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Old 01-04-2013, 03:13 PM
 
Location: Florida
158 posts, read 437,427 times
Reputation: 116

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Good evening. We are moving to LOL in about a week. My husband is retiring from the military and I thought about the times I spent living in Tampa and I really loved the area and greatly miss the weather. Currently we are in MD near Baltimore and DC so I have had to do everything online sight unseen. Everything looks and sounds good with the home (plus we will have a pool; the kids are super excited about this), I have researched the neighborhood as much as I can which isn't much. There is not a whole lot of recent info on the neighborhood. My husband will be attending USF for his graduate program. It appears it will be about a 20-30 min drive. Does that sound correct? I will want to head to the commissary and perhaps medical appointments on post at MacDill. That looks like maybe a 40 minute drive? I am also a veteran, so does anyone have any idea how far a drive the VA med center would be for me? I am in a terribly congested area now, so I certainly do not mind the drive and I know there is less traffic than DC lol

When I lived in FL before it was in Ruskin and Tampa about 15 years ago. I have been back to visit the area on vacation, but am sure things have changed quite a bit. I am completely unfamiliar with the area north of Tampa as I lived south of Tampa and really had no reason to drive to LOL, Lutz, Wesley Chapel, etc. Right now I am unsure of where I will be working eventually but I am expecting a commute.

Any info on the area - specifically Ballantrae neighborhood since their HOA site doesn't provide a great deal of info - would be greatly appreciated. I am *very* excited to be going back south. The schools that my children will attend also look great - that was a concern for me as I remember FL not having the greatest school system and MD being #2 in the nation. Their new elementary school has the same rating as their current one here, so I am very pleased about that.

I've researched restaurants briefly - because I love food LOL and found Larry's Deli and Ukulele Brands that I cannot wait to try. I have to admit that missing Cuban sandwiches was also a driving force to ask my husband to consider USF
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Old 01-04-2013, 05:41 PM
 
1,024 posts, read 1,791,521 times
Reputation: 982
Quote:
Originally Posted by bree~ View Post
Good evening. We are moving to LOL in about a week. My husband is retiring from the military and I thought about the times I spent living in Tampa and I really loved the area and greatly miss the weather. Currently we are in MD near Baltimore and DC so I have had to do everything online sight unseen. Everything looks and sounds good with the home (plus we will have a pool; the kids are super excited about this), I have researched the neighborhood as much as I can which isn't much. There is not a whole lot of recent info on the neighborhood. My husband will be attending USF for his graduate program. It appears it will be about a 20-30 min drive. Does that sound correct? I will want to head to the commissary and perhaps medical appointments on post at MacDill. That looks like maybe a 40 minute drive? I am also a veteran, so does anyone have any idea how far a drive the VA med center would be for me? I am in a terribly congested area now, so I certainly do not mind the drive and I know there is less traffic than DC lol

When I lived in FL before it was in Ruskin and Tampa about 15 years ago. I have been back to visit the area on vacation, but am sure things have changed quite a bit. I am completely unfamiliar with the area north of Tampa as I lived south of Tampa and really had no reason to drive to LOL, Lutz, Wesley Chapel, etc. Right now I am unsure of where I will be working eventually but I am expecting a commute.

Any info on the area - specifically Ballantrae neighborhood since their HOA site doesn't provide a great deal of info - would be greatly appreciated. I am *very* excited to be going back south. The schools that my children will attend also look great - that was a concern for me as I remember FL not having the greatest school system and MD being #2 in the nation. Their new elementary school has the same rating as their current one here, so I am very pleased about that.

I've researched restaurants briefly - because I love food LOL and found Larry's Deli and Ukulele Brands that I cannot wait to try. I have to admit that missing Cuban sandwiches was also a driving force to ask my husband to consider USF
Ballantrae is a nice neighborhood. Congrats on your move! Traffic will definitely be less than you are used to in Baltimore. My sister lives there, and whenever I visit her traffic is a nightmare!!
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Old 01-04-2013, 08:48 PM
 
