the Providence/Boston area...my salary was ok for up north.....down right scary to employers down here..I had a hiring manager from a large insurance company call me to lecture me about regional differences in pay.....even after I explained that I understood and that I was OK with less money since my overall expenses are substantially lower here than in MA ...she still couldn't get past it....my husband had similar issues. I stopped putting previous salary history down, I even 'dumbed' down my resume a bit before I starting getting calls for interviews(I won't offer 24/7 availability so not a lot of interest)...my mother in law had to do the same thing in order to get hired down here....she glossed over 20 years of management experience, my mom had to beg for a job as a housekeeper at a hospital after being a 911 operator/police dispatcher for 10 years in a fairly large city up north.

We love it here....but like anywhere there are pros and cons.

I have heard that the lifestyle change from moving from MA to Florida can be a little scary. I just hope that the companies I am applying to will consider hiring somebody from Massachusetts and that they will give me a salary that will let us afford a mortgage.

Thanks so much for all the information. It is great to have this knowledge before we move down south :-D

 

[Number_6]

Hey, if you move to the Orlando area and need some work until you find something better, or maybe just a bit of part time work for a little extra money, IM me and I'll get you in touch with my former employers. It was fairly easy work for a company that contracts with the Florida Department of Transportation. There's no overtime available because the company owner is cheap, but he's a really nice guy to work for. The morning manager is wonderful and very easy to get along with. The evening manager is really laid back. And depending on if you are full time or part time, the starting pay is $9-10/hr. I know that's not much, but it's better than Disney pays. The work is monitoring the camera system in place on the major roadways in and around Orlando and also a large stretch of I-95. Letting the media know of any accidents or delays. Recording messages on the 511 traffic information line. It's mostly boring once you get past Rush Hour, but when accidents happen it can be really hectic. The busiest will be if there is an Amber Alert because a lot of things happen then. Like I said, they're always looking for extra help, so just let me know. It would at least be something to do until you find the job you need.

 

[Yoop33]

If I remember correctly the Lake Mary and Altamont Springs area are great areas. Lake Mary was recently rated one of the best cities to live in a magazine i was reading. I have been there and yes it is very nice. Not that big of a population either so crime is very little

 

[PigletIsMyCat]

Just bought our first house in Davenport. Technically Polk County, but I'm less than two miles from the 27/192 junction, and still about 10 miles from Animal Kingdom. Worst part about it is that the cable stations are Tampa Bay based, not Orlando, so the traffic reports are completely useless to my husband, who commutes to Orlando.

We paid $195K for a four bed, two bath, two car garage house with an enclosed pool. It's almost 1400 sqft and has ceramic tile in every room. We are in a development that is more than half rentals, so we see few neighbors, and can just barely see the top third of Wishes from our patio on a clear night. We can hear every firework set off on Disney property.

The way crime rates are reported confuses me down here. Where I lived in New York, we were a '3' on a scale of 1-10. When I lived in Clermont, we were a '7' on the same scale. If you are not in Orlando (think downtown, Pine Hills, most of Apopka) the crime rate seems pretty normal to me, and I spent most of my life on Long Island in New York, less than an hour from Manhattan. The scariest things I hear about are the carjackings and road rage shootings, which happen when you act like an idiot from Fast and the Furious on I-4 in a state where it is legal to carry loaded weapons in your car.

If you have children, Lake County (Clermont, Minneola) have better schools than Polk County, and if you go much further than Davenport, you'd be in the sticks. We've lived around here for over a year now, and love it (we spent just over a year renting in Clermont, like two miles from where we are now). Our homeowners' insurance and taxes are both lower here than they were in New York, and the HOA fees where we are are about $400 a year. It's worth it to me to ensure that the rest of my neighborhood stays looking like a nice place. Also, HOA fees usually cover trash and recycling pick up too.

 

[fillerup]

I'm not a realtor. I've never seen this house. Don't know if it's a good deal or not, but thought I'd post this link to a house currently on the market in Independence just so people can get an idea of this market.

Home prices are really starting to normalize in Central Florida.

For example, a one bed one bath with garage - yes, tiny - just came on the market in Celebration for 159,000. This would have been unheard of a year ago.

Click on the phot to get a little tour.

http://mfr.mlxchange.com/Pub/EmailView.asp?r=1285544279&s=MFR&t=MFR

 

[Tim G]

We purchased a home in Celebration, FL and it is one of the best areas in Florida. This is where I will retire.

Where? What village??...

 

[nbodyhome]

Lake Mary is a great place to live. It's getting more crowded with stores and such, but it is still very nice. You are looking at about 40 minutes to Disney on I-4 in normal traffic.

Home prices still seem to be coming down some, hopefully it will continue.

Denise