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We looked at houses in Suntree, Viera, Rockledge and Palm Bay...
In General there are very few 4 bedroom houses for rent and if you find one you have to jump on it fast!. We are waiting for my wife to be offered a job so we couldn't jump on the ONE 4 bedroom in Palm Bay we were able to see....
There ARE 3 bedrooms in Suntree, Viera and many in Palm bay but for us it will be a fall back position as we are currently in a 3br and need more room. We'll grab a 3 if need be for the first year while we decide exactly where we want to buy..I'm going to need to go back down fairly soon to get us one as we're hoping to move by december 15th...
Here are our specific findings:
First off, Rockledge..ALL of it is the Hood...Yes, there are some streets that seem OK but then 2 streets down you have SERIOUS hood. NO. GO....We didn't even bother looking in Cocoa or N of there.
Viera is pretentious and new construction cookie cutter homes..reminds me of Santa Clarita, Valencia, CA, outside LA a decade ago..Nice houses and looks to be a safe area raise kids. We currently can not afford to rent a 4 bedroom here even if one were available of which none were. I don't even like the area to be honest. It has zero character and vibe.
Suntree is cute, cookie cutter little developments for cute cookie cutter people 3 Brms if you can find them are in the $1400 a month range. I didn't see any 4 bedrooms available.
Melbourne, West of Wickham Park off Turtle Mound in the Lake Washington area we REALLY Liked! LOTS of character and vibe, land, not cookie cutter...I would consider buying there but we can't afford it now and nothing was for rent there
West Melbourne was similar to the Lake Washington area and we liked it there as well.
Palm Bay.....Now..Let me just say that West of 95, off Malabar Road back in that area are by far, the best value for your money vs. home in Brevard....4 bedroom 2200 SqFt homes were $1200-$1400 a month and there are MANY 1800-2000 SqFt, 3 bedroom homes for around $1000 a month. I found an area where the schools are good about 10 minutes from 95 and Malabar Rd. This is where we looked at our one and only 4 bedroom house in a gated community called Bayside Lakes. Had community pool, tennis, clubhouse, etc etc..Was definitely NICE and close to good schools. Was 2X the size of my little square home in Smyrna, Tennessee
Palm Bay is about 20 minutes from the beach. We drove it several times and timed it. I have a friend who lives here so she told me all the best ways to go at different times of the day to avoid rush hour traffic so that was an advantage.
So, there's my report. We're waiting on my wife to be offered one of the jobs she interviewed for in Restaurant management which she currently does here in TN. As soon as that happens we're GONE!! I was hoping before Christmas but if it's after, so be it!
I tend to agree with a lot of what you say in your post. Palm Bay is definetly a great buy, best bang for your $, but you do need to find the right neighborhood as not all are as nice as what you saw. I have two three bedroom homes in Palm Bay and I would have no issue recommending one to anyone, the other I would recommend visiting the area and see what your comfort level is. Both are in decent areas, just different with different people. It's intersting to know that there is a shortage of four bedroom homes. I may make that a focus for my next project.
Did you look or consider parts of Merritt Island? I have found that there are some really nice, older areas, particularly south of 520 down South Courtney. Google map the area. Coconut Lane and further south to Old Parsonage (two of my favorite "old south feel" areas with nice old growth trees over head). Nothing cookie cutter here. Also many areas in-between 520 and 528 up east of North Courtney, many canal fronts. Also N. Banana River between 520 and 528, many nice waterfront properties and nature preserves.
It does make sense to rent first and see for yourself once down there, what area best suits your needs. This way you can grab a three bedroom to start as there are many more choices with that size.
Thanks for posting this. My wife & I will be making a trip just like this in January or February with the hopes of making a move in June/July. Would love to read updates from you as you have them.
We looked at houses in Suntree, Viera, Rockledge and Palm Bay...
In General there are very few 4 bedroom houses for rent and if you find one you have to jump on it fast!. We are waiting for my wife to be offered a job so we couldn't jump on the ONE 4 bedroom in Palm Bay we were able to see....
There ARE 3 bedrooms in Suntree, Viera and many in Palm bay but for us it will be a fall back position as we are currently in a 3br and need more room. We'll grab a 3 if need be for the first year while we decide exactly where we want to buy..I'm going to need to go back down fairly soon to get us one as we're hoping to move by december 15th...
Here are our specific findings:
First off, Rockledge..ALL of it is the Hood...Yes, there are some streets that seem OK but then 2 streets down you have SERIOUS hood. NO. GO....We didn't even bother looking in Cocoa or N of there.
Viera is pretentious and new construction cookie cutter homes..reminds me of Santa Clarita, Valencia, CA, outside LA a decade ago..Nice houses and looks to be a safe area raise kids. We currently can not afford to rent a 4 bedroom here even if one were available of which none were. I don't even like the area to be honest. It has zero character and vibe.
Suntree is cute, cookie cutter little developments for cute cookie cutter people 3 Brms if you can find them are in the $1400 a month range. I didn't see any 4 bedrooms available.
Melbourne, West of Wickham Park off Turtle Mound in the Lake Washington area we REALLY Liked! LOTS of character and vibe, land, not cookie cutter...I would consider buying there but we can't afford it now and nothing was for rent there
West Melbourne was similar to the Lake Washington area and we liked it there as well.
