Considering move to Melbourne (Hobe Sound, Satellite Beach: apartment, rent, HOA)

[JlC's]

Hi,
I have an opportunity for a job in Melbourne. We currently live 10 miles outside of Nashville Tennessee. Nashville is exploding with growth, over 300 people a day move here and we do love Nashville but we would be closer to family if we move to Melbourne. I grew up in Hobe Sound Florida and am adamantly against an HOA. Are there nice, safe neighborhoods without HOA's?
Are people friendly to different ethnicities? I am Caucasian and my husband is Hispanic.
From my research housing in Melbourne is much cheaper than Nashville, rent here is $1200 month for a 900 sq foot, 1 bedroom apartment and houses are in the $250,000 and up range. Is my research correct or am I looking at unsafe neighborhoods?
Any information that anyone can provide is appreciated.

[ExIslander]

We've been here for a few years now, but before that we were in Mt. Juliet. I'm aware that Nashville's housing market has gone crazy since we left. Sometimes I wish we'd have hung on for an extra year or two, we could have made out a lot better selling our house. But then, we'd have missed the opportunity to buy here just before prices started rebounding from the housing crash, and there are a lot of jobs coming to Melbourne which is driving up prices even more. Six of one, half dozen of the other. Most of the newer master-planned neighborhoods will come with an HOA, but there's plenty that isn't.

Brevard County, and Central Florida in general, still feels like a genuine melting pot -- all kinds of people from everywhere. You and your husband should be very comfortable.

[JlC's]

Thank you. I appreciate the info.

[Taxlesslivemore]

Sort of like the idea of an HOA. Just a 1/2 mile North of me there isn't an HOA and when I drive through the area. Some house are kept up and some are not. Trailers, RVs and Boats parked on the side of the yard or even in front of the house. My HOA is that bad in terms of rules, but the houses are kept up, no parking other than cars in the driveway. Boats can be parked on the side of the house as long as there is a fence.

[Nypafl4u]

There is something to be said about having an HOA. You pay more, have more restrictions, but often a nicer look. Uniformity is the key and IF you can handle the rules, it can be real nice.

[BrevardREALTOR]

I agree with NYPafl4u. HOAs are nice if you can live by the rules! Some get a little carried away in my opinion,
but for the most part they protect your investment. We rehabbed a house and sold it next to a neighbor with trucks parked in the lawn. It was a turn off for many prospective buyers even though the neighbors were super nice people Good thing we did a nice job or it may not have sold for nearly what it was worth!

[JlC's]

An HOA just has never been something that I wanted. I agree that there are pros and cons for and against HOA's, I lived in a condo in Hobe Sound for years and the experience was not pleasant. Thanks for your responses.

[BrevardREALTOR]

To answer your original question, there are plenty of neighborhoods that do not have HOA's and are still very nice. If you are looking from out of town your REALTOR can take video of the area for you, and you can also look on Google Earth to get an idea of what the neighborhood is like. The pictures may not be current, but it will likely to give you an idea. HOA's are definitely not for everyone! Good luck on your search.

[jghorton]

The problem with HOA's is that some people do not like accommodating other people's standards or preferences on their own property.

The advantage of HOA's is that they set standards for those who would might otherwise paint their houses pink and green - or park boats and trucks on their front lawn next to their laundry line and dog run!

There are many places you can live in Melbourne and surrounding areas - with/without HOA's. With few exceptions, one doesn't have to ask which are which, but, can readily identify them by driving through the neighborhood. (We lived beachside Melbourne/Satellite Beach for 27-years; 19 of which were in a nicely maintained, non-HOA neighborhood, but, preferred the last 7-8-years we lived with an HOA).