Moving to Orlando. Need advice!

Hey all...

My wife and I currently live in the Kansas City area. I'm 52 and retired (disability insurance - worked my whole life till my body quit on me). My wife does home health care right now, but is flexible about a job.

She has family in the Ocoee area and, since we really have no ties here, we decided to move closer to them.

We'll be looking for an apartment in a nice but not expensive area. We can't pay more than 800-1000 for a two bedroom. I know, but that's the budget. Somewhere in a 15-20 minute radius of Ocoee would be perfect.

I've been doing some research, but figured I'd come here and ask around.

a reply to: bbarkow

Don't.
That's my advice.

But if you're set on it, make sure you find somewhere gated.

My advice about moving to Orlando? Don't.

All kidding aside, I lived there about 12 years ago, and I don't recall seeing anything that would still be in that price range where I would be comfortable closing my eyes at night. My godson lives there, and he has to have 2 roommates to afford a two bedroom apartment that he's not afraid to bring his kids to when it's his week for custody.
I truly wish you the best of luck, and as I really was never very familiar with the Ocoee area, you may find something better than my memory suggests for your price range. Just be careful if you go out to the lakes. The gator that killed that poor child was not some sort of rare beast. There's lots of those swimming murder lizards down there.

a reply to: bbarkow

Hi!

Good luck!

My advice to you, although it's been years since I've lived there, would be stay away from Winter Garden and Pine Hills area. Unless it's changed massively it was a cesspool.
No Apopka or Bithlo either! Trust me!

I would aim for Clermont or Kissimmee and I agree with the above poster about a gated community. It would be best, IMO, if you could stay with family or a hotel/timeshare for awhile until you get a feel for the areas unless your family is very knowledgeable about it.

The Florida that I remember is unique in the sense that there can be a beautiful community and right behind it there is a drug infested crime ridden den.

I suppose parts of Sanford are decent. Be picky. Rent prices are high but you may can get something decent in the $1000 range if you are in no hurry.

Don't be excited about Lake Apopka either. Not insinuating that you are just if you do venture onto the lake, don't eat any fish you catch and don't put your feet in the water!

Again, good luck! I miss Florida desperately and will return someday!

a reply to: bbarkow

Love o town lived there for 8 years.

The winter park and oviedo area are great. Its near ucf and away from the cluster mess of i-4 ,Kissimmee, and the parks. Yet close enough to them.

Good luck. Stay away from the lakes at night time or early am.

bbarkow

I hate to be an echo but, yeah, don't go to Florida.

We can't pay more than 800-1000 for a two bedroom.

I hope you don't have any qualms about living in a bad neighborhood. If that's your budget start looking for a place online, like, last week.

I'm never moving back to Florida. I hate the majority of people, I hate the crime, I hate the heat... I could go on but... why bother? I'll just say: I hate Florida.

a reply to: CagliostroTheGreat

I lived in both Orlando and Miami for about a year each while working in those areas. If I had to choose, I'd hold my nose and pick Orlando, but without the threat of death or harm to my family, I will never set foot in Miami or any of the surrounding areas again. And maybe not even under threat of death, depending on where I had to go, specifically.

Stay away from homo clubbing.
Or homo terrorists. One of them.

a reply to: bbarkow

I am only supposing here BBARK, but Florida has been a place for old people to retire to for way to long. A place like that requires a strong home care workers, but a place like Florida already has a big home care work force I would imagine as that has been a market need there for a long time.

Better to find a place that is a " growth " area for retirees and hence a growing market for home care workers. Find a state or region that is a developing retirement area instead, one that will have lower rents for you. Get AHEAD of the curve, not way behind it.

Try the northwest. Fair climates and not bad prices, yet.

a reply to: TerryMcGuire

Thanks. That was my thought too. She has her heart set on it - family and all.

Disappointing to hear Apopka is not good. It has been looking fairly promising.

We have some time, so I'll keep at it.

Are there any quiet little towns out in the country near there?

originally posted by: bbarkow
Hey all...

My wife and I currently live in the Kansas City area. I'm 52 and retired (disability insurance - worked my whole life till my body quit on me). My wife does home health care right now, but is flexible about a job.

