Riverview FL - Too good to be true? (Tampa, Bloomingdale: section 8, renter)

[chzzbgr-in-paradze]

Originally Posted by phonelady61

Hi , I used to live in riverview florida and believe me when I say you have to travel for work living there unless of course you would work in ruskin or riverview area or even god forsaken wimauma . and then there is sun city center where all the seniors live and over running the place and the traffice is horendous in the mornings off of 75 always a traffic accident . No cant reccomend florida at all cause we just moved from florida to kentucky and we are much happier and we could not afford the 913.00 a mo rent that we were paying for a 700 sq ft apt . much happier and the ppl are nicer here .

Some people just don't like it here and nothing will make them happy.
imo - I agree with other posters.
I live in Riverview now and am very happy. It is not high crime and has many newer and brand new subdivisions. The commute to downtown is 10-15 mins.

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by chzzbgr-in-paradze

Some people just don't like it here and nothing will make them happy.
imo - I agree with other posters.
I live in Riverview now and am very happy. It is not high crime and has many newer and brand new subdivisions. The commute to downtown is 10-15 mins.

chzzbgr - the poster you quoted came back to Florida and sang it's praises after only two months in Kentucky! And this actually happens a lot if you read these forums any length of time.

That said, I agree, some will never be happy no matter where they go.

[FloridaKash]

Originally Posted by gypsychic

chzzbgr - the poster you quoted came back to Florida and sang it's praises after only two months in Kentucky! And this actually happens a lot if you read these forums any length of time.

That said, I agree, some will never be happy no matter where they go.

I have found that those that complain the most usually move to runaway from problem, hoping they won't follow or are thinking that moving will cause some advantageous financial miracle.

I am moving because the awesome living situation I have ends in a year. I moved up here not because I was unhappy with where I was, but because my father was terminally ill and I wanted my children to get to know him before the inevitable happened. They did get to know their grandfather before he passed and are now familiar with where I grew up. I never had the intention to stay here for long, that was not part of the plan.

We moved up in Nov 2006 and now we're heading to Tampa in Jul of 2010. Why Tampa? Well, as you can Imagine coming from Alaska you tend to vacation in places that are warm and tropical. I enjoy vacationing in Florida but have never been to Tampa. It doesn't both me that I am moving to a place I have never visited. Same happened when we moved to Austin, TX. First time I saw that town was when the plane was landing at the Airport and my household goods were on their way and my car was on a truck somewhere. Ended up loving it there. Coming from Alaska, what is there not to like about a 'winter' that lasts 3 weeks? Our winters are long, dark and cold.

It comes down to, a place is what you make of it. Sure, the city and the surrounding area does influence your lifestyle as does your occupation. But if one thinks their life will be so much better because they are moving to a place with warm weather, an abundant of amusement places and beaches they are sadly mistaken.... especially if you are broke. It will however change what you used to do on the weekends in your old town. Assuming of course you actually got out of the house in your old town.

We chose Tampa because its low cost of living (compared to where I am now), number of things to do in or near Tampa, professional Sports Teams, watch the sunset over the water in lieu of the sunrise on the Atlantic side of the Florida, number of jobs available for my skillset, chance to live somewhere tropical and opportunity to go on cruises without having to buy airline ticket for a family of 5.

We were originally thinking Hawaii, but I already live in a place where it costs $400 per ticket just to get out of state. I had little interest in paying $1500/mo for 1000 SF Apartment. Costs of goods in Hawaii are similar to Alaska...which that sucks as well. In addition there are more opportunities in Tampa for my career than in Alaska or Hawaii (yes I am aware of the unemployment rate in FL.). In addition to all of that, I think Florida and Tampa are in position to begin a nice upswing cycle in the next year or so. If we love the area and decide to buy a home a year from when we move I think home prices will be about as low as they are going to get before the upswing kicks in.

Anyhow, I suppose that is quite a lengthy post. Thanks for reading.

[chzzbgr-in-paradze]

imo - no place is perfect "paradise"; paradise is what you make of it.
I love living in Florida but would love to live in Hawaii!! ... or so I think
Alaska would be neat, so would San Diego, Balsalm NC, Chattanooga ... I had to live in Iron Mountain, MI for over a month for work and had a great time!

[hwink]

I live in Riverview and have for many years. I enjoy the area and agree that there are many deals to be had. However, problems I've heard with local condos (not necessarily this one, but other ones in the area) are that because there are so many foreclosures, many of them are bought as investments. That's fine, but depending on who those condos are rented to depends on what kind of neighbor you have. There are great renters and there are those who don't care about the property. When damages occur - the units all get assessed even if it's just a few renters causing the problems. I used to live in a townhouse community that had to be repainted a LOT because of graffiti. And it was a NICE neighborhood. Those assessments really add up in the long run. Consider it before buying into something like that.

[jaijulz]

Is Riverview a good place to raise kids? I currently live in venice and it is nothing but old retired people and although the crime is very low, this place really sucks! lol

[Eastern Roamer]

Riverview blows, IMO. I'd rather keep renting somewhere enjoyable than own a house in Riverview.

[BucFan]

Originally Posted by jaijulz

nothing but old retired people ..... this place really sucks! lol

If that's the case, you might consider moving out of the state.

[DoctorRain]

Originally Posted by Eastern Roamer

Riverview blows, IMO. I'd rather keep renting somewhere enjoyable than own a house in Riverview.

Riverview only looks better because its closer to Tampa, otherwise its not so good at all and definitely not to own a house in.

[bluskyz]

Obviously if the priority is mostly price and keeping warm in the winter I suppose there are viable choices available.
Personally, I have problems with most of the South Bay area--but that is simply my taste.
Good luck and proceed with mind in gear!