I see a lot of people moving to the Tampa Bay Area with questions (sale)

[HigginsHerd]

I know my wife and I just recently moved from one county, within Florida, to another that we had no knowledge of the area, other than it was within driving distance of her work and it was cheaper to rent/buy than the county we resided in.

My most difficult problem was not finding quantity or quality of information on specific areas, traffic issues, crime issues, job availability, or anything of that nature. I was able to submit questions about those issues/items on this unique forum and receive a vast variety of responses from all age groups and income levels regarding my curiousities. It was so informative and everyone was so kind and helpful. Sure, there was always a spoiled sport that wanted to ditch on everyone and everything, but for the most part every bit of information I received was helpful.

Our main problem was finding realtor (s) that actually wanted to work within our circumstances. I was absolutely positive from reading all the posts prior to asking my questions and requesting a realtor referral, that not everyone moves down here with a job, not everyone can just lay out the bucks for almost any house without asking the price, not everyone wants to buy right away or at all, not everyone is childless or petless, and no two realtors are the same.

I took it upon myself to contact realtors by referral from friends and by reading some of their posts online. I was exhausted by the time I finally figured out that the more complicated your situation "appears" to a realtor, the less likely you will receive 1/10th the service you desire, and need, in order to make an informed move. Our simple complications were that we had decided in advance what we were willing to spend in rent each month and that we had pets that were our children and were to be considered as such by any realtor representing us. Doesn't mean that they had to love my pets, but it did mean they had to do their very best to find rentals that accepted pets without charging us an arm and a leg in "per pet deposits". Apparently, two items on their plates is one item too many. This was with writtten statements regarding the training our pets had and the discipline they displayed from our past landlords.

Most blew spoke up our _ _ _ , but really wanted us to do all the research on the properties that we wanted to see and then let them know so they could show them. Others kept telling us they were "working on staying within our criteria, but that it was going to require more monies than we wanted to put out in the upfront fees. I honestly believe the more they take in in deposits, the more it adds to their paychecks somewhere down the line for some of these realtors.

We contacted a few from this forum and some were worse than dealing with used car salesmen. I finally watched the posts of one guy- Moderator cut: name and decided to give him and his wife a shot, because we were over the rest of the pack that were absolutely useless, and were in most instances just stressing us out and making more work for us. It was the best decision my wife and I made. They found answers if they didn't know the answers and they weren't afraid to tell you if they didn't know. They were honest and hardworking for us the entire time and helped us find a house to rent. There was no BS involved and they didn't pout over the fact that we wanted to rent instead of buy, at that time. They didn't try to make us feel as though they were working for pennies every time we spoke because the fees collected for renting a house, may not be as much as they could be on the sale of a house.

They were able to answer some of the community type questions you see posed in the forum from folks moving here from out of state. They were the highlight of a difficult period, and moving always is difficult.

We Floridians know people are moving out and they aren't moving in as fast as they used to. Personally, I'm thankful for the change, it was getting too crowded. Yes, Florida has problems just like every other state that has been burdened with paying for years of "bushisms" and I don't mean the kind that grows flowers (unless its stink weed). My wife and I are both from other states and have no desire to move back to either. Despite Florida's problems, she's still a great state with a beauty that rivals any other. You can find what you love and what will make you happy, or you can chose to be miserable no matter where you live.

If you feel you want to move here, and want to use a realtor that will work hard for you whether you rent or buy, please send me a DM. I would try to provide you with names of other realtors, but I can honestly say we went through 5-7 (some of them in this forum, but I will not kiss and tell) other realtors before we found these folks. And boy am I thankful for that find. We couldn't have done it without them and they will work hard to negotiate on a property if you really like it and its a little out of your range. The others barely wanted to search listings for properties that met our qualifications and yet these folks went to bat for us on any property we wanted to rent. They are the best and advising others that these are truly good people is the very least I can do for the effort they put in to locate the perfect house for us to rent.

Between the two of us, we have lived in Pinellas, and Hillsborough and can offer advice on some of the areas within those counties if you're interested and have questions. We're now in Pasco county and haven't learned a great deal of detail about the area, other than its is quieter, less traffic, less expensive, and less crime than the other two. But each of the others have their benefits too, especially Pinellas for a first time Florida resident. Come and experience the beaches and beach living before you land in the interior of Florida. Its worth every extra dime to live on the beach even if its just a one year lease to familiarize yourself with the area.

Hope this helps,

Reg