Thinking of Moving to Tampa Bay?
Discover what living in America's next greatest city is like.
If you're considering moving to Tampa Bay, and in the process of researching the area, you in the correct place. This page has been put together to help you become more familiar with the Tampa Bay area and to give you a good idea of what the area offers year-round residents in terms of employment, lifestyle, amenities and healthcare. We also encourage you to reach out to Natalie Wetherington, our Tampa Bay relocation expert as she is glad to answer any specific questions you may have about the area, including the Tampa Bay real estate market, housing and living costs.About Tampa Bay, FL
The Tampa Bay region, which includes the cities of Tampa, St Petersburg and Clearwater, is one of the fastest growing area in all of Florida. With a population of just over 3.1 million people, Tampa Bay offers a strong business climate and is home to professional sports teams, museums and attractions, theme parks as well as top-rated beaches. With an average temperature of 73 degrees year-round, Tampa Bay offers residents an outdoor playground for activities including boating, kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding, golf, bicycling, roller-blading and many more!Experience Tampa Bay and the natural beauty of the area in the below video. Make sure your volume is on.
Tampa Bay Awards & Accolades
The Tampa Bay region commonly receives accolades and awards for its top-rated beaches, thriving business community, quality healthcare and high-quality of life for millennials, young families and retirees alike. View recent awards below.- 2023
Tampa Ranks as a Top "Best City to Retire" in the U.S. - US News & World Report - 2022
- 2021
Tampa is the #1 Top Emerging Tech City in the US - Forbes Tampa, FL Ranks as the #6 Best City to Retire in the Country - US News & World Report St. Petersburg, FL Ranks the 5th "Best City to Work From Home" - Smart Asset
Top 10 Reasons to Move to Tampa Bay
- Tampa is Top City to Retire In
Tampa was recently ranked as the 4th "Best Place to Retire" in the entire country by U.S. News & World Report for 2023. This study was based upon multiple index criteria including resident happiness, housing affordability, quality of health care, retiree taxes, city desireability and the local job market. View Full Ranking List.
# City Name Average Home Price Average Age 1 Lancaster, PA $313,675 32.7 2 Harrisburg, PA $213,757 31.5 3 Pensacola, FL $241,322 36.8 4 Tampa, FL $371,253 35.9 5 York, PA $247,372 32.2 Average Home Prices as of Mar 2023. - Top-Rated Clearwater Beach
Tampa Bay, which spans Clearwater and St Petersburg along Florida’s gulf coast, is home to popular beaches including Clearwater Beach, St Pete Beach and the state park beaches of Caladesi Island and Fort DeSoto Park. Top-rated Clearwater Beach was named as the #1 Beach in the entire US by TripAdvisor in 2018 and 2016. This beach offers a powder-like sand which stays cool to the touch, even on the hottest of Florida’s summer days. View Clearwater Beach from Pier 60. - Tampa Bay is a Year-Round Outdoor Playground
With 246 sunny days each year and an average temperature of 73 degrees year-round, Tampa Bay is the ideal destination for outdoor enthusiasts. If you enjoy a great workout while being in the water, experience stand-up paddle boarding or kayak through the natural Florida mangroves to see native wild birds and abundant sea life. The 3.7 mile Riverwalk Trail along Tampa’s waterfront is also a popular destination for walking, jogging, bicycling, roller-blading and for exercising your pets. - Tampa Bay Offers Attractive Real Estate
The Tampa Bay real estate market offers attractive housing prices for both young families and retirees alike. In early March of 2023, the median Tampa Bay home price is $371,253 and the median Tampa Bay monthly rent price is $2,344 per month. If you prefer to live downtown, on a golf course or near a waterway, the cost of housing would obviously be more. To find out exact housing costs and the best Tampa Bay neighborhoods to live in, contact Natalie Wetherington, our Tampa Bay relocation expert listed on this page. - Tampa Bay Has a Strong Job & Employment Market
