Need a home in Orlando!

February 27, 2011 1:53 PM

Moving to Orlando for about 6 or 7 months for a short school program. I'm trying to figure out where and how to live during that time!

So, I am going to be attending the Notter School of Pastry Arts in Orlando, starting in May. I intend to be there from May 1 to November 1, or thereabouts.

I'm looking into areas such as: Kissimmee, Winter Garden, Winter Park, and Metro West - I've heard they are both nice and safe, and they are within about a 20 minute or so drive to the school. Other neighborhoods fitting that criteria would be okay, too, I just don't know them yet. :)

I want to find a furnished apartment/condo/townhouse/something. I'm not sure if I should be looking for a short term apartment rental or a long term vacation rental. I've been googling, but coming up a bit short. Lots of scammy sites popping up.

I could swing $900/month, but I'd prefer to spend less, of course!

Long story short: I'm looking for recommendations of apartment complexes, or real estate agents, or any advice, really.

Any help would be appreciated! Thanks, hivemind.

posted by firei to Home & Garden (3 answers total)

I know it seems obvious, but have you checked Craigslist? It looks like your rental budget is pretty well on target for Kissimmee (I live about 90 miles west of Orlando so I can't tell you very much about residential stuff, I'm in Kissimmee/Orlando a couple times a month for concerts, etc - hit me up via MeMail if you have any questions about the area in general and other stuff to do).
posted by mewithoutyou at 2:14 PM on February 27, 2011

Craigslist's housing section has a filter for short-term/sublet. I'd start there.
posted by Lyn Never at 10:32 PM on February 27, 2011

Best answer: Notter is, if memory serves, out by the Florida Mall. That's close to a number of named areas: Millenia, Sand Lake, Dr. Phillips, even Hunter's Creek would be pretty close.

There are a TON of apartments in the area, although furnished might be harder to come by. Craigslist is an awesome resource for the area; we just moved a couple of months ago, and there were tons of options in the areas we're looking for.

Here's what we did: first thing would be to call up a zip code map and make a list of the zips around Notter. Then when you're browsing Craigslist, you can tell instantly if a listing is even something you'd consider as far as proximity. (Orlando is a sprawling monster, and just being "in Orlando" doesn't guarantee any kind of nearness.) Then you can Google Map places to see where they fall.

I live less than 5 miles from Notter. Feel free to MeMail with any specific questions about the general area!
posted by themissy at 8:10 AM on February 28, 2011