HOA Fees and CDD Fees in Tampa, Florida: Why the Same Priced Home Can Cost Hundreds More Each Month

HOA Fees and CDD Fees in Tampa, Florida: Why the Same Priced Home Can Cost Hundreds More Each Month

Tommaso The Realtor

Tampa · Brandon · Riverview · Hillsborough / Pinellas

TampasHomeSource.com · ReadMyZillowReviews.com

5 star rated Zillow agent

Who this is for

Buyers relocating to Tampa, Florida, and local buyers comparing neighborhoods in Brandon, Riverview, and greater Hillsborough County. Use this before you shop by list price alone.

The short answer

Two homes can have the same purchase price, sit about five minutes apart, use the same loan, and carry the same interest rate, and still produce hundreds of dollars of difference in the all in monthly payment. The gap is usually HOA fees, CDD fees, or both.

A mortgage pre-approval is not the same thing as being able to afford every community at that price.

What is an HOA fee in Tampa and Florida in general?

HOA means homeowners association. In most Tampa area neighborhoods, HOA dues are required when you buy.

Typical range: as low as $25 every three months, up to about $300 per month.

What HOA dues often pay for: community pools, sports courts, playgrounds, gates, landscaping, and other amenities that make a neighborhood look like a resort. That look has a cost beyond the sale price.

HOA fees are usually billed by the association. They are not the same as CDD fees and they are not automatically part of the property tax bill.

What is a CDD fee in Tampa, Riverview, Brandon?

CDD means community development district. If the home is inside a CDD community, the buyer does not opt out.

CDD fees are included in the property tax bill. HOA fees are not.

Typical range: about $500 per year, up to $4,000 or $5,000 per year.

Why CDDs exist: builders used them to pay for neighborhood infrastructure such as streets, lights, and utilities, plus ongoing maintenance of CDD areas such as retention ponds.

How this changes the payment

Shop the all in number, not only the list price.

All in for a Tampa buyer should include principal, interest, taxes, insurance, HOA, and CDD. Two $400,000 examples in neighboring communities can feel like two different homes once those line items hit the monthly budget.

Questions buyers should ask before touring

1. Is there an HOA, and what is the current monthly or quarterly due?
2. Is the community in a CDD?
3. What is the current annual CDD amount on the tax bill?
4. What amenities are actually included?
5. Does my pre-approval payment assume those fees, or only principal, interest, taxes, and insurance?

How Tommaso The Realtor works with Tampa buyers

Tommaso The Realtor has been doing this for a decade and is a 5 star rated Zillow agent, with over 15 years representing clients in home purchases and insurance. He now focuses only on helping clients buy and sell homes in and around Tampa, Florida.

Clients get fierce negotiation and a comprehensive, proven process designed to protect their money and hit their goals on their timeframe.

Next step

When you are ready to start strategically preparing and get serious about buying in Tampa, Brandon, Riverview, or nearby, call, text, DM, or email. Review the home buying process at TampasHomeSource.com.

Preparation. Negotiation. Results.