Buying a home in Florida can be exciting. Sunshine. Palm trees. No more scraping ice from the windshield in February.

But buying a home in Pinellas County can be different. Some of the differences are obvious. Others aren’t—and those are the ones that can surprise newcomers.

I moved to Florida from Maine in 1993 and have worked in real estate here for decades. If you are thinking about moving to Pinellas County, here are 10 things you should know before you begin your house search:

1. Know the Difference Between a Flood Zone and an Evacuation Zone

A flood zone and an evacuation zone are two different things:

• Flood zones are based primarily on the risk of flooding and are important when determining whether flood insurance may be required by a mortgage lender.
• Evacuation zones are used by emergency management officials to determine which areas should evacuate when a hurricane threatens. They’re largely based on vulnerability to storm surge.

A property can be in one and not the other.

Before buying a house, find out about both. Don’t simply ask, “Is this house in a flood zone?” Ask about the property’s flood risk, evacuation zone and history. And remember that Florida is remarkably flat. You don’t necessarily have to see the Gulf of Mexico from the front porch to have a potential flooding issue.

2. Get an Insurance Estimate Before You Buy

In many parts of the country, buyers spend considerable time comparing mortgage rates and relatively little time thinking about homeowners’ insurance.

But in Florida, insurance deserves a place near the top of the list. The cost of insuring two seemingly similar houses can be dramatically different.

The age of the roof matters. The type of roof matters. The home’s age, construction, hurricane protection and location can all affect premiums and insurability.

Flood insurance is generally separate from a standard homeowners policy.

So don’t wait until a few days before closing to discover what insurance will cost.

Once you find a house you want to buy, talk to an insurance professional. A home that appears comfortably within your budget can be considerably different when insurance costs are added to the equation.

3. In Florida, the Roof Can Be More Important Than the Kitchen

Everyone notices the kitchen. Granite countertops, new appliances and beautiful cabinets can make a house irresistible.

But take a look at the roof.

In Florida, the age and condition of a roof can affect much more than appearance. It can influence insurance availability and cost and potentially leave you facing a substantial replacement expense.

A beautiful kitchen is nice, but a sound roof is essential.

When comparing houses, don’t simply choose the one with the prettiest interior. Sometimes a less glamorous house with a newer roof, updated electrical system and hurricane improvements is the smarter purchase.

4. Decide How Close to the Water You Really Want to Be

Almost everyone moving to the Tampa Bay area loves the idea of living near the water.

But “near the water” can mean many things:

• Do you want a waterfront home?
• Do you want to walk to the Gulf?
• Or would you be just as happy living 15 or 20 minutes away and driving to the beach whenever you want?

Getting closer to the Gulf can mean higher purchase prices and potentially greater exposure to flooding, storm surge and insurance costs.

You don’t necessarily need to live on the beach to enjoy it. One of the advantages of North Pinellas County is that many communities provide relatively easy access to the Gulf while still offering neighborhoods farther inland.

Sometimes the Florida Dream is better when the Gulf is a short drive away rather than in your backyard.

5. Don’t Judge a Community by Mileage Alone

On a map, Clearwater, Dunedin, Palm Harbor, Safety Harbor and Tarpon Springs appear remarkably close together.

They are. But they don’t FEEL alike:

• Tarpon Springs has its Greek heritage, historic downtown and Sponge Docks.
• Palm Harbor offers established neighborhoods, suburban convenience and easy access to parks and the Pinellas Trail.
• Dunedin has developed a lively, walkable downtown with restaurants, breweries, shops and community events.
• Safety Harbor has a smaller-town atmosphere centered around Main Street and the waterfront.
• Clearwater offers everything from established residential neighborhoods to a world-famous beach.

A difference of five or six miles can mean a completely different lifestyle. That’s why I encourage newcomers to choose the community first and the house second.

6. Understand What You’re Buying Into

Florida has plenty of homeowners associations, condominium associations, deed-restricted developments and 55+ communities. And those things can offer real advantages.

