Gulfport Help Fast! (Sarasota, Bradenton, Dunedin: apartment complexes, rental, insurance)

[tarheel guy]

Hello everyone,
I would appreciate some information
as quickly as possible. I am relocating to the ST. Pete
area within the next 30 days for a job relocation. Just my wife and I with no
children, so schools are not a concern. Just returned from a house hunting
trip and saw some good things and not so good too. Absolutely loved
treasure island beach!! We really loved Dunedin and looked at a couple
of houses/condos there but then we found out that this job may
entail going to Bradenton and Sarasota 3 or 4 times per week so I
can see now with traffic that Dunedin will be too far north. Can anyone tell
me about Gulfport? Safety is a huge concern, that's kind of why we
liked Dunedin's small town feel. Would Gulfport work for us? Any other
reccomendations for us? St. Pete might also work but we saw some
really borderline neighborhoods just outside of downtown, which by the way we absolutely loved. PLEASE help us to make a good decision as quickly as possible. I know there are some areas to stay away from south of St Pete.
Is Gulfport one of them? With this Drive, could the old NE section also work?
I hear flooding can be a major problem. SO MANY QUESTIONS!!! Help us Please!!! Thanks in Advance for any input

[FedUpInFtMyers]

Lived in SP very happily for five years and loved it so much (and Ft. Myers is so bad) that we are returning, but back to your question: The only place I ever knew of that was notorious for flooding in that area is Gulfport. Old NE is great but may be pricey. In fact, anywhere near the interstate would be perfect. You know there are exits for 54th Ave. S., 5th Ave. N. (which neighborhood I don't recommend), 22nd Ave. N. (also great neighborhood), 38th Ave. N. (great and desireable), and 54th Ave. N. (also good). I wouldn't recommend anything further north than that since you're talking about having to go over to Bradenton or Sarasota on a regular basis. You will use the Skyway Bridge going over so look at neighborhoods that are close to interstate ramps. Once you're on the interstate, you'll be to Bradenton in no time, and Sarasota is down the road another 20 - 30 minutes maybe, depending on traffic. If you do not have a SunPass for the tolls to use the Skyway Bridge, please keep change or dollar bills stocked in your car because it is $1.00 each way. I don't know of any city that doesn't have some sketchy looking housing right on the outskirts of downtown.

I lived safely and without problems right off of 54th Ave. S. Yes, it is a SOUTH address, but there are some VERY NICE neighborhoods over there. There are also some apartment complexes over there, too, if you are looking at that form of housing. PM me if you want the names of safe apartments off of 54th Ave. S. Hope I helped. Good luck.

[SunKrist]

I agree with FedUpInFtMyers. There are so many really nice neighborhoods south of 22nd Ave. S. My dad has his own business in Gulfport, and that is where we always evacuate to when there's a hurricane (we live in NE St. Pete on an island, which literally looks like Venice at least once a year). I don't know as much about East vs. West in that area, though.

Hope this helps.

[willbo1]

tarheel guy, I am selling my home in the Crescent Lake area, just north of downtown and just west of the Old NE. No flooding problems (we are not even required to carry flood insurance) and definitely no safety issues. This area has already gone through the transition that you probably saw in the borderline areas. We are close to I 275 so getting down to Sarasota would be easy enough. Also, sooo close to downtown St. Pete. We are in the $350k range. House was built in 1915, totally redone in 2005. Let me know if you are interested and I can send you more details/pictures.

[SunKrist]

Originally Posted by willbo1

tarheel guy, I am selling my home in the Crescent Lake area, just north of downtown and just west of the Old NE. No flooding problems (we are not even required to carry flood insurance) and definitely no safety issues. This area has already gone through the transition that you probably saw in the borderline areas. We are close to I 275 so getting down to Sarasota would be easy enough. Also, sooo close to downtown St. Pete. We are in the $350k range. House was built in 1915, totally redone in 2005. Let me know if you are interested and I can send you more details/pictures.

Crescent Lake is a very nice area to be in, and he's not kidding about it being close to downtown, Old Northeast, and the interstate. Only downside, as you can see, is that you're not going to get in to something that nice for under $300,000. That's pretty much the norm here. I think you might be able to find something similar for around $250,000 farther south, in the areas FedUpInFtMyers mentioned.

[crystalblue]

any more info on Gulport or South Pasadena?

[spainbrit]

It's very hard to be specific unless you have an idea on how much you want to spend. If you are not sure of where you really like, then maybe rent for a year? How does that sound, or a 7 month rental at least. Then you can see how your drives are, where you both like, what is important to you. There are tons of lovely homes and condos - I looked at a luxury 3 bed brand new waterfront condo for $1600 a month in a gated beach community, with pools, gym, tennis courts, docks the lot just the other day.
Why not try that lifestyle and then figure it out from there.

[crystalblue]

Originally Posted by spainbrit

It's very hard to be specific unless you have an idea on how much you want to spend. If you are not sure of where you really like, then maybe rent for a year? How does that sound, or a 7 month rental at least. Then you can see how your drives are, where you both like, what is important to you. There are tons of lovely homes and condos - I looked at a luxury 3 bed brand new waterfront condo for $1600 a month in a gated beach community, with pools, gym, tennis courts, docks the lot just the other day.
Why not try that lifestyle and then figure it out from there.

thats my plan, but still need to know where the good areas are

as you drive down 22nd there are some areas that look like they would be best to avoid.

what are the good/bad areas? anyone know?

I need to be as close to Stetson as possible.