Location: Toledo, OH
1,725 posts, read 3,451,424 times
Reputation: 1277
Ballantrea is right smack in the middle of Concord Station. You're less than 2 miles to the Suncoast Parkway (knows as Veterans Expressway). l am also retired military (Navy) and live East of where you will be about 7 miles or so.
The VA Center is right next to USF. You're timing is about right. Time to MacDill will depend on time of day. If you are in no hurry, you can miss the traffic easily. We go to the Commissary about 1X per week.
They have some great options regarding Medical. They have Satellite Clinics around the area. Makes it easier to find one much closer, have a regular DR, etc... Highly recommend asking about this at the Hospital on MacDill. They are very helpful!!!!
The Ballantrea area has a lot of walking trails along the streets, is very clean looking, well kept, etc... I see kids out and about all the time, I see adults walking by themselves or with dogs, you see Deer from time to time, etc... I haven't heard any complaints from people that I have met from there. They are still building new homes, but if you live right off Ballantrae it is away from you (off Mentmore).
It has a little bit of a Country feel driving up to the area. While there are a lot of homes in Concord Station you have a lot of fields over there too. Publix, and a few other places to eat are very close (right off Sunset Lakes/HWY 54) and if you drive East a few miles over towards Trinity, you will see many more options to eat at. HWY 41 is about 4 miles or so and you have many options well within 10-15 minutes.
I hope you like it. Keep us posted on your move please. Some folks continually bash the Land O Lakes area and I have nothing but great things to say about it. I wouldn't live anywhere else in the Tampa area!!
WELCOME HOME AND CONGRATULATIONS TO YOUR HUBBY ON RETIREMENT AND THANK YOU BOTH FOR SERVING!!
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Old 01-04-2013, 11:22 PM
 
Location: Carson City
148 posts, read 375,050 times
Reputation: 132
We moved to Lutz from Ellicott City. I really like it here.
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Old 01-05-2013, 06:34 AM
 
Location: Myrtle Beach
3,381 posts, read 9,090,517 times
Reputation: 2943
We looked at homes in this this subdivision. Nice looking neighborhood, nice homes at an affordable price. But two things scared us off. The Taxes there are almost double most places because of their CCD and after making the trek a couple time from there to the airport area... it was too far out.

Location was important because at the time I was working on Rocky Point Island. I now work by I-4 and I-75 interchange, so I am very glad we didn't end up buying there now. Also, the Veterans Expressway is about to go under construction, meaning traffic to and from Land O Lakes is going to be congested for the next few years. However, once it is completed, the traffic on the Veterans should be much better. (FYI - Veterans is a toll road that seems to increase its tolls every coupe years).

However, I can see why a lot of people would live there, especially if they didn't have to commute far from there and didn;t mind paying the CCD taxes. Just remember.. that extra $2K you pay in CCD does not go toward the principal of your home and taxes always increase.

Also - please rent a year before you buy.
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Old 01-05-2013, 11:05 AM
 
Location: Florida
158 posts, read 437,427 times
Reputation: 116
Thanks for all the info. Very helpful We are renting for a year while I become acclimated to the area once again. Everything was done online. I can rent for a year based upon photos, but not buy. I'm not that adventurous Sounds like we made a good decision on that area then. I wasn't even looking there then this house popped up on a search and I was sold. We were originally looking in the Brandon then Riverview area since I am familiar with those areas having lived in Ruskin for a few years.

I am very excited to get on with the next phase of our lives and I appreciate all the input.
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Old 01-05-2013, 11:07 AM
 
Location: Florida
158 posts, read 437,427 times
Reputation: 116
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mom2M&J View Post
We moved to Lutz from Ellicott City. I really like it here.
Cool. I was in Ellicott City the other day. Had lunch at Ellicott Mills. I will miss that place and its wonderful beer plus it's a neat little town. We are currently at Fort Meade.
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Old 01-05-2013, 09:36 PM
 
Location: Courtice, Ont.
143 posts, read 240,527 times
Reputation: 93
Quote:
Originally Posted by bree~ View Post
Good evening. We are moving to LOL in about a week. My husband is retiring from the military and I thought about the times I spent living in Tampa and I really loved the area and greatly miss the weather. Currently we are in MD near Baltimore and DC so I have had to do everything online sight unseen. Everything looks and sounds good with the home (plus we will have a pool; the kids are super excited about this), I have researched the neighborhood as much as I can which isn't much. There is not a whole lot of recent info on the neighborhood. My husband will be attending USF for his graduate program. It appears it will be about a 20-30 min drive. Does that sound correct? I will want to head to the commissary and perhaps medical appointments on post at MacDill. That looks like maybe a 40 minute drive? I am also a veteran, so does anyone have any idea how far a drive the VA med center would be for me? I am in a terribly congested area now, so I certainly do not mind the drive and I know there is less traffic than DC lol

