If NE Florida is not Full, it sure will be soon!

[ShokWaveRider]

History: Our next door neighbors of 8 years have become good friends since moving to Florida, they are from Connecticut. They still have a small place in Connecticut as they like to spend Christmas & NY with their Son and his family. Their daughter has since moved locally to Fernandina Beach.

Well, their son and his family have decided to come down also to be within spitting distance of the Grandparents. As a result we have all been going out as a group looking for homes in their price range, and sending them back the info. They would select homes on Zillow or whatever and we would go and check them out. They come down every couple of weeks to look themselves at our short list.

This weekend was no exception and we were out Saturday and Sunday checking stuff out. For those interested their price range is $350k to $450k. Their son works from home and their Daughter in law got a job on their last visit. They are both very well educated.

To the Point. We cannot believe how many homes they are building within a 15 mile radius of our relatively sleepy beach town, within a reasonable commuter distance of JAX. I would go as far as to say thousands of condos and even more single family homes are being built. Our county has excellent schools and access to some of the best healthcare in Florida, the beach is 10 - 20 minutes away from these new developments, that probably helps.

There is a big city within 40 minutes, and easy access to 2 major airports JAX & MCO and 2 smaller ones.

In 10 years time I can see Jacksonville stretching 5 or ten miles into the it's neighboring counties, it is has been going on for the last 5 years. I would consider it a MCOL area, but this is not deterring young families from moving down. We are not all old retirees anymore.

 

[JoeWras]

I find that area interesting for another reason: it is in a near hurricane drought area. The geometry of the coastline nearly makes it hurricane proof for a hard direct hit. Yeah, you can get it from the backside, or maybe a glancing blow. But this area doesn't get the true straight on cat 3, 4, 5 hits that the lower penninsula, Gulf coast, SC or NC get

 

[moneymaker]

We really like st Augustine. What town are you in?

 

[ShokWaveRider]

I find that area interesting for another reason: it is in a near hurricane drought area. The geometry of the coastline nearly makes it hurricane proof for a hard direct hit. Yeah, you can get it from the backside, or maybe a glancing blow. But this area doesn't get the true straight on cat 3, 4, 5 hits that the lower penninsula, Gulf coast, SC or NC get

I am keeping my fingers and toes well crossed, but that was a key influence when we moved here 14 years ago when we retired.

That and the fact that we have a little change in seasons with a break from constant heat, and not so many snowbirds as the south and south west. It does get warm in the summer though do not get me wrong, and it does take some getting used to.

Also so far the traffic has never been and issue for us, and as far as we can tell night and day better than the south west is in season, and whenever we have visited. We did look for homes there many times, but were put off by the traffic and distance from the beach from the developments we liked. JAX can get very congested in rush hours, but we are further south and isolated from that. If we had a Costco, we would never go to JAX. The traffic in Pointe Vedra is a disaster at the best of times and that makes Nocatee a no go for us. But there are a lot of young families who love it. The I4 corridor to and from Orlando is tedious, but we never go there but to catch a plane.

Some folk like world Golf Village, but that is too far from the beach for us. Being within 2 or 3 miles from the beach provides homes with a relatively constant coastal breeze that keeps the summer heat at bay, we are walking and cycling distance. The key is for a variety of reasons being in an "X Shaded or X flood zone" and concrete or concrete block construction, keeps insurance rates down and storm anxiety at bay. So far we have not needed to evacuate during a storm.

 

[omni550]

Well, with 1000 people moving (= relocating) to Florida DAILY, there have to be places for all of them to live.

Here in SWFL, I just saw an article in the paper this morning about how plans for expanding retail sites (like Costco, Sam's Club, other major national stores) are drying up. In fact, sites in Naples that had been approved for these retail expansions are now sitting undeveloped. Residential developers are quickly snapping them up and building high-density housing like apartments and condos.

omni

 

[ShokWaveRider]

What I did enjoy seeing was that it was not only Retirees, the majority of folks we ran into at the home showings were younger families. So it seems that NW FLA is attracting a good mix of ages rather than us old geriatric folk. Seems that new of the quality of our schools and healthcare is getting around. I did ask a couple of families what attracted them to this area, and that was their answer.

