Brandon/Bloomingdale/Valrico info? (Tampa, Pinecrest: house, safe area, YMCA)

[thelma123]

Hi all,
We are narrowing down areas to do our move home search in. We are still considering Pasco county-LOL, Wesley Chapel, LUtz but are also now thinking possibly Brandon, Bloomingdales, Valrico as well. There is a chance my husband could work remote or maybe in Brandon. How are these areas for $350k budget for resale pool home in good HS district (Bloomingdale or Newsome). I think Fish Hawk is too far and too expensive. Any good communities come to mind, family friendly, safe? Thanks!!

[Swimmom32]

Following

[MortonR]

Bloomingdale East has a range of home prices in the high $100k range (western edge, oldest area along Bell Shoals Road) to over $500k (Fox Run), with an average value probably in the low $300k range. Homes here were built from the late 1980s until the mid to early 2000s. Neighborhoods are clustered around a circular road (Nature's Way/Culbreath Ave.) of approximately four miles, which has feeder streets going to major arterial roads such as Bloomingdale Ave., Lithia Pinecrest and Bell Shoals. As you move east and south in the community the homes are newer. There are a few undeveloped portions where there are individual lots, however, these are in very small numbers along the east side of Culbreath Road.

A YMCA is in the development that is very modern (built in the early 2000s) with an outdoor pool. Next to the YMCA is a large Little League facility and there are also both County and private parks in the community, along with a public golf course in the center.

Each neighborhood is separate from the others and most have HOAs. A few of the older neighborhoods do not, but they are covered under the Bloomingdale Homeowner's Association (BHA) which is part of the Bloomingdale Taxing District. No CDD or other fees exist. Individual neighborhoods with HOAs have annual fees that are quite reasonable, typically in the $100-$300/year range, depending on the community.

There are two "A" rated elementary schools located directly in the community - Alafia Elementary and Cimino Elementary. The middle school these feed into is Burns Middle School and the high school is Bloomingdale. There are a number of private and charter schools in the immediate area.

Shopping is excellent, with a brand new Walmart Super Center on Bloomingdale and numerous other retail establishments in the immediate area. Westfield Towne Center and other high density shopping areas in the Brandon area are within 15-20 minutes.

Access to downtown and I-75 is good as well. Using the Crosstown Expressway downtown can be as short as a 30 minute drive, depending on the time of day. I-75 is a straight shot west on Bloomingdale Ave., about 10 minutes.

Taxes on a homesteaded $250k home are around $2500 annually in the area.

Development and traffic congestion continue to be an issue as things get denser in the area, however, plans for mitigating this are already in the works with a major project to widen Bell Shoals from Boyette Road to Bloomingdale Ave. Construction is slated to begin the middle of 2017 on this project. Lithe Pinecrest is also under consideration for widening, however, this will be a major project and probably not take place in the immediate future.

RM

[AhHah]

Always best to visit for a weekend or more (and maybe more than once) to look at the area. Where are you moving from?

[thelma123]

Wow! Thanks MortonR! Great info. I am assuming with the good schools there are lots of kids in these neighborhoods? Would you recommend this area for families? We plan to see it on our visit. From photos I have seen it looks like the area is more developed than LOL and LUtz, no? We are moving from Maryland, right outside of DC. We are used to 2 HR commutes one way so 30 mins is a breeze. I really appreciate the info.

[MortonR]

Originally Posted by thelma123

Wow! Thanks MortonR! Great info. I am assuming with the good schools there are lots of kids in these neighborhoods? Would you recommend this area for families? We plan to see it on our visit. From photos I have seen it looks like the area is more developed than LOL and LUtz, no? We are moving from Maryland, right outside of DC. We are used to 2 HR commutes one way so 30 mins is a breeze. I really appreciate the info.

High recommend it for families.

We built a house here in 1996 and our neighborhood was full of kids with a great sense of community. Now most of the kids are grown, but as our neighbors age out a new "crop" of people are moving in with their school aged kids, mainly due to the excellent schools.

Very safe, no traffic, walking distance from school, very strong PTA groups in the schools, too.

Far more developed than LoL, maybe not quite as much as Lutz, but a great location and plenty of amenities close by.

Understand that a peak rush hour commute into downtown Tampa will be more like 40-45 minutes. There are also two different express bus routes that have stops in our neighborhood as well for downtown commuters. I commute at 6:00 am into Tampa and my drive is under 30 minutes doorstep to doorstep. As you get closer to rush hour that time does increase.

RM

[thelma123]

How about shopping in the area? Restaurants? Are there a lot of conveniences? Would one have to ride to Brand Town Center for most shopping? From my online research, I really like River Hills and Twin Lakes communities. Any other you can recommend that are safe, kid-friendly in a $350k budget?

[MortonR]

Plenty of shopping in the immediate area unless you're looking for high end clothing or something like that...restaurants, too.

RM

[thelma123]

What communities would you recommend? I have seen some nice listings in River Hills, Twin Lakes and Lithia Ridge. What about some if the smaller communities like St Cloud Oaks? Safe areas? I plan to visit area in a few weeks.

[MortonR]

Originally Posted by thelma123

What communities would you recommend? I have seen some nice listings in River Hills, Twin Lakes and Lithia Ridge. What about some if the smaller communities like St Cloud Oaks? Safe areas? I plan to visit area in a few weeks.

None of these.

I have attached a map of Bloomingdale East for reference. Please note that Cimino Elementary is not shown on the map for some reason.

River Hills is a gated golf course community with a clear caste system. We checked it out when we first moved here. Looked at a couple of homes, then slipped in one day without the realtor and hung out at the playground with our kids. Nearly everyone we met asked us what section we lived in. And why would that matter?

Twin Lakes is at the end of Bloomingdale Ave., which is some ways from Lithia Pinecrest and two lanes all the way to that point. Traffic can be a real nightmare at peak times, and it's unlikely to change for many years.

We looked at a house in Lithia Ridge, but found it dated as far as the architecture. This was almost 20 years ago, so I don't think that's going to have changed any.

None of these areas feed into schools I would enroll my children in, but that may not be an issue for you.

These are purely personal opinions based on direct experience. You may find things to be different or to your liking, so please take them as intended.

RM