Working in St.Pertersburg looking for a house in Brandenton (Tampa: real estate, new home) - Tampa Bay - Florida (FL) -Tampa - St. Petersburg - Clearwater - City-Data Forum

Dream2011 · 03-15-2011, 03:53 PM

Hi !! I got a job in downtown St.Petersburg and we are going to move (Husband, two little kids and a dog) next month. I am a little bit scared about the change (we are coming from Cary, NC) ... I would like to get some advise about the best areas to buy a house. Our bugget is around $260,000. We need a good, safe, clean, and friendly place to live... how is like to live in this the area... (There is nothing to do in Cary, NC) I was thinking on buying in Bradenton... any advise??? Thanks!

gypsychic · 03-15-2011, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dream2011

Hi !! I got a job in downtown St.Petersburg and we are going to move (Husband, two little kids and a dog) next month. I am a little bit scared about the change (we are coming from Cary, NC) ... I would like to get some advise about the best areas to buy a house. Our bugget is around $260,000. We need a good, safe, clean, and friendly place to live... how is like to live in this the area... (There is nothing to do in Cary, NC) I was thinking on buying in Bradenton... any advise??? Thanks!

OMG - if I had a job in downtown St. Pete that is where I would live! Seriously, why would you be looking in Bradenton? For one, you will have a commute and be going over the Skyway Bridge every day. For another, downtown St. Pete is fabulous! Anyway, if I were you, I would look around St. Pete first unless you have some reason you really want Bradenton. Good luck!

ferret111 · 03-15-2011, 05:01 PM

Yeah, I'd really look around St. Pete first. Even if you don't consider Downtown St. Pete at all, there are plenty of good neighborhoods, both historical and post-war.

xbillyx · 03-15-2011, 05:54 PM

The OP specified kids. The public schools in St Pete are sub-par, although they're not any better in Bradenton, are they? From my massive amount of research, I think Seminole or Sarasota would be closest for good public schools.

Dream2011 · 03-16-2011, 07:32 AM

Thanks you all!!! I have been looking around St.Petersburg but house are very expensive.... Bradenton has a lot of gated comunities....??? so.. I guess I get more house for less...........??

gypsychic · 03-16-2011, 08:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dream2011

Thanks you all!!! I have been looking around St.Petersburg but house are very expensive.... Bradenton has a lot of gated comunities....??? so.. I guess I get more house for less...........??

You will probably get more for your $$ in one of the gated communities in Manatee County, which is technically not "Bradenton" per se, and your commute will not be that bad as long as you don't mind the Skyway Bridge everyday. We live near the Sarasota/Bradenton airport and my husband drives to Tampa over I-75, his commute is one hour door-to-door, yours should be less. I hear there are some good schools in Bradenton, read "Oobie's" posts on the Sarasota forum for more good info, she lives there and loves the schools.

BBI · 03-16-2011, 08:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dream2011

Thanks you all!!! I have been looking around St.Petersburg but house are very expensive.... Bradenton has a lot of gated comunities....??? so.. I guess I get more house for less...........??

Bradenton's not a horrible option, but make sure you like hanging out in Sarasota. There's nothing in Bradenton, so you'll be "commuting" to Sarasota for fun. (Sarasota's only about 20 minutes from Bradenton.) You will get more house (and yard) for your money in Manatee county than in Pinellas county. I have not researched public schools in Bradenton, but I'd assume they are not so great. Maybe far enough outside of town in a gated community they're better.

Someone else recommended you look at Sarasota. I know a few people who commute from Sarasota to St. Pete, but that's about an hour commute, and I don't know if that'd be acceptable to you or not.

