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Currently living in NJ and would like to move from the cold due to back problems. I'd like to move to the Tampa area. Many suggestions I see are of New Tampa, Westchase, Carrollwood, South Tampa, Citrus Park, Wesley Chapel, Brandon, and Riverview. First, since I have kids, good schools and a good family oriented area are THE most important things to me. I also prefer not living in an area that are filled with snow birds/vacation homes where they are empty half of the year. Other families with kids year round would be preferred. I need a 4+ bedroom house and my budget can be up to 325k or so if the taxes are under 4000/yr. Basically, a 2000k/mo mortgage payment is what I'd be comfortable with.
New Tampa: lot's of gated communities from what I gather and traffic problems. Generally the schools seem to be good but are VERY test oriented and not so much nurturing. I'm all for emphasis on academic performance but I want the teachers to be just as concerned with the child's comfort. Even the schools that got 9's and 10's on greatschools.org have people saying that some of those are fine as long as your kids are very smart and understand everything well. If they don't, there's apparently labeling of the kids that aren't as fast...and that concerns me. Taxes are generally higher here than somewhere like Brandon or Riverview.
Westchase and Carrollwood: I hear good things about their schools as well but it most homes that fit my criteria are a bit expensive.
South Tampa: I hear mixed things about. I guess it's more of an "older" feel there with more traditional homes. Also some mini mansions. Generally the nicer areas from what I could see are also pricey.
Citrus Park and Wesley Chapel: I actually have to do more research on these areas as nothing comes to mind about these towns atm.
Brandon and Riverview: I've heard great things about both, including the money magazine thing about Riverview. The problem I see is that it seems to be VERY "hit or miss" with the schools. One part of town might have a couple of 8+ rated schools but a couple miles from there you get nothing but 5's and below. Do I just need to know of the right "pockets" of good areas to send my kids to school? I've looked into private schools but they are a bit price as well. I've heard A LOT regarding fighting, bullying, etc and school administrations doing NOTHING about it. I have a ZERO tolerance for bullying and so do schools up here in NJ. Bullying can be limited if the proper measures are taken but as far as I can see, that isn't the case. These 2 towns are probably where I would consider the most based on lower taxes. I'm still interested in New Tampa as well.
If there is anything to add, clarify, or if I just got something completely wrong please let me know. If I really can't find the schools I want in the Tampa area, I'll probably start looking into Wellington since I know the schools there are fantastic and my wife grew up there....though I'm trying to stay on the gulf side of FL.
New Tampa - (Wharton High School) Not all are gated however, but yes, many are. Your price range is available there. Taxes (I am assuming you will become a Florida Resident) will be close or a bit above 4K.
Westchase - I wouldn't lump it with Carrollwood even though they are fairly close. Very Different. Westchase is too expensive for what your limits are.
Carrollwood - Older, more established communities. Your prices ranges would work.
South Tampa - Again, older more established communities, but the prices would work
Brandon Riverview - Your price range is definitely there. Not sure about Bullying at the schools. My daughter says she really doesn't see it (Land O Lakes - Sunlake High School) but she has friends that have. One thing to ensure you are aware of, other areas of the Country spend more money on schools then they do in Florida. Take that however you want it. My daughter has gotten a great education and is well prepared for College.
Wesley Chapel - More like the Land O Lakes area. Some nice areas but is still building. Numerous big project plans (Major Leauge Baseball Sports Complex and Olympic Style Hockey Complex, Outlet Mall) coming over the next year or two. WaterGrass is a new Community out by Wesley Chapel High School. Is Pasco County so taxes are lower, your price range is available in new or established communities
Land O Lakes - Trinity - Northern Odessa - Your price range is available as this is also Pasco County. 300K home - 3K Taxes (approximately if you're a resident with Homestead Exemption and such).
Citrus Park - Very different feel than Wesley Chapel, Land O Lakes, Trinity, and Northern Odessa. Your price range is there, but taxes will be higher in Hillsborough County.
Some additional Zip Codes that I would recommend: 33543, 33545, 33544, 34639, 34638, 33548, 33556 - They are from East to West that run along HWY 54.
I think your assessment of the areas is fairly spot on. But, your price range is questionable. I just had a closing on a house in a non-CDD community for $257,500 and the buyers' payment on an FHA mortgage is $2,086 monthly. If you're planning to put 20% or more in down payment toward the purchase, then your budget works. Please speak with a lender before you expend more time on the location and wind up surprised and/or disappointed. Price depends on the area as you've already discovered with higher sales prices in the better school zones.
Employment should also guide location. Commuting is a bear at normal work/school times.
P.S. I just realized you omitted FishHawk. The highest rated schools combined (E/M/H) are in the South Tampa, FishHawk (Lithia), and Lutz (west of Dale Mabry) areas though there are A-rated schools in each of the areas on your list.
Last edited by TampaKaren; 02-25-2014 at 06:27 AM..
Currently living in NJ and would like to move from the cold due to back problems. I'd like to move to the Tampa area. Many suggestions I see are of New Tampa, Westchase, Carrollwood, South Tampa, Citrus Park, Wesley Chapel, Brandon, and Riverview. First, since I have kids, good schools and a good family oriented area are THE most important things to me. I also prefer not living in an area that are filled with snow birds/vacation homes where they are empty half of the year. Other families with kids year round would be preferred. I need a 4+ bedroom house and my budget can be up to 325k or so if the taxes are under 4000/yr. Basically, a 2000k/mo mortgage payment is what I'd be comfortable with.
