Nathan Pawelkop

Lots of questions. Do you have a moment.
1. There is an abundance of homes to look at and I am sure that the home you are looking for can be found with in the driving time frame you stated.
2. As which side of the bay is better? I am biased because I grew up in and still live in South Tampa.
St. Pete is a wonderful place and has lots to offer as well. That is a decision that you will have to make for yourself when you get a chance to visit.
3. Property taxes are a bit less in Pinellas County compared to South Tampa.
4. Resale: Location, Location, Location I would recommend hiring a licensed real estate agent to represent you. That person can help you with comparative market analysis on the property or area that you decide you like.
5. South Tampa and St. Pete are both family friendly. Great schools, public parks and great attractions like museums, aquariums and Zoo's.
6. Safety and Crime: check out this site. Put in a zip code or a specific address is you have already done some research on homes in the area. This site will let you know what crimes if any have been commited in the neighborhood. http://data.tbo.com/crime/
I think that if you use this information and do some of your own research you be happy in either location. One more thing to consider. Coming over the bridges from St. Pete can get long because of morning commuters coming over the bridges.
Let me know if I can help you in your search. - Thu May 8 2008, 05:52

The city and county do but from my experience you spend a lot of time and effort to get qualified and then the money is gone by the time you go to use it. I have had it happen to two clients of mine. There is only so much money available and there are lots of people trying to get it. - Sun May 4 2008, 17:53

What type of incentives are you looking for? Lenders have first time home buyer programs. If you are looking for money you could always ask for the seller to contribute to your closing cost.
As far as the condo goes there are some places off of Kennedy between Westshore and Dale Mabry that are close to your price range. I don't know of anything off the top of my head in the Feather Sound area but I would be happy to help you find a place. Check out my site and contact me if I can help you. - Sun May 4 2008, 04:53

Hi Alan,

Welcome to Tampa. There are plenty of great areas to look at. On place that comes to mind is West Chase. The price range you are looking in will give you plenty of homes to select from. Another area to look into is South Tampa.

Check this site http://www.sdhc.k12.fl.us/schools/ for information on the schools in Tampa.

What part of Tampa is your business going to be in? What type of home are you interested in? New build or pre-existing? How much square footage and what size lot are you looking for? These questions will help us give you recommendations of areas to look in.

Good luck in your search.

Nathan Pawelkop
Keller Williams Realty South Tampa - Mon Apr 28 2008, 03:56

Hi Fiona,

You mentioned that you were trying to "wrap your head around a 1/4 acre" we maybe this will help. Most homes that you see are 50ft wide by 100ft deep (most not all some are shorter and some are larger). In the rural areas you will find lots that are wider and deeper were as lots in subdivisions are different in that homes on cul-de-sacs may be pie shaped. This means that they are wider either in the front or the back like a piece of pie. By the way if you take the lot measurements and multiply them together and the number come out to less than 13,390 then the lot is under 1/4 acre. I hope that this helps.

I see that there are several Realtors from around the state answering your question. Are you looking to stay in the Tampa / St.Pete area or are you lookig to move to where ever you find the best deal? I would be honored to help you if the current agent you are working with does not work out.

Nathan Pawelkop - Tue Apr 1 2008, 14:02

Welcome back Fiona,

There are plent of areas to look into. I have been in South Tampa all of my life and would recommend it to anyone looking for well established neighborhoods. When you say larger plot sizes what do you mean. In South Tampa anything over 50X100 is large. Are you looking for 1/4 acre or larger, would a 75X100ft lot be to your liking. If you could be a little more specific it would really help in directing you to different areas of Tampa. The price range you are looking in should yeild plenty of homes to look at.
Generally Brandon area will get you larger lots (i.e. Bloomingdale subdivision has lots in the 1/4 acre range with 4br/3ba homes in the $300K range.
You can contact me using my web site below or just give more information here on the forum to see what is available.

Have a great day. - Tue Apr 1 2008, 12:13

There are planty of homes to look at in the $300K range in South Tampa. Unfortunately what you can get in South Tampa for $300K is no where near what you can get in the Valrico and Riverview area. The homes down in this area are usually 2 or 3 bedroom with 1 to 2 bathrooms and range in sq footage from roughly 1000 to 1800 sqft. If this is not what you are looking for then I would recommend going to Valrico or Riverview where you can get a lot more home for your money. - Wed Mar 19 2008, 08:40