St. Petersburg South side - too dangerous? (Tampa, Pinellas Park: real estate, foreclosures)

[Virtuoso]

Property is cheap in South side St. Pete and Tampa right now and I want a cheap house, hopefully without being burgled, mugged, or shot at.

I work from home, so no commute. I can easily avoid driving through any known bad areas and I don't plan to go jogging downtown at 2:00am.
At present, my house budget is under $17,000. I intend to buy a fixer and renovate it with money I'm otherwise wasting on rent.
No kids, so schools are not a concern.

I find conflicting reports - "you must be crazy...", "the south side is crime ridden...", then other reports are all "I love St. Pete - it's great here, etc..."

What is the racial makeup of the South side? What is the racial climate and race relations like on the South side? (I'm white male.) I don't mean to sound racist but I want to know if there's any racial tension in the area. Is the area heavily segregated?

I'm leaning toward St. Pete as the streets and houses mostly look very clean and well cared for and I hear there are some safe areas there. From what I've seen of Tampa you'd think it took a direct hit from a hurricane.

Can anyone recommend any other areas in Florida with property as inexpensive as South St. Pete?


Thanks!

[IAm_FloridaBorn]

From what I learned, MOSTLY Black. I'm black and I don't want to go to South St. Pete when I move to The Bay. I heard and read way to much about it. I see so much everyday on Bay News 9.

[Kevin from Tampa]

To answer some of your questions....

What is the racial makeup of the South side?

It is almost entirely black.


What is the racial climate and race relations like on the South side?

I have never encountered any problems in the times I've wandered into that area (I'm also a white male), but there are racial tensions there. There have been riots in the past over police altercations. Race relations are not great, although a lot of that is flamed by a fringe group called the Black Uhurus.

I wouldn't go into that area at night. I wouldn't feel comfortable living in south St Pete. I know I wouldn't feel safe.


Is the area heavily segregated?

Yes. There are almost no white or hispanic people in the area.


Can anyone recommend any other areas in Florida with property as inexpensive as South St. Pete?

Rural areas. Inner city areas of larger cities.

[ferret111]

Yes, a large portion of South St. Pete is black. I don't know if there is any tension down there, as I only drive through, but they had a race riot back in 1996.

[Virtuoso]

Thank you for the advice. St. Pete is one of several options I have in mind. I hear Charlotte County has great real estate deals right now. I'll likely wait and save for a few more months anyway, until I can afford to buy something nicer. I would rather avoid a completely run-down house. I only hope the market doesn't rebound by then.

[ferret111]

I mean, why are you focusing on South St. Pete? Surely there are other areas in Pinellas that, while not being the fanciest, certainly aren't crime-ridden and overpriced?

[Virtuoso]

Originally Posted by ferret111

why are you focusing on South St. Pete?

The $14k houses. Where else in Florida can I find houses at these prices but without risking my life? I think Punta Gorda is a candidate but the same questions apply - crime rate, etc.

[jambo101]

Originally Posted by Virtuoso

The $14k houses. .

You wont get much if anything for $14k, maybe a older mobile home in one of the many trailer parks scattered around Pinellas Park..
Heres some economical foreclosures but still out of your price range..

http://www.realtystore.com/search.do...unty=Pinellas&

[xbillyx]

Originally Posted by Virtuoso

The $14k houses. Where else in Florida can I find houses at these prices but without risking my life? I think Punta Gorda is a candidate but the same questions apply - crime rate, etc.

While looking on Zillow, I saw some cheap (small) condos around that price up around the northern end of St Pete. They may have been a bit over (27K or so) but I'm not sure.

[kyle19125]

I actually found a few that the OP was referring to that aren't in any war zones. At that price range one isn't going to find the ideal neighborhood, however there are developing neighborhoods where one can realize a significant return on investment if in it for longer than short-term. One listing for $17,500 is located across I-375 from St Anthony's Hospital where there has been steady improvements. Another for $19,900 is located just south of Central in Kenwood. Yet another (at $15,000) is available in Gulfport, which is known as an up and coming neighborhood.

I give props to the OP for considering it. St Petersburg is full of great neighborhoods waiting on redevelopment, but sadly few are considering it. I hope to start myself once I get established financially to the point where I can begin flipping. At the risk of sounding like a "know-it-all Northerner" (even though I am a native Floridian), I wish Floridians could learn how to fix what's broken versus fleeing to something new.