Palm Bay.....Now..Let me just say that West of 95, off Malabar Road back in that area are by far, the best value for your money vs. home in Brevard....4 bedroom 2200 SqFt homes were $1200-$1400 a month and there are MANY 1800-2000 SqFt, 3 bedroom homes for around $1000 a month. I found an area where the schools are good about 10 minutes from 95 and Malabar Rd. This is where we looked at our one and only 4 bedroom house in a gated community called Bayside Lakes. Had community pool, tennis, clubhouse, etc etc..Was definitely NICE and close to good schools. Was 2X the size of my little square home in Smyrna, Tennessee
Palm Bay is about 20 minutes from the beach. We drove it several times and timed it. I have a friend who lives here so she told me all the best ways to go at different times of the day to avoid rush hour traffic so that was an advantage.
So, there's my report. We're waiting on my wife to be offered one of the jobs she interviewed for in Restaurant management which she currently does here in TN. As soon as that happens we're GONE!! I was hoping before Christmas but if it's after, so be it!
What are the schools like in that Melbourne area west of Wickham park near Turtle Mound? I think that is the problem there, right?
Just keep in mind that there are reasons why the Palm Bay homes rent and sell for less.
What are the reasons? I drove around, noted the kinds of people, conditions of yards. I'm also noting crime rates. Again, it's definitely a compromise.
We cross referenced all the schools in every area we looked at with Ledgerdata.com that has accurate, up to date ratings. YES some of the schools sucked so we didn't even consider those areas. For a place to rent for a year we can deal with a 6 or above to be honest. Our 6th grader's school here in Smyrna, TN is a 4 but our 4th Grader goes to a Magnet Arts Academy that is a 10. Of course Ledgerdata rates the schools as ABC etc....
To each his own but I'll never buy in a cookie cutter community. It's just not me..I can't have someone over my shoulder telling me I can't park a pickup or my business's trailer in my driveway etc..So Viera, Suntree..Some of the places with "better schools" will DEFINITELY be out. Also, I like a yard and some land
You will usually pay more for a house in a 9 and 10 rated area. Higher rated schools tend (but not always) to be in better neighborhoods. So as a generalization, a "6" rated school will be in a moderately priced neighborhood. As mentioned, Palm Bay can be a good value and makes sense for many people. Area dependent, it can swing either way, positively or negatively. You have less of a swing in the communities like Viera and Suntree. Those rules keep a lot of what many feel are undesirable behaviors and habits, out. With it though, you do get the cookie cutter type houses often on smaller lots. For those that like a "tightly knit" neighborhood with rules and regulations, better schools, generally lower crime, sidewalks, community pools and other amenities, will pay a premium for them. Not everyone wants to see a commercial vehicle parked in the driveway or even worse, on the front lawn. That is the beauty of Brevard County. You have a wide range of choices in almost every price bracket, some with rules, many without. The choice is yours.
You will usually pay more for a house in a 9 and 10 rated area. Higher rated schools tend (but not always) to be in better neighborhoods. So as a generalization, a "6" rated school will be in a moderately priced neighborhood. As mentioned, Palm Bay can be a good value and makes sense for many people. Area dependent, it can swing either way, positively or negatively. You have less of a swing in the communities like Viera and Suntree. Those rules keep a lot of what many feel are undesirable behaviors and habits, out. With it though, you do get the cookie cutter type houses often on smaller lots. For those that like a "tightly knit" neighborhood with rules and regulations, better schools, generally lower crime, sidewalks, community pools and other amenities, will pay a premium for them. Not everyone wants to see a commercial vehicle parked in the driveway or even worse, on the front lawn. That is the beauty of Brevard County. You have a wide range of choices in almost every price bracket, some with rules, many without. The choice is yours.
Not sure the OP will like living in Palm Bay, either. We do have ordinances against parking work trucks, campers, etc in your driveway. If neighbors don't complain or code enforcement doesyon't happen to drive down your street,you might get away with it for a while.
Some areas in Palm Bay do have HOAs-and they aren't all gated expensive neighborhoods. We lived in one near Port Malabar Elementary for years.
I also remember the city passing some ordinance about what color houses could be painted in one area of town so people living in Bay Side would not be put off by weird colors on the way into that area. I think there is an ordinance about how small a house can be built and that it has to have a garage because the Habitat for Homes could not build their standard house here. At one point too, businesses being built had to have atropical color and a front porch on them basically-look at our unique Walmart and our Dollar /General on Malabar for example.
Thanks Vince. We need to get down there first and establish before we buy much less build brother
I enjoy the blog.
Thank you Sventvkg! I just wanted to throw it out there. Good luck in your search and eventually you'll find what you're looking for. Let us know how things turn out!
What are the reasons? I drove around, noted the kinds of people, conditions of yards. I'm also noting crime rates. Again, it's definitely a compromise.
We cross referenced all the schools in every area we looked at with Ledgerdata.com that has accurate, up to date ratings. YES some of the schools sucked so we didn't even consider those areas. For a place to rent for a year we can deal with a 6 or above to be honest. Our 6th grader's school here in Smyrna, TN is a 4 but our 4th Grader goes to a Magnet Arts Academy that is a 10. Of course Ledgerdata rates the schools as ABC etc....
To each his own but I'll never buy in a cookie cutter community. It's just not me..I can't have someone over my shoulder telling me I can't park a pickup or my business's trailer in my driveway etc..So Viera, Suntree..Some of the places with "better schools" will DEFINITELY be out. Also, I like a yard and some land
Part of the reason is that Palm Bay was built without adequate roads or sewer/water services (at that time, lots were selling for $2-$4K). Thus, much of the early construction was also cheap and didn't hold-up. However, because it was cheap, many people bought in Palm Bay in spite of traffic and utility problems and deteriorating neighborhoods. As a result, Palm Bay earned a reputation for being a sub-par community, which it has never been able to shake-off.
If you are only going to rent there temporarily, it will give you time to get a better 'feel' for the overall Melbourne area. If you intend to buy with an eye toward long-term investment appreciation, you might do well to look elsewhere.
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