Average Rental Prices on a 3br in the Tampa Area? (Clearwater: for sale, rentals)

[hpotterfan77]

So as my family and I are still trying to figure out where to settle down there, the Tampa/St. Pete's area has come up and I'm trying to figure out, since we'll be renting for at least a year or more, what the average cost of a 3br, 1-2 bth home with a garage and possibly a pool will cost us. We'd like to be within 30 minutes of a beach. We also don't necessarily want to be in the heart of a city but maybe an outskirts town/city. We don't need anything brand new or fancy, just something that is cute and will suit our needs. I'm just trying to get a handle on what we should be budgeting for because 9 months to a year comes quickly...lol

[MortonR]

You need to provide more information.

30 minutes to the beach will limit your options severely, pretty much to Pinellas County.

With what little you give in details, I would say to figure $1500/$2000 a month.

Understand that the rental market here is insane, and it’s quite possible it would be more. As long as you want that distance to the beaches it’s going to cost you. Dearly.

RM

[hpotterfan77]

Originally Posted by MortonR

You need to provide more information.

30 minutes to the beach will limit your options severely, pretty much to Pinellas County.

With what little you give in details, I would say to figure $1500/$2000 a month.

Understand that the rental market here is insane, and it’s quite possible it would be more. As long as you want that distance to the beaches it’s going to cost you. Dearly.

RM

Since I'm not as familiar with the West coast as I am with the east, I'm curious why 30 minutes would severely limit our options? I get the rental market is insane down there and I'm not surprised. We could go further out from the coast, say an hour or so. What more detail are you referring to so I can maybe make a better idea of what we're looking for?

[GeekGirlFL]

Basically Pinellas County is your best bet for 30+ minutes to the coast. There are very few houses for rent, I know because I was looking to rent and ended up buying due to lack of options. You're probably looking at 2400 a month or more for a decent-ish rental. Pool might put you higher. We ended up in Clearwater in the Countryside area which is convenient to most everything we'd need (or want) to do within a 30-40 minute drive. Our area is a busy one, but our neighborhood is nice, well settled and quiet and feels removed from the business just a few miles away.

My best advice would be to figure out where you are going to work and then decide how much of a commute you want. That's going to be your daily drive. The rest can be a bit longer because you won't do it as often. You'll be happy if you take this advice because rush hour here is crazy.

[LifeIsGood01]

I'm guessing you mean about 30 miles from the beach. I know in some places you can be 20 miles from a beach and it can take you an hour or more to get there like Fort Myers beach in season that has one lane in and one out.

[MortonR]

Originally Posted by LifeIsGood01

I'm guessing you mean about 30 miles from the beach. I know in some places you can be 20 miles from a beach and it can take you an hour or more to get there like Fort Myers beach in season that has one lane in and one out.

Probably not. This is typical for someone interested in the area but having no understanding of the logistics as well as the limited number of beaches. Outsiders often look at a map and think that anywhere water touches land around here there's a beach.

Nearly every relocation thread has a "I want to be close to the beach!" angle to it. Until they realize the negatives and expense of such a request....

RM

[hpotterfan77]

Originally Posted by MortonR

Probably not. This is typical for someone interested in the area but having no understanding of the logistics as well as the limited number of beaches. Outsiders often look at a map and think that anywhere water touches land around here there's a beach.

Nearly every relocation thread has a "I want to be close to the beach!" angle to it. Until they realize the negatives and expense of such a request....

RM

In my case, not being close to a beach is not a deal breaker...lol I would rather pay less in rent than be close to a beach if I can get a pool. I think I'm going to have to take a look on craigslist and the other private rental sites too as far as rentals are concerned because I am not seeing the issues there that are being projected on the thread...at least price-wise and inventory-wife. Perhaps through realtors the inventory is low but I'm just not seeing that issue. I haven't seen anything near $2400.00/month unless it's a 4-5 br, gianormous house that I don't need...lol I just need a small to medium 3 br with a pool. Don't need new construction or anything fancy as long as it's semi-updated and has a small, fenced in yard for the dogs. That's not to say that what everyone is saying is not good or anything to not keep in mind.

[MortonR]

Craigslist is a total cesspool as far as rentals in this area, at least according to locals I know who have attempted to use it. Between scammers and horribly misrepresented properties, it’s truly “hit or miss” when it comes to finding a rental, not to mention that legit postings are often gone before you can respond to them.

In the area around me (Bloomingdale) a 3/2 with a pool rented by one of the institutional investors like American or Invitation would be in the $1600-$2000/month range. I’m an hour from anything resembling a beach.

RM

[hpotterfan77]

Originally Posted by MortonR

Craigslist is a total cesspool as far as rentals in this area, at least according to locals I know who have attempted to use it. Between scammers and horribly misrepresented properties, it’s truly “hit or miss” when it comes to finding a rental, not to mention that legit postings are often gone before you can respond to them.

In the area around me (Bloomingdale) a 3/2 with a pool rented by one of the institutional investors like American or Invitation would be in the $1600-$2000/month range. I’m an hour from anything resembling a beach.

RM

That is helpful information. $1600.00 seems like the price point I've seen. While granted, at the moment I'm in a completely different area, I've actually not had bad luck on Craigslist in the past. I definitely know how to spot the scammers now thankfully. As far as misrepresented properties, I would definitely go see them for myself before committing to anything for sure. Given my husband's background in construction, I've learned what to look for and inspect when looking at homes thankfully...lol Where is Bloomingdale in relation to the Tampa area?

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by hpotterfan77

That is helpful information. $1600.00 seems like the price point I've seen. While granted, at the moment I'm in a completely different area, I've actually not had bad luck on Craigslist in the past. I definitely know how to spot the scammers now thankfully. As far as misrepresented properties, I would definitely go see them for myself before committing to anything for sure. Given my husband's background in construction, I've learned what to look for and inspect when looking at homes thankfully...lol Where is Bloomingdale in relation to the Tampa area?

Sometimes it's not even so much the "scammers" as that the house that looks like a wonderful rental in the pictures does not measure up in reality - sometimes the pictures will not show that it is on a super busy road, in a trashy or run-down area, etc. This happens all the time when I scan looking for properties for sale even on realtor websites. If something seems like a great deal, there is probably a reason.

Houses in good shape in good neighborhoods are in demand, so the price is high. You will need to be here so you can scout around in person.