high end, affluent area in Tampa? Coming from Newport Beach,CA (Clearwater: condo, broker)

[elleoelle]

I saw a post from earlier this year where there were lots of suggestions for a professional coming from Chicago - but my needs are a little more specific and I'm having a hard time finding anyone who can understand my needs as well as knowing the Tampa area.

I'm relocating to be closer to family, but nothing near them in Pasco Cty comes close. I'm 40, work from home, a single female who just wants a single family house with an office and guestroom. My family doesn't quite understand why I'd prefer to be within 30 mins of Int'l Mall. I'd rather not have to drive an hour for Nordstrom or Neiman's and I'm a beach girl who needs her water nearby. There's one organic market in Pasco county and the produce there was inedible, I'm thinking a more upscale area would provide a few more options. I know these may all seem trivial, but I also know the daily little creature comforts I need so it's not a total culture shock.

I have come across a few homes in Brandon I liked - on the Alafia river - but I'm unsure of the amenities locally - realtor.com shows the closest retail to the one house I liked was a Big Lots. My budget is under 400K and I want the cheap house in the affluent area rather than the nicest house on a cheap street.

So any suggestions for where I can live on the water (river would be best - no manmade lakes) within a half hour max of the airport/Int'l Mall? I don't golf - so that's not an issue. Waterfront is the major requirement and I'd prefer to stay away from the whole planned gated community. I don't care about the age of the home. Location is the important thing to me.

Thanks in advance to any "potential neighbors" who might be able to give input!

[knightgoose]

The only affluent area that compares to Newport Beach, CA in my opinion is Boca Raton, FL which is located in South Palm Beach County just north of Ft. Lauderdale. I went to college w/ a lot of people from there and it's a very uppity type area w/ plenty of upscale shopping, boutiques, day spas, and you are right on the inter coastal so many locals have yachts. There should be a good amount of organic markets in the area and you have Palm Beach International Airport, Ft. Lauderdale Airport, than MIA an hour south.
-In the Tampa area, the Soho district may fit your needs but its not on the water

[annesg]

You could probably get something small for that near Westshore/International mall but probably not ON water...but near it. It would be a fixer. There might be something with water access in S. Tampa. On/by the river is the Seminole Heights or Temple Terrace areas. Some of Seminole Heights is gentrified and it's got some great old bungalows. Hmmm. For about 3x that you can go to Rocky Point and get a SFR, or you can get a condo easy for that price on water in various places.

[Sunscape]

I would say a place in Safety Harbor, Oldsmar would be suitable for you. There are places in both of them that are waterfront. It just takes finding them. You need a good broker who can look for your property Good Luck!

[TampaKaren]

Originally Posted by elleoelle

I saw a post from earlier this year where there were lots of suggestions for a professional coming from Chicago - but my needs are a little more specific and I'm having a hard time finding anyone who can understand my needs as well as knowing the Tampa area.

I'm relocating to be closer to family, but nothing near them in Pasco Cty comes close. I'm 40, work from home, a single female who just wants a single family house with an office and guestroom. My family doesn't quite understand why I'd prefer to be within 30 mins of Int'l Mall. I'd rather not have to drive an hour for Nordstrom or Neiman's and I'm a beach girl who needs her water nearby. There's one organic market in Pasco county and the produce there was inedible, I'm thinking a more upscale area would provide a few more options. I know these may all seem trivial, but I also know the daily little creature comforts I need so it's not a total culture shock.

I have come across a few homes in Brandon I liked - on the Alafia river - but I'm unsure of the amenities locally - realtor.com shows the closest retail to the one house I liked was a Big Lots. My budget is under 400K and I want the cheap house in the affluent area rather than the nicest house on a cheap street.

So any suggestions for where I can live on the water (river would be best - no manmade lakes) within a half hour max of the airport/Int'l Mall? I don't golf - so that's not an issue. Waterfront is the major requirement and I'd prefer to stay away from the whole planned gated community. I don't care about the age of the home. Location is the important thing to me.

Thanks in advance to any "potential neighbors" who might be able to give input!

