House hunting is driving me NUTZ! (Tampa, Clearwater: extended stay, apartment, for rent) - Tampa Bay - Florida (FL) -Tampa - St. Petersburg - Clearwater - Page 4 - City-Data Forum

kdubose · 10-03-2013, 11:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beachlvr21399

Ok, I get it that rent is out of this world there, but we are not trashy people. We have a new camper & $80,000 worth of brand new vehicles. Our Maint trailer is 1 yr old & cost $4,000. Our pool is only 2 yrs old. So nothing is old or nasty looking.

Its more of a code enforcement issue than it is with it looking/being trashy... For instance, in Dunedin (North Pinellas)...you cant even park your car on your grass, you have to have it on a mulched or paved area and its limited to its size and other goofy regulations.

The Maleman · 10-03-2013, 08:08 PM

You will not get anywhere close to beach for that money. Your best bet would be around Brooksville, you'd be an hour from everything, but it's still very rural and would support your encumbrances. If your credit is in decent shape, you might even find a property to buy, I've seen them under 40k, which amounts to around a $400 mortgage payment with FHA. That's including insurance and taxes. You would need around 5k to close. The closest beach would be Green Key in Port Richey, I think, but it's not very good except for birdwatching and boating. Howard Park in Tarpon Springs is awesome, though. Feel free to PM me if you want info on how to buy, I'm not a real estate guy, I just know a few things that will help lower income people to get a mortgage from my own experience. You would need at least a 640 credit score. For rentals, there are many in that area on Craigslist. I wouldn't really trust rent to own schemes, there has to be a reason they just can't sell it on the open market.

beachlvr21399 · 10-04-2013, 04:24 AM

Great! Thanks! However, we are not low income. We just don't want to pay high rent for something that is not going to be ours. I will check out the Brooksville area out. Appreciate the help. :-) If we have to go further out, then so be it. We have excellant transportation for the drive to the beach.

gulfer · 10-04-2013, 07:46 AM

Now you're talking. You will find something reasonable with some distance between the beaches and where you will stay. There are Rentals out there that are not listed through a Realtor's Database. You drive down the road and that is where you see them. Once away from a lot of the suburbs and all, you find places with some land that will provide you what you look for.

When I am out and about, I will keep looking around to see if something catches my eye and post it here.

beachlvr21399 · 10-04-2013, 04:50 PM

Thanks so much! I will keep watching! :-)

beachlvr21399 · 10-04-2013, 06:59 PM

Hey Gulfer! Can you give me some insight on license plates down there? I heard that you have to pay around $400 per vehicle within 10 days of residency. Is this true? Also, is there a fee for a camper & our Contractors trailer? If so, is it state wide or just Pinellas County? Just wanting to line those ducks up with the money. :-) Thanks!

spockcat · 10-04-2013, 09:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MortonR

A short sale would take 90 days at best in a perfect world, and tie you and your money up for the same.

There were some other posters looking for a rent to own or rent and renovate approach - not going to happen in this market, IMHO. Things are too good between the high rental rates we're seeing and the institutional investors driving the prices up.

RM

LOL, 90 days. We've been working on one for 10 months. Stupid Bank of America!!!!

tilli · 10-05-2013, 07:14 AM

All this talk about the best location for trailers and above ground pools and dogs and ridiculously low rent is fine and all, but what about jobs? There is not much to be had in Brooksville, and if you are planning to commute to Tampa for work that will get real old, real fast. My advice is to sell the trailers and the pool and readjust your expectations. Especially the above ground pool. I think very few landlords would allow you to set one up, they are kind of trashy and they are a huge liability issue. The trailer you may be able to work out a storage arrangement rather than parking it directly on the property. I also suspect that finding a place that will accept the dogs may be quite challenging. I literally laughed out loud at your $800 for a 4 bedroom thing, I'm not trying to be mean but I don't think that's available even in the worst neighborhoods in town. That's where pricing starts for decent one bedroom apartments. Even if you double the budget I don't think you could meet all your requirements. Do you really NEED 4 bedrooms or are you just accustomed to having that many? If you could settle for a 2 or maybe 3 bedroom you wouldn't have to increase your budget quite as much. Another thought is that if you are willing to spend more if you were buying rather than renting, it might work best to rent an apartment for a year while you look around and learn the area, figure out where you will be working, etc. and find a property to purchase that meets most of your needs and wants.

MortonR · 10-05-2013, 02:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beachlvr21399

Hey Gulfer! Can you give me some insight on license plates down there? I heard that you have to pay around $400 per vehicle within 10 days of residency. Is this true? Also, is there a fee for a camper & our Contractors trailer? If so, is it state wide or just Pinellas County? Just wanting to line those ducks up with the money. :-) Thanks!

You will be required to pay the annual registration and title fees along with a one-time charge of $225 for each vehicle you register. These are state-wide requirements, and will also require that you have a current auto insurance policy in effect as well.

DHSMV: Motorist Services Fees

RM

beachlvr21399 · 10-05-2013, 04:48 PM

Thank you for the vehicle info. Greatly appreciated. Also would just like to clarify something. The contractor trailer is for "business". The camper is for recreation when we travel. The pool is far from "trashy", & has a gated deck that many people would love to have. Although some think $800 per month is low & will acquire a dumpy house / area, I do not see where the jobs there pay enough to afford all the high cost of rent, especially when you have brand new vehicles to pay for, plus utilities, gas for work / travel, etc. And yes, we need 4 bdrm due to 4 adults. An apartment is totally out of the question. So all in all, we have found 3 houses that offer what we are in need of. Somebody is going to be lucky when we offer cash money to buy one of them in one year. If a person trys to fullfill their dream & work thru all the obstacles, it will become reality. I tried really hard. Some on here had so much discouragement that I actually cried. Others gave me hope & I thank you for all encouragement & assistance. We ARE moving to Florida. Soooooooon. :-)