What's up with Spring Hill? (Tampa, Deltona: fit in, short sale, apartments)

[mandy_tampa]

Originally Posted by buggyboo522

Yeah, I don't need big waves. Just a real beach. No man made lakes. We have a lot of those here too. I want the real deal with sunsets and all. That would make me happy. So, that being said, what are some cities close to gulf beaches?

I think the closest "real beach" you will find would be south in Tarpon Springs (Howard Park) or then honeymoon Island in Dunedin but again thats all about 45 min drive south on US 19 from Spring Hill.

there might be a beach up there but as far as I know there isn't but am sure the "locals" in here from S.H. will respond to that

[House4Sale]

What is the beach in Spring Hill (with booth at entrance) with dock, sand, park that gets filled by 10 a.m.? Now to me, that beach does not feel manmade. It feels like a real beach and I know beaches, living 10 mins. away from one for 15+ years. Yes, they can truck in sand but if they did that there, I'll eat my suntan cream for that place feels and looks like a real beach and is quite nice actually.

Then we must figure cost of living. The closer to the beach one lives, the more expensive the housing. Who says money can't buy happiness. Well, it can at least buy us beach front property.

Realistically, price the real estate that's 20 mins. from a beach and come back and tell us what you found. I'll pass the suntan cream.

[daniellefort]

Originally Posted by House4Sale

What is the beach in Spring Hill (with booth at entrance) with dock, sand, park that gets filled by 10 a.m.? Now to me, that beach does not feel manmade. It feels like a real beach and I know beaches, living 10 mins. away from one for 15+ years. Yes, they can truck in sand but if they did that there, I'll eat my suntan cream for that place feels and looks like a real beach and is quite nice actually.

Then we must figure cost of living. The closer to the beach one lives, the more expensive the housing. Who says money can't buy happiness. Well, it can at least buy us beach front property.

Realistically, price the real estate that's 20 mins. from a beach and come back and tell us what you found. I'll pass the suntan cream.

That beach is Pine Island. It does feel like a real beach. they did a good job making it but it's just not a "natural formed" beach.

[House4Sale]

I hope the suntan cream is flavored. lol But really, that beach is nice!

[Blue717]

This is just my opinion from personal experience... but I would stay clear of Spring Hill. On my block, there are 9 sink hole homes. Of course mine is the center, and windows have cracked, and dont open, floors have buckled, bugs come in the cracks. Plumbing and septic tank is destroyed! There is over $80,000 of sink hole related damage to my home. Insurance is finally buying me out! I'm heading to the Ocala area.
If I were you.... Spring Hill is not a bad town and it is growing as far as shopping, but why deal with the headache of possibly having sink holes. There are plenty of other places that dont have to deal with this.
I wish I would have listened to someone of this board 6 years ago, who told me who told me not to go to Sink Hill.

[Songbird42]

I was talking with my insurance rep. as I live next door to a home that has 64 voids in the ground, technically not a sinkhole, and I was told it cost approx. $5,000 for them to come out and do whatever they do and if they don't find any voids or sinkhole I would be responsible for paying if nothing was found, so I hesitate to do it. Wondering why I have sinkhole coverage, yet if they find nothing I would have to pay......I have Citizens.

[packgirls]

I have lived in Spring Hill for 6 years now. I have three children, ages 1, 5 and 9. Yes, there are sink holes... but not everywhere. It's a chance that you take. I have a friend that is dealing with a sinkhole... it is tough. I am sure Spring Hill isn't the only town dealing with sinkholes.

As far as a good place to raise children - I think it is. There are good schools and not so great schools... just like anywhere. This is just where you do your homework when looking at houses. Don't even look at houses that aren't zoned for good schools.

I am a part of a great mom's club here and have met a lot of wonderful people. We do have some things to do, but I must say that the lack of indoor activities here kinda stinks. It gets so hot and there isn't much to do inside around here in the hot summer months. Rogers Park, Pine Island, Buccaneer Bay, Weeki Wachee Springs... all things to do. There is a nice YMCA here and they are doing major renovations on it right now, but they have lots of activities for the kids. You also have mudworks which is a great pottery place that you can paint your own pottery. We are getting a Kohl's which I am excited about.

I do believe that the realtor that told you that everyone is moving to Tampa isn't all wrong. Our house is for sale, reasoning being that we are spending $600 a month on gas and $5 a day on tolls just to send my husband to work. It stinks. I also am no where near family, so I would like to be closer.

I hope I have answered some of your questions.

