Where to focus a house hunt around Tampa/St. Petersburg? (Largo: for rent, condos)

[Karamia36]

Hello,

My husband and I currently reside just outside of Washington D.C. and after just recently stepping into the roles of parents we've decided that the environment here isn't where we want to raise our child. After a good amount of searching, we both agreed that South was the way to go. We both have family scattered around the Tampa region and have always loved the area; so it's at the top of our list of possibilities. We hope to put our home here in D.C. on the market this coming week, and hopefully be in Tampa by early Summer.

My husband works in Software Development and has an offer on the table from a major Department of Defense company whose facility is located in St. Petersburg--and I'm a Cost/EVM Analyst for a DoD contractor. Our plan is for me to stop working for a few years until our daughter goes to School full time; but we want to be in an area where it won't be an issue for me to find a job in my field thereafter. In the more immediate future, we'd like to settle in a newer neighborhood that is close to amenities and not more than a 30 minute one way commute from my Husband's place of business (Again, most likely the St. Petersburg area)...

Other considerations are safety of the neighborhood, home values/prices, proximity to amenities such as restaurants and shopping, and access to Private Schools (we would prefer non-Parochial)--although I am also curious about the viability of the public schools in those districts of interest as well. We really aren't looking for a lot of land (less than an acre would be ideal), however we're big fans of HOAs and the whole "community feel". A townhome or large condo would also be a consideration.


So, onto specifics:

1. What neighborhoods are located in the best school districts?

2. What are the best areas to focus on for buying a home given the needs outlined above?

3. What should we expect to pay for a newer (not necessarily brand new) 3-4 bedroom home in these neighborhoods?

4. What sort of commute times are we looking at between major points? Rush hour aside, is traffic and congestion a big concern?




Any other information or inside tips that anyone could provide would be much appreciated. I look forward to some recommendations and opinions!

Thank you!

[Karamia36]

No takers?



I also wanted to add (or ask, as it were) a bit about towns with a "downtown", quaint main-street type feel. Are there any within a reasonable drive to St. Petersburg?

[annesg]

Dunedin might be a good bet. There's a good magnet school in the area. There are also private schools.

In general, IMO, the schools are not good in FL. You can find some here or there but don't assume wherever you buy will make you happy

Lots are generally small in FL subdivisions--you're more likely to find 1/6th-1/4th of an acre than anything like a whole acre. You can also try Westchase in Tampa--very planned, very HOA-ish, small lots and a range of homes. A small area of shops, lots of sidewalks.

It really depends on price range, how much you'd be willing to pay for private schools, etc

[spainbrit]

My husband works in Software Development and has an offer on the table from a major Department of Defense company whose facility is located in St. Petersburg--and I'm a Cost/EVM Analyst for a DoD contractor. Our plan is for me to stop working for a few years until our daughter goes to School full time; but we want to be in an area where it won't be an issue for me to find a job in my field thereafter. In the more immediate future, we'd like to settle in a newer neighborhood that is close to amenities and not more than a 30 minute one way commute from my Husband's place of business (Again, most likely the St. Petersburg area)...

If your husband's company is located around 34th st or Bryan Dairy, where there are a couple of larger DOD contractors, then they are pretty mid county, so anywhere is reasonable in Pinellas to get to and from. However, morning rush hours and evening drives can be annoying. But then if you live around DC you will think we are funny with our complaints !


Other considerations are safety of the neighborhood, home values/prices, proximity to amenities such as restaurants and shopping, and access to Private Schools (we would prefer non-Parochial)--although I am also curious about the viability of the public schools in those districts of interest as well. We really aren't looking for a lot of land (less than an acre would be ideal), however we're big fans of HOAs and the whole "community feel". A townhome or large condo would also be a consideration.

If you are mid county, then Seminole and parts of Largo are great, they are close to the beaches, which you probably know are wonderful. There are really lots of places to eat and be entertained all over the county, no where is that far to get to. There are a couple of nice cultural places in Largo, the Gulf Coast Museum of Art, the Heritage Village and Botanical Gardens all on a huge conjoined site in Largo, across the street from there is also a huge county park, called Walsingham park, with trails, picnic places and its really quite an oasis. Though most county parks are lovely. Check out Pinellas county for more info on parks and public beaches etc. There are several nice small subdivisions around here, some are gated, but non really need to be, it's very very safe here. Our own subdivision is older, that may not appeal to you, built in the 70s, but very well maintained and very inexpensive, as owners have pride in them, I pay $10 a year. We have rules like no commercial vans to be parked overnight, no boats and trailers on driveways, simpler things that are not too demanding, but keep the places looking good. I'm not so certain that condos and townhomes here are very community feeling, unless you are on a large planned community, like the Westchase areas, but I find a lot are for rent, so the community is more transient that single family homes.



So, onto specifics:

1. What neighborhoods are located in the best school districts? These are scattered, Palm Harbor, Seminole, East Lake are probably the most consistent through all levels. The best private schools are scattered, Shorecrest is an excellent school in St Pete, but very expensive.

2. What are the best areas to focus on for buying a home given the needs outlined above? If you are going with Pinellas, then the above, but don't dismiss St Pete, old quaint and southern is the feel, the old North East is one of the nicest areas, just the schooling is varied. Private is good, St Pete High is excellent, there are good magnet schools for middle too. A huge majority of Old North East families send their children to private schools, or homeschool, but love living there, it really does have the best community feeling I think. Also you can walk to parks, downtown, free concerts, farmers markets and best of all enjoy the water and harborside which it has. Lots of cultural events and centers in the downtown too, theatres, museums, galleries, and more.

3. What should we expect to pay for a newer (not necessarily brand new) 3-4 bedroom home in these neighborhoods? $300,000 up for older homes, quite a bit more for newer, there are not so many of these in Pinellas county any more, there are very few new homes in old North East, a scattering but they tend to be custom builds on small lots and pretty high prices.

4. What sort of commute times are we looking at between major points? Rush hour aside, is traffic and congestion a big concern? Does depend on what your major points refer to. If you are going from Seminole to downtown St Pete and back, I'd say 45 mins max, if you are very early, 30 mins (I do that run often to St Pete High from Seminole). If you are doing Seminole/Largo to Pinellas Park/clearwater areas, then 20 minutes, same for Old North East to mid county. Palm Harbor to St Pete - is tough, its a long drive, with quite a bit of traffic.

You should get a good realtor to work with now, start figuring out areas, and talk over your plans, hopes and aspirations for your home here. If you plan to live here long term and raise your family, then it's a wonderful place, take your time and find the right place to settle first time.