In Pinellas county, try looking in Seminole and Safety Harbor. Both have good public schools and houses within your price range, and both are within a 40ish minute commute of downtown St. Pete (same as Bradenton). I think both also have gated communities, if that's your thing, though those will cost more (and I don't think they're necessary). Safety Harbor is nicer than Seminole, in my opinion, and has a tiny little downtown which will at least have something going on every now and then. There's basically nothing to do in Seminole, but it's close to the beaches.

gypsychic · 03-16-2011, 08:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BBI

Bradenton's not a horrible option, but make sure you like hanging out in Sarasota. There's nothing in Bradenton, so you'll be "commuting" to Sarasota for fun. (Sarasota's only about 20 minutes from Bradenton.) You will get more house (and yard) for your money in Manatee county than in Pinellas county. I have not researched public schools in Bradenton, but I'd assume they are not so great. Maybe far enough outside of town in a gated community they're better.

Someone else recommended you look at Sarasota. I know a few people who commute from Sarasota to St. Pete, but that's about an hour commute, and I don't know if that'd be acceptable to you or not.

In Pinellas county, try looking in Seminole and Safety Harbor. Both have good public schools and houses within your price range, and both are within a 40ish minute commute of downtown St. Pete (same as Bradenton). I think both also have gated communities, if that's your thing, though those will cost more (and I don't think they're necessary). Safety Harbor is nicer than Seminole, in my opinion, and has a tiny little downtown which will at least have something going on every now and then. There's basically nothing to do in Seminole, but it's close to the beaches.

What do you mean "nothing to do?" We don't know what the OP likes to do. There is plenty to do in the whole area, including some of the best beaches in Florida (Anna Maria Island) and even if they do commute to Sarasota for other activities, it's only like a 15 minute commute. Safety Harbor is cute, but it is tiny, way less to do there than Bradenton, if she thinks there is nothing to do in Cary she will be bored out of her gourd in Safety Harbor. Bottom line, OP needs to look around and see what suits her family.

tjax1000 · 03-16-2011, 09:47 AM

Unless some things have changed from the last time I was researching real estate, there is really no comparison to what your money will buy in an area like Bradenton (or any outskirt area of Tampa Bay) vs. what it will buy in an area like northern Pinellas... or really any of the more desirable areas of Pinellas. This area was fully built out long ago vs. some of the fringe areas that still have room to expand. Similar things can be said about South Tampa.

Of course, northern Pinellas benefits from good public schools and that can be worth a lot to someone with kids and areas closer to downtown St. Pete benefit those looking for certain types of activities (parks, dining, museums, etc.) So, it is understandable why prices are higher; it is simply supply and demand.

A *lot* of people I've run into who work in St. Pete (many with families) have bought large homes in tract home communities in places like Brandon, Lakeland, Wesley Chapel, Manatee County, etc. Most of them bought large, new homes for a lot less $$$ and oftentimes have a pool, etc. However, there is usually a lot of office chatter starting at 4PM every day about what the traffic situation is like, strategizing about how to avoid it and get home quicker, etc. but the reality is that you're giving up a couple hours of your day to a commute. If you have flex hours and/or don't typically work overtime this can be easier to stomach than say, someone who typically ends up working 7AM to 6PM or later.

BBI · 03-16-2011, 09:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gypsychic

What do you mean "nothing to do?" We don't know what the OP likes to do. There is plenty to do in the whole area, including some of the best beaches in Florida (Anna Maria Island) and even if they do commute to Sarasota for other activities, it's only like a 15 minute commute. Safety Harbor is cute, but it is tiny, way less to do there than Bradenton. Bottom line, OP needs to look around and see what suits her family.

Maybe you've never been to Cary, NC, but if there's nothing to do in Cary, then there's nothing to do in Bradenton. I agree that there's plenty to do in the "whole area." But there's also plenty to do in the Research Triangle, and Cary's in the middle of it. Heck, Cary's 20 minutes from downtown Raleigh. Bradenton itself offers basically nothing. The OP should be aware that if she lives in a development near Bradenton, Sarasota is the downtown destination.

As for the neighborhoods in Pinellas, I think I made it pretty clear in my post that there's not much going on Safety Harbor, but that there's at least something going on in downtown SH compared to Seminole, which is just suburbia.