She has family in the Ocoee area and, since we really have no ties here, we decided to move closer to them.

We'll be looking for an apartment in a nice but not expensive area. We can't pay more than 800-1000 for a two bedroom. I know, but that's the budget. Somewhere in a 15-20 minute radius of Ocoee would be perfect.

I've been doing some research, but figured I'd come here and ask around.

Orlando isn't as bad as many here make it out to be. I've spent a little over 20 years here, and a lot of what you get out of the city depends on the lifestyle you prefer. The summers are fine as long as you never have to go outside of an air conditioned area. The "winters" are decent, without the icy mess you're accustomed to in metro KC. (I've also live in Lenexa and Olathe)

Housing prices here have skyrocketed in the past few years, and if your budget is $800-1100, you may have to venture a bit further north into the Lake County area to find affordable+decent. My home near downtown, a few blocks from where the shooting happened recently, rents for $2300, and when I bounce back to Seattle in October, I expect my home here in Seminole County (a few blocks from the George Zimmerman fiasco, and home of the hanging chads in the 2000 election) to rent north of $4k per mo. Overall this area doesn't bother me as much as it bothers many, but then too I only spend a few months a year here.

Beyond climate, Orlando does have very some very good medical facilities if/when you need them. Both ORMC and Florida Hospital have saved my life/revived me after medical emergencies over the past 20 years.

WELCOME TO ORLANDO!

a reply to: bbarkow

I live in the country about 15 minutes from Roseburg Ore. Roseburg is isolated from other cities on the major Interstate 5 corridor by at least an hour in any direction. Retirement is at this point a major growth industry here. Moderate climate so far, some snow some heat. Fine hospital, one theater complex and lots of out door activities.

a reply to: bbarkowHi, I'm from the UK but I have a suggestion. Can't one of your relatives have an extension built on to their properties and you move in with them? The cost you would have to pay for your own p[lace could be used to fund the extension and the benefit for your relatives is they get a better house when your gone.

a reply to: bbarkow

Build a Monolithic Dome home (concrete--survives hurricanes well) on very high, very thick and deeply set stilts.

Pray against scheduled massive tsunami's.

Get the orange ball survival capsules mentioned in other threads--preferably the larger version. LOL.

Stock up well with the essentials.

Insure lots of ammo to protect said stockpile.

Regret you didn't choose the Rocky Mountains.

a reply to: BO XIAN

If I had my druthers, I'd move back to Montana.

I echo other sentiments on here, don't move to Florida! If you do though, I have lived in Orlando, apopka, LongwooD, winter park, casselberry, Miami and the best is LongwooD and winter park. We recently lived in apopka in a gated community but there were crime ridden areas right next to us. My kids hated it so we moved to the UK where we lived on an off as well.

On a side note, The whole justice system there is screwed. my elderly father was fleeced of millions of dollars from a family who convinced him they were his grandkids and he needed to take care of them. They actually installed their brother to his house to take over his assets and watch his every move, leaving him in squalor and unable to take care of himself. I called health and human services who berated ME , saying they were taking care of him. I showed the police, the governor, and the local attorney thousands of files of his monies being stripped away, forged signatures, and forged deeds to his properties and they simply told me he'd have to file a complaint or they couldn't do anything. Well he was recently found dead, with a pillow next to him and a smashed cup at the side of the bed, and right after magically writing a new will. The police are refusing to do an autopsy and still won't do anything. I've never seen such a backwards place in my life...

a reply to: DARKJEDIG

There are no words... Beyond horrible.

Excuse me.

I did just move to lower Alabama right next to Florida and I am so excited for the 4th. The fireworks they sell down here are absolutely insane.

And at least there is no strange alcohol/no lottery laws over there like there is here.

Check the beaches out. The tourist season will have died down by the end of the month.

I did just move to lower Alabama right next to Florida and I am so excited for the 4th. The fireworks they sell down here are absolutely insane.

And at least there is no strange alcohol/no lottery laws over there like there is here.

Check the beaches out. The tourist season will have died down by the end of the month.