Relocating to Pasco County? (Tampa: apartments, insurance, mortgages)

[Gatornation]

Originally Posted by Mike1306

I believe Pasco is about 32 miles from east to west. You continually say that West Pasco is very bad, giving all that are not sure, the impression that a large portion of the county is terrible. You don't expound on it unless challenged and then you still include way too wide a swath.

Yes, the areas around the busiest thoroughfare in a county are generally not going to be the nicest because it will generally have large portions of commercial properties and lower rent properties.

The thing is that this will be true for most areas in most states, not just Pasco county. But there are still some very nice areas within very close proximity to US19.

That isn't true for most areas in the state. Hudson/PR/NPR/Holiday is a collection of towns full of strip malls and run down homes. It USED to be nice when those 2 bedroom homes were filled with retirees but now they are filled with families of four/six.

Sure there are a couple nice areas mixed in. I can think of some golf home sin Hudson or some homes on the water but they are a very small minority.

In the last 10/15 years the are has really gone down.

[num1baby]

Originally Posted by CHASLS2

What area do ya live in? That way i would have some idea of the area you live in.

I am talking about from Holiday up to Hudson west of US19
and just east of US19 to Little road.

I am just East of 19 and just North of 54. It is not the most expensive area. I don't live on a golf course. I live in one of those little 2 bedroom shoeboxes that you don't think a family should live in. I don't even have a garage, but what I do have is a mortgage that I can afford and neighbors that I can trust. I can afford to buy food for my family. Oh, and I don't have even 1 penny charged on a credit card. I like to live within my means. If that means living in a neighborhood without perfectly green grass, new flowers planted every spring, and every driveway having a brand new car in it then I am ok with that.

I can tell you that there aren't any drug dealers on my street any more. All of the good families living on the street scared them off. When you get a whole neighborhood who will work together, you can get rid of the bad apples.

[CHASLS2]

Originally Posted by num1baby

I am just East of 19 and just North of 54. It is not the most expensive area. I don't live on a golf course. I live in one of those little 2 bedroom shoeboxes that you don't think a family should live in. I don't even have a garage, but what I do have is a mortgage that I can afford and neighbors that I can trust. I can afford to buy food for my family. Oh, and I don't have even 1 penny charged on a credit card. I like to live within my means. If that means living in a neighborhood without perfectly green grass, new flowers planted every spring, and every driveway having a brand new car in it then I am ok with that.

I can tell you that there aren't any drug dealers on my street any more. All of the good families living on the street scared them off. When you get a whole neighborhood who will work together, you can get rid of the bad apples.

The area you live in is much nicer than around the Gulfview mall.

[num1baby]

Originally Posted by CHASLS2

The area you live in is much nicer than around the Gulfview mall.

But, I live in West Pasco. You painted that entire part of the county with one large brush. Instead of saying that all of West Pasco is bad, you could be a little more clear and a little more honest by saying that there are a lot of bad areas in West Pasco, but there are also quite a few good areas mixed in too. I can think of 10 different neighborhoods that I wouldn't mind moving to. None of them are expensive neighborhoods, but they are safe and I wouldn't mind my child playing outside. I wouldn't be afraid of drug dealers everywhere or drive-by shootings.

I think a lot of people on this forum forget that not everyone that comes to this forum has a large budget for a house. I personally couldn't imagine buying a $150,000 house. Forget a more expensive house. I wouldn't be able to afford it, so I would be yet another foreclosure. It may be helpful to others who cannot afford expensive houses to know that there are affordable and safe neighborhoods in West Pasco. You just have to look a little harder than the people who can afford more.

[CHASLS2]

Originally Posted by num1baby

But, I live in West Pasco. You painted that entire part of the county with one large brush. Instead of saying that all of West Pasco is bad, you could be a little more clear and a little more honest by saying that there are a lot of bad areas in West Pasco, but there are also quite a few good areas mixed in too. I can think of 10 different neighborhoods that I wouldn't mind moving to. None of them are expensive neighborhoods, but they are safe and I wouldn't mind my child playing outside. I wouldn't be afraid of drug dealers everywhere or drive-by shootings.

I think a lot of people on this forum forget that not everyone that comes to this forum has a large budget for a house. I personally couldn't imagine buying a $150,000 house. Forget a more expensive house. I wouldn't be able to afford it, so I would be yet another foreclosure. It may be helpful to others who cannot afford expensive houses to know that there are affordable and safe neighborhoods in West Pasco. You just have to look a little harder than the people who can afford more.

I said it was a much nicer area than around the Gulfview, that still don't mean i'm saying it's nice or great. From Holiday to Hudson west of US19 and just east is rough, minus a few areas with big homes on the water. As for paying $150k for a house in this area, ya can buy homes all day long for under 30k.

