Wesley Chapel vs. Brandon – Which One Wins?

Wesley Chapel or Brandon Florida two of Tampa Bay's most sought-after suburbs but which one is right for you while they may seem similar at first glance the truth is they offer two very different Lifestyles and honestly choosing the wrong one could mean frustration down the road and today's video we're breaking down the key differences between these top rated suburbs so you can confidently decide which one fits your ideal lifestyle if we've never met before my name is wan alala and I create videos about what it's really like to live or and play here in Tampa Bay my wife and I along with our three kids moved here to the greater Tampa Bay area over 6 years ago and it's been one of the best decisions we've ever made I know moving is a huge decision and you probably have a lot of questions I'm also a licensed realtor and a team leader with the true living group where we help people buy sell relocate and invest here in the Tampa Bay area we get calls from people all over the country who are thinking about making the move and we love helping them out if you'd like to chat about your specific situation our contact info and the link to my calendar are in the description below now let's dive into the Wesley Chapel versus Brandon comparison so we're going to start with one of the hottest topics that's location and commute if you have to go to the office and we're going to start with Brandon Brandon is located just 15 minutes southeast of downtown Tampa and it's really one of the most convenient Suburban locations for commuting to the city it's got easy access to I75 I4 and this element Expressway uh which provides a direct toll road into downtown Tampa I use it all the time it's super fast commute to downtown Tampa is approximately 15 to 20 minutes now this is really going to depend on which side of Randon you live on it will also depend on the time of day and what the heck is happening in traffic so that 15 to 20 minutes could turn into 20 to 30 so just keep that in mind to meet to Tampa International Airport is going to be 25 to 35 minutes again depending on traffic you're going to be close to Major employment hubs like Tampa General Hospital mcdill Air Force Base in the University of South Florida easy access to areas like eort City Channel side and also South Tampa now what about Wesley Chapel well Wesley Chapel is about 25 Mi north of Tampa along I75 in Pasco County it is further away from downtown Tampa but that area is seeing a rapid growth in infrastructure we're widening um I275 there to get downtown we're fixing malfunction junction that's a whole another story that's the I275 I4 interchange just being real with y'all the commun to downtown Tampa is going to be somewhere between 35 minutes and 55 minutes when you live in Wesley Chapel again it depends on the day depends on the hour and depends on what's going on in traffic so make sure that you keep that in mind the commute to Tampa International Airport is roughly 40 to 45 minutes there's a growing job market in Wesley Chapel um including Advent healthc care you've got Orlando um healthare systems which is coming right now The Wire Grass Ranch business district is there and the future mafa Cancer Center expansion is taking place as well um it is further from South Tampa and nightlife but close to New Tampa amenities so just keep that in mind I'm going to give the winner here Brandon for the shorter commute for sure uh Wesley Chapel for a quieter Suburban feel uh with growing job opportunities now the next category we're going to look at is going to be the housing market let's start with Brandon again Brandon is one of Tampa's most established suburbs this is something that was really developed right in the beginning of the urban sprawl with Tampa uh offering a variety of older well-maintained home you're going to find block homes out there a majority of them you will find some stick construction to but it's pretty rare um as well as newer development in some select areas housing options range from mid-century single family homes to town homes and gated communities that they're building right now um You can find py out there uh DR Horton a lot of different Builders the average single family home in Brandon is a four-bedroom two bath 1962 ft home and over the last 30 days they're closing out at right around $430,000 there are more affordable resale homes with larger lots that means previously owned some older homes may require updates though so keep that in mind but mature trees and established neighborhoods provide a lot of charm some people really love that I know I like a um a a great established neighborhood too but it's so hard to pass up new you're kind of on both sides of the fence there I'm sure a lot of people are um but there are more variety in home Styles and lot sizes when you look in Brandon in general um it also has a uh higher rental property availability so uh that could be a pro or con depending on what you're trying to accomplish not everyone loves living in communities that have a high rental availability ility um you know take that for what it is that that's really for you to decide now Wesley Chapel is really known for newer construction homes particularly within master plan communities with Resort style amenities many homes have modern designs energy efficient features and larger floor plans compared to Brandon the lot sizes are also typically smaller too so keep that in mind not always but you definitely got to take a look at that now the average single family home in Wesley Chapel is a four-bedroom three bath 2695 ft home and the the average sales price there is around $620,000 now the median sales price is going to be closer to that $450 to 500 range um similar to what you're seeing in Brandon Brandon is typically about be about a $50,000 discount on resale homes but the new construction prices are going to be very similar so keep that in mind now Wesley Chapel does have a higher number of HOA communities with amenities like pools club houses and golf courses um again new energy efficient homes with open floor plans and smart hom features also more new developments offering uh contract builds meaning that you can pick the lot and build from the ground up so that is definitely something worth taking a look at the infrastructure tends to be a lot newer in Wesley Chapel also just keep that in mind so when we look at this I say the winners here are Brandon for affordability and established neighborhoods and then Wesley Chapel for new construction and master plan communities that would be how I would approach that and if you're getting any value out of today's video don't hesitate to hit that like button and also don't hesitate to subscribe because this is now becoming series The Battle of the BBS I going to be covering over the next couple months because we are getting so many questions from people like you who are relocating the area that really want to know the differences between these cities and we want to arm you with as much information as we possibly can so you can make the best quality decision about your lifestyle the next topic here is definitely one that is important to both parents and uh people who