Rentals in Orlando Area

[alphaOmegator]

I need some help with information about renting in the Orlando area. My daughter has decided to move to Orlando and is looking to rent there. I need information about the best areas to rent in, plus suggestions as to any contacts you may know(realtors) to assist us with looking at apartments, etc. Any and all suggestions will be appreciated.

Thanks in advance!
Alpha

[deathroll]

Orlando is VERY spread out and has traffic issues. Commute times can be a killer. Gotta know what her driving pattern will be. Keep an eye on I-4. Rents are (of course) higher downtown but so's the crime rate. My daughter lives in Altamonte Springs.

[alphaOmegator]

Originally Posted by deathroll

Orlando is VERY spread out and has traffic issues. Commute times can be a killer. Gotta know what her driving pattern will be. Keep an eye on I-4. Rents are (of course) higher downtown but so's the crime rate. My daughter lives in Altamonte Springs.

She wants to work at Disney, and possibly live in the Kissimmee area. How does your daughter like living in Altamonte Springs?

[manigordo]

Originally Posted by alphaOmegator

She wants to work at Disney, and possibly live in the Kissimmee area. How does your daughter like living in Altamonte Springs?

If she wishes to work at Disney then Altamonte Springs is the LAST place she will want to live. Altamonte/Maitland are nice enough, but the commute would ruin her life!

Kissimmee is cheap but sketchy. If she wants to enjoy downtown and have an easier time driving, she may wish to look at Thornton Park or Lake Davis area. Plenty of cute little houses and some apartments scattered about. It is a great area to live.

[alphaOmegator]

Originally Posted by manigordo

If she wishes to work at Disney then Altamonte Springs is the LAST place she will want to live. Altamonte/Maitland are nice enough, but the commute would ruin her life!

Kissimmee is cheap but sketchy. If she wants to enjoy downtown and have an easier time driving, she may wish to look at Thornton Park or Lake Davis area. Plenty of cute little houses and some apartments scattered about. It is a great area to live.

Which area is closer to Walt Disney World? She is also interested in the Lake Buena Vista area. Do you know what kind of area that is?

[Dreamliner]

Originally Posted by alphaOmegator

Which area is closer to Walt Disney World? She is also interested in the Lake Buena Vista area. Do you know what kind of area that is?

Lake Buena Vista is basically the Disney area. If she's working at Disney, unless she's working off-hours, basically she wants to avoid I-4 at all costs.

[alphaOmegator]

Originally Posted by Dreamliner

Lake Buena Vista is basically the Disney area. If she's working at Disney, unless she's working off-hours, basically she wants to avoid I-4 at all costs.

So, basically Lake Buena Vista would be best. That area is off of I-4 correct?

[Dreamliner]

Originally Posted by alphaOmegator

So, basically Lake Buena Vista would be best. That area is off of I-4 correct?

Yes, off I-4. Yes, about as close as it gets to the theme parks.

[gtr2x]

The DR. Phillips area is an easy drive to Disney also and far enough away to avoid much of the touristos. If she doesnt mind a little longer drive Winter Garden, Clermont, etc come to mind and are cheaper. I know a few people that work for Disney and live in those areas. Like always, it comes down to the lifestyle she is looking for.

[gatormoe1]

www.hotpads.com

[g8orbill]

tell her to stay away from Kissimmee

thee are many nice places to rent iN Clermont and with the Turnpike and the back entrance she can be at Disney in 30 minutes

[swampbabe]

What type of work is she looking to do at Disney? A 30 min drive to work will eat up a good chunk of her salary. My daughter works for Disney (as a professional intern) right now in Celebration and she lives in the Lake Buena Vista area at Abaco Key off of 535. She's hoping to get an entry level management job with them when she is finished with her program. Do not let her live in Kissimmee.

