Advice for a young family moving to Tampa!

[sk8rgirl9]

I have lived in Pinellas County my whole life, I love it! Great Schools, I went to Palm Harbor Middle and Palm Harbor University High School, I loved both of them! There are waterfront communities around, although of course for a price. There tons of things to do locally, movie theaters, malls, skating rinks, clubs, fairs, and of course the beach. There are plenty of clubs for sports and any other activity.

[algia]

What is cold? can you handle 30's? we had that in the last couple of years.

Anyway...forget Appolo beach, it has one strip of nice/million dollar homes and the rest is crap...forget Riverview it stinks...

You're making pretty good money, we made $40k/6ppl and lived in Cheval...I suggest you check that out.

Now lets clarify something: "on water" can mean a few things:
1. The gulf = expensive
2. On the bay (Bayshore Blvd) = Expensive
3. On canals = Cullbreath Isles (expensive) but very nice just like Bayshore (here however you'll have planes fly right over...)
4. On man made ponds...you will find this in ANY subdivision/planned community around Florida, not just Tampa.

If you want a safe area you can find that on the west side of Lutz, Herritage Harbor, Villarosa, Cheval no car break ins there, and you can commute downtown via Veteran's hwy toll. Just get a sun pass so the traffic doesn't clog.

Schools are great in Lutz, and there are plenty of soccer, ballet places to choose from.

[Hollysoto]

Hi, just curious if you have any recommendations after moving there in 2011.
I am thinking on moving to Tampa myself.
We have a 4 year old and also the main reason for us is weather.
I was thinking on renting for a year and explote before buying... but dont know where to start looking.

Thank you

[MortonR]

Originally Posted by Hollysoto

Hi, just curious if you have any recommendations after moving there in 2011.
I am thinking on moving to Tampa myself.
We have a 4 year old and also the main reason for us is weather.
I was thinking on renting for a year and explote before buying... but dont know where to start looking.

Thank you

Plenty of information in this forum if you search. Try using "relocation" or "relocate" as a search term.

Some basic things to consider:

1.) What is your budget for rental/housing? Housing costs have skyrocketed due to the influx of people from outside of the area, and like many parts of the country, inventory is at historical lows and prices high even more so for rental properties.

2.) Schools are no doubt a concern. Be aware, schools are horrible here relatively speaking.

3.) Weather? What sort of climate are you currently living in? The climate here is quite harsh at times, you need to be well versed in what to expect.

4.) Working from home or commuting?

5.) Looking for a job here? Be aware that salaries are typically lower that other parts of the country.

Search the forum first. Lots and lots of threads on this subject that will answer many of your questions.

RM