Family moving to Clearwater area (Tampa, Largo: short sales, lease, insurance)

[JM2408]

My husband is wanting to relocate within a couple of years with his job. The company's location is near the Clearwater airport. We are from Cincinnati, OH and do not know a whole lot about the area. He has family all over Florida, including St Petes. Just looking for input from other locals. We are in our late 20s and currently have a one year old. By the time we would be relocating we would have our second child as well. I have been looking into the Pineallas County school district and their school ratings. The best schools seem to be in Palm Harbor, but those houses are out of our price range. From what I have read, I would be interested in the Madeira Beach Fundamental School for K-8 and osceola Fundamental High School. Just to clarify - you can live anywhere in the district to attend these magnet schools, right? Can anyone give me any info on annual additional fees for attending these schools/entrance requirements/are there waiting lists?

Most of the homes i found were short sales which we would prefer not to deal with, due to how long it can take to close. The areas I have looked at that seem to have nice homes in our price range seems to be Seminole,And largo. I do not care about being close to the water, but due to the location of his company, he does not want a far commute. Our price range would be 175,000-200,000 for a home. I would PREFER 4 bedrooms but could make 3 bedrooms work. (In OH we could purchase a brand new 4 bedroom two-story home with a basement in this price range, but I know the size and style of home we will find in This pArt of Florida will be nothing like that obviously in this price range)

Since we would be leaving behind all my family in Ohio and our friends, another big concern for me is that we are in an area where there are plenty of other young families. Are seminole and largo more predominantly filled with retirees, or will we be surrounded by plenty of other young families?

Sorry for all the questions - OH to Florida will be a huge change for us. If anyone could suggest any other areas or suggestions for specific schools i would appreciate it!

[tinytrump]

I can't tell you about schools please do your homework before buying property in Pinellas county as the Flood insurance just skyrocketed... the amount vs the size home I am not sure bout that figure in Clearwater for a nice neighborhood. Its pricey. so maybe you want to rent first until you find your niche. Tampa-bay is different as in many neighborhoods have a shack next to a beautiful 3 story home with electric gates? need to spend some time here before buying. and Pinellas has alot of retirees, you must really see, for yourself.

[JM2408]

Thanks! pineallas county would be where we would have to move due to the location of his company/commute. I had asked him about neighborhoods nortb of tampa but that was before he explained how bad the traffic is near the business due to it being near the clearwater airport. I deal with bad traffic up here in OH on i-75, but he says the traffic around tampa is much worse. We will most likely rent on a short-term lease...i want to get a feel for the area

[lavender]

Hello and welcome to this forum.
To answer some of your questions, $200,000 will just about get you into a nice home in a nice neighborhood like Seminole/Largo S of Walsingham Rd/parts of Palm Harbor (maybe). It will be a 3 bedroom home that is older, and may need some upgrading but should be decent. HOWEVER this is a big however, if you are not planning to move for a while, then these prices may be higher by then. You cannot compare what you have in OH to what is here. Flood insurance costs will hopefully be sorted out by then. There is news of some companies coming in to cover flood ins - of course the cynic in me sees this as opportunistic operators, who will cherry pick the homes that probably wont flood in 100 yrs, and not those that are in direct zones. But to avoid any of that go for the non flood zones. To be in a magnet program you do not need to pay, but buses may not be available to you, depends on schools and where you are. There are usually waiting lists for these schools. Seminole area and Palm Harbor/East Lake are good schools and there are also good schools in some other areas, just not always all 3 levels. There was a heartening piece in the Tampa Bay Times today about the current state of Fl schools in comparison to the rest of US and world, its not terrible, but we do have some dreadful schools at the same time. Commuting within the county is not awful and the airport is kind of central unless you live very north or s. st petersburg. Nowhere is that difficult. Seminole may work out best for you as its about 15-20 mins drive to that location. Renting might be a good idea to start off with, but its worth keeping an eye now on the public r/estate sites to see how prices are going and the cost of homes. Good luck to you

[druthb00]

I feel that in 2 years you'll have a harder time with your current budget. Seminole is going to be your best bet for value and family-friendly neighborhoods with decent schools. What will happen between now and when you're ready to move is anyone's guess, though. I suggest you scrimp and save any spare cent you can until you move, just in case. The nice thing about Seminole, in regards to flood insurance, is that the majority of it is high and dry (for FL anyway.) There are a lot of younger families there, too. Palm Harbor is already on the top end of your budget, and I don't see the prices going down in the next couple of years. When we were shopping, Seminole was the only area in the Southern/Mid section of Pinellas county that we really liked. Pinellas Park will probably get you more for your money, be centrally located, and also be family friendly, but I suggest being very particular about location in that case. I think there are some deals to be had in that area if you do enough research and are patient enough.