Don't Call it a Complex

Potential residents of Seminole Heights Apartments don't select from three cookie-cutter models. They don't bask by an Olympic sized swimming pool. And, they don't party it up in a swanky clubhouse.

Instead, current and prospective  residents aren’t seeking typical "complex" conveniences.  They’re in it for the charm of hardwood floors, community and history found in the area.

Enter Seminole Heights Apartments, the rental company that owns and operates eight different properties. Its latest offering, the Tree Fort, opened last month.

Generally speaking, Tree Fort residents were seeking the convenience and charm of what you might normally find in a South Tampa apartment, but with a cheaper price tag and more community involvement.

 Sara Reinke was looking for a place that was between North and South Tampa, when she happened upon the Craigslist ad for the Tree Fort.

“This was perfect," she said. "It is centrally located, it has that historical look, but it’s bigger for the amount of money that we’re paying than living in South Tampa."

Owners Stephen and Nikki Couture started off buying dilapidated homes, refurbishing them and then flipping them. When the real estate market started to sour, they began exploring rental properties. Their first venture was Ola Place, which they opened in 2005.

Like all of their apartments, the Tree Fort rented quickly, which Nikki attributed to the revitalization of the area brought on by the past year's opening of upscale and trendy eateries, like, and .

“It used to be a sell … Now it’s different because people are begging for this neighborhood,” Nikki Couture said. “I don’t have enough apartments, and people get mad at me!”

With the eighth building rented and a ninth on the way, will a new building be added to the lineup?

“We keep saying we’re not buying anymore, and then you’re driving down the street and see a duplex …”

For more information on the Seminole Heights Apartments visit www.seminoleheightsapartments.com.