An association may maintain common areas, landscaping, recreational facilities or building exteriors. A 55+ community may provide exactly the social environment and amenities a retiree wants.

But there are rules:

• Can you have a fence?
• Can you park an RV or boat at the house?
• Can you rent the property?
• How many pets can you have?
• Can your adult children or grandchildren stay for extended periods?
• What are the monthly or annual fees?

For condos in particular, buyers should understand not only today’s association fees but also the financial condition of the association and the possibility of assessments. So, read the documents. The time to discover a rule you dislike is before you buy, not after you move in.

7. Older Florida Homes Aren’t Necessarily a Bad Choice

Pinellas County has many homes built in the 1950s, ’60s, ’70s and ’80s.

Don’t dismiss them simply because of age. Older homes can be found in wonderful established neighborhoods with mature trees, larger lots and tremendous character.

But they deserve careful evaluation. Among the things you’ll want to understand are the roof, electrical system, plumbing, HVAC system, windows and hurricane protection.

A well-maintained older Florida home can be a terrific purchase — an older home that has received years of cosmetic improvements while its major systems were neglected can become expensive very quickly.

Fresh paint can hide age, but it can’t make an old electrical panel, worn-out air conditioner or failing roof new again.

8. Visit the Neighborhood at Different Times

You may have found a house you love at 11 o’clock Tuesday morning, but be sure to come back at 5:30. Then, come back again Saturday afternoon. Why? Because neighborhoods can change considerably depending on the time of day.

• How much traffic is there during rush hour?
• Is the street quiet at night?
• Are there cars lining the road on weekends?
• How long does it actually take to reach the grocery store, doctor’s office or beach when everybody else is on the road?

This is especially important if you’re moving from outside Florida and aren’t familiar with local traffic patterns.

The map may tell you something is six miles away, but it doesn’t tell you how those six miles feel on a busy winter afternoon.

9. Think About Your Florida Life, Not Just Your Florida House

This is one of the biggest mistakes people make. They become so focused on finding the right house that they forget to ask whether they’re finding the right life.

What do you actually want to do after you move here?

If you enjoy walking to restaurants and community events, a walkable downtown may be important. If boating is your passion, water access may matter more. If you play golf three times a week, your priorities will be different. If you want peace, privacy and a backyard for the dog, downtown living may not be your answer.

And if grandchildren will be visiting regularly, that two-bedroom condo that looked perfect on the Internet may suddenly seem rather small.

Try to picture an ordinary Tuesday six months after you’ve moved—not just your first exciting week in Florida:

• Where will you have coffee?
• Where will you walk?
• Where will you shop?
• Who will you meet?
• What will you do?

Those questions can tell you more about where you should live than a list of granite countertops and square footage.

10. Don’t Try to Buy Pinellas County From a Map

You can learn an enormous amount online before moving to Florida. Research neighborhoods. Study home prices. Look at flood information. Compare communities. Explore restaurants, hospitals, parks and beaches.

But… eventually, you need to experience the places yourself.

Drive through Palm Harbor. Walk downtown Dunedin. Have lunch in Safety Harbor. Visit the Sponge Docks and downtown Tarpon Springs. Explore Clearwater beyond Clearwater Beach.

Then do something even more important:

Get off the main roads. Drive through the neighborhoods where people actually live. That’s when the differences between these communities begin to make sense.

The Bottom Line

There isn’t one “best” place to live in Pinellas County. But there is a place that’s best for you.

For some people, that’s a condo near downtown Dunedin. For someone else, it’s a quiet Palm Harbor subdivision. Another buyer may fall in love with Tarpon Springs, while someone else discovers that Safety Harbor provides exactly the small-town Florida atmosphere they were hoping to find.

The objective is to find the community—and the lifestyle—you’ll still be happy you chose years after the moving truck has driven off. And that’s why it’s worth taking your time.

Explore our community guides to Tarpon Springs, Palm Harbor, Dunedin, Clearwater and Safety Harbor to see which part of Pinellas County might feel most like home.