Relocating - Looking at 4 areas - need advice (Tampa, University: to rent, condo)

[diver50]

I am relocating to Florida and I will most likely need to rent something before I buy, while I wait for my house to sell. I have spent some time in Tampa and will make 2 more trips there this month before I go next month so I can be there before school starts in last August.

I'm looking for the best schools - and what I've found through lots of research and asking... Here are the majority of A schools in Elementary, Middle, and High Schools.

1. Fishhawk
2. South Tampa
3. Westchase
4. New Tampa (the high schools are questionable)

The Fishhawk property taxes seem ultra-high for where it is... and the South Tampa seems like a GREAT location... but just don't know if I can afford it. Gosh-darn... people are paying big money for properties there... is there any way to live there decently? Condo?

BTW I have to drive to work downtown every morning, but I suppose that the traffic stinks from no matter where you are coming from at that time of the day.

Thoughts, anyone?

[tampaguy03]

If you are working downtown, and despise any kind of traffic/commute, then in regards to your list, South Tampa would be the way to go. In the school district, zip codes 33629, 33609, and some parts of 33611, you'll never be more than 10 min from downtown, no highways either, and local neighborhoods.

[gypsychic]

I agree with Tampaguy - and prices are higher there because it is quite simply considered the most desirable part of Tampa to live. My feeling is it is the best investment of your $$$ in Tampa, the area is always strong.

Good luck to you!

P.S. I would rule out new Tampa unless you like a heckuva commute with bad, bad traffic!

[MHoward8]

Hi there

South Tampa is an excellent area of town for schools, and it is an excellent area for meeting new people. South Tampa is a very trendy part of town with great restaurants and shops. Bayshore Drive is perfect for excersizing and people watching. You will have a short commute to your children's school and work--that's hard to find! I lived in South Tampa for a while and really enjoyed it. Moderator cut: advertising

[diver50]

Okay - so a lot of cheerleaders for South Tampa... I have been to Tampa on several trips and asked the common folk where the best place to live is. They usually answer without hesitation "South Tampa"... and there is about a 2 second pause. Then their next comment is "but nobody can afford to live there so you should probably get more for you money over in..."

However, from what I can tell - the South Tampa area while being more expensive, has a very strong resell in light of the school ratings. Also there are no CDD fees like in some of the other areas I mentioned.

Anyone want to take a whack at rating these 4 areas, #1 #2 #3 #4 ?

Look forward to your responses

[TampaKaren]

I, like others, have my own personal opinions, but I have questions, too.

Where are you moving from? Often times, families will move here only to find the A-rated schools by Florida's standards are far inferior to public schools where they moved from. It makes a big difference in the children's education. If you downloaded the Excel spreadsheet from the FLDOE, look at how some schools dropped 2 letter grades in one year. There are incentives to the schools to get higher scores due to the financial benefit. Among other things, if they don't show notable increase in student scores YOY, the school grade drops.

How old are your children? Honestly, most (not all) Elementary schools score higher on the FCAT. It's the middle- to high- schools that have such disparity. There is also a growing interest in the Virtual University for middle & high school students. In addition, there are some pretty good private schools if your budget allows.

How many bedrooms/baths do you need? What is your price range? Learn about the neighborhood and recent comps prior to moving in, particularly in South Tampa where one street over makes a difference. If you're planning to rent, property values shouldn't matter that much in making your decision. It would make more sense to know the landlord is financially stable. Look up the owner name for the address and check on the clerk's website for mortgage information. It won't tell you how much he/she owes, but you should be able to calculate if the rent requested is close to the loan payment. Be careful where a landlord is in a negative cash flow situation.

All things being equal, I would tend to choose the locations closer to your work which would be 1. South Tampa, 2. Westchase, 3. New Tampa, and 4. Fishhawk. I know several residents in New Tampa and Fishhawk who are really sick of sitting in traffic for hours. Both communities have a dense population and roadways in/out are limited. To the contrary, I also know people in both communities who don't mind the commute at all.

Sorry, there's no conclusive answer. I hope this gives you some things to ponder. It was a long time ago, but in our case, we chose the school first, then we found a house.

[glastron_79]

Originally Posted by diver50

Okay - so a lot of cheerleaders for South Tampa... I have been to Tampa on several trips and asked the common folk where the best place to live is. They usually answer without hesitation "South Tampa"... and there is about a 2 second pause. Then their next comment is "but nobody can afford to live there so you should probably get more for you money over in..."

However, from what I can tell - the South Tampa area while being more expensive, has a very strong resell in light of the school ratings. Also there are no CDD fees like in some of the other areas I mentioned.

Anyone want to take a whack at rating these 4 areas, #1 #2 #3 #4 ?

Look forward to your responses

If you can afford a family home in South Tampa, go for it. If I could afford it, I'd move to Davis Island. That's a dream though, LOL!

Otherwise, I suggest Westchase. Your commute will be about 45 minutes to the downtown area.

No need to move to New Tampa or Fishhawk. Long commutes and saturated with CDD homes.

What about Carrollwood Village? No one ever suggests this area on this board. There are some beautiful established subdivisions in there. Nice large lots, mature trees...zoned high school is Gaither which I think is an acceptable school. I'd move there myself if I could find a home in my price range.

Also, no one ever suggests the guard gated communities of Bayport/Bayside off of Hillsborough in Town n Country; zip 33615. Bayport/Bayside is a lakefront (bay access via lift) community of older and newer homes. Zoned high school is Alonso.

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by glastron_79

If you can afford a family home in South Tampa, go for it. If I could afford it, I'd move to Davis Island. That's a dream though, LOL!

Otherwise, I suggest Westchase. Your commute will be about 45 minutes to the downtown area.

No need to move to New Tampa or Fishhawk. Long commutes and saturated with CDD homes.

What about Carrollwood Village? No one ever suggests this area on this board. There are some beautiful established subdivisions in there. Nice large lots, mature trees...zoned high school is Gaither which I think is an acceptable school. I'd move there myself if I could find a home in my price range.

Also, no one ever suggests the guard gated communities of Bayport/Bayside off of Hillsborough in Town n Country; zip 33615. Bayport/Bayside is a lakefront (bay access via lift) community of older and newer homes. Zoned high school is Alonso.

glastron - actually, Carrollwood gets suggested quite a bit here. But the OP asked us about those specific 4 areas, which we gave our opinions on. But I agree with you on old Carrollwood - it is a nice area, with good shopping and amenities. If I were going to live in Tampa, my first choice is south Tampa (specifically Palma Ceia for me) but if I couldn't afford that I would personally look to Carrollwood, since I don't particularly care for new planned communities myself.

[Stewabby]

My order would be #1 South Tampa; #2 Fishhawk (I think this is where we will eventually end of buying); #3 Westchase; #4 New Tampa.

We love South Tampa but the homes are older and very expensive. We really like the community feel of Fishhawk and the newer homes. Both have very good schools.

[MT8]

No matter where you live in Tampa, the traffic is horrible, but New Tampa is the worst.

I live in the Carrollwood area and am pretty happy.