Thanks in advance for all the help!
If you have back problems and want to move due to the cold down to FL, one word of caution. With the exception of Riverview / S. Tampa, all places listed are further North within the freezing line (for example, Mid Pinellas cty is right on the freezing line). Temps drop to as low as 28F wintertime (by Land O'Lakes and those areas up there, even below that). Plus it feels isolated, too far away from the real FL living in coastal areas. Riverview has relatively easy access to Manatee/Sarasota cty beaches (straight down I-75).
Another thing, FL is very humid, especially in the summer. Your back will not like that. (I had a friend with similar problems and always complained about the humidity or any cold in the winter; he wanted to move to AZ). With your budget, maybe consider looking around Mid Pinellas too (BellAir/Bellair Bluffs/West Largo/W. Seminole or anything close to the beaches), also certain areas of St Pete north of downtown, Clearwater (By Countryside Mall), Dunedin and Palm Harbor.
I think your assessment of the areas is fairly spot on. But, your price range is questionable. I just had a closing on a house in a non-CDD community for $257,500 and the buyers' payment on an FHA mortgage is $2,086 monthly. If you're planning to put 20% or more in down payment toward the purchase, then your budget works. Please speak with a lender before you expend more time on the location and wind up surprised and/or disappointed. Price depends on the area as you've already discovered with higher sales prices in the better school zones.
Employment should also guide location. Commuting is a bear at normal work/school times.
P.S. I just realized you omitted FishHawk. The highest rated schools combined (E/M/H) are in the South Tampa, FishHawk (Lithia), and Lutz (west of Dale Mabry) areas though there are A-rated schools in each of the areas on your list.
Well, obviously there are many factors that go into a monthly payment like taxes, mortgage payment, home owners insurance, whether you need flood insurance or not, etc. The reason I said up to 325k or so is because I priced a few houses in that range which came out to around 2100/mo or so using a 5% interest rate and nothing down. That didn't include home insurance, which would probably add 100 or so to the monthly payment. The taxes on these houses were also very low ($3500 or less). If I got a house for 250k with 6000k/yr in taxes, I'd probably be paying somewhere around the same as a 310k house with 4000k/yr taxes. The taxes are the big wild card. I really like some of the new houses being built in Brandon but I'd like to airlift that house to South Tampa lol. I'd also be going through the VA for a loan.
My wife is a nurse so as long as we are within 30 minutes or so from a hospital, that's all that matters for employment as I'm currently disabled.
"If you have back problems and want to move due to the cold down to FL, one word of caution. With the exception of "Riverview / S. Tampa, all places listed are further North within the freezing line (for example, Mid Pinellas cty is right on the freezing line). Temps drop to as low as 28F wintertime (by Land O'Lakes and those areas up there, even below that). Plus it feels isolated, too far away from the real FL living in coastal areas. Riverview has relatively easy access to Manatee/Sarasota cty beaches (straight down I-75).
Another thing, FL is very humid, especially in the summer. Your back will not like that. (I had a friend with similar problems and always complained about the humidity or any cold in the winter; he wanted to move to AZ). With your budget, maybe consider looking around Mid Pinellas too (BellAir/Bellair Bluffs/West Largo/W. Seminole or anything close to the beaches), also certain areas of St Pete north of downtown, Clearwater (By Countryside Mall), Dunedin and Palm Harbor."
I'm not a huge fan of humidity but my back just can't take the cold anymore. I actually prefer the cold to extreme heat. It gets pretty humid in NJ as well during the summer and my back is usually fine. It's usually when it's cold or when a big storm comes when my back falls apart.
I was also thinking about Clearwater but never really looked into it. How does it compare to Tampa as far as schools/safety?
Well, obviously there are many factors that go into a monthly payment like taxes, mortgage payment, home owners insurance, whether you need flood insurance or not, etc. The reason I said up to 325k or so is because I priced a few houses in that range which came out to around 2100/mo or so using a 5% interest rate and nothing down. That didn't include home insurance, which would probably add 100 or so to the monthly payment. The taxes on these houses were also very low ($3500 or less). If I got a house for 250k with 6000k/yr in taxes, I'd probably be paying somewhere around the same as a 310k house with 4000k/yr taxes. The taxes are the big wild card. I really like some of the new houses being built in Brandon but I'd like to airlift that house to South Tampa lol. I'd also be going through the VA for a loan.
My wife is a nurse so as long as we are within 30 minutes or so from a hospital, that's all that matters for employment as I'm currently disabled.
Thank you for your service. It's hard to know all the facts when reading from a public forum. A recent VA loan for $176K at 3.75% resulted in a monthly payment of $1,132 so the math makes sense to me now.
You may know already that real estate taxes are based on assessed value - exemptions = taxable value x millage rate = tax amount. Rates varied in 2013 from 15-25 mils plus special taxing districts. In addition to the homestead exemption for primary residents, you may also be able to get an exemption for your disability. My neighbor is a 100% disabled veteran and he pays no real estate taxes. His auto tags are also free.
I recently paid the real estate taxes and insurance on my parent's home in Tennessee. What I pay here in Tampa is 4 times higher. And they have a full-size basement!
Last edited by TampaKaren; 02-25-2014 at 09:36 AM..
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