Try searching around Hillsborough Ave & Countryway Blvd & the south Racetrack Road area in Odessa (Zips 33635, 33626, 33556 and maybe 33615). Westchase may be too planned, but the older section of Countryway might work for you. It's close to Tampa Bay, not too far to the Gulf and should be within 30 minutes of the Int'l Mall. I know several telecommuters who live in Countryway now. Same thing in the Eagles area in Odessa. You might also find an older home on a canal in Dana Shores.

Sorry, I don't know much about organics, but a friend of mine frequently visits Nature's Harvest Market on MacDill and there's supposed to be a Wild Oats on N Dale Mabry.

Good luck!

[jessiesma]

Originally Posted by annesg

You could probably get something small for that near Westshore/International mall but probably not ON water...but near it. It would be a fixer. There might be something with water access in S. Tampa. On/by the river is the Seminole Heights or Temple Terrace areas. Some of Seminole Heights is gentrified and it's got some great old bungalows. Hmmm. For about 3x that you can go to Rocky Point and get a SFR, or you can get a condo easy for that price on water in various places. Feel free to PM me if you want more info, I can send specific listings.

Actually Tampa has one of the highest per capitas in the state but it's pretty low key.
If you come over to Pinellas co. You could live in Tierra Verde and zip up 275 to shop. Intl. Pl. is just over the Frankland bridge so it's about 25 min. You could find a nice condo on the water and have easy access to Fort deSoto park which has been a Blue Wave beach several years recently. If you prefer a SFDH there are good neighborhoods in St. Pete that are near the water and similarly easy to the beach .

All the places mentioned in Hillsborough Co. are over an hour to a decent beach. Brandon, you'd have to go south on I-75 to Bradenton and it's not as nice as this side of the bay. The Hillsborough river is a sewer and as for Safety Harbor
or Oldsmar, they are at least 25-30 min from Honeymoon Island where you pay $5 per car and it's small. (they may start this at Fort D but it's more worth the cost) The Bay beaches on both sides are often closed due to pollution. You want to stick to the Gulf.
There's only one organic market worth anything in Tampa, Wild Oats and it's at West Shore Pl just down the street from International. There's a good one but small in St. Pete but some of the Publix here have organic sections, ditto SweetBay.
We love the beach, are a bit older and not into the party scene I can't think of a good reason to move to Hillsborough county at all. We moved back here from Tampa because we hated it so much.
The only good thing over there is a stable we ride at near Odessa. Although further in miles, it takes us less time to get there from central St. Pete than it did from Temple Terrace. Tampa traffic is horrendous.

[Margel]

Check out Odessa...beautiful more rural area with nice gated-communites and some beautiful new construction homes that right now are very affordable than the way before the market turned.

[SimpleHeather]

I would agree that Safety Harbor seems like a good fit, though I am not a fan of HWY 60. I would also recommend the Bradenton area. They have a Prime outlet mall called "Ellonton Prime Outlets," which includes stores like Saks, Ralph Lauren, and Banana Republic.

I don't think Brandon would be good for you; not for a single woman. It better suits a family of four...

And I think Publix is the best grocery store ever, and most do have a nice organic selection. I currently live in PA and miss Publix immensely!

There are also 2 Fresh Markets in Tampa, and 1 in Clearwater.

[jessiesma]

Is a misnomer. Whle they don't carry a lot of prepared foods and packaged items, they are not necessarily Organic. My husband used to work for them and I've shopped them often.

Originally Posted by SimpleHeather

I would agree that Safety Harbor seems like a good fit, though I am not a fan of HWY 60. I would also recommend the Bradenton area. They have a Prime outlet mall called "Ellonton Prime Outlets," which includes stores like Saks, Ralph Lauren, and Banana Republic.

I don't think Brandon would be good for you; not for a single woman. It better suits a family of four...

And I think Publix is the best grocery store ever, and most do have a nice organic selection. I currently live in PA and miss Publix immensely!

There are also 2 Fresh Markets in Tampa, and 1 in Clearwater.

[Aconite]

Do you want waterfront, or beachfront? If it's the former, there's Davis Islands. You wouldn't get the biggest house in the neighborhood, but it'd probably serve.