[Blue717]

To Song Bird..
Be careful... sink hole insurance has changed alot in the last few years. Luckily my claim is old and I'm still covered. As I understand it, as of this year, even if you have sink hole coverage, unless the hole can or did destroy your home, rendering it unlivable, as it has done to mine, you will not be covered. I'd check, but thats what my insurance adjuster has told me. My advise would be to check with an insurance adjuster before you do anything.
And I still stick to the same story... Yes Spring Hill is growing, and so is shopping, schools arent too bad, but why move to where you know there can be something that could be a devestating problem in your life. You have no idea how bad this is until you experience it.

[Mike1306]

While no one wants to get a sinkhole I can't see it being worse than having a house fire.
Most times the home is livable the whole time while being repaired.
It is rare that the home is unlivable from a sinkhole.
Like I said, no one wants a sinkhole but no one wants house fires either and with the lightning in Florida we do get alot of those.

[Tom in Spring Hill]

I want to take a few bytes to comment in general on this thread and what I thing of Spring Hill.

We left Orlando 3 years ago. Lived there 17 years. I work in the legal field. Havent seen a sink hole here as big as the Winter Park Sinkhole. Goggle it. Lots of Florida as well as other states are sink hole prone. Correct, house is usually habitable throughout the repair process. Yes, quite a few sink holes (really land depressions) in Spring Hill. Seems some areas more than others.

You buy sink hole coverage just like any other insurance. For us its $1,000.00 a year. Standard insurance against a slowly forming sink. If you dont have that then you get CATASTROPHIC COVERAGE which means the house has to become uninhabitable within a certain, and short, period of time and that is built into the basic policy. Deductibles for hurricane (wind) are high, but multiple choice. Talk to an insurance agent who provides insurance here locally.

There are jobs here in Spring Hill. Especially if you are in the medical field.
Nurses, RN types. Big demand. CNA's for the long term care places.
Lots and lots of restaurants and retail, but in retail, jobs are hard to find
due to the economy to begin with. Some legal field work, paralegal,
legal assistant. Wills, Probate, Estates work is usually around. Lots of personal injury work further south. Lots of office and retail work in Pinellas County too which is sometimes easier to deal with than Tampa.
Construction industry is at a virtual standstill. Government jobs not plentiful. Various agencies have hiring freezes and lay offs due to budget cuts due to recent tax law changes.

Property taxes are very high throughout FL. Home insurance can run $2,000.00 a year with sinkhole coverage.

Pine Island is NOT a beach. It is an area cut out of the marsh and filled with sand. It was originally a U.S. Army radar station back in WWII. Someone correctly stated the closest REAL beach is Howard Park in Tarpon Springs, about 30 minutes south on 19 and then its pretty hard to find, but worth it.
May as well go down 19A and get to Clearwater Beach or better yet Sand Key Beach. The water at Weeki Wachee Park is like 72 degrees, always. Its a natural spring, probably not bad if you are from michigan, but cold for most folks who have acclimated to Florida.

Yes, houses are cheap. Tons of foreclosures. Lots of people simply could no longer afford the taxes and insurance on their winter homes and that added a lot to the market too. It is a snowbird town. So between the guy who lost his job and the retiree who has other needs for the money, there is a housing glut and some wonderful deals can be had.

Shopping is great. What do you need? Its here, maybe sans a bookstore but I understand there is always talk about one coming in. Use an independent book store instead of the big chains. There is one near Kass Circle.
JC Penny is now open in West Spring Hill. Lots more big chain stores and some restaurants will fill in the rest of the complex there at US 19 and Spring Hill Drive. I am sure whatever chain you have where you are is here or very close by. I recall reading that Cracker Barrell is going to be at US 19 and Spring Hill Drive in the new Nature Crossings center.

Whoever said there arent any gangs here does not know the facts. They are there. They dont truly effect the average citizen in any way though so its not a big issue. Most crime is property crime, DWI's and other traffic crimes,
fraudulent credit cards and worthless checks also are big. Murders? Not too many. Street crimes? Not too many. Sheriff's office is pretty effective though. Good response to problems. Now to get Judges that will put the criminals away.

It gets pretty rural as you go north of spring hill and slowly more urban as you go south. If anyone remembers the spread of Long Island New York from the 1950's to present can understand how areas grow pretty far out from the major city they have sprung from. Spring Hill area has sprung from Tampa/St. Pete megatropolis. US 19 is the Sunrise Highway (US 27).
People want to get away from the city and come here.
They open biz's, work locally or drive south to work.
No different than a lot of areas which became suburbs where there was nothing.

What ever else you would like to know, I can probably tell you or tell you where to find out. Lots of info is available on line. Get the history of Spring Hill. It was, as was Pine Island, cut out of the brush. The land was virtually worthless before Deltona Corporation decided to buy it and create a retirement town. Its homes and stores. Government is in Brooksville. Thats the county seat. Brooksville is a whole different story than Spring Hill.

Regards,
Tom in Spring Hill