When I lived in FL before it was in Ruskin and Tampa about 15 years ago. I have been back to visit the area on vacation, but am sure things have changed quite a bit. I am completely unfamiliar with the area north of Tampa as I lived south of Tampa and really had no reason to drive to LOL, Lutz, Wesley Chapel, etc. Right now I am unsure of where I will be working eventually but I am expecting a commute.

Any info on the area - specifically Ballantrae neighborhood since their HOA site doesn't provide a great deal of info - would be greatly appreciated. I am *very* excited to be going back south. The schools that my children will attend also look great - that was a concern for me as I remember FL not having the greatest school system and MD being #2 in the nation. Their new elementary school has the same rating as their current one here, so I am very pleased about that.

I've researched restaurants briefly - because I love food LOL and found Larry's Deli and Ukulele Brands that I cannot wait to try. I have to admit that missing Cuban sandwiches was also a driving force to ask my husband to consider USF
Heh, we might be neighbors soon. I am waiting for my house to be built in Concord Station. Currently we are in Westchase. Because we are moving to Concord Station we ended up getting our daughter in the Imagine school up there... changed schools for the second time in three months. She likes the school there much better than the public school she was at in Westchase. She also LOVES the before/after daycare there vs the local one here - and so do I. I drive through that area twice a day and am looking forward to moving there, which I think means something since I'm moving from westchase.

As for the commute, I think it will be very time-of-day dependant. When I drive my daughter to school and get on the veterans northbound at ~8:00 at Linebaugh, I pass miles of stop'n'go traffic. By the time I'm coming back (about 1/2 hour later) it's all wide open. Traffic clears very fast. Just a suggestion... look at google maps at the time you intend to do the drive and look at the traffic to get a feel for it. A lot of it will depend on what you're used to as well. The traffic here may be so bad it's a deal breaker for you, or it may look really good... depends on your perspective. I'm coming from Toronto which is neck 'n' neck with L.A. for worst traffic in north america so I know what bad traffic looks like and here seems easy to deal with. But if you're used to something different then your point of view will be entirely different.
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Old 01-06-2013, 01:05 PM
 
Location: Florida
158 posts, read 437,427 times
Reputation: 116
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ryan_M View Post
Heh, we might be neighbors soon. I am waiting for my house to be built in Concord Station. Currently we are in Westchase. Because we are moving to Concord Station we ended up getting our daughter in the Imagine school up there... changed schools for the second time in three months. She likes the school there much better than the public school she was at in Westchase. She also LOVES the before/after daycare there vs the local one here - and so do I. I drive through that area twice a day and am looking forward to moving there, which I think means something since I'm moving from westchase.

As for the commute, I think it will be very time-of-day dependant. When I drive my daughter to school and get on the veterans northbound at ~8:00 at Linebaugh, I pass miles of stop'n'go traffic. By the time I'm coming back (about 1/2 hour later) it's all wide open. Traffic clears very fast. Just a suggestion... look at google maps at the time you intend to do the drive and look at the traffic to get a feel for it. A lot of it will depend on what you're used to as well. The traffic here may be so bad it's a deal breaker for you, or it may look really good... depends on your perspective. I'm coming from Toronto which is neck 'n' neck with L.A. for worst traffic in north america so I know what bad traffic looks like and here seems easy to deal with. But if you're used to something different then your point of view will be entirely different.
Thanks for the input. Yeah, we are coming from the Baltimore/DC area - 2nd worse traffic in the nation behind NYC. LA traffic is a breeze when we go there LOL I am dreading driving through DC to finally get out of here Friday

My kids will be attending Oakstead Elementary. Everything I have read online about it and researched sounds really good. Hopefully all 4 of our kids will like it there.
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Old 01-06-2013, 03:26 PM
 
Location: tampa bay
7,119 posts, read 8,608,180 times
Reputation: 11744
Ballantre is a great place to raise a young family!!You will love it!!!And I'm not a realtor!LOL!
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