Stuckonstupid

I’m seeking any and all inside knowledge on St. Petersburg Florida. I just accepted a position there and will be moving down from the Charlotte NC area (lake Wylie to be exact) we are late 30’s and have 2 small girls who are 2 & 4 so schools come first, but seeking local knowledge for areas to look at. We are looking for suburbia type neighborhoods with great to excellent schools, close to a launch ramp that has access to the inter coastal, close to a golf course, etc. capping purchase price at 600k and looking for 3500-4500 sq feet, decent yard, non evacuation zone, ability to park our 33’ ocean hawk on our own property, preferably no HOA etc. my office is very close to the 275 bridge in st Pete and I would like to limit my commute to 45 minutes in traffic. Any and all help is much appreciated.

Nate5.0

Book mark for tomorrow.

Long night of drinking for the Clemson game...give some idea in the morning

Twin O/B Sonic

Me too.

Go LSU!

smokediver

Depending on where you draw your line for commuting , Bradenton has some areas that may work well for you and you would have access to Sarasota Bay . Brandon / Riverview / Apollo Beach are also nice .. With your budget , you should find what you are looking for . Good luck on the non evacuation zone unless you are way inland. You can mostly avoid that if you have your realtor find a place that doesn’t require flood insurance. But , unless you are way inland , flood insurance is a no brainer..

dirtlawyer

the main issue will be keeping your boat at the house, if you really want a home in suburbia... most planned development communities are fairly strict in terms of keeping your boat and/or RV, etc. in the driveway, next to the house, etc. The second issue will lie in not being in an evacuation zone if living in Pinellas County - definitely limits the search area some. Feel free to PM me, as my wife is a residential realtor and could give you better insight. From a community standpoint, I think you'll love St. Pete/Tampa. I moved here in 1995 and never looked back.

Wildman_grafix

Be hard to stay out of a flood zone in St Pete, I have seen maps where 4-5 feet of water and it pretty much is gone.

Like smokediver said look in Bradenton, sounds like you want some land so towards the water will be tough on that one, but I had looked and seen some that were not far from I75/275.

Nate5.0

Ok so for water front homes...…. As some have said the evac zone if pretty much all of the beach no matter what area from St. Pete to Clearwater. That said you don't have to leave and i have a LOT of friends that all live on the water there and non have had an issue over the years.

With the HOA area there is going to be a few areas in the Pinellas beach areas that have them but those that do are usually over $600K to be honest about it. Look in the madeira beach area as there is a lot of homes there, no HOA for most, and boats are kept in yards even with people who live on the water.

If you want to be inland and more suburbs..... there is a ton of options.

Schools are good in the Seminole area as well as down by me here in Palm harbor. Clearwater is not the best school zone and stay far far away from Pinellas Park.

Pretty much our ramps here are intercostal ramps, we have no direct gulf ramps unless you have a jet ski you launch off the causeway. Only one off hand I can think of that is direct gulf is the Skyway marina ramp. For you boat The two that come to mind that are best are Seminole boat ramp here in Clearwater as well as Bay Pines ramp in the Seminole/Madeira area.

Flood Zones are all over but it is easy to find areas not in them too. Shore Acres in St .Pete is a popular area for boaters but floods like crazy.

As some have said Bradenton offers more for less right now and amazing schools. Issue is you are taking the Skyway everyday and that can get old fast and a few times a year is completely closed for wind and that forces you to know go around in through Tampa to home and that is over an 1hr drive on those rare days.


I am leaving out a ton but feel free to ask away. I am 38 and lived here my whole life. Raised in Safety harbor (also a great area).

Jupiter Sunsation

The bridges SUCK for commuting. My sister lives in Tampa now but lived in St Pete for years and the bridges were killing her (she worked in downtown Tampa/lawyer). My neighbor is moving there in the next 2 months and he has the same issue (wife wants St Pete, he works in DT Tampa). 600K will give you plenty of options! Dale Mabry has lots of places to stop for entertainment with young ladies that don't wear clothes at work!

ziemer

We visit there frequently and have several friends that live in St Pete. Most live in the 38th avenue area East of 275. Most everything you need is on 4th St, and from that area you can golf cart into downtown via the back ways. Schools are good in that area too from what I understand. As others mentioned, some areas may be difficult to keep your boat at the house as most of the lots are smaller.

Google Crisp Park. Nice park with a ramp they recently redid. No parking but I was able to get my 30 in there. Little tight but doable. Park is nice for the kids too.

Nate5.0

That is the shore acres area at flood often is the main issue. Popular spot, beautiful area, but it is very flood prone.