halfway between Citrus Park and Brandon (Tampa, Naples: apartments, leasing, insurance)

[Travelgeek121]

Hi,

I am moving to Tampa from the Seattle area. I currently love my job and I actually love the community I live in, but sadly, my wife and I have no family or close friends in this area. My wife spent most of her life in Florida and is dying to get back to the warmer weather. Long-story-short, my wife and I were able to arrange transfers with our current company to the Tampa area.

We have lived in South Florida, and are familiar with most of central Florida and the Naples/Fort Meyers area. Although we have been through Tampa a few times before...We are not super familiar with the area as we have never lived there.

Our plan is to rent for the first 6 months to a year to get a feel before buying so that we get a feel for the area before committing to a permanent house. My wife is likely going to be working in the Brandon area, and I will be in North Tampa (near Citrus Park/Westchase). Downtown Tampa seems to be a good middle-point between where our jobs would be, but I am not so sure on neighborhoods.

Can anyone help me out with a list of good neighborhoods that would be kind of in between of our two work places? Or recommend any apartment communities that make sense for us?


Any help is greatly appreciated!

[Travelgeek121]

Originally Posted by vintageflgirl

What price range were you looking for, and do you like a more urban environment or more of a suburban lifestyle. Is your wife's job close to the Interstate in the Brandon area? Trying to narrow things down a bit.

Price range for rent initially is flexible. We would be needing a 1br or 2br for I dunno.... around $1500 give or take ?? I know in the east side of Seattle 1500 won't get you more than a studio in a so-so neighborhood, but hoping that is not the case in Tampa.

We like somewhat urban, but still like to have available parking, safe and clean areas, etc (I guess that is probably suburban) . We will likely buy within a year so long as we don't hate it there. Probably looking for something 2 to 3 bedroom, over 1500 square ft if possible in the 300k range.

[MortonR]

What price range were you looking for, and do you like a more urban environment or more of a suburban lifestyle. Is your wife's job close to the Interstate in the Brandon area? Trying to narrow things down a bit.

That's really just a euphemism for "I'm a realtor and I'm going to PM you to try and get you to sign up with me...?

They're like sharks around here, smelling blood any time someone posts about relocating to the area. Be careful.

$1500 will put you in the very low range of decent rentals in a safe area with good schools. You'll probably have to be closer to $2000/month for something really outstanding. Realize that the rental market here is very hot, especially this time of year. That, coupled with a lot of institutional investors starting to sell off their rentals and profit take, makes the market especially tight.

RM

[vintageflgirl]

Originally Posted by MortonR

That's really just a euphemism for "I'm a realtor and I'm going to PM you to try and get you to sign up with me...?

They're like sharks around here, smelling blood any time someone posts about relocating to the area. Be careful.

$1500 will put you in the very low range of decent rentals in a safe area with good schools. You'll probably have to be closer to $2000/month for something really outstanding. Realize that the rental market here is very hot, especially this time of year. That, coupled with a lot of institutional investors starting to sell off their rentals and profit take, makes the market especially tight.

RM

The post I made was for clarification of what this couple is looking for so I could make an intelligent response. I don't speculate on other posters motivations on this site and I don't make negative comparisons. They are aware from my profile that I am a Realtor. As such I have access to helpful information that you might not have. I will continue to post information that I feel might be helpful.

[vintageflgirl]

Originally Posted by Travelgeek121

Price range for rent initially is flexible. We would be needing a 1br or 2br for I dunno.... around $1500 give or take ?? I know in the east side of Seattle 1500 won't get you more than a studio in a so-so neighborhood, but hoping that is not the case in Tampa.

We like somewhat urban, but still like to have available parking, safe and clean areas, etc (I guess that is probably suburban) . We will likely buy within a year so long as we don't hate it there. Probably looking for something 2 to 3 bedroom, over 1500 square ft if possible in the 300k range.

You will have to go higher than $1500, at least $1750 at the minimum, more would definitely be better. As for areas to consider, Carrollwood might be a good choice.

