Absolute house insanity (Clearwater, Port Richey: mover, inspector, costs)

[LKJ1988]

Originally Posted by MOforthewin

Why being so close to the Gulf the houses are so cheap and crappy? Is it because there really is no beach, just sewalls, rocks and mangroves unlike SWFL for example that actually h as sand beaches.

No beach up here. Most of the homes were built around 1972 thru 1980 and under 900 sq ft. They were meant for older peeps that came from up north when they stopped working. Over the years these people all died and the homes were turned into renter homes with 5 or more peeps living in them. Most of these hoods are all very run down with lots of drugs and crime. But the last 2 years all these homes are being bought up and fixed up and more home owners are buying them vs renters. The trash that rented in the area are being priced out. Used to cost $450 a month to rent these homes.

[LKJ1988]

Originally Posted by MOforthewin

Why being so close to the Gulf the houses are so cheap and crappy? Is it because there really is no beach, just sewalls, rocks and mangroves unlike SWFL for example that actually h as sand beaches.

Most of the area is saw grass up here. Beaches stop south of Tarpon springs.

[MOforthewin]

Originally Posted by LKJ1988

No beach up here. Most of the homes were built around 1972 thru 1980 and under 900 sq ft. They were meant for older peeps that came from up north when they stopped working. Over the years these people all died and the homes were turned into renter homes with 5 or more peeps living in them. Most of these hoods are all very run down with lots of drugs and crime. But the last 2 years all these homes are being bought up and fixed up and more home owners are buying them vs renters. The trash that rented in the area are being priced out. Used to cost $450 a month to rent these homes.

Actually, Naples has a section believe it or not kinda like this. Called Naples Park, granted the houses are not this tiny, normal sized. It's like less than a half mile from the beach too which is odd. Lots of white trash drugs. Some good houses, some terrible houses. Haven't been there for awhile so maybe it's cleaned up but it's odd North Naples, west side of 41 and walking distance from the beach and bunch of crap homes.

[Chickrae]

Originally Posted by LKJ1988

West Pasco county was the hardest hit in the country and very run down. Plus no one could get Ins on a house west of US19. What very homes were worth over 500k sold for less than 200k and the small 2bedroom homes were selling for 20k back around 2012. Holiday is not nice and that is why homes are the cheapest in the state. 90% renters.

The houses I am looking at are just over the Pasco county line and in Pinellas County. The neighborhood is not run down and the homes are 1520 square ft (at least the 3 I'm looking at). We made an offer on one. Multiple offers, but hopefully ours will be chosen. I refuse to pay 340,000 for a house in tampa with no garage and very run down

[LKJ1988]

Originally Posted by Chickrae

The houses I am looking at are just over the Pasco county line and in Pinellas County. The neighborhood is not run down and the homes are 1520 square ft (at least the 3 I'm looking at). We made an offer on one. Multiple offers, but hopefully ours will be chosen. I refuse to pay 340,000 for a house in tampa with no garage and very run down

Soon as you cross over the county into Pinellas things change fast as home prices triple.

There are some nice Condo's in Port Richey. Eagles Nest has some places under 200k.

[MortonR]

Originally Posted by EngGirl

I noticed one interesting detail lately - most 5-6 y.o. homes in the area that are on the market now have a disclosure of house being recently painted.
Since we purchased out first new built house in this area nearly 20 years ago and after that we were told house needs to be maintained outside (meaning taking care of stucco cracks, power washed and so on) on annual basis however no need to repaint house for 10-12 years.
What is going on with all these relatively new homes being freshly painted for sale during SELLERS market (when you basically doesn't need to lift a finger to get your house sold way over what you paid 5 years ago)?
I am not talking about 1 house, or 2, or 3.... In some communities every house being listed was recently painted.
Anything interesting going on regarding quality of recent construction? I found it very interesting.

We've owned several new builds in the area over the years, and depending on the paint color they have typically needed paint within5-7 years. Maybe the builders use cheap paint, who knows?

After that, having them painted by a professional with quality paint yields a good 10 years out of the paint job, especially if it's a lighter color.

RM

[MortonR]

Originally Posted by MOforthewin

Why being so close to the Gulf the houses are so cheap and crappy? Is it because there really is no beach, just sewalls, rocks and mangroves unlike SWFL for example that actually h as sand beaches.

You have to go back many years to understand the makeup of west Pasco.