Tampa Bay's employment and job market has been very robust with an unemployment rate at 2.9% in mid 2022, which is well below the nation’s average of 3.7%. Tampa Bay’s top sectors of employment in the include the military, healthcare, education, and various professional services. The largest employers of Tampa Bay, located in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, include local School Districts, MacDill Airforce Base, HCA West Florida Hospital, Tampa General Hospital, Publix Supermarkets, Bloomin Brands as well as local county governments. - Tampa Bay Offers Great Local Cuisine & Dining Options
Tampa Bay offers residents a myriad of dining options including casual eateries, open-air sidewalk cafes and elegant five-star restaurants. There are also many new trendy craft breweries and beer gardens to check out. Many of are pet-friendly and provide for daily live entertainment. The trendy places you’ll definitely want to check out include Downtown Tampa, South Tampa, Ybor City, Downtown St Pete, St Pete Beach and Clearwater Beach. - Tampa Bay Has Top-Rated Hospitals & Healthcare
Residents of Tampa Bay have access to quality hospitals and medical services. The top hospitals in Tampa Bay include Tampa General Hospital (TGH), St Joseph's Hospital and Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater. Tampa General Hospital was recently ranked as a "Top 100" hospital in the U.S. in 2022 as well as the #2 Best Hospital in all of Florida in 2017 by US News & World Report. View Tampa General Hospital Ranking - Tampa Bay Offers Endless Events and Festivals
The Tampa Bay area provides residents an active year-round scene of outdoor events, festivals and performances to continually check out. There are also many events that take place each year such as the popular Gasparilla boat parade, The Sugar Sand Festival, Havana Nights, The St Petersburg Grand Prix, Clearwater Jazz Holiday, Margarita Fest, Beer, Bourbon, & BBQ and the Off Shore Power Boat Races just to name a few. View Current Tampa Bay Events. - Tampa Bay is Home to Theme Parks and Museums
Many family-oriented theme parks and museums are located in Tampa Bay. Popular theme parks include Busch Gardens, Adventure Island Water Park, The Florida Aquarium, Big Cat Rescue and Dinosaur World. The Tampa Bay region also contains top educational museums including MOSI (Museum of Science & Industry), The Tampa Museum of Art, The Glazer Children's Museum and The Florida Museum of Photographic Arts. - Tampa Bay Has an Expanding Millennial Population
Tampa was recently named as the #9 Top City in the entire U.S. where Millennials are moving to according to a recent study by Smart Asset Magazine (2022). Millennials are defined as those ranging in age from 27 to 42 (in 2023) who born between born between 1981 and 1996. Top reasons why Tampa Bay is seeing an increase in their Millennial population are the strong employment and job market, an expanding scene of technology startups and incubators such as Tampa Bay Wave as well as the growing local craft beer market including popular brewers such as Cigar City, Coppertail and Angry Chair Brewing.
Natalie Wetherington
Realtor®Your Tampa Bay Relocation Expert
813-340-8550
Please mention Moving to Florida Guide when calling so I can track my marketing efforts. Thanks!
License # SL3285918
The Tampa Bay Real Estate Market
Market outlook, trends and relocation advice by Natalie Wetherington.
After multiple interest rate increases in 2022, the Tampa Bay housing market is now experiencing a rebalancing and there is new competition shifting towards lower-priced homes once again of $250K - $500K. We are also seeing fewer multiple offer situations taking place as sellers are not as well positioned to demand that buyers pay over ask, as was in the peak of the market. The higher interest rates have also discouraged buyers as it has only amplified the unaffordability of the higher-priced homes which they were originally looking at.
Our inventory levels remain low at roughly 2.5 months, but have increased off the historically low levels which we saw at the end of 2021. As some sellers are still trying to capture the peak market prices, we are now seeing where homes are now sitting on the market longer, listing prices are being reduced, more negotiations and even seller concessions are taking place.
In terms of Tampa Bay’s new construction market, builders are no-longer implementing lottery systems, but buyers, who are not purchasing an inventory home, will still need to get registered on builder wait lists and wait times for custom homes are still running 10+ months due to the strong demand and some on-going supply chain issues.