care about their property resale values and that is going to be schools and education the school quality has been a major disci factor for a lot of the families we serve when they move down here both Brandon and Wesley Chapel have access to highly rated public and private schools um one of my favorite resources to check out is both niche.com and greatschools.org um there's also a uh School review all these are wonderful resources I think they're they're worth checking out but there are differences between Hillsboro County uh where Brandon is and Pasco County where Wesley Chapel schools are taking a look at Brandon schools range from average to highly rated with a mix of A and B rated schools more school options due to its long established neighborhoods it does offer more Charter and private school options notable schools are Brooker Elementary which gets a B+ Burns Middle School that also gets a B+ and Bloomingdale High School which is a-rated as well when we move up to Wesley Chapel in Pasco County we have newer schools with monitored facilities and Technology uh you have overall higher rated Public Schools compared to Brandon do your own research I just showed you where to go there's a strong emphasis on stem and College Prep program so keep that in mind also if that's important to you and your family notable schools are Wiregrass Ranch High School which is an a-rated 7 Oaks Elementary which gets a B+ and Cypress Creek Middle School which gets an A minus now the winner here and this is just my opinion I would give it to Wesley Chapel for the top rated schools and the newer educational facilities because that is important all right so what about the shopping dining and entertainment now I know Kate and I we love to eat our way through Tampa Bay and if you've been following this Channel at all you know we love to share those things with you guys but not everybody loves to go out on the dining scene some people love entertainment and live music and that is awesome too and then you've got people who are home bodies which I can totally respect cuz we serve those clients as well um who love to go shop and come home and cook a great meal maybe have a glass of wine I love that I think it's fantastic so let's get into some of the differences and some of the similarities in Brandon we've got Westfield Brandon Mall uh it's a large indoor mall with Macy's and Dillards and Apple Store that's awesome you got big box stores like Costco Target Walmart um with easy accessibility which is great um local favorite dining spots like Stein and Vine uh The Shrimp Boat which is seafood and then um lastima Cafe which is a Cuban Cuisine awesome food there now we move up to Wesley Chapel we've got the shops at Wiregrass which is an uh Open Air Shopping Center with boutiques restaurants and events we've done video there Stacy and I have showed you all around that place you've got the Tampa Premium Outlets considered a high-end uh outlet mall uh featuring things like Nike coach and Kate Spade and then you've got local favorite dining spots like uh Grill Smith which is modern American Noble crust which is uh Italian Southern fusion um great place to go have brunch by the way uh fresh kitchen with healthy bowls and then you can go over to Crate and like I said if you like live music they do events there and you've got like 92 shopping um centers that are made out of these um shipping containers it's really cool it's definitely worth checking out and if we have to pick a winner here I'm going to pick Wesley Chapel for it shopping and new dining options uh and then Brandon for a variety of long established businesses so check them out and speaking of Lifestyle let's talk about the outdoor recreation and lifestyle these cities offer out in Brandon you got the Alaia River State Park which is excellent for hiking and biking there's like a mountain bike trail out there that people from all over the country come to it's fascinating you never would have thought about that in Florida and kaying out there which I think is really cool there's a lot of smaller neighborhood parks out there which is pretty cool too but some areas do feel more commercialized with fewer larger green open areas to go hang out in so that is one of the differences again it's a more established area and in Wesley Chapel you've got eperson Lagoon which is a massive 7 and 1/2 acre man-made Crystal Clear Lagoon uh with a beach and uh a tiki bar and you can kayak and paddle board out there and there's water slides it's it's like you know a water park on steroids for kids they love it out there you've got Wiregrass Ranch sports complex which is a multiport facility where they do tournaments for like basketball and volleyball and soccer um hotels right there and restaurants is pretty cool you definitely have larger green spaces trails and golf courses and Parks so that is something to keep in mind and again if I have to pick a winner here I'm going to lean with Wesley Chapel for its outdoor activities and Resort style amenities um just lifestyle wise it definitely fits our family's needs a little bit more maybe yours too so what about the growth and future development of both of these top suburbs well let's start with Brandon it's well established with less new construction um Redevelopment of older areas is happening but at a slower Pace in Wesley Chapel it's one of the fastest growing suburbs in Florida as a matter of fact it's been ranked the number one suburb in Florida and I'm not here to tell you that it is or isn't I'm just sharing that with you it also has more new housing shopping and Commercial developments uh the future projects like the mfet cancer center expansion and new roadways are obviously exciting to Residents they can be frustrating to Residents too so keep that in mind and I think the clear winner here is Wesley Chapel for growth potential and new developments I mean just continues to to um grow and redefine itself and you know it can do that there's still land available now you know residents will tell you there's not nearly as much as uh they'd like to see but this is always part of the challenge when you're growing something new you're always taking away from something in the past and those things can be challenging but you know if you're interested in those top suburbs uh in the Tampa Bay Area this is a place to look for sure and let's be real these are just some of the best things about Wesley Chapel and Brandon uh I'd encourage you to explore the areas deeper and if you still need help just schedule a call with me and the team like I said all of our contact information is down below including a link to my calendar um so you can schedule the time that is most convenient for you y'all make sure you subscribe because I cannot wait to get this series up and rolling Battle of the BBS is going to be a great time and I'm really looking forward to doing this whole series over the summer I think you're really going to get a lot of it too YouTube's going to put two more videos up here I'm going to put one in Wesley Chapel up here that way you guys can dig deeper on that if you want cuz that was today's winner and is always always until next time go out and live that Tampa life [Music]