In the 1960s Florida was "Heaven's Waiting Room" for the most part, and the building boom was targeting retirees, both current and future. Big palatial homes were not the norm, smaller, more affordable ones were, typically built around a community center where people could interact.

If you look at a lot of the communities in Holiday, they're exactly that. 800 SF 2/1 block houses with carports, small yet affordable for those on fixed incomes.

They came in droves, both year 'round and seasonal residents. That was a major demographic in these areas for decades, well into the 90s.

Then the retirees started dying off, and the demand for such housing really disappeared. Due to the size and cost, it became more attractive to lower income demographics. The homes weren't really functional for people with families unless they were small ones, and the infrastructure when it came to things like schools just wasn't there.

The financial crisis of the early 2000s pretty much put a nail in the coffin. Retirees continued to die off and their heirs wanted nothing to do with the properties, so many fell into disrepair or were rented for sub-optimal amounts just to get some cash flow. The resulting deterioration between the exit of the former residents and the economy turned the area into what I describe as post-apocalyptic. Retail establishments closed or left, thousands of square feet of commercial space was emptied out, you get the picture. It was ugly.

I wouldn't say it's recovered, because it hasn't. Yes, property values have gone up relatively speaking, but the area is still sketchy at best and in poor condition in general. Will it rebound? I don't think so, and that's mainly because of the size and types of housing that are present. There's simply no appeal or attraction for family homes, and as a result it's likely to continue to be an area of rentals and transitional housing for many.

RM

[LKJ1988]

Originally Posted by MortonR

You have to go back many years to understand the makeup of west Pasco.

In the 1960s Florida was "Heaven's Waiting Room" for the most part, and the building boom was targeting retirees, both current and future. Big palatial homes were not the norm, smaller, more affordable ones were, typically built around a community center where people could interact.

If you look at a lot of the communities in Holiday, they're exactly that. 800 SF 2/1 block houses with carports, small yet affordable for those on fixed incomes.

They came in droves, both year 'round and seasonal residents. That was a major demographic in these areas for decades, well into the 90s.

Then the retirees started dying off, and the demand for such housing really disappeared. Due to the size and cost, it became more attractive to lower income demographics. The homes weren't really functional for people with families unless they were small ones, and the infrastructure when it came to things like schools just wasn't there.

The financial crisis of the early 2000s pretty much put a nail in the coffin. Retirees continued to die off and their heirs wanted nothing to do with the properties, so many fell into disrepair or were rented for sub-optimal amounts just to get some cash flow. The resulting deterioration between the exit of the former residents and the economy turned the area into what I describe as post-apocalyptic. Retail establishments closed or left, thousands of square feet of commercial space was emptied out, you get the picture. It was ugly.

I wouldn't say it's recovered, because it hasn't. Yes, property values have gone up relatively speaking, but the area is still sketchy at best and in poor condition in general. Will it rebound? I don't think so, and that's mainly because of the size and types of housing that are present. There's simply no appeal or attraction for family homes, and as a result it's likely to continue to be an area of rentals and transitional housing for many.

RM

A CAT 5 cane can clean it all up in one lick one day 5 miles inland. So many malls and places have been empty for years up here. Only car dealers left.

[formerlynorthofnowhere]

Originally Posted by MOforthewin

Actually, Naples has a section believe it or not kinda like this. Called Naples Park, granted the houses are not this tiny, normal sized. It's like less than a half mile from the beach too which is odd. Lots of white trash drugs. Some good houses, some terrible houses. Haven't been there for awhile so maybe it's cleaned up but it's odd North Naples, west side of 41 and walking distance from the beach and bunch of crap homes.

LOL. Who would pay $700K plus for crap... apparently a lot of people.

[MOforthewin]

Originally Posted by LKJ1988

A CAT 5 cane can clean it all up in one lick one day 5 miles inland. So many malls and places have been empty for years up here. Only car dealers left.

Yep.

I wonder what would happen had Irma not crashed into Cuba and weaken and made Landfall in Sarasota as a cat4 like it was projected a day before landfall. What the destruction on the FL west coast woudl be like! Or if it went just passed Tampa and made landfall in Pasco like one forecast track a day before landfall had. Would have cleaned it all out. A large cat4 or stronger hurricane riding up the FL west coast from Naples to Tampa would cause massive destruction and demolish the FL economy.

You would see an exodus from Florida I think as only the very wealthy would be able to afford houses due to massive insurance hikes. Insurane has already gone up. Imagine a big cat4 or cat5 or multiple majors in the same season.