Spring Hill (Tampa, Clearwater, Kissimmee: foreclosures, lease, HOA fees)

[PANIC]

I've been thinking about moving to Florida for over a year now and have looked at areas such as Kissimmee(Bellalago) , Winter Garden , Poinciana and not too fond of what they have to offer . I have visited Pristine Place and liked it and are there other areas where the schools are great and as nice or better than Pristine Place , i have 2 sons 3 and 5 and my wife is a RN and i'm a general contractor so how are the jobs in the area . Also what about these sink holes i've been reading about on the forum ? Is Spring Hill a better place to raise a family than the other places i have mentioned in this post ? Thanks

[Mike1306]

If the school you are talking about is Challenger, I think Pine Grove Elem. and West Hernando Middle are on par with it. Challenger does have the bonus, to some people, of being a K-8 school.

As far as work goes RN would have no problem finding work but as a GC there would be some problems. Construction here has slowed down considerably. Many in the trades that I know are traveling to Zephyrhills and Tampa for work now.

Some areas here do have a higher incidence of sinkholes than average but they are everywhere. I think Winter Garden had a huge one a few years back.

I like raising my family here since it is a little more laid back but it may be a little too laid back for some. There are things to do but you may want to head up this way and stay for a week first to get a feel for it and see if you like it.

[sange77]

Panic, I noticed you're from Deer Park....fyi, the area is full of New Yorkers and most I have met are from Suffolk county. Nursing jobs are plenty....General Contractor jobs not so much right now due to the halt in building. I'm in Sterling Hill, right next to Pristine Place. There are a ton of foreclosures right now that can get scooped up at fantastic prices. Good Luck, feel free to PM me w any questions. We moved here 3 years ago and it took a while but I think I'm finally getting use to it.

[PANIC]

Originally Posted by Mike Peterson

If the school you are talking about is Challenger, I think Pine Grove Elem. and West Hernando Middle are on par with it. Challenger does have the bonus, to some people, of being a K-8 school.

As far as work goes RN would have no problem finding work but as a GC there would be some problems. Construction here has slowed down considerably. Many in the trades that I know are traveling to Zephyrhills and Tampa for work now.

Some areas here do have a higher incidence of sinkholes than average but they are everywhere. I think Winter Garden had a huge one a few years back.

I like raising my family here since it is a little more laid back but it may be a little too laid back for some. There are things to do but you may want to head up this way and stay for a week first to get a feel for it and see if you like it.

How far is Zephyrhills and Tampa from Spring Hill ? I drive 55 miles each way for work now and that's in NY traffic.

Originally Posted by sange77

Panic, I noticed you're from Deer Park....fyi, the area is full of New Yorkers and most I have met are from Suffolk county. Nursing jobs are plenty....General Contractor jobs not so much right now due to the halt in building. I'm in Sterling Hill, right next to Pristine Place. There are a ton of foreclosures right now that can get scooped up at fantastic prices. Good Luck, feel free to PM me w any questions. We moved here 3 years ago and it took a while but I think I'm finally getting use to it.

I have friends that live in Pristine Place and they say they would never move back to NY but i need more input from different people on this topic , which is a better developement P. Place or S. Hill comparing amenities , safety ,hoa fees , taxes .

[friedzone]

How long is the drive from Spring Hill to Clearwater of Tampa? It's been some time since I've been in Tampa Bay.

[Mike1306]

Originally Posted by PANIC

How far is Zephyrhills and Tampa from Spring Hill ? I drive 55 miles each way for work now and that's in NY traffic.

Zephyrhills and Tampa would both be about a 45 minute drive. That is also dependent upon what part of Tampa and the traffic at the time.

I have friends that live in Pristine Place and they say they would never move back to NY but i need more input from different people on this topic , which is a better developement P. Place or S. Hill comparing amenities , safety ,hoa fees , taxes .

Pristine Place is a development within Spring Hill. There are other developments around as well as homes just in Spring Hill proper.
P. Place and Sterling Hill have very nice amenities but the increased HOA and CDD fees add up and can amount to $1500 or more per year. In the areas of Spring Hill comparable to P.Place and Sterling Hill safety will be about the same and there should not be too big a concern in that regard.

I answered this as if your question was P Place compared to Spring Hill not Sterling Hill. Pristine Place and Sterling Hill are very similar and are right next to each other.

Originally Posted by friedzone

How long is the drive from Spring Hill to Clearwater of Tampa? It's been some time since I've been in Tampa Bay.

It is probably quicker to get to Tampa since you can hop on the Suncoast, it usually takes me 45 minutes to the airport and I am NW part of the county.

