West Minneola Ave., Clermont. A decent area? (Orlando: city hall, for rent)

[StreetSmarts]

Hey guys,

A friend of ours who is in the medical field in Orlando is looking to move "out" a little and looking at a house for rent/to buy (not sure) in this area (West Minneola Ave). She was asking us if we knew that area (she's a newbie) and if it were safe. I told her I'd think it would be safe but told her I knew some folks I could ask...

Thanks in advance.

[StreetSmarts]

Anybody know this area at all? Looks pretty nice. I dont think there are any parts of Clermont that are "bad."

[kimmejnork]

call the police and ask them. There are some bad areas of Clermont.

[StreetSmarts]

^^^ Thx. It must be an area not too many are familiar with, whether they think it's good or bad.

[StreetSmarts]

Annerk, my Lake Co expert... do you know of this area by chance?

[Spookmeister]

Not Annerk, or a Lake County expert by any means, but the area is right behind downtown, almost on the south shoreline of the Lake. It has some nice looking homes, but the majority are fairly old and the area has quite a high volume of traffic during the evening hours and weekends, due to the boat ramps and restaurants. I spent this past summer in the area and these were my personal observations during that time.
I would opt for the north shore, which would be in the city of Minneola, if that's an option price wise.

[StreetSmarts]

So it's not a "bad area" just a bit busy is what you're saying?

[Spookmeister]

Not a bad place security wise, no, but there are some sketchy looking houses in the area, the further east you go. Some of the homes could do with a paint job, and the yards better maintained, the streets have more lighting, but that's just my opinion.
I sensed a lack of interest in maintenance from those but I can understand why from the general ambiance of the location. It's almost lake front, with lots of mature trees literally shadowing entire streets and raking those leaves before mowing has to be a tough chore, especially for elderly residents. The restaurants/bar that I saw/visited seemed busy in the evenings and weekends, but that is relative really. No traffic jam congestion, just concern for those that may indulge a little more than they should and driving through the residential area. Most patrons seemed local so maybe my concern isn't warranted.
It didn't strike me as dangerous, just old and a little run down in some places. I saw people walking to the lake in the evening, a few carrying fishing rods, lots of joggers.
City hall is a couple of blocks over and the Lake County Sheriff has a station there so I doubt that there's much nefarious activity going on. Didn't see any and about the only incident I witnessed was someone letting their dog into a closed beach area and being asked to vacate the area. Nothing serious and the cop didn't call for backup, always a good sign.

[annerk]

Spookmeister pretty well nailed it. There are some sketchy streets (primarily east of East Ave and south of Route 50) in that general area, but the Clermont PD is on Montrose and 8th, so it's well patrolled. It's just an older area and a lot of the buildings could use a facelift.

I might consider renting there, I don't think I would buy at this point. That said, I think it's an area primed for regentrification with the beautiful lakefront, so a purchase there could gain considerable equity down the line if the area sees improvement in the future. With the new facilities going in along the shoreline, that might happen sooner than later.

[StreetSmarts]

Great guys, thanks. It's a home for rent and it is awesome! I saw it on line, but it did look a little old and run-down, so I wanted to ask around.