[HughMcs]

I was thinking of buying a second home in Pasco and visited the area a few months ago. I very briefly drove around a couple of neighborhoods in along 19 and didn't see the blight that I have seen in some areas of upstate NY, such as graffiti sprawled abandoned houses or bars on all the windows.
For those that live in the much maligned west Pasco area and pay mortgages, how much do you pay for homeowners insurance and how much do you pay in property taxes.
Thanks in advance for any information.

[CHASLS2]

My Ins was 16k a year as not one company would touch my house since i was on the gulf in sinkhole heaven. I went bare and saved big money since 04. Taxes on most of small two bedroom shoeboxes would be around $500 a year.

[num1baby]

Originally Posted by CHASLS2

As for paying $150k for a house in this area, ya can buy homes all day long for under 30k.

That is my point. For those of us that do have a dream of owning our own house, but don't have a large budget this is a good area. Also, instead of scaring everyone off, if we encourage good people to start buying in these areas it will slowly turn around. I am not saying to tell them that it is a fantastic area with no crime and the houses are the most beautiful houses you have ever seen, but you can tell them some of the positives of the area as well as the negatives. If you can't see any positives in the area at all, then I feel really sorry for you because you must have a very miserable life. I know I live in a family friendly neighborhood where my daughter is getting a good education and I have easy access to almost any kind of store I could possibly want. Those are just a couple of things that I love about the area. I could name so many more.

The people that come on this site are the type of people that put work in to home ownership. Those are the types of people we want to move to the area. By scaring them off with broad generalizations, the area will never turn around because you are just leaving that many more openings for the drug dealers and some of the lower class people to move in.

I guess I was lucky that I happen to live on a street with the kind of people that aren't afraid to stand up for their rights to safety and peace. By making business very hard on the couple of dealers that tried to move in, our street became known as the street to avoid when buying. That's bad for business. They haven't even attempted to come back in over a year now. If more try to come, we can scare them off to. The last ones never lasted more than a month. I can tell you I have seen drug houses in fantastic neighborhoods. It isn't only in the more affordable neighborhoods.

I guess I just kind of assumed that if my street wasn't as bad as you are describing, then there may be one or two more out there in all of West Pasco that are at least livable. I could be wrong though. I could be the ONLY decent homeowner in this entire half of the county (besides the ones that live on the water or on a golf course, of course).

[num1baby]

Originally Posted by HughMcs

I was thinking of buying a second home in Pasco and visited the area a few months ago. I very briefly drove around a couple of neighborhoods in along 19 and didn't see the blight that I have seen in some areas of upstate NY, such as graffiti sprawled abandoned houses or bars on all the windows.
For those that live in the much maligned west Pasco area and pay mortgages, how much do you pay for homeowners insurance and how much do you pay in property taxes.
Thanks in advance for any information.

I will look up that information as soon as I can. I don't want you to think I am ignoring you.

[CHASLS2]

Originally Posted by num1baby

That is my point. For those of us that do have a dream of owning our own house, but don't have a large budget this is a good area. Also, instead of scaring everyone off, if we encourage good people to start buying in these areas it will slowly turn around. I am not saying to tell them that it is a fantastic area with no crime and the houses are the most beautiful houses you have ever seen, but you can tell them some of the positives of the area as well as the negatives. If you can't see any positives in the area at all, then I feel really sorry for you because you must have a very miserable life. I know I live in a family friendly neighborhood where my daughter is getting a good education and I have easy access to almost any kind of store I could possibly want. Those are just a couple of things that I love about the area. I could name so many more.

The people that come on this site are the type of people that put work in to home ownership. Those are the types of people we want to move to the area. By scaring them off with broad generalizations, the area will never turn around because you are just leaving that many more openings for the drug dealers and some of the lower class people to move in.

I guess I was lucky that I happen to live on a street with the kind of people that aren't afraid to stand up for their rights to safety and peace. By making business very hard on the couple of dealers that tried to move in, our street became known as the street to avoid when buying. That's bad for business. They haven't even attempted to come back in over a year now. If more try to come, we can scare them off to. The last ones never lasted more than a month. I can tell you I have seen drug houses in fantastic neighborhoods. It isn't only in the more affordable neighborhoods.

I guess I just kind of assumed that if my street wasn't as bad as you are describing, then there may be one or two more out there in all of West Pasco that are at least livable. I could be wrong though. I could be the ONLY decent homeowner in this entire half of the county (besides the ones that live on the water or on a golf course, of course).

Just do a crime report search on Westport and you will see what i mean. It will blow your mind.