Gulfport, FL Today and The Future (St. Petersburg, Sarasota: Home Depot, living, restaurants)

[TexanMark]

It is outside the Flood Zone for insurance purposes...that is the big point for me. Who the hell cares if your car is going to bounce on a brick street you might drive a few blocks down? Mine didn't BTW, and those bricks add a retro cool feel to the street. The brick street was in great shape.

I don't want to live on the beach, just close enough to drive too it. Being in Gulfport I can go to the hidden local beaches and avoid the Tourons. This is my retirement house, price appreciation is secondary. I find most housing price projections to be more wrong than right...once again I'm not looking to flip this house.

[housingcrashsurvivor]

Brick streets are lovely if they'd been kept well maintained over the years and even the badly maintained ones look nice and are fine enough for one or two drives over them, but day after day on an unmaintained street, no. Horrible. At least that was my feel of some of the Heights areas in Tampa when I was considering there. I drove it for a few days in a row to see if I could deal with it but no, not happening.

Very different is an area like Cherokee historic district in Orlando where the brick streets are maintained as level as paved ones. And there the brick streets are truly wonderful and I'm sure very costly.

Housing appreciation should matter to a person whether retiring to a place or not. You might have to move for any various number of reasons of love or family matters or health, or anything. Or a retired person might need more income later in life and then the value of the house would determine how much of a reverse mortgage might be available.

So it's never a good idea to buy something that isn't worth the value or that won't increase at least with inflation. Especially given what we've just gone through, having lost 10 to 20 years of appreciation to that damned bubble. Home prices still often go for what they would have gotten 10 years ago, while inflation marches on. So you certainly don't want to buy behind that game, you want to try at get in ahead of the game which could leave you behind by some anyway. In that case, you want to at least minimize your risk.

We can take risks, thinking an area might improve. But it is rarely if ever wise to seek to maximize risk.

[LordHomunculus]

Originally Posted by housingcrashsurvivor

Brick streets are lovely if they'd been kept well maintained over the years and even the badly maintained ones look nice and are fine enough for one or two drives over them, but day after day on an unmaintained street, no. Horrible. At least that was my feel of some of the Heights areas in Tampa when I was considering there. I drove it for a few days in a row to see if I could deal with it but no, not happening.

Very different is an area like Cherokee historic district in Orlando where the brick streets are maintained as level as paved ones. And there the brick streets are truly wonderful and I'm sure very costly.

Yeah, the brick roads do seem smoother than the ones in Gulftport.


Orlando:

https://maps.google.com/maps?ll=28.5...,,0,30.97&z=17

Gulfport:

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Gulfp...,3.37,,0,41.27

The bricks in Gulfport look worn out.

[housingcrashsurvivor]

It's not so much the wear as the settlement.

Here's a pic of a heights area (not sure which this one is called)

https://www.google.com/maps/@27.9771...D67w!2e0?hl=en

but I don't think the picture above, or yours on prev post shows all the dips in the road. Some of those roads if you go more than 10 mpg your car's gonna know it. I don't recall the condition of Gulfport's roads, having only been there a few times but I'd imagined it not as well kept as Cherokee which is pretty moneyed.

I was in Cherokee recently and they were putting down new pavers, either replacement or expanding, not sure. But that's one of my favorite neighborhoods; it's beautiful in there.

[gulfporter]

The photo from Google Map looks like that street was having a bad hair day. BTW: the Google Map of my house is at least 7 years old....Google is not always up to date.

Most of the brick streets are in extremely good shape currently. Keep in mind, not all streets are brick; there is almost always a paved alternative for those of you who are brick-phobic.

Here's a link to a photo collage I took of Gulfport mailboxes in a 10 minute walk of my house....in some of the photos you can see the brick streets.

www.city-data.com/forum/members/gulfporter-1694664-albums-gulfport-mailboxes.html

[mrviking]

Had some business to do at the Peninsula Inn at Gulfport on Thursday. What a Quirky, Cool and interesting place. Of course I had to stop by O'Maddy's for a nice long lunch.

[The Villages Guy]

Originally Posted by flyred77

I would love to here from some folks that live in or near Gulfport, FL: I would love to hear your thoughts on Gulfport today and where you think it might be in two-three years.

We don't live there, but spent time there in DT today. Not overly impressed, but maybe we missed something. Not sure if it would be any different in a few years, as it seems that it is already established as it is.

[iamacatlover]

Originally Posted by flyred77

I would love to here from some folks that live in or near Gulfport, FL: I would love to hear your thoughts on Gulfport today and where you think it might be in two-three years.

My thoughts are that it may very well experience a come back with all the people that are moving to Florida right now. There are a lot of run down and foreclosed homes for sale right now, but a lot of them seem only need some TLC and attention, a few hundred square feet added, perhaps a screened pool and lanai, and they will make great family or artist homes.

We are looking forward to moving to the west coast of Florida after we scout out the coast this August, and Gulfport is certainly on our list, along with any of the other towns along the coast as far south as northern Englewood.

But I just keep looking at Gulfport. My husband is open to all the possibilities along the way. I do not want to live in the newer gated community they developed along the east of Gulfport, but I want to move in and perhaps expand and update one of the older homes that offers so much character.

Am I crazy?

I live on 52nd Street South, Gulfport, a block and a half from 22nd Avenue. We are very much NOT in a flood zone. You can get more information from city hall. Just call them and tell them the address you're interested in. Gulfport is a great, funky, laid back place to live. USA Today in one of last week's issues referred to Gulfport as one of five little known places in the country in which to retire.

[Leenme]

According to Google's elevation tracker you are at 15.7 feet Google Maps Find Altitude and most certainly in an evacuation zone according to the county evacuation map.
Know Your Zone

Please stop pretending, or just admit you don't know. I've done my homework...how about you?
The the elevation is in a evacuation zone, and if this software allowed photos I would post a photo of your house with the elevation included.

This map puts you in Zone C, others put you in Zone B at 15 feet. http://www.pinellascounty.org/emerge..._Guide_6-7.pdf

Yes you can purchase flood insurance but the price is expected to escalate beyond what many can afford.
The unpopular governor is making waves in an attempt to change the federal law, I doubt he we be successful.
http://www.flgov.com/governor-rick-s...-rate-hikes-2/

People are risking their life savings at times, they should know the truth, not just your frivolous wishes.
The bricks are placed on sand, the whole area is sand, so think about bricks on sand, do you really think that they don't move? Really? From what I have seen the city isn't well kept, though I would imagine some areas would be, the showcase areas most likely.

Do you see what's going on near St Louis lately, that sort of disturbance (riot) went on in South St Pete, right near Gulfport.
Do your homework before you buy.

Originally Posted by iamacatlover

I live on 52nd Street South, Gulfport, a block and a half from 22nd Avenue. We are very much NOT in a flood zone. You can get more information from city hall. Just call them and tell them the address you're interested in. Gulfport is a great, funky, laid back place to live. USA Today in one of last week's issues referred to Gulfport as one of five little known places in the country in which to retire.

[TexanMark]

I closed on my house a few months ago...so far, so good. Taxes are low. I really like having local government...Gulfport would be ruined if swallowed up by St. Pete. My neighborhood is very safe and I already know most of my neighbors. The only negative is I wish Gulfport had an old school hardware store...I generally hate driving to Tyrone Sq area to shop.