Coming to St. Petersburg for 3 days to look around...Guidance needed (Tampa: flat fee, real estate)

[PeachInTheCity]

Im plan to visit St Petersburg's for three days next week to look around to see if I would like to move there in a few weeks.

Ive been to the area before but didnt concentrate on it and really get to look around as I was mainly looking at Tampa.... (which I didnt care for at all). However the little I did see of St. Pete's I liked, especially the downtown area.

Job is not an issue and its just me and my dog. So no commute to worry about...at least not right now.

What I need help with is what apartments should I look at while there? I want to stay under $1k and in a fairly safe area. Just looking for a 1 bedroom but of course I will take a two as well if possible.

I only want to view 3 -4 apartments. Not interested in renting a house or condo right now.
On my short list so far is Vantage Point and Gateway on 4th.Any insight on these would be great.
I was hoping to view Urban Landing but was told they are all booked up!

Also I wanted to take a day and see the sights so to speak. Get a feel for the area. I was hoping you all could tell me some good places to visit that you think would be beneficial to someone who may soon be living there.

Lastly if anyone has any decent hotel rec's for the short stay that would be great!



SN:Ive already visited Coquina, Tortuga and Fusion apartments. Also I have been doing searches on here and reading old threads as well as other online research including reading apartment ratings, google maps st views, and viewing youtube videos of st. pete's as well.

Thanks

[sportsterjohn]

how was fusion and coquina?

[PeachInTheCity]

Originally Posted by sportsterjohn

how was fusion and coquina?

Fusion was nice.... the apts were a bit small for me. They made great use of the space though. Very cute.

Coquina was ok. The water is as nice as the picture but the neighbor you have to drive through to get there is sketchy at best. I see why the place is gated with a guard . I do see however why people love to stay there. But at the end of the day its not my cup of tea. I hear its best to rent from an actual condo owner so I would go that route if your thinking of leasing there.

[jambo101]

For areas to live i really like the Old Northeast section including the areas around Crescent lake.

Check out the Beaches at Ft Desoto and Pass-a-Grille.
http://www.gopetfriendlyblog.com/wp-...rt-DeSoto2.jpg
Also checkout Johns Pass.
http://www.johnspass.com/index.php/about/

[ElaineMarie123]

Peach in The City,
You are doing exactly what I did last week! I flew into Tampa and stayed in St. Petes beach at Sirata while I checked out the area for a place to live. I would reccommenr Sirata Beach Resort as a place to stay, it's an older property, but has been updated. I felt very comfortable and safe there, made a few local friends too at the bar! I also looked at Fusion 1560 and Waterside at Coquina. It's funny that you had the exact same impression that I did about both places! I was going to get an apartment, but after looking I have decided to look for a condo rental instead. I looked at apartments in the Gateway area, the newer ones are quite pricey, but I was lookimg at two BR's, not sure how much the one BR's would be. Azure and Elan are the ones that are fairly new. The Reserve at Gateway and the Promenade at Carillon were nice and a little less expensive. Not sure if this helps much, but I hope it does!

[dpfj]

Just some things I've found as I'm 'hopefully' looking at some places next week. Azure and the Reserve at Gateway are in the Trinity Lane area - which seems newer and definitely more expense. The Promenade is in a residential/office complex park off of a main road - so it's a little more secluded from busy streets. The Elan is on Dr Martin Luther King Jr St N - which has other cheaper complexes on the same road. They're pretty aggressive considering I haven't even looked at a place yet. The first day they let me know I could apply and get a place before I even saw one....the second day they followed up and said the owners are raising prices....so I should apply now. I understand the need to make a sale, but I don't trust being rushed.

[PeachInTheCity]

Good stuff...thanks all!

[PeachInTheCity]

I decided to come back and give an update for those who maybe interested or come across this thread in the future.

So I/we visited the area for 3 days, 2 nights.

We stayed at the LaQuinta on Ulmerton which isnt too far from the airport I believe. I have a dog and this hotel is one of the few that doesnt charge you anything for having a pet with you.

I looked at several apartments in the area, The Coves, The Verhandas, Skyline 5th, The Promenade, Inlet Bay, Gateway on 4th, Vantage Point, Aluna Largo and a few more.

Off all of the ones I looked at I like The Coves of Brighton Bay and Aluna Largo the best. They each had things that I was looking for like closets for example. May seem silly to some but I like to have a place that has a linen, coat and pantry closet.

Some of the apartments I looked at were not my cup of tea but I will say non of them were bad. Id say alot the companies that have come in and renovated alot these places have done a pretty decent to good job.
What I didnt care for however was the lack of apartments that had w/d included...heck some did even have the connections in the apartment or if they did it was for a stacked washer and dryer.....no! I also did not like how some handle the water, dividing it up amongst each building. This was something I learned to ask about when I was looking in Tampa a few years ago. Im not paying for anyone else's water. Nor will I pay a flat fee for water that is over $30.


As for the area itself .... I really like it. Its night and day compared to Tampa. Things are a bit more calm and not as rushed compared to Tampa. People seem to be a little nicer and easy going. I liked the demographics/diversity of the area. Im not so much speaking racially, though that is there, but age wise. Seems like a place for everyone; retirees,college aged, young and seasoned professionals.

We visited the Tyrone Mall and had dinner at Romans. Dinner was good, and the mall was ok. Wasnt a bad mall but I dont really see what I would ever really go there for as even its anchor stores Macy's and Dillards was lacking in their offerings. I will check out Westshore and International Plaza next time.

Im planning to go back again in two weeks to look at some more places, more than likely privately owned this time, and also visit some other areas I didnt get to view last time......the beaches, the deemed not so great areas (trailer parkish,hoods) , its always good to know what your dealing with and Ive found some areas such as these have some of the nicest, intelligent people that just get a bad rap or label because of fear, lack of outsider knowledge, property or a few bad apples., local raved about restaurants, sophisticated night life , pet happenings and shopping.

Hoping its warmer when I head back down in a few weeks.
All in all a good trip! Hope I still feel the same way nice time and when I move!

[asimegusta]

We visited the Tyrone Mall and had dinner at Romans. Dinner was good, and the mall was ok. Wasnt a bad mall but I dont really see what I would ever really go there for as even its anchor stores Macy's and Dillards was lacking in their offerings.

I suggest you try going to Countryside Mall in Clearwater up 19N. You may find it has more to offer in the way of variety of stores and dining.

[romes591]

Check Craig's list for apartments. Most of the places downtown are individually owned by unit or by building and do not have a major real estate company in charge of them.