St. Augustine, FL
I'm open to an hours drive within that area going south ( St Augustine Ponte Vedre etc )
Thanks Jeff
(Topic ID: 169821)
Move to Orlando!
Just kidding.....Great Group of Guys in Florida North.
The Florida show is 2 months away, along with IAPPA.
Jump in and check out the Village.
http://www.villagebbs.com/forum/index.php#c7
Welcome!!!! 
Move between Jupiter Fl to Boca Raton at least the ocean down here is crystal clear and closet fishing to the gulfstream. If your not into doing anything in the ocean why even bother moving to Florida, unless your job takes you to Jacksonville.
Jacksonville is a large area. The southern part is the nicer area in general and so is the beach area near Mayo. If you got to St. John's County, such as St. Augustine, the taxes are lower but the traffic in St. Augustine is terrible. Ponte Vedra is nice, near the beach, but very pricey. Sawgrass is in Ponte Vedra, so if you are a golfer that is a draw. I live in Mandarin, which is about 25 minutes from the ocean and the real estate is not as pricey as the beach area. I don't have kids so I can't tell you about which area has the better school system. Stay away from the north side of town and Arlington.
Can't stand the climate!!Don't care for reptiles in my back yard! As in cali,asshole tourists,everywhere
Quoted from hawkmoon:Can't stand the climate!!Don't care for reptiles in my back yard! As in cali,asshole tourists,everywhere
I actually love the reptiles, very tasty.
Whoa!!! Ponte Vedra beach is out of reach. Looking inland a few miles is so. No kids but to resell in the future good schools not a bad idea. Florida likes to cramp houses next to each other I'm not used to that especially if you have a PIA neighbor with pinballs
Climate in Florida is not that bad
I'm originally from a state that had a lot of snow. And for the reptiles in my back yard not bad at all just a snake or 2 every great once in awhile and my property borders woods.
My favorite thing with this part of Florida is the lots are measured in feet. As in width. As in "This one's a 70, that's a 90. If you want a 110 you'll pay a bunch more!"
My house is like 80' long.
They do have older lots that are bigger (1/2 acre, acre, 5 acres...) but all the new stuff is condensed.
I'm still rather new to Jax also but from what I've gathered Fleming Island and Mandarin are nice. And as far as the pin and arcade scene goes, Oldpinguy hit the nail on the head when he mentioned the great group of folks here in the area. I hopped on Villagebbs and found some locals here that have access to any and everything you could want or need almost instantly while still having the beaches not far away.
St Johns and Fleming Island are the areas I'd look at if you're home shopping. Welcome to the sunshine state.
A few Good things about Florida.
1) 2 Beaches from 2 different Oceans!
Tropical Gulf, with Coral reefs, Turquoise Blue Water, and incredible sealife
Atantic Ocean from Surfing to Fishing, on into the Keys.
2) Low taxes....no state Income Tax. My proprty tax on an average 2000 sq ft, is $1200-$2500
3) Low utilities...from Natural Gas, to fireplace, almost no heating Bill, and if you get an ocean Breeze
AC is minimal. My daughters/my retirement near the beach, has never seen a utility bill over $75, and averages under $50.
4) Most important, Clean air...from 2 oceans scrubbed clean, or down from the mountains.
We are blessed with new fresh air everyday, and we take for granted we breath non stop!
If one lives in NY or LA, I love both to visit, but long term air....I need this as well, as mountains and desert.
5) Real Estate. Working on a 2/2 on a lake in Orlando to help my brother moving from NY.
$68K property taxes $650. Very affordable living.
Lots of not so good....Tourists, traffic, heat in summer, bugs, but we learn to avoid the tourists and traffic, and address the heat and bugs!
Floridians vacation to the mountains, often in the Summer! We also rarely go to theme parks in the summer...way to hot in the concrete jungle...we leave that for the tourists.
Whats also great are the pinheads....yes, we have a few rough around the edges guys, but for the most part,
like the rest of pinside, a great supportive group, somewhere to play every weekend as a group, and low pin prices to be found as well!
#1 for me is the clean air, and 2 oceans!
Quoted from OLDPINGUY:A few Good things about Florida.
