House Shopping

I have received hundreds of questions about purchasing a house in Tampa.  While working for Hillsborough County I inspected a lot of them and reviewed construction plans for sub-division permitting.  The biggest issues I found:

1. Flooding
2. Cheap construction

For flooding in Florida, the design and permitting only REQUIRES that the road is “passible” during a flood.  This means that with the worst 100-year storm that there is a 20’ passing lane for fire trucks when the area floods.  Thus, never consider property where the front door step or yard is LOWER than the road.  Often this will occur when there is a wetland or conservation property behind the lot.  These areas are designed to retain the flood stage.  They do have a pop-off, however the permitting laws only require the flood stage is reduced within 24 hours, AFTER everything floods.

Cheap construction include composite materials off-gassing formaldehyde and Chinese wallboard.  Many subdivisions filled with the exact same houses are mass produced with inferior products.  This results in leaky roofs, defective appliances, and a multitude of repair costs.  Thus, when shopping in Florida, I personally would not look at any home less than 10 years old (1930-1980 is best).  I prefer the older construction since these homes were built by competent contractors, not minimum wage laborers found building today.  Either way be sure to hire a private inspector, beyond the inspections paid for by the mortgage company.

Searching for a house can be a challenge too.  Having the right tools can save hours:

1.       Start with Google maps

a.       Type in a street intersection: Waters Ave and 28^th Street https://maps.google.com/maps?q=waters+ave+and+28th+street+tampa&ie=UTF-8&ei=I5qfUbuTLo2m8ATFnYCADw&sqi=2&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAg

b.      Get into the street view and check out the house and neighborhood

2.       Go to the Zillow to get an idea about prices

a.       Start with the whole neighborhood here, by entering a zip code

b.      Then get a good look at the neighbors

c.       This works for finding rentals too

3.       Now you are ready to get to business with the County Property Appraisers, click the start link at bottom of the page

a.       This is great, the left margin allows you to look up addresses, the map tools on top gets into the GIS map

b.      Click on the property record on right and you can look at everything

c.       Including the previous sales price, the taxes paid

d.      Square foot for all rooms, construction materials, year built

e.      Key on this listing is the owner: FIRST MORTGAGE CORPORATION OF WINTER HAVEN

f.        THAT means this house is owned by a Bank, so only offer 50% of the asking price.

4.       Usually I open, 1-3 and go back and forth between them to get different views and ideas about a property before visiting it.

a.       IN Florida you can find the McManson next door to the Shack....  many neighbors will come and go.

b.      Buy and house based on actual construction, condition and the neighborhood = Location, Location, Location! 

c.       Be sure to check the schools too, put in an school and check the details

d.      Do you want a store down the street or 20 minutes through traffic?

e.      Neighbors can come and go, check No 3 above to see when they last sold.

Remember the house investment is only good if you can sell it later.  An easy bike ride to school or convenient shops and restaurants are important.  Avoid rental areas and busy streets.  Also know that home owners associations can restrict your property use.  Like Tampa Palms stopped a family from building a child's tree house, while the City of Tampa requires a permit to paint your house or put up a fence.  Course Tampa Palms and many places wont let you put up a fence and will limit the colors to paint your house!!!

If you have any other questions ask me.  I know a great inspector or two and would be happy to get you the flood maps!

Take Care

Eric R. Weaver
Research Associate
Patel College of Global Sustainability
University of South Florida
11710 USF Maple Drive
CGS0101 – Main PointCGS0210 - Location
Tampa, Florida 33620
(813) 974-8337 p
(813) 974-2522 f

http://patel.usf.edu/

http://eweaver.myweb.usf.edu/