[alphaOmegator]

Originally Posted by swampbabe

What type of work is she looking to do at Disney? A 30 min drive to work will eat up a good chunk of her salary. My daughter works for Disney (as a professional intern) right now in Celebration and she lives in the Lake Buena Vista area at Abaco Key off of 535. She's hoping to get an entry level management job with them when she is finished with her program. Do not let her live in Kissimmee.

She is wanting to work doing something with photography. She is a great photographer(even w/o my bias!) She has done lots of photographs of models, wild animals, nature and various events. that being said she is willing to start out at an entry level in some capacity if necessary. . How does your daughter like living in the Lake Buena Vista area?

[swampbabe]

Originally Posted by alphaOmegator

She is wanting to work doing something with photography. She is a great photographer(even w/o my bias!) She has done lots of photographs of models, wild animals, nature and various events. that being said she is willing to start out at an entry level in some capacity if necessary. . How does your daughter like living in the Lake Buena Vista area?

She'd have to be willing to start at entry-level as that is how Disney operates. Shoot, the president of Walt Disney World started out in janitorial! My daughter loves working for Disney and part of their college and professional internship programs is learning about all the different departments. For the professional internships they set up "meet and greets" to help you start networking within the company.

She is currently working in ticketing and special projects but would like to maybe work at EPCOT in guest relations/special events. The Lake Buena Vista area is convenient for her, close to I-4, close to the Beeline (refuse to call it beachline) so that she can come home if she needs to. The Dr. Phillips area is close as well.

[alphaOmegator]

Originally Posted by swampbabe

She'd have to be willing to start at entry-level as that is how Disney operates. Shoot, the president of Walt Disney World started out in janitorial! My daughter loves working for Disney and part of their college and professional internship programs is learning about all the different departments. For the professional internships they set up "meet and greets" to help you start networking within the company.

She is currently working in ticketing and special projects but would like to maybe work at EPCOT in guest relations/special events. The Lake Buena Vista area is convenient for her, close to I-4, close to the Beeline (refuse to call it beachline) so that she can come home if she needs to. The Dr. Phillips area is close as well.

Thanks for the info...

[gatorknights]

Look at the 4 Corners area west and southwest of Disney. It's centered at the intersection of US 17 and US 192, where Orange, Lake, Polk, and Osceola Counties meet. A ton of Disney employees live in that area and there is plenty of housing. It is a newer area (built since mid 90's) so there aren't that many if any "sketchy" areas. She would be driving the opposite way of the majority of traffic so the commute would not be bad at all.

http://fourcornersnewsleader.com/

Good luck!

[bakaduin]

Get somewhere where she can take the back entrance to Disney and avoid I-4. She can live somewhere like Winter Garden and hop on Fl-429 and be there quick with minimal traffic.

[deathroll]

One problem is, other than I-4, every other Interstate in/around Orlando is a tollway. When you combine low wages with gas prices, with tolls, with commute distances, it can be tough on folks starting out.

[manigordo]

No offense Knights, but I wouldn't live in the 4 corners area if it was free, but that is just me. I drove from Haines City to FLorida Hospital South fro 10 years when I was the brain injury clinical supervisor, so I know that area and commute better than most. The other suggestions, such as Dr Phillips and around Lake Buena Vista are good recommendations to avoid the traffic. Cleremont not a bad idea if one doesn't care for the city. My original recommendations were for someone who wanted "Orlando" city and a reasonable drive to Disney. All the other places are suburbs. Nothing wrong with either, just very different lifestyle opportunities.

[gatorknights]

4 corners has a lot of weekly vacation rental condos and homes, which is not necessarily a good thing, but it it right next to Disney, and last I checked there was an enourmous oversupply of housing units due to the fraudfest by Countrywide and the Clermont mortgage brokers (among others). There might be some good deals around there, and who knows, as big as the oversupply was, something might be approaching free.

I did an appraisal for a guy in the UK who paid $450k for a house and was refinancing. I came in around $225 with dozens of model match homes on the market around that price, and the market then was in total free-fall. I wonder if it has ever bottomed out. The subdivision was Greater Groves off US 27.