My take on Dunedin, Safety Harbor, Westchase, Tarpon Springs, Palm Harbor (Jacksonville: real estate, rent)

[Danielle Baillie Posner]

Tarpon Springs would be the choice of this Floridian. It's about 8 miles from my home. You'll need to stay East of the Greek part of town. That part will never change and that's a good thing. East Lake is a good area as is Gulf Boulevard in Tarpon Springs. It's right on the water - close to the beach. If you're looking for high-end homes - Pointe Alexis is good- also anything close to "Baillie's Bluff" near Tarpon Springs. You'll find mostly gated, very exclusive home there. Lovely.

[88man]

I hope I'm not to late on this post. I moved from South Jersey 18 years ago and love Florida.

Forget how it's done up north.....The feel of an open neighbor and the traditions of the Philly area cannot be resurrected in Florida. I've lived in Dunedin and Palm Harbor and both have the same "closed neighborhood" feel.
I don't like the cookie cutter neighborhood like Westchase. However, a good housing association is a must for ensuring you don't end up across from a neighbor that doesn't care about "curb appeal". Also, some people just don't spend much time getting to know their neighbors, others are life time friends. But if you make an effort most people are very friendly.

A couple of recommendations:

Get on the water- buy a boat and use it. The Gulf of Mexico can't be beat. I boat 12 months out the year.
However, the boat ramps can get packed on weekends and holidays. We use a high and dry marina.

Schools: The Fundemental Schools in Pinellas County (the waiting list is worth it), they have strickter policies on behaviour, dress and participation than the regular school system. However, you will have to provide transportation. I think the middle & high schoolers can use city buses (School buses run for the zoned public schools).

No snow

The leaves fall off the oak trees in Feb.
The pollen from the oaks turn everything green for St.Patty's Day.

Bring your patience. You may think your use to traffic from Philly & S.Jersey but it's different. The volumn in Philly is predictable and mostly related to commutors. Bay area traffic (especially between Jan-April) can be very frustrating. US19 is getting better...but it can be deadly.

[Chattanooga Girl]

88Man.. I too left South Jersey years ago. I left in the early 80's. Can't go back due to sticker shock. I was raised in Pennsauken, Class of 1976. Where do you hail from?

I am in Chattanooga now...soon to be a Floridian

Christl
#17
Go Kenseth

[hjtoledo]

88Man, thanks for the advice. We sold our house in Chestnut Hill in 3 months, which was a bit longer that we expected, but considering the market...

We never thought we'd have such a tough time finding the right home in Dunedin. We spent 2 months looking - just in Dunedin. My wife easily visited 40-50 homes. I believe the problem was that there were too many homes of varying degrees and potential. Anyway, we close on a typical/very neat 1 story Florida house this week (great condition, new top of the line kitchen, 3BR/2BA, big yard, nice bird cage pool, beautiful neigborhood of Fairway Estates for 230K). The house was on the market 3 days and I think we got a great deal, because we were extremely patient.

I can't wait for us to get out of this Westchase apt and live the real Dunedin, FL life....

One last thing. If you are a NEasterner looking to move to Tampa, don't waste your time in an area that is not near the water. You might as well live in any congested suburban area in the NEast. Just my opinion having been here six months.

[hjtoledo]

One more thing - while in Philly, I ws curious about the price of insurance...

For a 3BR/2, 1750 sq home, 0.5 from the water at a sale price of 230K, we will pay $2,100 a year on insurance, including flood, which we are not required to have. By the way, flood insurance is like $30 a month.

[mandy_tampa]

Originally Posted by hjtoledo

Dunedin. We spent 2 months looking - just in Dunedin. My wife easily visited 40-50 homes. nice bird cage pool, beautiful neigborhood of Fairway Estates for 230K).

Wow 40-50 homes? Moderator cut: comment! That is WAY too many As far as Fairway Estates GREAT GREAT neighborhood I love it! Did you buy For Sale by Owner?

[88man]

I grew up in Bellmawr. Paroled from Triton in 1979. Escaped from the NE in 92.

[88man]

hjtoledo: You'll like Dunedin. There are some good little resturants and plenty of things to do. We like El Zarape, Red Fish Blue Fish, and Sea Sea Riders. If you crave a cheesesteak there's LaSpada's (folks are from Delaware County) on Main St. in Dunedin or Philly PLava (Malvern I think) on Hillsborough in the Publix Shooping center in Town & Country.

[annesg]

I have lived here for 8 years now and you sure nailed the descriptions

[sail_cat22]

I must say, I am heartened to read of potential inbound relos! I will never forget when we moved here from VA over thirty years ago...it took quite a bit of adjusting, but then, I was a teenager...

Relocating from out of state is a big step--researching this way is important, but I think that to get a really good 'feel' for an area it's more important to spend some time there.

Eastlake, btw, is not Oldsmar--it is Palm Harbor (currently unincorporated, but on the slate for possible Inc. status with the state). Oldsmar is very central, and does have some shops, but I hear from those who love there the traffic can be very bad during rush hours.