Clearwater may take a little longer because you will be taking US 19 and have to deal with that traffic.

filler

[NatureCoastFL]

Just to elaborate more on what Mike said, the time it takes to get to tampa from spring hill can vary, especially depending on what "tampa" means. Is it the airport? Is it downtown tampa? The suncoast parkway has made the trip much faster and easier that it used to be, but depending on time of day and exact location, it can take a lot longer than 45 mintues to reach "tampa", especially if you leave spring hill at 7am expecting to get to tampa by 8am.

You dont need to drive down US 19 to get to clearwater from spring hill. Again, the parkway is the way to go. If you are going to the beach, take the parkway to the new 60/Courtney Cambell interchange and head west. It may be more miles that way, but the drive is MUCH more pleasant and most likely will be shorter time wise depending on time of day you go.

I used to drive this everyday since the parkway first opened, and I can get from my door in spring hill to "tampa"(in this case the airport) in about 40 minutes if I leave my house at 5:30am. If I leave at 6:30am it aint happening.

Personally, I think Sterling hills CCD fees are high. They just raised the HOA fees almost 40 bucks a year and the CCD fees depend on your lot size, the bigger the lot the more you pay. I think we are paying around $1500/year and thats on TOP of the property taxes we pay. I dont live in pristine place so I dont know what their fees are.

[PANIC]

Originally Posted by Mike Peterson

filler

Thank you Mike and i have to say i see you post often on the forum and you are a huge asset to the forum.

Originally Posted by NatureCoastFL

Just to elaborate more on what Mike said, the time it takes to get to tampa from spring hill can vary, especially depending on what "tampa" means. Is it the airport? Is it downtown tampa? The suncoast parkway has made the trip much faster and easier that it used to be, but depending on time of day and exact location, it can take a lot longer than 45 mintues to reach "tampa", especially if you leave spring hill at 7am expecting to get to tampa by 8am.

You dont need to drive down US 19 to get to clearwater from spring hill. Again, the parkway is the way to go. If you are going to the beach, take the parkway to the new 60/Courtney Cambell interchange and head west. It may be more miles that way, but the drive is MUCH more pleasant and most likely will be shorter time wise depending on time of day you go.

I used to drive this everyday since the parkway first opened, and I can get from my door in spring hill to "tampa"(in this case the airport) in about 40 minutes if I leave my house at 5:30am. If I leave at 6:30am it aint happening.

Personally, I think Sterling hills CCD fees are high. They just raised the HOA fees almost 40 bucks a year and the CCD fees depend on your lot size, the bigger the lot the more you pay. I think we are paying around $1500/year and thats on TOP of the property taxes we pay. I dont live in pristine place so I dont know what their fees are.

Not sure whats included in the fees , is there web sites that show exactly what you pay for in the developements ? I guess in this day and age you have to travel a decent amount to make a living which is fine by me , thanks for the info

[NatureCoastFL]

Originally Posted by PANIC

Not sure whats included in the fees , is there web sites that show exactly what you pay for in the developements ? I guess in this day and age you have to travel a decent amount to make a living which is fine by me , thanks for the info

Sterling Hill CDD
Sterling Hill HOA - Home

In Sterling hill, those fees pay for the community/common areas. We have 2 club houses, basketball courts, tennis courts, pools, playgrounds etc... It also pays for upkeep and maintenance of the common areas and the gates to the individual subdivisions. The fees also pay to maintain and enforce the community standards which include a pretty big list things you can and cannot do. Just make sure to actually read the entire list of "rules" before you move into any CCD or restricted neighbor. It always kills me to see people bitchin about what they can or cant do without ever reading the rules BEFORE they move in or bought/rent. Now at least in sterling hill, the property owner must provide a copy of the rules to any new tennants before a lease will be approved.

[PANIC]

Originally Posted by NatureCoastFL

Sterling Hill CDD
Sterling Hill HOA - Home

In Sterling hill, those fees pay for the community/common areas. We have 2 club houses, basketball courts, tennis courts, pools, playgrounds etc... It also pays for upkeep and maintenance of the common areas and the gates to the individual subdivisions. The fees also pay to maintain and enforce the community standards which include a pretty big list things you can and cannot do. Just make sure to actually read the entire list of "rules" before you move into any CCD or restricted neighbor. It always kills me to see people bitchin about what they can or cant do without ever reading the rules BEFORE they move in or bought/rent. Now at least in sterling hill, the property owner must provide a copy of the rules to any new tennants before a lease will be approved.

I remember when i was there last year looking at houses i was in a area that was very nice and wasn't a gated community but was a community , the houses had more property and less taxes . I know being in a gated community has the feel of being secure but being that i have lived here in NY and have been in most sections bad or good and never had any problems . My goal is to better the quality of life by moving out of NY , i know jobs are hard to come by and it's just not in Fla and there is plenty of foreclosures in my neighborhood aswell , sunshine makes everyone happy and i feel Fla is the area i want to be in . Thanks for the replies