1) 2 Beaches from 2 different Oceans!
Tropical Gulf, with Coral reefs, Turquoise Blue Water, and incredible sealife
Atantic Ocean from Surfing to Fishing, on into the Keys.
2) Low taxes....no state Income Tax. My proprty tax on an average 2000 sq ft, is $1200-$2500
3) Low utilities...from Natural Gas, to fireplace, almost no heating Bill, and if you get an ocean Breeze
AC is minimal. My daughters/my retirement near the beach, has never seen a utility bill over $75, and averages under $50.
4) Most important, Clean air...from 2 oceans scrubbed clean, or down from the mountains.
We are blessed with new fresh air everyday, and we take for granted we breath non stop!
If one lives in NY or LA, I love both to visit, but long term air....I need this as well, as mountains and desert.
5) Real Estate. Working on a 2/2 on a lake in Orlando to help my brother moving from NY.
$68K property taxes $650. Very affordable living.
Lots of not so good....Tourists, traffic, heat in summer, bugs, but we learn to avoid the tourists and traffic, and address the heat and bugs!
Floridians vacation to the mountains, often in the Summer! We also rarely go to theme parks in the summer...way to hot in the concrete jungle...we leave that for the tourists.
Whats also great are the pinheads....yes, we have a few rough around the edges guys, but for the most part,
like the rest of pinside, a great supportive group, somewhere to play every weekend as a group, and low pin prices to be found as well!
#1 for me is the clean air, and 2 oceans!
I need to move to Winter Park. Taxes on my 1550 square foot home are about $2200 a year. In the summer, my utility bill is often around $400 with the air on all the time.
As far as the houses being close together that is generally true. My house is a little older, built in 1982. It is on a half acre lot with woods in the backyard so plenty of space between neighbors and lots of privacy. You can also swim most of the year if you have a pool. I don't have a heater and my pool temp was still 88 degrees this past weekend.
Yes, there are a lot of reptiles. I have identified 6 different snake species just in my yard. No poisonous ones yet fortunately. Lots of wild life with tons of lizards, frogs, birds, squirrels, etc. Very few rabbits for some reason as my NY home had lots of rabbits.
I visit St. Augustine/Palm Coast 2-6 times a year and I don't think I've encountered anything worse than gnats. On the other hand immediately upon hopping out of the car back here in VA I always get attacked by those GD tiger-striped mosquitoes!
Quoted from SteveO:I need to move to Winter Park. Taxes on my 1550 square foot home are about $2200 a year. In the summer, my utility bill is often around $400 with the air on all the time.
$2200 is Great! If you are Down from NY, those taxes can kill you! $12K to 20K plus a Year!! Plus State Income Tax!
AC Bills Vary, I put in a New System and windows and went from $400 a month last summer, to $155 this month. My Brother was at $600, moved to a new home and was $180.
The ACs all lose efficiency over time, but generally are about a 7 year payback. Sometimes, as a mistake I did, I waited 17 years to change mine, and threw away money, and comfort.
Im not sure why people buy homes with zero lot lines....Im sure there is some appeal, but plenty of land, and lakes, woods, and horses....Its whatever anyone wants. Real Estate is tricky for new people from out of state.
The bargains, and mistakes in the market, are never really shared. Plenty of positive cash flow, if your an investor, appreciation, and renovation is not so hard, and generally lowering ones cost of living, because I am such a cheap bastard!
I invested a couple months ago in a 2/2 on Cocoa Beach, I mean walk out the door to the ocean.
Would you believe only 140K? Renovation and Furniture was around 15K. rental from $100 and up!
I do miss the hills and fall, PIZZA!!! too.
With no reason to go into the office but for a few hours a week, my home and games are always open and welcome for a drop in!
Welcome again, Op, enjoy Jacksonville!!!!
Quoted from OLDPINGUY:$2200 is Great! If you are Down from NY, those taxes can kill you! $12K to 20K plus a Year!! Plus State
I do miss the hills and fall, PIZZA!!!
Good point! I have yet to find a good pizza place here. There is a good Italian restaurant in the San Marco area that has great lasagna.
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