Our inventory levels remain low at roughly 2.5 months, but have increased off the historically low levels which we saw at the end of 2021. As some sellers are still trying to capture the peak market prices, we are now seeing where homes are now sitting on the market longer, listing prices are being reduced, more negotiations and even seller concessions are taking place.
In terms of Tampa Bay’s new construction market, builders are no-longer implementing lottery systems, but buyers, who are not purchasing an inventory home, will still need to get registered on builder wait lists and wait times for custom homes are still running 10+ months due to the strong demand and some on-going supply chain issues.
Tampa Bay Housing Market Outlook
My outlook for the Tampa Bay housing market this spring is a continuation of the same strong buyer demand, for many reasons. I also expect to see our home prices continuing to stabilize and for home appreciation to be much lower going forward. Current housing inventory in the Tampa Bay area is roughly 2.5 months (as of Feb 2023) and I see these inventory levels slowly trending back to a more normalized market of 5 – 7 months in the year ahead.View market trends and relocation advice
Market Trends I'm Observing
I am observing the following trends currently taking place in the Tampa Bay housing market.- The number of sales transactions has slowed in June and July due to the increased interest rates, continued low inventory levels and buyers now being a bit hesitant to pull the trigger due to media reports of what may lie ahead for the Florida housing market. Summer is typically the busiest time of year for home sales with families getting situated in their new school zones.
- Sellers are currently negotiating more, and implementing listing price reductions, as their homes are sitting on the market a bit longer.
- Investors continue to purchase properties for Airbnb and annual rentals at a strong rate as Tampa’s rental market is one of the strongest in the country.
- Large hedge funds and cash buyers are now being more picky with their purchases and inspections, and not offering “slam dunk” offers as was previously.
My Relocation Advice
The best advice I can provide to those seeking to soon relocate to the Tampa Bay area is reach out to me as I have now lived in the area for over 28 years and am glad to share lots of helpful insights about our housing market, top communities and new developments, our expanding employment market, fun things-to-do as well as local scenes to explore. I can also connect you with top lenders to make your transition to the Tampa Bay area as smooth as possible.Tampa Relocation Reviews:
Read what Natalie's past clients are saying.
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"My family and I just moved from CT to Tampa Bay and started off with a great experience. Natalie was very professional and went out of her way for us! She's also personable and fun. She walked us through the whole process; mortgage, insurance, roofer and probably whatever else we may have needed. I would definitely recommend her as your agent!"
Justin B.
Home Buyer -
"When relocating to Florida from out-of-state, I was put into contact with Natalie. She was energetic, motivated, professional, and overall excellent throughout the whole process. Not only was Natalie able to find the perfect place for me, but she also continued to follow up with me afterward and was available for advice and recommendations. She will truly go above and beyond for her clients, and I would highly recommend anyone to contact her first for any real estate needs."
Becca D.
Home Buyer -
"I don’t know where to begin. Natalie and her team were simply amazing! What a can-do positive attitude, and witty too, might I add. Natalie was prompt on responding and very informative. She does her homework on the area! The Weatherington group was simply a joy to work with! The experience far exceeded my expectations! Thank you so much Natalie!"
Beverly N.
Home Buyer -
"We could not have asked for a better realtor! Natalie went out of her way to help our family obtain a property from out of state. Natalie helped ease our anxiety and held our hands through every step of the way. She was so knowledgable, honest and responsive. We not only met a great realtor through this process, we feel like we truly found a true friend in Natalie!"
Past Client
Home Buyer -
"Natalie knows her stuff! Could not have asked for a better Realtor. She was extremely helpful and put our needs first. She was on top of EVERYTHING! We moved from CT to FL and she made our transition very easy."
S. Mikulak
Home Buyer -
"Natalie was very kind and helpful throughout the process of purchasing a home. She was on point with everything from day one. She's attentive and fast responding. You can definitely count on her to get the job done fast and smoothly. Highly Recommend!!!"
Past Client
Home Buyer
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