[KPB]

Here's some apartments in South Tampa that might work. I'd say it's a good location for what you want to be between.
Hyde Park Apartments | Current Apartment Rental Availability | Properties For Rent | South Tampa Rentals | Leasing in Soth Tampa | Florida

[Travelgeek121]

So you all are saying 1750 to 2000 for 1br or 2br apt in tampa?? The 1500+ square ft I mentioned is for what I plan to buy later.... not what I expect to get renting. I feel like I have seen a lot of rental communities online well within that range. I guess I don't know the areas that well which is why I am asking.

Taking the transfer to Tampa involves a pretty significant reduction in salary that I had hoped would be made up for by cost of living. I hope I'm not in for a rude awakening. Where are you all seeing the 2k rents for 1 and 2 br apts? I haven't seen prices like that in my searches.

[MortonR]

Originally Posted by Travelgeek121

So you all are saying 1750 to 2000 for 1br or 2br apt in tampa?? The 1500+ square ft I mentioned is for what I plan to buy later.... not what I expect to get renting. I feel like I have seen a lot of rental communities online well within that range. I guess I don't know the areas that well which is why I am asking.

Taking the transfer to Tampa involves a pretty significant reduction in salary that I had hoped would be made up for by cost of living. I hope I'm not in for a rude awakening. Where are you all seeing the 2k rents for 1 and 2 br apts? I haven't seen prices like that in my searches.

Not for apartments. You said rent, you weren't specific, so most would expect you're looking for a house to rent.

A decent 1-2 bedroom apartment in a secure and modern community that has good schools is probably going to set you back in the $1200-$1500 range, and that's really variable depending on where, how modern it is, and the amenities.

There's been a huge shift from buying to renting here since the economy tanked and developers have reacted as expected. Even so, rental properties, be they apartments or houses, are in short supply and as a result the prices are high. It doesn't help that you're coming in during the peak of the season as well. If you find something you like don't hesitate or it may be gone.

Last time I rented here which was during the previous peak I rented an apartment sight unseen because I knew it would go quickly. As a matter of fact, another property agent came into the office and asked the agent who I was talking to for the keys to show it, and she was able to tell them it was rented. Whew!

Cost of living isn't going to be significantly less than the PNW, believe it or not. Housing prices here have been spiraling upward since the recovery, and inventory is constrained. Add to that the increased cost of insurance and you'll probably find it's a wash.

RM

[Travelgeek121]

I appreciate the replies and insights... please keep them coming. I see some of the high end stuff in Hyde park reflects those big price tags but that may be an area out of my reach. I'm probably looking along the lines of where I live now... a decent suburb with good safe neighborhoods. I'm hoping that is within the ranges I'm planning for. I'll need to make a trip down soon to get a feel in person. Just looking for suggestions on where to look. ��

[Travelgeek121]

[quote=MortonR;51746581]Not for apartments. You said rent, you weren't specific, so most would expect you're looking for a house to rent.

A decent 1-2 bedroom apartment in a secure and modern community that has good schools is probably going to set you back in the $1200-$1500 range, and that's really variable depending on where, how modern it is, and the amenities.

There's been a huge shift from buying to renting here since the economy tanked and developers have reacted as expected. Even so, rental properties, be they apartments or houses, are in short supply and as a result the prices are high. It doesn't help that you're coming in during the peak of the season as well. If you find something you like don't hesitate or it may be gone.

Last time I rented here which was during the previous peak I rented an apartment sight unseen because I knew it would go quickly. As a matter of fact, another property agent came into the office and asked the agent who I was talking to for the keys to show it, and she was able to tell them it was rented. Whew!

Cost of living isn't going to be significantly less than the PNW, believe it or not. Housing prices here have been spiraling upward since the recovery, and inventory is constrained. Add to that the increased cost of insurance and you'll probably find it's a wash.

Are you familiar with Seattle's market? 2 br townhomes are over 1,000,000 15 miles outside the city. If you live somewhere like Tacoma or Puyallup it's a lot less but seattle/Bellevue can no way be in the same ballpark as Tampa. Every cost of living estimate I can find separates them by at least 35 to 40% overall and 60%+ on average housing costs