[annie123]

Hello there,
My husband and I just moved to Melbourne Beach, with our newborn child. We decided to rent for 6 months and then we are thinking of buying, but there are so many considerations to think of, so I need your help!

I LOVe melbourne beach. It's beautiful here. But we want to spend around 300,000 for a home. I read once that it's a bad idea to buy any home along the beach that was made BEFORE the year 2000 approximately, due to the fact that they will not stand up against a hurricane...

So, Melbourne beach homes for 300,000 would be quite old. And we want a good investment. And I want to be somewhere with great schools (including high school). Satellite beach would be great, but again, for 300,000 or so we would be buying a much older home-- and I want ours to last.

Am I wrong to think that for 300,000 we are best to move inland a bit?

Plus, I don't want outrageous insurance. So, I have read about Viera and West Melbourne. My husband works in West Melbourne, but I haven't even been there yet! Anyway, what's the difference between West Melbourne and Viera? How do the schools compare? Does West Melbourne have its own high school? How are the insurance rates in West Melbourne and Viera? Which area would be best for kids?

Thanks so much for any info you can give me!
-annie

[annie123]

is there someone who can reply?

[floridasandy]

i personally would pick viera, especially if you want a newer area with homes built to hurricane codes. there is a lot to do in viera. if you really love melbourne beach though you might want to look into insurance rates. if we get a major hurricane you would have to evacuate whether you are in melbourne beach, viera, or satellite beach, so that should not be your only consideration. there is a state aid program that helps you fortify a house that is not built to code. (i think that it provides matching money). i think all the areas you mentioned have pretty good schools and i think that there is another post on that.

[annie123]

thanks so much responding! You mentioned that Viera might be my best bet. I have read exhaustively I think most of the posts on the areas of interest to me, and a few allude to the fact that Viera is cookie cutter and without trees.

Is that really true in your opinion? I'm going to have to go and visit it myself! I read that there is a kind of separation in Viera, those houses north of wickam and those west of I 95-- which are better? Does one section have more trees? I would love to be near any sort of nature preserve. Any of those around Viera?

Sorry for all of the questions!

[trinflorida]

Viera doesn't have the trees "yet" .... we are moving from Satellite Beach to Viera this summer...the taxes and insurance are a lot less west of 95 and the trees/community are sure to follow...a good idea is to look at viera.com's master plan...it sold me and I know the homes are going to appreciate.

[Jareb]

I have a 2x4 stick built house a couple hundred feet from the beach. I rode out both hurricane Francis and Jean in Vero Beach in this house. I think I was one of only a few people who stayed on the island. My house was built in early 1992. I had no damage to the house except a few lost shingles. I designed and had the house built to my specs. The point of this post is not WHEN the house was built but HOW it was built. BTW, many new CBS homes all around me had extensive damages. Hip roofs, top and bottom wall straps, each rafter strapped to the top plate, 5/8" plywood siding with 3/4" lap cedar siding and double roof made the difference-not the date of construction. Wherever you buy-be sure to have a thorough inspection including a look at the above mentioned items.