NYC to Tampa - which neighborhoods? moving tips? (Clearwater, Safety Harbor: sale, real estate)

[olivianyc]

Sorry if this post is redundant, I am new to this forum and will definitely read through some relevant threads to get more informed.. but I'm just so excited. I have been wanting to move out of NYC for a while now, but until now, hubby has refused. We want to move as soon as possible from our rental apartment due to noise issues, ideally to a house. We are looking in our immediate neighborhood, but the husband actually suggested Tampa! We ideally would want to buy but we have no idea which neighborhoods could work, so we should rent first.

Here’s our situation:

He works from home and I stay at home with our 3-year old and 6-month old. Good schools are our #1 priority, safety, likelihood of increasing real estate value, diversity, progressive, near shopping/restaurants/parks/things to do with families, near water a plus. He wants to be able to walk to things to do, although of course we realize we’ll have to drive there (a huge transition for us!). We like to eat out and get delivery, love ethnic food especially Asian (we are Asian). We are very down to earth and not the type to keep up with the Joneses, so prefer neighborhoods that aren’t snooty. Budget really depends, not more than, say, 500K sale or 2K/mo rental, but if we could satisfy our wish list for half that, even better!

Also, curious for any tips on moving so far - moving companies, other advice?

Thanks in advance for any feedback!!

ETA: I should mention that I do plan to go back to work in the next couple of years... I see a lot of posts here mentioning horrid commutes to work.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by olivianyc

Sorry if this post is redundant, I am new to this forum and will definitely read through some relevant threads to get more informed.. but I'm just so excited. I have been wanting to move out of NYC for a while now, but until now, hubby has refused. We want to move as soon as possible from our rental apartment due to noise issues, ideally to a house. We are looking in our immediate neighborhood, but the husband actually suggested Tampa! We ideally would want to buy but we have no idea which neighborhoods could work, so we should rent first.

Here’s our situation:

He works from home and I stay at home with our 3-year old and 6-month old. Good schools are our #1 priority, safety, likelihood of increasing real estate value, diversity, progressive, near shopping/restaurants/parks/things to do with families, near water a plus. He wants to be able to walk to things to do, although of course we realize we’ll have to drive there (a huge transition for us!). We like to eat out and get delivery, love ethnic food especially Asian (we are Asian). We are very down to earth and not the type to keep up with the Joneses, so prefer neighborhoods that aren’t snooty. Budget really depends, not more than, say, 500K sale or 2K/mo rental, but if we could satisfy our wish list for half that, even better!

Also, curious for any tips on moving so far - moving companies, other advice?

Thanks in advance for any feedback!!

ETA: I should mention that I do plan to go back to work in the next couple of years... I see a lot of posts here mentioning horrid commutes to work.

Check out Safety Harbor. While not especially diverse (not much is here) it's fairly progressive, has more or less "down to earth" types in most neighborhoods, has good schools, lots of family activities including a walkable little downtown area and some nice bike trails. Safety Harbor fronts on Tampa Bay and is less than 30 minutes from Clearwater Beach. I should also add that housing in general is in high demand in Safety Harbor so real estate value tends toward more favorable in the area.

[deebin]

If you want diversity, I don't think you will find it in Tampa.