Moving to the Tampa area? (St. Petersburg, Clearwater: real estate market, rental, insurance)

[mcleod13]

Greetings all, this is my first ever post here so I will provide a little background info.. I am 29 and spent 8 years in the military and was stationed in FL for a few years. I am currently in law school in the midwest and hope to return to FL and become a prosecutor. I have no desire to work an 80 hr a week job nor become an ambulance chaser.
I have considered t
I have considered trying to be a visiting student to the Stetson Law for my last year of law school. I would love to do this however I have a couple of concerns.
The first is my 6 year old son. After raising him in the midwest and him going to school here, I am a little concerned of him going to a public school in such a huge place. I want to make sure that he goes to a safe school and one that he will get a good education.
The next is cost, I want to live in a safe neighborhood but won't be able to afford too much. Is it possible to accomplish both of my goals?
I could be naive, who knows....
Thanks

[spainbrit]

You can achieve both, if you want a small school though you may have to go private, which will depend on your budget but he is young enough to make the transition to elem and middle schools as he grows. My son was almost 6 when we moved here from a small town with a school of only 90 students. He is now in high school with a student population of 1800 and he loves it.
There are few dangerous places to live in pinellas county and you will get which these are almost as soon as you arrive and start looking.
Prices for homes are becoming more sensible even for renting if that's what you are thinking about.
good luck to you

[CASAJO]

Greetings from warm and sunny Florida. Yes, it is possible tofind housing in a good school district. Do you have an idea of where you want to be in Tampa? It is a big area.How much can you afford for housing? That will be a factor in deciding what area to live in. Let me know if I can offer any advise.

[mcleod13]

I don't have the slightest idea of where I want to live. I don't know the first thing about it. I know I don't want to live too far from campus though.. I hope to be there soon.

[Bob Mercier]

Originally Posted by mcleod13

Greetings all, this is my first ever post here so I will provide a little background info.. I am 29 and spent 8 years in the military and was stationed in FL for a few years. I am currently in law school in the midwest and hope to return to FL and become a prosecutor. I have no desire to work an 80 hr a week job nor become an ambulance chaser.
I have considered t
I have considered trying to be a visiting student to the Stetson Law for my last year of law school. I would love to do this however I have a couple of concerns.
The first is my 6 year old son. After raising him in the midwest and him going to school here, I am a little concerned of him going to a public school in such a huge place. I want to make sure that he goes to a safe school and one that he will get a good education.
The next is cost, I want to live in a safe neighborhood but won't be able to afford too much. Is it possible to accomplish both of my goals?
I could be naive, who knows....
Thanks

Don't worry, Tampa is a wounderful place!

[spainbrit]

Pinellas county seems more sensible to live in, if you are going to Stetson, there are a lot of nice schools here, some are smaller, but private. I'm sure you will find the right fit, its a question of what you want in the way of home. Fire some more questions and you will surely get some more advice.

[Junker1079]

Do you have an idea of what "not too much" means??? How much?? Were you wanting to rent or buy?
As was mentioned, you will see when you get there where you would be happy living and not - there are lots of good areas close by. Also what does "not too far" mean? How far? Walking? driving?

Have you checked out
www.schoolgrades.fldoe.org (broken link)
for some good information about local schools?

I moved here from the midwest (Indianapolis) so am pretty familiar with the systems between here and there.....I also lived in Virginia.

Tampa is a wonderful place, let me know if I can help. Marie

Originally Posted by Bob Mercier

Don't worry, Tampa is a wounderful place!

[jwebernews]

The schools in many areas are overcrowded. Either go private school or Pinellas county schools are better if you live in the Seminole/Largo area. Best being Seminole. I'd avoid Clearwater.

I'd rent first. Housing market is going bust, and if you wait and know where you really want to leave and that you want to stay in Tampa Bay area, you could find a deal on a house/condo in a year or so. A lot of people are trying to get out of Florida, because of the high cost of property taxes and property insurance.

Rent is high, because really good rental properties are hard to find with the real estate market problems, and more people are choosing to rent. Do your research.

[jessiesma]

is in Gulfport. this is adjacent to St. Pete to the south. The community is not for you because of the number of pedophiles (public record, folks) HOWEVER, St. Pete is very nice north of Central Ave. and you can find an affordable apt. here for both of you. I'm talking 10 min. to campus and you'll be near good shopping and activities. The beach is only 8 mi. from where I live. There are a number of private school nearby and we are going to neighborhood schools next year so you'll have to check that out. I don't have kids in school or friends who do.
Seminole is good as another poster has said. It'll be more like 20-30 min to campus but even closer to the beach. You can find 2br in a safe, nice place for about 900/mo. Check out Costa del Sol in Seminole and Nautica (used to be 5th Ave apts.) in St. Petersburg.
This is Pinellas Co. You really want to avoid Hillsborough Co. across the Bay incl. Tampa itself.

Originally Posted by mcleod13

I don't have the slightest idea of where I want to live. I don't know the first thing about it. I know I don't want to live too far from campus though.. I hope to be there soon.

[jessiegirl_98]

Hello! First, good luck with your last year of law school. It can be brutal!
My only advice is that if you choose to finish law school before coming down to Tampa, please secure a job before making the move. My boyfriend had 3 years experience as an attorney and couldn't find a job in Tampa (he looked for 8 months). Another friend had 2 years experience as an attorney, tried for over 1 year to find a job in Tampa and then moved away. Now, I'm in no way saying it's impossible, but it can be difficult, so just please try to secure the job before you and your son move.