Valrico (Tampa, Clearwater, Brandon: real estate, condo, crime) - Tampa Bay - Florida (FL) -Tampa - St. Petersburg - Clearwater - City-Data Forum

kelb · 10-25-2008, 01:10 PM

Our Internet research so far suggests that Valrico looks like a great place to live. Feedback please. We are an energetic 50-ish couple looking for a community that eventually will become our retirement spot. The home values look almost too good to be true...is there a catch?

classicanne · 10-25-2008, 02:23 PM

Hello! There's no catch regarding home values/prices; they have fallen considerably in the Tampa Bay area and are continuing to fall, so now is the time to pick up a bargain. Whether Valrico is a good fit for you will depend on your areas of interest in life. If you are retired military, Republican, still raising children/grandchildren, and/or are evangelical Christians, then Valrico will be a great fit; Valrico's claim to fame is that it is nationally ranked as a great place to raise kids. The area is pretty, homes are nice; traffic has increased, of course, as the area has grown.

My husband and I have owned our home in Valrico for the past 8+ years, after 7 years in nearby Brandon. It was a great place to raise our daughter, but she's out of school and will be leaving the nest one of these days soon. We are in our early 50s and Valrico is no longer a good fit for us; we are not military, Republican or evangelical Christians, and we don't like to have to commute far to pursue our interests and entertainment, so we are looking into a move to the Clearwater/Dunedin area soon.

Best of luck in finding your Florida spot!

kelb · 10-25-2008, 05:44 PM

Thanks classicanne...great specific feedback. That is not our demo either. Was Brandon a different feel, or pretty much the same profile?

classicanne · 10-26-2008, 04:11 PM

Brandon is pretty much the same demographic, though with slightly lower average family incomes. Brandon was populated, after WWII, by military families/military retirees, in a desire to get a bit away from the large air force base in Tampa, and there is still the military/church/children's sports atmosphere everywhere.

If you can be a bit more specific as to what you and your spouse/partner are looking for, I can recommend areas accordingly.

mquintana · 10-27-2008, 06:51 AM

Brandon, Valrico, and Riverview are all pretty much the same. I live in Brandon and like it. There is plenty to do and you aren't too far from Tampa or anything south of us to do other activities that this area may not have. It's close enough to everything but also not right on top of it.

Kathleen1971 · 10-27-2008, 07:54 AM

Crowded, crowded, crowded is my opinion of Valrico and Brandon. As I have possibly mentioned before, I live in Valrico and work in Brandon. My house is about 5.2 miles from my office and on a good day it takes me 20 minutes to go from one place to the other and it is only getting worse. Other than that it is not a bad place to live. Crime is not too bad unless you consider horrible drivers criminal which in that case makes Brandon a cesspool of criminals lol. People are a little snooty at first, why I have no idea as this ain't Beverly Hills, but they tend to come around for the most part. Lots of places to eat if that is your thing. Not saying they are good place to eat but there are a lot lol. There are a lot of churches. Most of which have nice congerations although there are one of two where you have to wonder where these people got the idea they were good Christians. If you are Catholic, I would recommend my church St. Stephens. Nice people and terrific Priests. Anyway, that is my opinion of Valrico. I would definately recommend visiting a few times before deciding. I have know several people who moved here after only one visit or even none at all who based their decision on the internet and have come to regret it big time. By the same token I am sure there are others who feel the complete opposite.

Anway, good luck to you!

mquintana · 10-28-2008, 06:32 AM

Yes but Tampa is more crowded than this area. The traffic is worse. Try driving on Dale Mabry or Bruce B Downs or any other main street in Tampa during rush hour. You sit longer than you do in Brandon. Brandon is a little widespread. Unless you in in the area it takes about that long to get to work, whereas on the other hand it takes longer in Tampa. I have lived in both areas and I think Brandon is less congested than Tampa. I live in Brandon, and it takes me only about 10 mins. to get to where I need to get to (1 min. to work since I live next door to it). I would say it depends where in Valrico you live. I have friends how live in Valrico on this part of town (Causeway and over) and it takes them 10-15 mins. to go where they need to go, but friends who live in Valrico on the other side of town (60 and over) that takes then about 20 mins. to get to where they need to go. Like the person above said, it's not a bad place to live. Then again there are bad drivers all over. I was run off the road in Atlanta by a bad driver and almost side swiped by another bad driver in LA, it matters none where you go, people just can't drive! lol People can be a little stand-offish, for some reason they are, but then again it's all about looking good (most average families and above) here, nice cars, nice purses, nice clothes, nice houses-but I think we all like nice things. Yeah, people are a little snooty, for the most part at first. There are a few decent places to eat, but there are a lot of chain resturants here. I can agree on the Christian things because some seem as though if it doesn't pretain to them (and I am not saying everyone, just some people), they won't help you. I have met someone like that, it's ashamed. I have been wondering about the Catholic churches here, I am Catholic and have been going to a non-denominational church-The Crossing, but Pastor Dumas is great! Which is very true. It is always good to get an idea/feel about a place before making the move. Looks like they are looking to eventually retire here though, and I think they may like the area. There is plenty to do, but then they can go home to their house where it's not crazy all around them, in a nice housing community not in the middle of the hustle and bustle.

kelb · 10-29-2008, 07:48 PM

I would be working in Brandon, so the proximity would seem to be a big plus. Our take based on real estate listings is that Brandon delivers similar home value to other parts of the market, but the difference is that virtually every newer home on the market in Brandon comes with a nice looking screened pool. From people like us who grew up in the Northeast, that just seems like the height of luxury. We like conveniences, and we are ok with good chain restaurants!

mquintana · 10-30-2008, 08:01 AM

Yea, there's a lot of that here, a lot of nice, newer homes. If you like newer homes, you should also check out Riverview, they have an abundance of newer homes.

classicanne · 11-01-2008, 03:22 PM

I agree with mquintana that Riverview is a good place to find new homes at a very good price. OK, since you'll be working in Brandon it makes sense to stay on this side of town (that is how we came here as well, rather than Carrollwood, because I had a job waiting for me in Brandon), and yes, there are LOTS of restaurants; you could go to a different one every day for a year and never do them all, and that's just in the Brandon area itself.

Interestingly, my husband and I are reconsidering our idea of moving to Pinellas County. We've lived over here so long and everything is so familiar; maybe someday, when we're true empty nesters and have fewer pets, we'll make the move to a condo closer to the coast, but we're staying put for now (good thing, during this time of economic turmoil).

Good luck!