Just check these out on Zillow.

https://www.zillow.com/ponte-vedra-fl-32081/

https://www.zillow.com/ponte-vedra-fl-32259/

https://www.zillow.com/saint-augustine-fl-32092/

 

[Badger]

Move along. Nothing to see in NE Florida anyway.


Cheers!

 

[Bestwifeever]

You better get working on that list of reasons not to move to NE Florida....

 

[ShokWaveRider]

You better get working on that list of reasons not to move to NE Florida....

Ask Badger he seems to know.

 

[aja8888]

Ask Badger he seems to know.

REWahoo has a list for Texas. Maybe you can borrow his and make it fit Fl.

 

[tulak]

Wow. It’s amazing what you can buy if you’re not in a HCOL area.

 

[Dtail]

What I did enjoy seeing was that it was not only Retirees, the majority of folks we ran into at the home showings were younger families. So it seems that NW FLA is attracting a good mix of ages rather than us old geriatric folk. Seems that new of the quality of our schools and healthcare is getting around. I did ask a couple of families what attracted them to this area, and that was their answer.

Just check these out on Zillow.

https://www.zillow.com/ponte-vedra-fl-32081/

https://www.zillow.com/ponte-vedra-fl-32259/

https://www.zillow.com/saint-augustine-fl-32092/

Appears that most housing is ~170 sq ft.
For housing under 20 years old but not new, it is more like 130 sq ft in the New Tampa suburbs.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

Appears that most housing is ~170 sq ft.
For housing under 20 years old but not new, it is more like 130 sq ft in the New Tampa suburbs.

Yes, new are quite steep, but as I mentioned I consider it a MCOL area. There are some reasonable homes @ ~$160 a square ft, ideal for young professional families available for ~$400k. But Taxes are steep in some places (CDDs). But amenities are good to excellent.

Here are a couple for examples:

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/494-Glorieta-Dr-Saint-Augustine-FL-32095/306073780_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/125-San-Telmo-Ct-Saint-Augustine-FL-32095/196335191_zpid/

 

[Teacher Terry]

That’s cheap compared to Northern Nevada.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

Some pockets are approaching HCOL status, but not as bad as some.

 

[Venturer]

I am keeping my fingers and toes well crossed, but that was a key influence when we moved here 14 years ago when we retired.

That and the fact that we have a little change in seasons with a break from constant heat, and not so many snowbirds as the south and south west. It does get warm in the summer though do not get me wrong, and it does take some getting used to.

Also so far the traffic has never been and issue for us, and as far as we can tell night and day better than the south west is in season, and whenever we have visited. We did look for homes there many times, but were put off by the traffic and distance from the beach from the developments we liked. JAX can get very congested in rush hours, but we are further south and isolated from that. If we had a Costco, we would never go to JAX. The traffic in Pointe Vedra is a disaster at the best of times and that makes Nocatee a no go for us. But there are a lot of young families who love it. The I4 corridor to and from Orlando is tedious, but we never go there but to catch a plane.

Some folk like world Golf Village, but that is too far from the beach for us. Being within 2 or 3 miles from the beach provides homes with a relatively constant coastal breeze that keeps the summer heat at bay, we are walking and cycling distance. The key is for a variety of reasons being in an "X Shaded or X flood zone" and concrete or concrete block construction, keeps insurance rates down and storm anxiety at bay. So far we have not needed to evacuate during a storm.

We used to vacation in Neptune Beach every summer in the early 70's. A couple of years ago we went down and wow what a change! Too crowded for me. A good friend of ours retired from the Navy in Yulee and stayed there for 3 years because of good access to VA hospital he said was one of the best he had found. He relocated to NC last year so he could be at a near 1/2 way point for his 2 kids. His son lives farther south in Fl.and daughter in NJ, now he says it isn't so bad which ever he wants to go visit.

Ohh yes and what I did yesterday is carry me grandestdaughter to the local park for a couple of hours play time, and then later in the day I carried her to softball practice.

 

[Which Roger]

Move along. Nothing to see in NE Florida anyway.

No need to worry about me doing anything but move along. I'm solidly in the "I just don't get why anyone would want to live in Florida" camp.

 

[Chuckanut]

Move along. Nothing to see in NE Florida anyway.

