Looking for Info - Moving From WI (Tampa, Palm Harbor: foreclosure, rental)

[AROKIS]

Basically I was just looking for a bit more insight on the Tampa Area, since I may be moving down for work from the Milwaukee Area in the next month or so.

My Job is located just north of Tampa International Airport on Linebaugh Ave. and not really looking to commute more than 20-30 min. Although 45-60 is no big deal if it means a better fit for my family.

I've been looking at Safety Harbor, West Chase, Citrus Park & Palm Harbor a bit, although I'll admit coming from the cold winters of WI...we are intrigued by getting close to the beaches.

Right now I think we are looking for just a rental, since we don't know the area, and don't want to be anchored down right from the start. At a budget of $900-$1200...while we get settled in.

Schools aren't really a concern, as I have a 4 year old, and a 6 mos old...but definitely will come into play, if we stay down here.

I am mostly concerned about crime areas and health concerns...like old moldy houses, or bug issues.

Should I be concerned with flooding?...living near reserves?...Gators?...Enormous Electric Bills?...Why does everything seem like a gated community?

It's tough since I read such great stuff about Tampa, and such horrible things...I've been down for work a bunch, and like it generally, but it's tough to pin down whats good and whats bad.

Thanks for any help.
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[MortonR]

As a former Cheesehead who lived on the lake north of the bluff in Port Washington (spouse worked at H-D, I worked in Sheboygan for Kohler) and moved to Tampa, I can tell you that you will be pleasantly surprised.

No, you won't have killer electric bills. Yes, living close to the beaches is nice, but after a while you'll find other things to do as well.

We live in Valrico, specifically in Bloomingdale East, although there are other nice areas around us, such as FishHawk. The wife works near the airport and commutes across the Crosstown without any problems. My work has me all over the county, so my commute isn't an issue.

Flooding is not an issue unless you're on the water or west of 19 in Pinellas or Pasco counties. You can look up the flood maps for hurricane evacuations and get a really good idea where *not* to live in the area.

Gators are a non-issue unless you live on a "conservation lot" which is a fancy name for a lot on the water or a retention pond. Even then they're not something most people concern themselves with.

Gated communities are just that - in fact, a spot on a local TV station a few years ago showed that burglaries are incrementally higher in gated communities. When we first moved down here the spouse was adamant about a gated community until we checked a few out, and found that the security was, for the most part, a joke, and that some viewed living in such a place as away to increase their self-esteem.

We moved into a non-gated community and have never had a problem.

Old houses might be an issue, but for the most part you'll be fine as long as you employ the skills of a home inspector before you purchase a house. While mold can be an issue, it's rare unless the house has not been cared for.

If you have a newer home, or build, you'll probably have what is known as "Pest Defense", which is a trade name for a system with tubes in the walls of your house. Twice a year the bug guys come out and pump these tubes full of pesticides which are them released slowly through the tubes that are inside your walls. You never touch, see or smell anything, and from our experience, you almost never see a bug. Beats the heck out of people coming around and spraying chemicals, especially if you have small children or pets.

If you live in Valrico/Bloomingdale/FishHawk you'll have a 45 minute commute, depending on the time of day. That's pretty common for around here. If you go to New Tampa or Pasco, which I would recommend against, it will be much longer.

As for schools, as long as you stick with an "A" rated school you should be fine. Despite what we heard before moving down here (relative to Florida vs. Wisconsin public schools) your kids will get a good education as long as you stick to an "A" rated school and are involved. Things have improved significantly as far as the schools are concerned over the last 10 years, and despite what some might say, Florida is doing well against midwestern schools.

Be prepared for the heat, but between October and April, it is a wonderful place. Far better than Wisconsin, unless you enjoy winter sports.

The places you'll see disparities will be in your auto and homeowner's insurance, if you can get it. These are significantly more expensive than in Wisconsin, and there is no way around it. However, you won't have to pay income tax, and your property taxes will most likely be lower.

