Dunedin (Tampa, Clearwater, Largo: apartment, rentals, HOA)

[pattycakes]

I am thinking of leaving California and moving to Dunedin. Would somebody tell me the positives and negatives. I understand it is a gem of a small city. Southern CA is just unaffordable unless you have rock star money. I am over 55 and wonder what life is like there. Not ready for the old folks life...

[mslilrose]

Hi Pattycakes. I'm a single, woman from Maine and moving to the Tampa Bay area. I am 56 and still feel very young. Wouldn't it be nice if there were an over 55 residence for young minded baby boomers? I have a one week vacation coming up soon in which to fly down to secure an apartment in the area for my April move. Maybe we can be a good resource for one another; also we could use guidance from those who live there.
I've heard good things about Dunedin as well, and it is a consideration. Have you ever heard of meetups.com? There's a bunch of groups in the area that meet up according to what they are interested in ex. dining, books, hiking, dancing, over 50 dating... It's a good way to find out what's going on in the area.

[Chattanooga Girl]

Rose & Patty...I am turning 50 in April and also have that yearning to fly south. Must be hormonal huh?

After tons of online research (and reading a lot of posts here) I too am targeting the town of Dunedin. I am trying to find a community that will allow me to bring my 2 dogs (1 small & 1 big) with a communnity pool and be no more than 5 -10 miles from the Gulf. I am not interested in shuffleboard yet!!!

We are sooo tired of our home sucking the life and $$ out of us. We want to sell, take the profits and pay cash for a double wide w/share and become mortgage free. HOA are okay for what you get in return...and downsizing from a residental single home will hopefully give us a life again.

BTW I did check out the meeting website....Great site!!! Thanks!!!

[vacation bound]

Hi Pattycakes, I have lived in Fl most of my life. I am approaching "50" fast. I live in Largo and Dunedin is about 15 min drive for me. It is a cute town, one of which I almost moved to when I divorced. They always have things going on, craft shows, mardi gras. etc. Downtown is very quaint, and the Pinellas trail (bike riding , rollerbladeing, or walking trail) runs right thru town. You also have the intercoastal waterway walking distance from downtown. As far as towns on the Pinellas Suncoast, I feel you would like it. If you need any further info just dm me. My name by the way is Pat also

[Annie of Oldsmar]

Hi Girls,
Dunedin is a lovely town with a little of everything for every person. There are several postings on this forum which talk about Dunedin as well as other places around it. See if you can check them about by doing a search within the site. Among other things Dunedin has one of the nicest beaches in the area which is Honeymoon Park. It even has a Dog Beach, which is full of people with their dogs during the hot season.
For the person asking for a community that will allow dogs, most of the communities do allow pets. If you will be renting many of them will ask for an extra deposit per pet, as in other places. Florida in general is a pet friendly place with dog parks galore and dog beaches!! When you have more specific questions post them here as there are some very nice people in this forum willing to help others with their questions. Oh, by the way I am 64.

[dunedingirl]

Hi to all of you,

As you can tell by my name, I LOVE DUNEDIN!!!!!!!!!!! I am 44 and have lived in Pinellas County almost all of my life...I can't think of a better town for all of you to move to, it has a fantastic senior center(which by the way isn't old and fuddy duddy) has a great library and community center that has things going on and classes consatntly. The restaurants are`fantastic, you can walk everywhere, the Pinellas Trail runs right through the middle of it where you can roller blade, ride bikes, walk or jog and it is highly regarded everywhere. Most of my friends are mid to late 40's and early 50's and not one of them would consider themselves old or even middle aged. We talk, laugh, drink wine, go to art shows, garage sales, music and movies in the downtown park, Mardi Gras where we close the streets and 35,000 people come downtown to party, watch a parade and listen to good music. We can walk to the marina in 5 minutes, be at the #2 ranked beach in the nation in 10 minutes or drive 15 minutes to anywhere including world famous Clearwater Beach. I could go on and on and if you have specific questions, I will try to answer them all. You can find a 55+ community for living close to downtown and a one bedroom will cost you anywhere form $69,000 to up to $300,000 but it just depends on what makes you happy. The closer to the water the more expensive and that goes for everything. The maintenance fees are more because of the constant upkeep, the taxes are more because of the land value, and the insurance is much higher because of the risks w/ hurricanes and storm surges. You can still find nice ones for 100k.

I hope this helps and we will all try to help you with any other questions any of you have.

[ntfeldman]

Dunedin is a great area, small but very charming with some eclectic restaurants and shops. It has a nice marina and events throughout the year.

The city is bordered on the north by Palm Harbor and Clearwater to the south and east. The ocean is the western boarder. There's a fantastic new rec center there and just loads of things to do in the community. Most people really like Dunedin.

The zip code for Dunedin is 34698 if you're looking for demographic information or searching for housing that way.

There are quite a few 55+ communities there and they are well maintained and you can get a condo here for $65K to $110K. But I'm going to tell you that I'm 43, and I consider 55 very young still and I wouldn't even consider living in one of those communities until I turned 70 - if ever. Young here lasts a lot longer!

My experience is (I meet a lot of the sellers and buyers and neighbors and boards because of my work) most of the people who live in these communities have nothing else to do but mind your business. They are constantly on top of every little detail -which when it comes to maintaining the neighborhood is wonderful but when it comes to knowing your business I can only imagine it would be a bit annoying. Your call. None of these are especially large places - they may have 100 - 300 units so it's not like others master planned areas like Sun City that have thousands and you can just blend in.

They are all inclusive communities usually and well maintained but at 55 you might still have enough going on in your life that you'd rather not share with every neighbor. Just my two cents - worth what you paid for it. : )

Welcome to Florida!

[Chattanooga Girl]

Thanks for the head's up feldman. That's why I am here....to pick ya'll brains..

[Aconite]

Hi Patty. The biggest negative, IMO, depends on whether you actually live in Dunedin center or out in the fringes. Downtown, you have the positives of living near shops and restaurants vs the negatives of noise from events like St Patrick's and Mardi Gras (and the ballfield). If you're really close, you'll have people parking in front of your house (and occasionally on your grass) for events. OTOH, you can walk to the events others have to fight traffic for.
If you live out a bit further, you're basically living in the 'burbs, like any other 'burb. The fact that it's Dunedin over Clearwater or Largo won't matter much one way or another, other than taxes and rec center access.
Property downtown, like all other property in the area, has fluctuated madly over the last several quarters. There are some nice dals right now, and it's a great neighborhood. Nice people, pretty mellow. They're friendly without being in your face about it.

[sunshine421]

Hi everyone! I am a 30 yr old wife and mom of three small children, with a dog and cat. We live in the depression, life sucking area of upstate NY. we are ready to go down south and enjoy a different life. does anyone have any advice for me? I need a great neighborhood wtih great schools of course, and pet friendly. I am really considering the Dunedin area. I hear it's beautiful, and a nice family area. Any advice for how to go about the move, where to look for pet friendly rentals and so on would be greatly appreciated. I'm scared to death, but soo ready.
Thanks everyone.