Best Neighborhood in Tampa for a Young Professional?

Question

I lived in Orlando for 9 years, then Gainesville for the last 5 years. Now, I'd like to buy a home in Tampa. My budget is only $250k for a 3/2, so areas like Hyde Park and SoHo are too pricy. I've looked into Ybor a little bit, and there seems to be a lot of good and bad. Can somebody with familiarity of the Tampa neighborhoods let me know which neighborhoods are the most up and coming and which I should stay away from? This will be my first home purchase and I plan on living there for at least 5 years. Thanks in advance! Go Bucs!

Thomas Reid · Answer

I guess this thread was revived recently, so I might as well give an update:

Wasn't having much luck in the Seminole Heights area, so I ended up buying a 3/2 1300 sqft fully renovated home for $259k in St. Pete (Disston Heights to be exact) in July of last year. Love this area. Personally, I like it a lot more than Tampa. Reason being is in St. Pete you get the best of both worlds. I'm less than 10 minutes from Downtown St. Pete and 15 minutes from the beaches. However, just like Tampa, prices in St. Pete have been going crazy as well. A house nearly identical to mine on the same block just sold for $330k. Wild.

Andre Crabb · Answer

Hey all...jumping in here to pick the convo back up...

I'm a young professional (almost 30!) thinking of moving to Tampa by the end of the year. What would be some good neighborhoods to buy my first home in?

I'm thinking my budget will be around $300-400k, and thinking I'd want to live somewhere between South Tampa, Ybor, and Tampa Heights.

Any tips on more specific neighborhoods would be great! :)

Bryce Wade · Answer

I'm around the Bruce B downs area. Bit of a commute into Tampa but if you like suburbs feel I would deffintly reccomend the Bruce B downs area.

Timothy W. · Answer

It's outside of Tampa but Apollo Beach is kind of a little secret niche.  Don't do Gibsonton.  Gibsonton was literally designed as a retirement community for circus sideshows (not a joke) and the legacy remains.  The power plant is an eyesore but if you look into certain subdivisions in the area, the plant is out of view.  The secret to Apollo Beach is 41 gets you in and out of Tampa, dodging traffic, and you can go the other way into Gulfport and St. Pete in about 45 minutes.  I can get to the courthouse in under half an hour on a good day.  I used to live in Tampa near Odessa and the traffic getting into Tampa from the north side of Tampa made the commute twice as long as coming in from Apollo.

Obed Calixte · Answer

@Andre Crabb

Awesome! The areas you mentioned  definitely fit what you are looking for! There's a number of neighborhoods I can suggest, but not limited to:

Channelside/Harbour Island if condo living is your thing

North Hyde Park (NoHo) for SFH which is close to downtown but on higher end of budget

South Westshore for SFH if a 10 min drive to heart of downtown Tampa is no biggie

North Kendwood/Historic Kendwood for SFH in St Petersburg if you want to be in Tampa Bay but are willing to venture to other vibrant and happening cities in the area

Shoot me a PM if you have more specific questions. I have more suggestions and resources to share.

Obed Calixte · Answer

The areas you mentioned tell me that you live a more active lifestyle and like to be close(r) to activities/events/nature, is this correct?

If so, I have some thoughts on neighborhoods within and near Tampa.  Michael makes a good point about your job and accessibility.

Brynn R. · Answer

Seasoned investor looking for an investor friendly agent with at least 10+ units in St. Pete/Tampa.  Please ping me!

Brandon Keys · Answer

@Thomas Reid I live in the Tampa area and currently have a house hack in Seminole heights, the market has gone crazy here though so you may be priced out of Seminole height as of right now. Ybor is good and fun but can be a little sketchy depending on the area, they are cleaning up the area though so that might be a good place to look. If you can’t find anything in the Tampa area, St. Petersburg is a little more affordable but I don’t quite know the area there as well.

Andre Crabb · Answer

@Obed Calixte yes that’s correct! And for me, I work remote (from home) so job location is not an issue.

Michael Haynes · Answer

Hello Thomas Reid, give us some basic requirements...are you going to have a JOB when you get to Tampa? The traffic problems in Tampa are only going to get worse in the five years that you might buy and hold a property. I would say that you get the Zillow map and draw a 3 mile circle around your next JOB. Then put in your Search essentials, which would start with House, Townhome, Condo, $100,000 to $300,000 and Done. Take a look at what is available. If you don't know the neighborhoods, then, take a few days and drive down to see what you can see. Do you want to maintain a big yard with more property taxes? Mow and edge and blow and water the plants on the weekends? If not, look at Townhomes with a Pool etc. or find a Condo without any amenities. Make sure you know how old the roofs are as you can only get Home Owners Insurance if it has at least ten years of life left. As a Professional, do you have time to waste on anything besides your JOB and making Money? If you are Single, then, the Zip Code for schools for your kids is not important. Remember, that this is a Five Year Gig. You can plan on making this a Tax-free Sale of your Residence when you are ready to move on. Get all your ducks in a row by Pre-Qualifying etc.

Best Neighborhood in Tampa for a Young Professional?

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