Buying a winter home in Tampa. (Orlando, Clearwater: real estate, foreclosures, to rent) - Tampa Bay - Florida (FL) -Tampa - St. Petersburg - Clearwater - City-Data Forum

moe. · 09-09-2011, 12:10 AM

Hey, were from Toronto, Canada in our 40's and we were looking to buy a winter home on the west coast of Florida. The idea was to be near a larger city, like Tampa but really anywhere is open. We dont really know much about the area so anything would help.

Good Areas/ Bad areas? Keep in mind we will only be spending a couple months a year at the home. So possibly a gated community?

Stable areas. Free of significant foreclosures, its a home we plan to be in for 20-30+ years. Not a neighbourhood were 10 years down the road we dont have any more neighbours.

We were hoping for something under $300,000. Is that a realistic number?
Dunedin looks promising, info on it would be appreciated but of course were open to anywhere.

This isnt really a big deal, but what is the Asian population like in the Tampa area, specifically Indian.

jambo101 · 09-09-2011, 02:39 AM

Would a condo on the beach be more practical as you are only going to be their for a couple of months a year, Or even just rent a place every year.As $300K is a lot of money to put into a house you'll only be using for a very small part of the year..
Asian indians in Tampa? Almost non existent likewise with Tampa's beaches Look to St Petersburg for beaches.

BucFan · 09-09-2011, 04:24 AM

How about an active adult community like Valencia Lakes (centrally located between Tampa, St Pete, Bradenton) - only about 45 min drive from the airport. About 45 mins from Bradenton Beach. The place is gated - and you're living in a resort type community. Take a look (I'm not a real estate agent, btw). I think they still have a $99 deal that allows you to stay in one of their homes for a few days, get to see the amenities. Take advantage of it while checking out the area/other communities......BTW, you don't have to be 55+ and it doesn't seem like a oldtimer retirement place like many in FLA. The only thing is that under 18 yr olds can't live at Valencia Lakes for more than 30 days (or something like that).

Luxury Active-Adult Retirement: Valencia Lakes - G.L. Homes

FloridaKash · 09-09-2011, 07:28 AM

Live close to the water. Lot's of Adult Only condo's available. Hopefully you have cash if you are looking into a Condo though. If you find something you like, make sur eyou can vacation rent it out while you are away. Good way to have it help pay for itself.

Wwanderer · 09-09-2011, 08:35 AM

We're new snowbirds, and chose Dunedin. So far we really love it. We did not look in your price range, but you should be able to get something very nice, close to the beach if you wish.

Also Tarpon Springs to the north, where my impression is that there are lots of beautiful properties in your range.

I agree that finding something you could put into the hands of a property manager to rent would be great, although as Canadians, that means filing US tax returns.

But the bottom line--visit the areas you're considering, walk around, drive around, spend some time there.

I know a good agent that I can recommend, if you are interested.

lavender · 09-09-2011, 09:11 AM

This is something I know quite a bit about. First we came here and purchased a condo to use and rent out. When we moved here it was our home til we needed to move for a larger family home and we kept it to rent out and use. Now I work in real estate and look after property for my out of town or state or overseas buyers. I just sold to a canadian who rents hers out. It's best to have a tax acct who specializes in this and I can recommend one of the better ones who only do this work so know what they are doing and have been in business for years. Adult communities sound a bit too old for u and u will not have the income stream that a beach area condo would have And also you would enjoy one of those more. If u want the accountant details dm me

Spooky08 · 09-24-2011, 08:29 AM

I am not sure on demographics in terms of Asian, specifically Indian. Are you trying to find a cultural center or something in that terms? You can probably find that online. Tampa is a very diverse city with many different cultural backgrounds. New Tampa has a lot of Indian people, not a ton, but many in Live Oak neighborhood. New Tampa has several gated neighborhoods: Grand Hampton, Live Oak, West Meadows, Hunter's Green and many more.

Dunedin--it is very close to the beaches, but it is an old town. I don't want to offend anyone here, but it really depends what you are looking for. If you don't mind an older town that things aren't all pretty then Dunedin is okay for what you are looking for. If you want pretty and upscale look at New Tampa or Westchase.

Also, two other great areas for vacation homes in my opinion are Orlando and Sarasota. Orlando (Lake Nona area & Dr. Phillips) have small wonderful gated communities. I loved living in Orlando..there is so much to do. Shopping, restaurants, and the amusement parks. Cocoa Beach is about 30 mins. away depending on way you live in Orlando, I lived in Lake Nona area and it was only 30 mins. away. It is not as beautiful as the west coast beaches, but it is nice. Orlando is so exciting if you are into the things I've listed. Now, Sarasota is another dream destination. It has a huge cultural and arts life, boating and the best beaches in the U.S. (stunning water), shopping and restaurants. Please feel free to let me know if you have any other questions.

Quote:

Originally Posted by moe.

Hey, were from Toronto, Canada in our 40's and we were looking to buy a winter home on the west coast of Florida. The idea was to be near a larger city, like Tampa but really anywhere is open. We dont really know much about the area so anything would help.

Good Areas/ Bad areas? Keep in mind we will only be spending a couple months a year at the home. So possibly a gated community?

Stable areas. Free of significant foreclosures, its a home we plan to be in for 20-30+ years. Not a neighbourhood were 10 years down the road we dont have any more neighbours.

We were hoping for something under $300,000. Is that a realistic number?
Dunedin looks promising, info on it would be appreciated but of course were open to anywhere.

This isnt really a big deal, but what is the Asian population like in the Tampa area, specifically Indian.

corvidae · 09-24-2011, 09:26 AM

I personally really enjoy the Dunedin area. It has more of a downtown feel than some places. There is a brewery there that I always stop at on the way to the beach... Dunedin is really close to Honeymoon Island and Caladesi Island, which are state parks and so are not crowded. I have not explored Clearwater very much but you might be able to get closer to the water there. I also agree that Sarasota might be a good option.

In Tampa there is a dollar theater called the Britton 8 which shows Bollywood movies. There seems to be a really big turnout for the shows. I was there watching an American movie once and saw a big line of Indian people that who showed up for for the Bollywood shows. I think I may have read about another theater that shows Bollywood films where you sit and eat while watching the movies. That is all I know about the Indian community here. I'm sure there is more to it than that, though.