Relocation, Apollo Beach, FL? and other questions (Miami, Tampa: mortgage, real estate)

[barrypii]

I am looking at moving to Tampa... I am lucky enough to work from home with frequent travel to Miami, and all over FL. So I am looking for some place with new houses (heard insurance is much cheaper on new homes) around 2.5k sq. feet or up with a nice view. $250k - 350k with reasonable access to the freeway's.

Apollo Beach looks nice with some nice houses in my price range.

But I see all of these neighborhoods offering pools, golf courses, parks, and other amentities, and I have no idea how they pay for them. The HOA fee's are 7-50 bucks a month. Do you have to pay to join? How does that work.

My wife will be working either downtown tampa or in st. pete, not sure yet.

[BucFan]

Would suggest looking into Summerfield Crossings (near Apollo Beach). Also MiraBay is a very new development closer to the water. Looks high rent. Probably could find a nice place at the price you're looking at. Golf courses are the Apollo Beach and Summerfield area in addition to Cypress Creek are public and aren't part of HOA. Some courses have annual memberships while others are pay as you play. I just e-mailed Cypress Creek (in Ruskin) and their golf rates are atrocious ($50-60/round with no membership available). I don't know if Sea and Ski Club at Apollo Beach is doing likewise.

HOA usually covers pool and fitness centers. Some places have high HOA ($100-300/mo) but those are mostly condos with insurance included. Better have a clear understanding about insurance availability - sounds like it is very hard to acquire in FLA nowadays. Good Luck.

[Skulz]

Be sure to check for the community's CDD fees if any. Also if there is a variable amount of fees that go up each year. The community I live in has a low HOA but a high CDD.

[bnepler]

You may want to consider even further south.

[mquintana]

You have to pay the HOA fees if you live in a community and they are usually more than 7-50 a month. Home owners insurance here in this state and this area is high-regardless. One of the many reasons why houses seem so low right now here is because people are doing anything to sell them and get out of the house. HOA's and Home owners incsurance as well as property taxes are killing people in the state of Florida. Plus there were a lot of instances where people opened a mortgage without a fixed rate, but a variable and now their interest has sky rocketed! I work in the apartment rental business and hear this from sellers, buyer, and real estate agents. just becareful on the houses that you are looking into. I know my in-laws pay about $250 for their HOA's in a brand new housing community in Riverview. And that is per month. So just make sure you get an estimate on all things possible. Apollo Beach is nice. A lot of people love the area as well as Brandon and New Tampa. Riverview has a lot of new housing communites popping up left and right. You might want to look into these places as well.

[BucFan]

Very helpful post. Thanks.

[wiltznucs]

I live in the Harbour Isles community in Apollo Beach and our HOA is some $60 a year. However the CDD is $2,000+ each year which is what covers the pools/tennis/trash/whatnot. Home values are rapidly declining and bargains are to be found in many areas. Apollo Beach is quiet but growing, and as has been mentioned before theres few attractions and eateries currently. But thats changing quickly. Home styles are all pretty similar in the area but lot sizes, distance between homes, and restrictive covenants vary widely from one community to the next...

Mira Bay is a very nice community albeit pricey, bargains can be found there. A friend of mine purchased a home there on a short sale last month. I understand the previous owner sold for nearly 100K less than they paid only two years ago.

[mquintana]

Originally Posted by BucFan

Very helpful post. Thanks.

Your welcome! I am here to help as I can....

[ijehan]

What is CDD and how is it different from HoA

[Malena6913]

We are thinking f relocating to Apollo Beach/Brandon or Tampa from northern VA. The first thing we need to knowis how is the construction (masonry) trade?


The home we are looking for is in quiet fmily friendly neighborhood It is 2 bd 1.5 - 2 bahs. Has a yard ( enough room to plant a garden and room for my son to play. A 10-15 minute walk to shoppng, park, pool orbeach and school.

Does tis exist ? What price rangewold it be?