beach area condo wanted (Tampa, Clearwater: apartment, rental, insurance)

[beachlady58]

I am looking to relocate to Tampa area. But in the meantime I thought I would take advantage of the "down" RE market and pick up a condo in FLA - St Pete/Clearwater/ or south for under 100K. ANyone know of a good place to look? I just need 2BR/2BA nice area. Thanks

[Team_Roberts]

Hello Beach Lady...

I was curious myself on finding a 2/2 condo in St Pete / Clearwater under $100K and sure enough, they are out there. I searched the MLS and found 117 condo's matching that criteria, but only 14 are newer the 1980. (So most are older condo complexes). The majority of the 14 are in the "Top of the World" subdivision in Clearwater (North). I have not personnally visited the subdivision, so I am not sure of the condition of the condo units.

But anyways... They are out there and I hope this information helps you out!

Good luck and Welcome to the Tampa area!!

[dunedingirl]

Originally Posted by beachlady58

I am looking to relocate to Tampa area. But in the meantime I thought I would take advantage of the "down" RE market and pick up a condo in FLA - St Pete/Clearwater/ or south for under 100K. ANyone know of a good place to look? I just need 2BR/2BA nice area. Thanks

Anything in "Top of the World" is 55+ and you have to have 35% cash down to get in. There is an approval process that you have to go through but it is not that bad. They have social activities every day and shopping trips, their own golf course, swimming pools, bridge, and anything else you could desire. There are plenty of condos under 100k but most of them are in 55+ communities. Don't forget to factor in maintenance fees and insurance(Renters) when you consider price.....Most of the communities will include in their maintenance fees water, sewer, garbage, insurance on the building and sometimes even basic cable. On Top of the World is it's own "city" but there are plenty of condos in Dunedin that fall under 100k. Some communities are much nicer than others so be careful w/ your selection. In a good community you won't have to worry as much about property values dropping through the floor but in a bad one, you never know how far they will go. Check to see if they have reserves in the budget and if there are any assessments coming up. Any other questions, feel free to ask

[beachlady58]

Originally Posted by dunedingirl

Anything in "Top of the World" is 55+ and you have to have 35% cash down to get in. There is an approval process that you have to go through but it is not that bad. They have social activities every day and shopping trips, their own golf course, swimming pools, bridge, and anything else you could desire. There are plenty of condos under 100k but most of them are in 55+ communities. Don't forget to factor in maintenance fees and insurance(Renters) when you consider price.....Most of the communities will include in their maintenance fees water, sewer, garbage, insurance on the building and sometimes even basic cable. On Top of the World is it's own "city" but there are plenty of condos in Dunedin that fall under 100k. Some communities are much nicer than others so be careful w/ your selection. In a good community you won't have to worry as much about property values dropping through the floor but in a bad one, you never know how far they will go. Check to see if they have reserves in the budget and if there are any assessments coming up. Any other questions, feel free to ask

Dunedingirl-Thanks for your post. I am under 55 and have an 8th grader. We are going to stay in MA until we get a new job (me and hubbie) so this is just to get out of town on winterdas. I visited Duendin last year and loved it so maybe you can let me know what part of your town is better than others.

[dunedingirl]

Hi Beachlady58-There are a few communities I would stay away from but not actual parts of towns. Dunedin is pretty good all over, if you have a name of a community I could tell you if I would buy something in there but it really depends on what you want. If you are younger than 55 your price will increase. There are a few around that are reasonable but you won't find as many as the over 55. 2/2 for under 100k might be interesting to find but you can do it. The snowbirds will be coming down soon so I would think anyone who has had their place on the market for awile would be thinking of renting so the market might be a bit more bare but it depends on when you were thinking of coming down....just let me know if you have any more questions.

[deckardc]

Originally Posted by beachlady58

I am looking to relocate to Tampa area. But in the meantime I thought I would take advantage of the "down" RE market and pick up a condo in FLA - St Pete/Clearwater/ or south for under 100K. ANyone know of a good place to look? I just need 2BR/2BA nice area. Thanks

You keep posting this, I assume because you are not getting the answers you want. The reason you are not getting the answers you want is because there are no 2/2 condos in nice beach areas of Florida for under 100k. I don't know who told you there were, but they were mistaken or they were living under a rock for the past 5 years.

You could check back in a couple of years after the FL condo market is finally dead and buried. By then it may be entirely possible to find what you are looking for.

[yukon]

I don't think you'll have to wait a couple of years, condo prices seem to be dropping as fast as they rose. I just noticed online that several of the apartment/condo conversions that are waterfront (bayside) have dropped significantly. Not a big fan of apt/condo conversions, but a couple of the places I checked out online tonight were pretty nice apts to start with.

BTW, beachlady58, you might be able to rent a beachfront place for now, at a decent rate, until the selling prices come down a little more. I was surprised at the beach area rental rates I saw on craigslist lately.

[beachlady58]

Originally Posted by deckardc

You keep posting this, I assume because you are not getting the answers you want. The reason you are not getting the answers you want is because there are no 2/2 condos in nice beach areas of Florida for under 100k. I don't know who told you there were, but they were mistaken or they were living under a rock for the past 5 years.

You could check back in a couple of years after the FL condo market is finally dead and buried. By then it may be entirely possible to find what you are looking for.

deckardc- I am a realtor in MA (2nd career) so I know the market pretty well. I am aware that nice places retain their value as I live on the beach in MA and know that it costs more. In comparison your market is much more cost effective than ours is as our beach front in my town is 4 million. I have done searches on line and with a realtor that I work with in Tampa and know that there are condos at that price. Maybe not a palace but available. Thanks for your post.

[beachlady58]

Originally Posted by yukon

I don't think you'll have to wait a couple of years, condo prices seem to be dropping as fast as they rose. I just noticed online that several of the apartment/condo conversions that are waterfront (bayside) have dropped significantly. Not a big fan of apt/condo conversions, but a couple of the places I checked out online tonight were pretty nice apts to start with.

BTW, beachlady58, you might be able to rent a beachfront place for now, at a decent rate, until the selling prices come down a little more. I was surprised at the beach area rental rates I saw on craigslist lately.

Yukon- thanks for your post - what towns would be "good" (meaning low crime and decent) for me to look on carigslist. I actually have never been there!

[dunedingirl]

Originally Posted by beachlady58

Yukon- thanks for your post - what towns would be "good" (meaning low crime and decent) for me to look on carigslist. I actually have never been there!

anything on the beach, treasure island, pass-a-grille,st. pete beach, redington beach or shores, indian shores, indian rocks, sand key, belleair, clearwater beach, island estates, etc.

close to beach but not right on it would be Seminole, Dunedin, South Pasadena, Clearwater, etc.

craigslist.org, then go to housing and in the search button, type in beach, it should help!

Everything on Craigslist is posted by private citizens but I have noticed quite a few realtors are posting on there now. You should be able to find something on there, just make sure to be smart about sending money and the like. But of course, you are a realtor, you know all that

Good Luck!