Possible contract at MacDill AFB...gearing up to see where to live just in case (Tampa: homes, prices)

[LKJ1988]

Originally Posted by VA_life

Plan on sticking it out and making it permanent.

I don't mind an older ugly house if it that is an option.

I like being further away from people where possible as well. I know that is not as achievable with a lower dollar amount though.

Once you get a taste of how bad the traffic is here you will change your tune fast.

[VA_life]

Originally Posted by LKJ1988

Once you get a taste of how bad the traffic is here you will change your tune fast.

I was down there and didn't like it at all just taking 75 South a few miles from Ocala. Even getting onto the highway blew. This was Thanksgiving Break granted.

A commute from my home to DC and especially vice versa is about 2 hours or more and it's only 60 miles.

Do you know if Tampa Bay area traffic is worse than DC metro traffic? I put up with my 2+ hours here and hate it.

Looks like DC area traffic is worse but I don't believe everything I read:

Curious.

[LKJ1988]

Originally Posted by VA_life

I was down there and didn't like it at all just taking 75 South a few miles from Ocala. Even getting onto the highway blew. This was Thanksgiving Break granted.

A commute from my home to DC and especially vice versa is about 2 hours or more and it's only 60 miles.

Do you know if Tampa Bay area traffic is worse than DC metro traffic? I put up with my 2+ hours here and hate it.

Looks like DC area traffic is worse but I don't believe everything I read:

Curious.

Not sure. It was bad in Tampa in the 1960's and got worse until i moved away in 2004. All of FL is bad but maybe not DC bad.

[VA_life]

Originally Posted by LKJ1988

Not sure. It was bad in Tampa in the 1960's and got worse until i moved away in 2004. All of FL is bad but maybe not DC bad.

That's fair. The wages and sheer amount of jobs are so high relative to local wages that "mega-commuting" is not uncommon. I guess some of us build up a tolerance to that sort of commute. Tolerance disappears really quickly though when you are offered remedies such as Remote Work/Hybrid Work/Compressed schedule or slightly closer work but those options are disappearing quickly.

[MortonR]

Originally Posted by VA_life

I was down there and didn't like it at all just taking 75 South a few miles from Ocala. Even getting onto the highway blew. This was Thanksgiving Break granted.

A commute from my home to DC and especially vice versa is about 2 hours or more and it's only 60 miles.

Do you know if Tampa Bay area traffic is worse than DC metro traffic? I put up with my 2+ hours here and hate it.

Looks like DC area traffic is worse but I don't believe everything I read:

Curious.

It really depends on where you're coming from/going to and what time.

I live in a suburban area to the east called "Lithia". There are major arterial roads, but they're woefully inadequate like being rated an "F" based on traffic volume from almost ten years ago.

I regularly commute to downtown Tampa. I leave the area around 6:00 am, and the trip of roughly 18 miles takes about 30 minutes. If I leave downtown Tampa at 3:00-3:30, the traffic is considerably heavier, but my trip home is usually about 40 minutes. Part of the ease of this is due to the crosstown toll road, which allows easy access to downtown and places west and south.

You can come close to doubling those times at peak rush hour. If you live in even more congested areas, like the south county or Wesley Chapel, you're talking close to an hour each way, easy.

I used to visit D.C. for business regularly, but it's been some years. That said, even then traffic was a killer.

RM

[marc3565]

Using Google Maps ( on pc is easier) you can put in a start and stop point and the time of day you plan to leave or arrive.
Doing this with places you are looking at can give you a sense of traffic during your expected commute.
These will usually be a significant range like 40-70 minutes. Typically that means you would often see the lower end and in some occassions the higher end. Everything goes out the window if there is a major accident on a major artery as everyone moves onto other options and overwhelms those. Those are more common on the cross bay bridges/causeways. I'd avoid crossing the bay if you can avoid it for a commute

[Dax13]

Originally Posted by VA_life

Plan on sticking it out and making it permanent.

I don't mind an older ugly house if it that is an option.

I like being further away from people where possible as well. I know that is not as achievable with a lower dollar amount though.

I completely understand your hatred of taking 75 out of Ocala. It’s shut down darn near daily, and yes, it blows. You might consider something along or near the Suncoast Parkway in Citrus/Hernando counties. Easy commute to MacDill, relatively speaking. Presently runs from 275 and TPA up to SR 44. It is a tollway, but may be an answer.

Dax

[TampaLocal]

Originally Posted by VA_life

Hello,

Not sure if this is the right place to post this but I am sure it will get figured out.

I am looking for a single family home that is within 1.5 hours of MacDill AFB and within about 1.5 hours from Ocala and 4 hours from Sunrise, FL and WPB, FL as I have family in both places. It's a shame because Ocala is not too far being around just over 1.5 hours from MacDill.

Family in Ocala picked up a new construction home with 3 bedrooms that is not zero line lot for about 250k...would say they are on 1/3 acre. I'd like to do similar if this contract goes through.

Schools don't matter much....teenager is almost graduated...can go to Penn Foster if the school system is that bad.

Thanks for any ideas.

Did you ever find a place to live?

There's plenty between Macdill and Lake Wales, no need to go that far out though

The traffic comments seem extreme -might be bad for some old timers, but coming from any major city the traffic seems normal to me.

[Army_Guy]

Might want to consider Plant City.

[kjm-1995]

Look on Zillow and use the filters: "Max: $250,000" "Tampa, FL" "Home Type: Houses"

You will see a handful of homes come up. But $250,000 is unfortunately pretty limiting, so what you will see won't be super great.