[Board Sport]

Hey Kevin,

Thanks for the great information, what you describe is exactly what I am looking for. I may work in the Vail Valley known for its high maintenance guest but I'm here for the back country snowboarding, "Surfing The White Wave" as we call it. Epic powder here in the winter and great pay.

The flip side of this I am a surfer and enjoy my time on the water and being away from the high maintenance people I mentioned above. I have been to the west coast and searched around but, have found I like the vibe of Cocoa Beach, Indialantic, Satellite, and Merritt Island areas, seems to be more of my style. I am definitely not looking for the rich and famous quiet the opposite, I want to keep making my money in Vail/Beaver Creek CO and purchase a place in or around Cocoa Beach and be a full time resident in the next five years. Not that I want have to get a job in Florida, but it cost me nothing to live here in Vail and I can put my money into an area I can afford and want to live at. I will be a part-time resident for the time being May, June, July, August, September and back to Vail Oct-April. I will make some trips during winter season but only to check on my residence.

Well thats the short version, I'll stay in touch and thanks for the great information.

Cary
Avon, CO

[FertilityDoc]

Originally Posted by Board Sport

Hey Kevin,

Thanks for the great information, what you describe is exactly what I am looking for. I may work in the Vail Valley known for its high maintenance guest but I'm here for the back country snowboarding, "Surfing The White Wave" as we call it. Epic powder here in the winter and great pay.

The flip side of this I am a surfer and enjoy my time on the water and being away from the high maintenance people I mentioned above. I have been to the west coast and searched around but, have found I like the vibe of Cocoa Beach, Indialantic, Satellite, and Merritt Island areas, seems to be more of my style. I am definitely not looking for the rich and famous quiet the opposite, I want to keep making my money in Vail/Beaver Creek CO and purchase a place in or around Cocoa Beach and be a full time resident in the next five years. Not that I want have to get a job in Florida, but it cost me nothing to live here in Vail and I can put my money into an area I can afford and want to live at. I will be a part-time resident for the time being May, June, July, August, September and back to Vail Oct-April. I will make some trips during winter season but only to check on my residence.

Well thats the short version, I'll stay in touch and thanks for the great information.

Cary
Avon, CO

Cary,

Given the long association between Ron Jon's Surf Shop and Cocoa Beach, there is still a strong surfer's culture there. I think you are on the right track. Cocoa Beach may not have the best surfing. You might have to travel to the Sebastian Inlet for that. Ron Jon's does sponsor surfing contests at the Cocoa Beach Pier

For some background, I grew up in the NJ/NY area. I now currently live in suburbs of Chicago. I have a partner who has a place in Vail and have been fortunate to ski there. You are very right, Cocoa Beach is going to be much more laid back. You have to like that change in pace. Beach towns have a very different feel to them. For me it is refreshing. Reminds me of the "Old Florida" I saw growing up.

One of the other advantages is the cost of living on the space coast. There are so many beautiful beaches in Florida. I looked up and down the east coast, west coast and panhandle in our search for a vacation home. Why did we settle on Cocoa Beach? Cost was an issue. The price of real estate, especially on the ocean was too high for us in those other areas. Proximity to Orlando Airport is another plus. There are a million flights in and out of Orlando daily. Given the competition, airfares are more reasonable.

Merritt Island, Melbourne Beach, Indiatlantic & Satellite Beaches are all great areas too. The distance from Orlando International is a little greater. Satellite Beach is really mostly Patrick Air Force Base. We looked at some of those areas too but decided that the distance would make weekend commuting more difficult. We also fell in love with South Cocoa Beach.
It is a narrow part of the barrier island and in addition to the ocean view there is a view of the Banana River to the west. This affords beautiful sunrise and sunset views. South Cocoa Beach does not have any public access. The beach feels almost private. We looked at both homes and condos. After looking at a number of homes, all I could see was the potential for headaches. How do you manage a home from 1000 miles away? My primary residence is enough of a headache. We finally settled on a condo and I am glad I did. There is a maintenance guy on site to address problems as they come up.

We had a great real estate agent in Cocoa Beach. He functions mainly as buyer's broker. He knows the market cold and will help you seek out the best deals. This is a great time to buy. We bought about 2 years ago. The deals are even better now. I suspect this may be a once in a lifetime opportunity given the depressed real estate market. He is a laid back guy. In your case, he is a fellow surfer. I have no affiliation but really enjoyed working with him. If you want his name and web site, just let me know.

I hope all that information helps. Good luck with your search.

Kevin

[Board Sport]

Hey Kevin,

Thanks again ! you have been a wealth of information. Yes I would love your real estate agents information, I am going to Cocoa Beach on Oct. 11th for a week and it would be great to speak with him. Feel free to send me a direct message with his information, I'm really looking forward to speaking to him. Again thanks Kevin you have been a great help and perhaps we will meet some day on Cocoa Beach until then I'll keep in touch.

Kind regards,

Cary
Avon, CO

[cocoabeached]

I live beachside its pretty. Problem is wages are low , unemployment is high. If the Space Center shuts down again (it did after in the 1970's) it will bring property values down further, and joblessness up. Brevard County is having troubles paying is bills now,watch out!
There are alot of drunks that live here.When we first moved here 2 years ago we saw alot of people riding bikes--must be a healthy area. Not so they can't drive because of DUI's.
We do have a fair transit system. The county is spread out they do there best. Before you move check out property insurance (very high) and also property taxes. Cocoa Beaches taxes are high,
but they do provide better police and fire coverage. Cape Canaveral (the town) has lower taxes but is drug infested and nasty. You get what you pay for. I love the weather-even in the summer. You might come down and rent for a few months before doing the move(easyer said than done I know).
Good luck but beware Jimmy Buffett's world is not for real. Life on the beach is not all rum drinks, cigars and bathing suits.

[Board Sport]

Thanks for the heads up, I was down just last month for a couple of weeks and I have been down several other times, I know what you mean about Cape Canaveral and did not bother looking there.
I do like Cocoa Beach and South, I love surfing and although not as big of surf as the west coast, I like the people better and the cost of living is much cheaper even when you throw in the insurance premiums !
I have located a great palce and I am currently trying to close on it in the next two weeks, it has been a process to say the least.
Until next time have a great weekend and perhaps we will meet in the near future.

Cheers,
Cary