But, there will be! Florida will be one big extension of the Atlantic Ocean once global warming floods the place. It will sort of be like Atlantis, The Lost Continent - Florida- The Lost State.

Is NE Florida is the mountainous region of the state? If so it will be where tourists flock to to view things like the skyscrapers jutting out of the ocean, the remains of waterfront condos floating about, and be the spring board to the water world type theme parks - Disney's Under Water World, etc. Heck, Marine Land might make a comeback.

 

[Dtail]

But, there will be! Florida will be one big extension of the Atlantic Ocean once global warming floods the place. It will sort of be like Atlantis, The Lost Continent -Florida- The Lost State.

Is NE Florida is the mountainous region of the state? If so it will be where tourists flock to to view things like the skyscrapers jutting out of the ocean, and be the spring board to the water world type theme parks - Disney's Under Water World, etc. Heck Marine Land might make a comeback.

Mountains in FLA are all relative.
There is no hill higher than 500 feet in FLA.

 

[Dash man]

But, there will be! Florida will be one big extension of the Atlantic Ocean once global warming floods the place. It will sort of be like Atlantis, The Lost Continent - Florida- The Lost State.

Is NE Florida is the mountainous region of the state? If so it will be where tourists flock to to view things like the skyscrapers jutting out of the ocean, the remains of waterfront condos floating about, and be the spring board to the water world type theme parks - Disney's Under Water World, etc. Heck, Marine Land might make a comeback.

I remember meeting a woman on a flight I was on back in 2006, just after we had bought out first property in Florida, near Tampa. I mentioned the home in conversation and she couldn’t understand why I would have done that. She showed me maps of what Florida would look like in ten years, with most of it covered in water. She insisted I would lose my house within that time and I had wasted my money. The are around that home is still dry. I guess she had her timeframe wrong. [emoji23]

 

[omni550]

Just read another article the other day about how Florida is becoming a haven for "tax refugees". This has been going on for a while with retirees.

Nothing major in Florida, as far as I know, has changed tax-wise recently. I wonder if the recent (~last 2+ years) IRS tax changes or other states' taxes have changed?

Or are some people finding they can often work from home and thus pick sunny, low/no tax locations where to live?

omni

 

[Dtail]

Just read another article the other day about how Florida is becoming a haven for "tax refugees". This has been going on for a while with retirees.

Nothing major in Florida, as far as I know, has changed tax-wise recently. I wonder if the recent (~last 2+ years) IRS tax changes or other states' taxes have changed?

Or are some people finding they can often work from home and thus pick sunny, low/no tax locations where to live?

omni

Bolded by me - this statement I have witnessed with increasing frequency in my complex.
So many times when I meet someone new and ask about the commute, they state they are working from home, or was transferred to Florida and then still working from home.

 

[aja8888]

Or are some people finding they can often work from home and thus pick sunny, low/no tax locations where to live?

omni

What is this "work" you speak of? And why would you want to do it at home? (or at all?)

 

[Freedom56]

I don't know about NE Florida, but SE Florida where we live continues to grow. Since we bought our condo in 2011 in Downtown West Palm Beach, six other high rise towers have gone up (mostly rental apartments) with now plans for four more. The downtown core of Fort Lauderdale is also going through it's transformation with more high rise condos popping up. Meanwhile, the construction cranes continue to pop up all over downtown Miami. Miami in my opinion, is becoming one of the nicest cities in North America. The transformation over the past two decades has been nothing short of stunning. The problem Florida faces is that affluent people are buying in the coastal areas leaving the interior areas to decline. You can drive a few miles in-land from the coast and you enter a battle zone. Nestled in those battle zones are gated communities with armed security and barriers to keep out people who don't reside there. The other problem Florida faces is the homeless situation which has become horrific although we have noticed that the police are doing more this year to keep the homeless away from the waterfront and marina in West Palm Beach. But they still come. It is becoming a place of stark contrasts. On one hand, you have three downtown cores (West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Miami) with modern high rise condos and apartments and a modern upscale transportation system (Brightline/Virgin trains) linking each other. But the homeless can be found sleeping around all this wonderful infrastructure.

 

[Teacher Terry]

I have been to Tampa and Miami and am not a fan. Too hot even in December.