Relocating to Tampa St Pete from Portland OR - Help (Westchase: townhomes, neighborhood)

[lavender]

to me downtown St Pete sounds the best choice for you, urban feel, has some older areas NE/SE districts, and going slightly W to Kenwood. Very dog friendly, lots of outdoor stuff. I have visited Portland, so get what you are saying about some sketchy bits and characters LOL. Lots of cultural events too. Honestly you have no chance of $250,000. I just paid $375,000 for a smaller 2/2 in the downtown, and a house we paid $425,000, so that is your kind of starting point. If you are thinking that its much less expensive than Portland, you are right - in some areas - you could find a condo for a lower price, but not where you might want to be, its a trade off, like any city that is popular close to downtown. Pinellas has lots of cute little towns, and Tampa has nice spots too, but they are popular and price is driven by popularity and location. Wish you good luck with your search.

[findneighborhoods]

Thanks for the replies, appreciate the insight.

[Joey2k]

Keep in mind my information is over a year old, but...

You might want to at least look at downtown Clearwater. While it's not a proper downtown like St Pete or Tampa, it has a number of restaurants and bars and has been slowly building up and revitalizing and has a downtown-ish feel. Just across the bridge is Clearwater Beach, although it is kind of far to any larger commercial and business centers. They have a number of fairs, festivals, and other events there fairly often. There are newer condos that have gone up recently and some single family home neighborhoods not far off.

You will have to get used to the Scientologists though.

[MortonR]

Originally Posted by Joey2k

You will have to get used to the Scientologists though.

Not so much these days, since they're pissed off at the City for not selling them the real estate they want. As a result the number of black pants/white shirt & vest folks around the downtown area seem to be much less than in the past.

RM

[javafreak]

Originally Posted by MortonR

Not so much these days, since they're pissed off at the City for not selling them the real estate they want. As a result the number of black pants/white shirt & vest folks around the downtown area seem to be much less than in the past.

RM

Leah Remini's show Aftermath on A&E isn't doing them any favors either.

[Csonka]

Originally Posted by MortonR

$250k will barely get you a hovel in the nicer areas of the city, so if that's your budget be prepared.

No house is 100 years old here.

Use the "search" feature at the top of the forum's main page. You're asking questions that hundreds have asked before you.

RM

A lot of 100 year old houses in "Old Tampa"

I grew up in one

[KenFL]

Not sure about the dogs, however you might look at some of the condos in downtown Tampa and Channelside as some of the smaller, less that 700 sq.ft., 1 bdrm, 1 bath, can be found for less than $300k, in the mid $200's, however they tend to sell fast, so you would need to monitor the buildings that interest you closely. Possibly preconstruction prices may disclose the same.

[Travelgeek121]

I don't know why there are so many misinformed people that like to spread the idea that Tampa is expensive. Tampa is not nearly expensive as some locals make it sound! I just moved from the Seattle area and was frightened out of my mind by a bunch of people on boards like this trying to convince me cost of living was comparable to the PNW. IT'S NOT EVEN CLOSE!!! There are definitely things in the OPs price range that I am sure he would find suitable.

What many of you consider sub-par or a place you'd never consider living is far far different to people coming from the west coast and expensive cities. They have far different perceptions of the property market. I was personally blown away at what I could get for my money in this area.

[FlaNativeGrl]

Originally Posted by cjairo191

Contact a realtor and listen to about 50% or lower of what you read in here. The zillow profile referenced I think is a mixed use/income area.

OMG yes this! alllll day lol. Because honestly Ybor City and North Ybor fit what they are looking for to a T. Including 100 year old houses (YES we have them) and shady characters with an urban feel! Plus its close to the bars and restaurants in Ybor City and Seminole Heights without the high price tag. You can definitely find a home for around $250k in that area.

If you're a trailblazer, then North Ybor and Ybor City is your place. With the new Rays Stadium moving in and a brand new boutique hotel going up, the place is fast transitioning. Get in now while you can!

[mateo384]

I'm not sure why people are saying $250k will get you nothing. I'm currently looking to buy and my pricepoint is only 150k. Granted, there is a ton of stuff out there, but 90% of it in my price range is junk. Once in a while something nice pops up in the 165-range. But shoot, if my budget was 250k, i could EASILY find something nice....in a great neighborhood. Shoot, even if it was in the 175-range i could find something nice.

and my realtor said St. Pete is more desirable than Tampa, so it's more expensive to him.