Best Neighborhoods to Buy a Home in Largo

How to read the Zillow neighborhood numbers

The figures below are Zillow's home value index for each neighborhood, covering all home types, with the one-year change. Two cautions before you use them.

First, Zillow draws its own neighborhood boundaries, and they do not always match subdivision names on plats or what locals call an area. A listing in a subdivision you have never heard of may fall inside one of these Zillow areas, and a single Zillow area can contain several subdivisions built decades apart.

Second, a neighborhood with lots of condos or manufactured homes will show a lower value than one with only detached houses, even if the houses themselves cost the same. Use the numbers to set a budget band, then look at the actual homes.

One more Largo quirk: several of these areas sit partly in unincorporated Pinellas County. Check the jurisdiction on each address, since it affects permits and services.

Under $300,000: Largo's entry-level areas

Six Zillow neighborhoods have typical values under $300,000:

• Orange Lake Village: about $235,892, down 3.2% in a year.
• Highland Park: about $274,690, down 0.6%.
• Village Green: about $287,454, up 2.7%.
• East Bay Estates: about $290,448, up 1.6%.
• Ridgecrest: about $291,409, up 0.4% in a year and 21.9% over five years.
• Roosevelt Groves: about $298,561, down 1.0%.

Ridgecrest is the only Largo neighborhood with a five-year figure in Zillow's data, and its 21.9% gain is ahead of the city's 16.3%. Much of it is unincorporated county land with a Largo address. In this band, expect smaller and older homes, and run the 4-point and wind mitigation inspections before you count on an insurance quote.

$300,000 to $400,000: the middle of the market

This is the biggest group, and it brackets Largo's typical single-family value of about $369,638. Neighborhoods in this band include Southern Comfort Homes (about $302,105, up 2.7%), Tall Pines ($309,444), Lake Palms ($313,891), Pine Grove Estates ($319,984, up 2.5%), Largo Lake Villas ($335,075, up 2.5%), Wilcox Manor ($337,642, up 2.6%), Keene Park ($350,855) and Orange Blossom Ridge ($352,641).

Toward the top of the band are Rosery Grove Villa ($383,650), Pinebrook Estates ($387,168), Richmond Hill ($389,901, up 3.7%), Hi-Ridge Estates ($390,190), Woodridge ($393,974) and Chesterfield Heights ($394,443). Richmond Hill had the strongest one-year gain in this group.

Most homes here are 3-bedroom houses and villas, which Zillow values around $402,064 citywide. Buyers who want a garage, a pool or a newer roof will usually land in the upper half of this band.

$400,000 to $500,000: larger lots and bigger houses

Eight Zillow neighborhoods fall here:

• Newport: about $414,620, up 0.7%.
• Grove Lake Manor: about $427,959, down 1.1%.
• Suburban Estates: about $434,222, up 3.8%.
• Orangewood Estates: about $446,540, up 2.5%.
• Orangewood Highlands: about $450,510, up 2.6%.
• Somerset Lakes: about $457,629, up 2.3%.
• Del Prado Imperial: about $491,358, up 1.5%.
• Sandy Woods: about $497,258, up 2.0%.

This band lines up with Largo's 4-bedroom value of about $530,325 and the upper third of the market, which starts near $488,371. Suburban Estates posted the best one-year gain of the group. Grove Lake Manor is the only one that slipped.

Over $500,000: Largo's top two

Two neighborhoods stand apart. Lake Park Estates is about $585,864, up 5.2% in a year, and Lakeside Estates is about $618,795, up 5.0%. Those are the strongest one-year gains in Largo's Zillow data and roughly 1.8 times the city's typical value.

At these prices you are competing with Safety Harbor (about $496,694 citywide) and the cheaper beach towns such as Treasure Island (about $531,324). If water is part of the appeal, check the lot's flood zone and elevation certificate early, and price flood insurance before you negotiate.

Matching a price band to the way you will live

Price bands tell you where you can afford to look. How you plan to live tells you which of those areas is worth a weekend of showings.

• First-time buyers with a budget near $300,000 usually find the most choice in the entry and lower-middle bands, from Orange Lake Village up through Pine Grove Estates. Expect to trade size or updates for price, and budget for a roof or A/C replacement within a few years if the inspection points that way.
• Families looking for a 3- or 4-bedroom house with a yard tend to focus on the $380,000 to $460,000 range, from Rosery Grove Villa through Somerset Lakes. Check the school assignment for each address.
• Retirees and snowbirds often prefer villas, condos and 55+ communities, which may sit inside lower-priced Zillow areas. A neighborhood's average says little about a well-kept villa complex within it.
• Move-up buyers who want a larger lot, a pool and a newer roof usually end up in the top two bands.

Across all four groups, flat one-year numbers mean the condition of each house matters more than the neighborhood trend.

What to check in any Largo neighborhood

• Flood zone and elevation. Look up the address on the FEMA map, not the neighborhood.
• Roof age and permits. The roof drives the insurance quote more than the zip code.
• HOA or deed restrictions. Many older areas have none. Newer or gated pockets do, with rules on fences, boats and paint.
• City or county. Permits, code enforcement and some utilities depend on it.
• School zone. Confirm it with Pinellas County Schools for the exact address.

Tell me your budget and the two or three things you won't compromise on, and I'll narrow these 30 areas down to a shortlist.