While we moved down here nearly 15 years ago from Wisconsin, things haven't changed significantly, other than the lowering of property taxes. We love it here, and while we did love Wisconsin and the quality of life there, Florida is our choice of places to live.

RM

[Kevin from Tampa]

Originally Posted by AROKIS

Basically I was just looking for a bit more insight on the Tampa Area, since I may be moving down for work from the Milwaukee Area in the next month or so.

My Job is located just north of Tampa International Airport on Linebaugh Ave. and not really looking to commute more than 20-30 min. Although 45-60 is no big deal if it means a better fit for my family.

I've been looking at Safety Harbor, West Chase, Citrus Park & Palm Harbor a bit, although I'll admit coming from the cold winters of WI...we are intrigued by getting close to the beaches.

Right now I think we are looking for just a rental, since we don't know the area, and don't want to be anchored down right from the start. At a budget of $900-$1200...while we get settled in.

Schools aren't really a concern, as I have a 4 year old, and a 6 mos old...but definitely will come into play, if we stay down here.

I am mostly concerned about crime areas and health concerns...like old moldy houses, or bug issues.

Should I be concerned with flooding?...living near reserves?...Gators?...Enormous Electric Bills?...Why does everything seem like a gated community?

It's tough since I read such great stuff about Tampa, and such horrible things...I've been down for work a bunch, and like it generally, but it's tough to pin down whats good and whats bad.

Thanks for any help.
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The areas in which you are looking are perfect for your needs, especially in terms of the commute. Those are all low-crime, suburban-ish areas with nice houses and neighborhoods, things to do, etc. Your price range is ever so slightly on the low side for that area but 1200 is doable for a decent house rental there. Health concerns, like mold...etc...are a bit overblown. It's a humid, sub-tropical/tropical climate, and it gets hot in the summer, but mold as you see reported on the news is actually fairly rare. The few cases get lots of media attention, like most things these days.

Those areas are close enough to the beach that you can get there pretty easily. It's not 5 minutes away but it's close.

Flooding shouldn't be a major concern in those areas. If you're in a flood zone, just have insurance for it, but I doubt most of those areas are in a flood zone.

Living near reserves/Gators...no major worries. Just don't go swimming in any fresh water rivers, canals, or near the edge of lakes and you'll be fine. If you see a gator, just give it some healthy respect. I've lived in Florida for most of my life (I'm 43) and never had a major gator problem...it's overblown.

Electric bills can be high in the summer, not gonna lie to you about that. I've had summer electric bills as high as 350 bucks...but I like it cold...and AC is the main reason they go high. Still...they'll get high in the summer.

Not everything is gated...if you don't want gated, there's lot of places to live.

There are a lot of complainers about Florida...Florida is a place that a lot of people move to expecting that life is a big, cheap party and it's all fun 24/7 and then they realize that you have to work for a living and you can't go to the beach every day like they expected...so they complain that it's not what they wanted. Really, I love it in Florida. the weather is fantastic from October-May, and there's TONS to do. If you move down here with a positive attitude, and look for positives, you'll find LOTs.

Good luck!

[AROKIS]

Thanks for the info!....A tremendous help.

I guess the electric bill is a wash...we often get up to $300 range with the heat cranked so thats good to know.

and it's been upper 80s & 90s and humid here all summer so the heat should be a close level ...I'm sure I won't miss the high of 5 degrees here in the winter.

Just curious if anyone knows the in depth details about the Tampa Area condo situation...just looking around online, and it seems that there are thousands around for dirt cheap....one of those too good to be true scenarios.

Im guessing they are apt conversions, in disrepair, or near foreclosure
although on paper it sounds like a good idea to buy a condo on a killer deal instead of renting initially.

[LexiloosMom]

If you are concerned about renting a house that might be in foreclosure, you can check the owner's name online. For Hillsborough County google thirteenth judicial circuit and do a public records search; for Pinellas County google sixth judicial circuit.

Best of luck on your move and welcome to Florida!