Palmetto area / commute to downtown St Pete (Tampa, Seminole: rentals, insurance)

[skorch101]

Hello,

I'm in the process of relocating to the Tampa/St Pete area with my family (wife and 2-year old son) and likely will be making the move from Chicago in late 2016 or early 2017. My new office will be downtown St Petersburg likely in the Morgan Stanley Tower.

I've been looking around at areas in Pinellas Co to purchase a home. We are looking for a good school district for our son and a family oriented area. We don't want to buy in an area where the majority of the neighborhood is comprised of senior citizens (nothing against you guys, it's just you are probably not the ideal friend for a 2 year old . We noticed that you seem to get more for your money in terms of square footage and newer homes if we cross the Sunshine Skyway Bridge down to Palmetto area.

Our budget is about $325k max for a 3+BR/2BA home w/ pool. I didn't see much on the forum regarding Palmetto or that vicinity.

Can anyone suggest any neighborhoods that would meet our criteria in and or around that area? We are going to be flying to TPA on August 26 for 4 days and want to have a look around.

Also, what are the thoughts on the commute? I've seen varying reports on the Sunshine Skyway Bridge from "nightmare" to it's actually a really easy commute to DT St Pete. I have flexibility in when I am on the roads in the am/pm so I can certainly leave before rush hour hits.

Thanks in advance for the feedback.

[lavender]

Palmetto is very pretty, I have a friend who lives on the water there, but I do not believe schools are regarded as highly rated.
It is a little quiet, and a backwater, which the locals like and the downtown has some historic homes, but there is not too much without driving some. I don't think the commute would be much worse than anyone going to and from Tampa from Pinellas Co. there will be days/hours when the bridge is closed, but they are not in a large number. Check out Seminole, you may find a home that works for you there - there are at least ten under $350K just now 3/2/2 pool homes. You want to be out of flood zones just now if you are buying a home that is pre FIRM as there is uncertainty about insurance levels and how they are going to rise.

Good luck with your search

[CRG22]

I'd suggest looking in Parrish. It's right there but a little inland. I did a quick search and found quite a few properties that fit the bill. Schools were rated 8 for elementary and middle school in the listing I looked at. And to be honest, anything over a 5 is probably a really decent school down here. It's not like what I've heard from people up north. So if you're not near a crappy neighborhood that gets grouped into your schools district, you'll be fine.

As far as the commute, it should be a cake walk. People on these boards talk bad about traffic in the area but it's really not that bad. Obviously rush hour can take longer, just like everywhere else in the world. But it's really manageable. And the skyway bridge does not get shut down very often at all for high winds. It generally means there's a named storm in the gulf.

[skorch101]

Originally Posted by CRG22

I'd suggest looking in Parrish. It's right there but a little inland. I did a quick search and found quite a few properties that fit the bill. Schools were rated 8 for elementary and middle school in the listing I looked at. And to be honest, anything over a 5 is probably a really decent school down here. It's not like what I've heard from people up north. So if you're not near a crappy neighborhood that gets grouped into your schools district, you'll be fine.

As far as the commute, it should be a cake walk. People on these boards talk bad about traffic in the area but it's really not that bad. Obviously rush hour can take longer, just like everywhere else in the world. But it's really manageable. And the skyway bridge does not get shut down very often at all for high winds. It generally means there's a named storm in the gulf.

Thanks for the response. I'll take a drive down to Parrish when in the area next weekend.

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by skorch101

Thanks for the response. I'll take a drive down to Parrish when in the area next weekend.

I will second the poster who suggested Parrish. This would be such an EASY commute for you to St. Pete. We live in south Manatee County, near the airport and even for us it only takes about 45 minutes to downtown St Pete, and it would be quicker but we get off the interstate before we need to. But when you check out Parrish, check out some of the nicer areas of Palmetto, despite what people here say, it is not really a bad place at all, especially in the nicer neighborhoods. I like it, actually.

[071402]

Originally Posted by CRG22

I'd suggest looking in Parrish. It's right there but a little inland. I did a quick search and found quite a few properties that fit the bill. Schools were rated 8 for elementary and middle school in the listing I looked at. And to be honest, anything over a 5 is probably a really decent school down here. It's not like what I've heard from people up north. So if you're not near a crappy neighborhood that gets grouped into your schools district, you'll be fine.

As far as the commute, it should be a cake walk. People on these boards talk bad about traffic in the area but it's really not that bad. Obviously rush hour can take longer, just like everywhere else in the world. But it's really manageable. And the skyway bridge does not get shut down very often at all for high winds. It generally means there's a named storm in the gulf.

Of course if all the posts were 1000% positive the area would have even more residents, more moving in and we'd have LESS HOUSING RENTALS AND PURCHASES than we do already!

[stumble]

Done the commute from Parrish to St Pete, for 2 years. Easy drive, beautiful views. Skyway is a big plus. No on or off ramps for nearly 15 miles, so traffic flows pretty good. Skyway has been closed for my commute 3 times in two years. Worked from home on two of those and drove in via Tampa on the other. My commute was to the Ulmerton / Airport area. Consistently under 40 minutes in the morning and 45 - 50 minutes coming home. 39 Miles total. Much easier than those who commute from Tampa.

[MortonR]

We had some friends who built a home in the Parrish area about 10 years ago and really loved it. They've since moved out of state but everything they said about the area was positive. We visited them several times but for the life of me I couldn't tell you exactly where it was, just that it was a developed area and the homes were very nice.

They worked in St. Pete and said the commute was pretty easy in both directions.

RM

[SreyNuon]

That place has historically had a bad rep, sorry to say. Re-sale in Palmetto could be tough.

[skorch101]

Originally Posted by stumble

Done the commute from Parrish to St Pete, for 2 years. Easy drive, beautiful views. Skyway is a big plus. No on or off ramps for nearly 15 miles, so traffic flows pretty good. Skyway has been closed for my commute 3 times in two years. Worked from home on two of those and drove in via Tampa on the other. My commute was to the Ulmerton / Airport area. Consistently under 40 minutes in the morning and 45 - 50 minutes coming home. 39 Miles total. Much easier than those who commute from Tampa.

So curious on Parrish as it appears to have multiple school districts and the rankings considerably vary from poor to outstanding. Are there certain areas/neighborhoods to be targeting?