Vet needs some help (Tampa, Spring Hill: real estate, HOA fees, lawyer) - Tampa Bay - Florida (FL) -Tampa - St. Petersburg - Clearwater - City-Data Forum

j2mclaughlin · 05-05-2014, 02:00 PM

I will be retiring from the Army after 20 years and moving my wife and 3 year old son to eitherBoston or down to the Gulf Coast area. These two locations are very different from each other from each other in so many ways. The only thing they both share off the top of myhead is a set of grandparents for my son, and good baseball teams. Anway,

If I move South I would be working in either the BayPines VA down in St Petersburg, or MacDill AFB in Tampa. I am looking for a 3 BED, 2BATH, GAR, POOL for $300,000. I know I may have to spend more to find exactly what I want or sacrifice some things. Now here comes the tricky part. Here are the wifes non negotiable driving factors: (1) schools must be good. (2) family neighborhood. (3) pool. Number 2 and 3 are easier to meet then number 1. After poring over several school ratings sites I think I may end up in Palm Harbor fighting the commute South every day. Because I cant predict when or where a Hurricane will smash the house, aside from buying a home in a no floodzone, my conditions are simply to keep meet the wifes conditions thus keeping her happy and hopefully do some fishing.

We visited my inlaws in Saint Pete back in February and drove around St Pete, Seminole, Dunedin, ClearWater, Tampa and Safety Harbor. They all have pros and cons. Given that I dont know what I dont know such as traffic patterns etc, private schools, masterbuilt communities etc, Are there other areas and school systems nearby that I may want to consider?

Also, are there Subdivisions either within Palm Harbor or elsewhere such as Village of Woodlands Hills that are better, or should be avoided over the others and if so why? HOA fees, amenities? events? sense of community? etc

Thanks! I welcome your comments whether 2 cents or several dollars worth...

j2mclaughlin · 05-07-2014, 02:09 PM

Ok, lets try this another way. Florida has many wonderful communities that vary greatly. If you currently live within an hours commute of Tampa/Saint Pete and feel your community may be a great place to raise a 3 year old. Please let me know. My wife and I would welcome any opinions and thoughts on any and all places that might fit our needs. We are looking for a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom, garage, pool prefered neighborhood full of other young families with a decent school system. If you dont live in one of these areas but feel you can recommend or not recommend other areas based on location, schools, family friendliness, traffic congestion etc please share as well.

Sunshinecc · 05-07-2014, 04:09 PM

You didn't mention where you are currently residing but I'm from the Boston area (south of close to RI) with plans to move to the St. Pete area. I don't want to take up this thread talking about an area that is not Tampa Bay so if you have any specific questions on the northeast, I'd be happy to try to help if I can - feel free to DM me.

If you are considering a particular area of Boston, that forum is great for feedback on various towns. It seems that's all they talk about is relocation info.

Spring Hillian · 05-07-2014, 04:38 PM

Thanks for your service.

From what I have read here, Safety Harbor may be a good place to check out. I have no personal knowledge of the details of the area but I know some folks here live there or nearby.

Quote:

Originally Posted by j2mclaughlin

Ok, lets try this another way. Florida has many wonderful communities that vary greatly. If you currently live within an hours commute of Tampa/Saint Pete and feel your community may be a great place to raise a 3 year old. Please let me know. My wife and I would welcome any opinions and thoughts on any and all places that might fit our needs. We are looking for a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom, garage, pool prefered neighborhood full of other young families with a decent school system. If you dont live in one of these areas but feel you can recommend or not recommend other areas based on location, schools, family friendliness, traffic congestion etc please share as well.

j2mclaughlin · 05-07-2014, 07:20 PM

Sunshine cc, Thanks for the reply. My family is from the Boston area and I grew up in Newport RI. I Love New England, but the cost of living is cheaper in FL and the weather is much nicer at times. I will miss the spring and fall, winter not so much. Growing up in coastal New England I was shocked to discover FL lobsters have no claws! Who would have figured? Either way, I am prepared to go either way, North or South, depending on the job offers, but would like to narrow down possible places to live. Again, thanks for the reply, and I look forward to chatting with you sometime on a variety of subjects. P.S. - I know the RI beaches well!

j2mclaughlin · 05-07-2014, 07:28 PM

Spring Hillian, Thanks for the reply. I have actually visited Safety Harbor. I liked the quaint downtown with the library surrounded by beautiful trees, shops, and restaurants near the the spa. I was kinda shocked to find a Cumberland Farms there as its a New England convenience store chain. All in all, it seems to be a nice little town.

lavender · 05-08-2014, 05:05 PM

BayPines is 15 mins from my house, McDill is 30 but our neighbor who was with Centcom was happy with the drive and is waiting to retire to come back to here (seminole) We are by the beach, out of flood zone, great schools, friendly neighborhoods, very safe and you will get a home with 3/2/2 with a pool in very nice shape for about $300,000. They are just there - desireable subdivisions go a little more now. But there are still some - though not many on the market just now. I am biased but have lived here 14 yrs now and our two children did all 3 schools and are now graduated/graduating from college. Looking out of my office window just now and its calm, lots of oaks, watching sun going down over the roofs. Our neighborhood is 70s era homes but very well kept and there is room between the homes.
I like it!

j2mclaughlin · 05-08-2014, 06:42 PM

Lavender, thanks for the reply. I appreciate it. Also, could you please explain something to me? I am kinda a noob when it comes to some things and Youtube videos can't show you everything. I notice your "tag" says Buyer's Agent. Regardless which way we head, North to New England or South to your area. I assume we would want to work with a Buyers agent? I know some would argue that you can do it yourself, or that a Sellers agent could represent you just as well and perhaps do an even better job saving you money since that don't have to split the fee but I kind of think that like having sharing a divorce lawyer with your soon to be ex spouse and expect that you are really going to come out fairly. Are you affiliated with a Real Estate Agency or are you a bonafide independent Buyers agent, if such a thing exists? Care to share any tips? Are Zillow, Trulia, Lippley, Movoto, ForsalebyMilitaryOwner, or MLS listings realistic sites to use? When should we start to to contact agents such as yourself when we know for sure we will be moving to an area? I would rather use a professional buyers agent such as yourself and who can help us avoid walking into something we don't want or need. Thanks!