Is there any nice "country" property near Tampa.

We're at it again. We leave for Florida when my truck is out of the shop. The winter has been alot harder on my 6 spine surgeries than I expected. We want to go look for a place where my wife can have the horses on the property and be fairly close to the Gulf. 5 acre minimum. An agent has sent us some listings in Plant City, Hudson, River View, etc. I know nothing about these areas. We want a nice home or maybe build if we find a lot. I know some of the country areas can be pretty depressed but there has to be some nice country areas. Any info appreciated.

[BigMike]

You are right about having to be careful about Florida country areas. They are usually populated with trailer trash. If you want to stay close to Tampa and the Gulf, your best bets are in the Lutz/Odessa (Keystone) area or South of the Skyway Bridge in Manatee County. The Manatee County areas are less developed but offer some nice values in real estate. The Lutz/Odessa area is booming right now and the prices are out of control. Plan on spending $250,000 plus for a few acres in a nice area. I recently purchased 1.5 acres in the Lutz area and feel like I got a pretty good deal. There are alot of nice places around but you really have to look hard. If you want a gated community of large homes be prepared to shell out some serious cheddar. I looked for two years before deciding on the 1.5 acres in Lutz. There are not many nice large lots left in this area.

Mike

big mike,are you callin me trailer trash,just kiddin,mr.demaeanor,there are alot of nice areas,but in the tampa area you'll be closer to the bay more than the gulf,new port richey,odessa area,should put you closer to the gulf,otherwise youll be about 45 mins out,lutz,land o lakes area in pasco is loaded with horses,so is the wesley chapel area,or new tampa,or even some areas on the outskirts of town & country area,and then your back towards the odessa area,I've got customers with horse ranches with gated houses overlooking lakes in a couple of different areas(they uaually have a ski boat and a couple of wave runners at there docks)great houses in great areas.The northern part of the gunn highway tarpon springs road area is loaded with those type of places also,as the eastern part of SR 54,or a few minutes more up the interstate towardsSR 56,or HW50..,the riverveiw area is also popular but most of that type stuff has moved either father north or south because of the sulpher plant smell or big ben(powerplant) leaving crap all over the houses.you also may want to reseach towards the outskirts of the brandon area,there are some real nice places w/acreage out there,but thats alot more costly than towards the pasco type property and there are fewer inland lake areas!

[Formula Outlaw]

There are some areas that would probably fill your description in Manatee County, just south of Tampa. You would have Gulf access via the Manatee River. Prices are "reasonable" whatever that might mean. If you'd like, PM me and I'll send you a copy of the real estate classifieds. Russ

[rchevelle71]

Also, its a little further North, but Spring Hill area, the area in Pasco County is nice horse country, I am not sure about prices, My father lives in Spring Hill in Hernando County, which is more crowded, its a nice area, just a little too quiet for me!!!

Thanks, good to know about the sulfer plant thing. Thats the kind of thing you might not know until its too late and the agent isnt going to warn you being out of town. Im researching the areas now.
Chris

Looks like boating in the Gulf north of Crystal River gets pretty shallow. How far south should I stay in my search?

[JPD Motorsports]

Mr Demeanor. In Bradenton FL South of Tampa on state road 64 and stated road70, there are some nice acreage home sites in developments. Panthers ridge and is one that comes to mind and it is about a 15-20 minute drive to the 10th street ramp that is used to launch the race boats at.,, let alone being by the lakewood ranch edition, so you will get a littel better school there than in the town of Bradenton. In Palmetto, there are a few houses that sit river fornt that are like estates on 5-10 acres that pop up for sale every now and then as well. I have 2 very good friends that are realators and would be glad to give you there number.