Would like advice on area near Tampa for family (Palm Harbor: to rent, insurance)

[algia]

"family neighborhood living".

THIS does not mean the same thing down here as it does up north. Once you're here, you will SEE what I mean. You have to count on the fact that during the summer months, when kids are in vacation from school, a LOT of them either leave somewhere else, go to summer camps, or daycare type places because parents still have to work, and you won't be seeing many out playing in the cul de sac, because it is also VERY HOT. If you are picturing a street full of kids riding their bikes, and playing on the playground you won't be seeing that in many neighborhoods here, which is why I said it takes a lot of "local", on-foot re-search.

[devotedmom9603]

I agree 100% on renting. We're coming from CT as well, made that mistake when we moved to NC years ago. What we thought was perfect ended up not being. If I had rented for 1 yr. I would've seen the area I really wanted to be in, the house that I should've picked, the neighborhood that had the most to offer. Coming from CT to the South, everything looks amazing!! the houses are so nice, pools are gorgeous, communities look fun, etc.... til your there living it for a few months and you realize...I should've picked that other home

We are moving probably to Palm Harbor, and will be renting for 1 yr. I've been reasearching for about 1 yr. With the help of this great forum, I "think" we've narrowed it down. I'll only know after "I live it". We have 2 children also and as much as I hate to do that to them, I don't want them to feel that we as a family made a mistake that can't be changed, or changed without being able to just walk away in 1 yr.

[Keeper]

Are you going to have to drive to work or are you working from home. What is an acceptable commute time?

I have to agree to renting first but that is not always an option. The info that Algia gave you with Zip codes are good areas. The one thing in Tampa many of the newer subdivisions have tiny yards. Westchase for example is a beautiful area but many of the homes are close together and there is not much of a back yard. But you have a swimming pool and a nice little shopping area plus a medical building.

LOL has some new homes and some older homes that are very nice with large yards. There is something for everyone in Tampa. I love S. Tampa but you will pay more to live there due to the prime location.

[lavender]

Are you relocating to Tampa or in the Tampa area - that might be relevent too, n,s,e or w of the bay?

[idkwts72]

I will be working near Brandon in Tampa ...33619 zip. Acceptable commute is about 30 minutes give or take.

[DUNNDFRNT]

Brandon itself is not bad, especially communities in southern and eastern part. The schools are mostly good in the early years, the high schools are not, I would look into Fishawk/lithia area they have some of the better public schools in the area, from k-12.

[TooOldToo]

No one has mentioned the condition of the infra-structure in certain parts of Tampa . While for most of the Tampa area it is decades old , the outlying communities are much newer . Areas such as Wesley Chapel , and NW Hills . Co. are realatively new with all utilities under ground ( fewer power outages during storms ) . Also the entire area has been on water restrictions for years , and reclaimed water is not available everywhere . Lastly , is the problem of street flooding . Most parts of South Tampa experience flooding during the afternoon thundershowers that we recieve during the summer . Enough that many streets and intersections can be closed for hours . With heavier rains it can be quite annoying . I'm not knocking So. Tampa , I lived there for 20 + years and loved it . I guess we all became accustomed to it and never really thought about it .
I'm not familiar with the Brandon area or E. Hiils. Co. , so maybe someone else here has some info they can share .

[purpletie]

I live in Wesley Chapel and love it. The school here are nice and there are lots of restaurants and shopping. But as other have said it is not that close to the beach or downtown. A lot of it is personally prefence. I dislike South Tampa as it floods and the nice and bad areas there are patchy. However, I have friends that live there and love the night life etc. If you are working in Brandon then New Tampa/Wesley Chapel area is about 30-40 minutes on I-75 depending how far off the interstate you work/live. I don't care for Brandon but there are some older more established areas there. I think just driving around the area to see what appeals to you is probably best.

You can get a really nice house in New Tampa/Wesley Chapel/LoL/Trinity areas of town for $300k! Real estate is much cheaper here than New England.

[MortonR]

Valrico, specifically Bloomingdale, is an easy commute and has a wide range of neighborhoods and homes to choose from.

You can go a little farther south to Fishhawk, but traffic and costs will increase somewhat, depending on your price range and location.

Schools are excellent in either area, as are services and retail.

You will be hard pressed to find rentals in the area, as they are in very high demand and turn over quickly.

RM

[Stewabby]

If you are working near Brandon I think Fishhawk Ranch in Lithia would be a good choice.