St.Pete? (Tampa, St. Petersburg: real estate, apartment, rentals)

[tarheel guy]

My wife and I are considering a move to St. Pete. It just seems to have
so much character and a beautiful downtown. We are in our late 40's,
no children, and looking for sunshine. We would like to rent a apt. or condo
and not really interested in buying a home. Rent in the 1200 range,
in a safe neighborhood very close to downtown. We are currently both
restaurant managers . Can we find a lifestlye there and live comfortably
on 60,000 a year? Thanks for any replies, St. Petersburgans!!

[bungalowbuck]

you can't go wrong with crescent lake, the old northeast or historic kenwood neighborhoods. they were all developed in the teens and twenties, and are a nice mix of owner-occupant and rental properties. keep in mind that some of the older apartment buildings may not have off-street parking. these neighborhoods are full of beautifully restored buildings with trees, parks and brick alleys. you will love st. petersburg.

[tarheel guy]

Thanks , Buck. Some of the posts here can scare a person!!
Can we make it on that kind of income, or are we just dreaming?
St. Pete seems different from all of the "problem" posts I've read.

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by tarheel guy

Thanks , Buck. Some of the posts here can scare a person!!
Can we make it on that kind of income, or are we just dreaming?
St. Pete seems different from all of the "problem" posts I've read.

tarheel guy, I grew up in Tampa, but will be leaving Florida soon for my own personal reasons. I have never lived in St. Pete, but it has really matured into a fabulous city, IMO. Way back when I was a little one, St. Pete was known mostly for it's mostly retired older folks, but today it has a beautiful and vibrant downtown - they have restored some beautiful architectural treasures, and have lots of interesting shops and restaurants. The beaches are gorgeous, and there are many beautiful old neighborhoods. If I were staying in Fla. I would push my hubby to relocate there, that's how impressed I am with it.

As to the income, I think $60,000 will be sufficient as long as you are not the type of person who has to have the "latest and greatest" in everything. Don't know the prices of real estate or rentals, I do know it's gone up a LOT in the last several years, especially in those nice neighborhoods mentioned above. But since you want to rent, you should have no problem. Go for it! I think you will very pleased with St. Pete!

[Shores9]

Tarheel guy – I currently live in the NE section of St Pete. It is very close to down town (3 miles) we are down town all the time and love it. There are all kinds of things to see and do – it’s not a very big city but it is a very people friendly city.

They have events like a street market every Saturday morning and an evening street party the first Friday of every month. In fact there is an entire calendar of events every month you can access at the city’s web site. http://www.stpete.org/

It’s a very eclectic place with plenty of charm. It will grow on you very quickly! I have plenty of pic posted on the forum (see below) Good Luck




Shores9


If you have a shot of Tampa Bay or FLA and want to post it or just check out some great pictures see Florida Pic thread on the general Florida forum

[tarheel guy]

Thank you Shores! I must tell you I absolutely loved the pics that were
posted here and elsewhere on this forum. St Pete looks like
a wonderful place. I have been doing some research on Bridgewater
Condos in NE St.Pete, would you reccomend that area? Do you know of It?

[vpcats]

Originally Posted by tarheel guy

Thank you Shores! I must tell you I absolutely loved the pics that were
posted here and elsewhere on this forum. St Pete looks like
a wonderful place. I have been doing some research on Bridgewater
Condos in NE St.Pete, would you reccomend that area? Do you know of It?

Tarheel - are you in NC where so many Floridians want to be?
Shores 9 does a splendid job showing his end of beautiful Florida and makes everybody jealous, especially ME!

[tarheel guy]

Yes, We are are in Charlotte.

[sunynan]

Originally Posted by tarheel guy

Yes, We are are in Charlotte.

I HAVE to ask........ why would you leave North Carolina for Florida???
Charlotte is (from what I have read) the next place to live....the airport is a new hub (forget Atlanta) and there are so many businesses with home offices there. I DID hear they get bad ice storms in the winter however.

Are taxes better for you in North Carolina or Florida? What about for retired folks??

[maggiekate]

Originally Posted by tarheel guy

My wife and I are considering a move to St. Pete. It just seems to have
so much character and a beautiful downtown. We are in our late 40's,
no children, and looking for sunshine. We would like to rent a apt. or condo
and not really interested in buying a home. Rent in the 1200 range,
in a safe neighborhood very close to downtown. We are currently both
restaurant managers . Can we find a lifestlye there and live comfortably
on 60,000 a year? Thanks for any replies, St. Petersburgans!!

New Tampa may also be a good choice, growing. Also not buying saves you.