Work in Ponte Vedra Beach Where to live??

[tatismommy]

Thanks so much for all the helpful info-especially about the schools. I went to Greatschools.net and did some research on the schools in the zipcodes you all provided. There are some good ones in these areas. Ponte Vedra has rated 10 schools-which is appealing.

What about St. Augustine? Is it too far away? They also have some really good schools. Where would you recommend living? Thanks

[riveree]

Originally Posted by tatismommy

Thanks so much for all the helpful info-especially about the schools. I went to Greatschools.net and did some research on the schools in the zipcodes you all provided. There are some good ones in these areas. Ponte Vedra has rated 10 schools-which is appealing.

What about St. Augustine? Is it too far away? They also have some really good schools. Where would you recommend living? Thanks

If you're trying to stay under $300k, that's going to be limiting with brand new housing. Not "impossible", but limiting. Since you'd be renting at first and it might be a year before you actually buy, it could be a whole different ball game by then too.

Rentals in Ponte Vedra are nice and barely any more expensive that anywhere else, so I'd focus on that initially.

Parts of Northern St. John's county would be a decent commute to work, but you're pulling yourself further away from the beach if you leave Ponte Vedra. You'd be closer to the beach and to Ponte Vedra if you stick with Jax - it's just the way things are laid out here.

I think DavidinJax made a great point a few posts earlier when he said "A newcomer should always look at the individual schools their children would attend and not the districts as a whole". This is great advice and very applicable to the region of NorthEast Florida. Chasing a school district may land you a good school and a nice house in a pretty neighborhood but maybe not much else beyond that. If you keep your options open you can have all of that and much more .

[MaryG601]

I dont much about the schools, but I know the price range regardless of renting or buying is very high in ponte vedra. But just over the bridge on JTB going toward southside everything drops. Thats where I'm looking to buy. Look on Hodges, Kernin, San Jose....All these are exits off JTB really close to ponte vedra. Even the southside exit isn't that far, maybe 20 min.

[kramme]

Hi, I am actually doing research for college and read your posting. I am currently living in Ponte Vedra (The Plantation) my suggestion if your planning to stay, search for FORECLOSURES, the market is way down and some people cannot make those mortgage payments. sounds crazy but when I was 26 I owned many condos through foreclosures. Thinking about orange park, think of the long drive to Ponte vedra which should take about 1 hour. Traffic here is baddd especially in the morning and rush hour.

good luck

[jcs2000]

I am also relocating to JAX and have looked at PV. I find it EXTREMELY expensive...3500 square feet homes routinely run $1M to $1.2M. Talk about a housing bubble that needs to pop. You would think for that price, you would get a mansion but most homes are totally disappointing; plus, many neighborhoods have sky high home association fees. The Plantation development charges roughly $650 a month in HOA fees with some properties going even higher. I have never seen anything like it.

[riveree]

Originally Posted by MaryG601

But just over the bridge on JTB going toward southside everything drops. Thats where I'm looking to buy. Look on Hodges, Kernin, San Jose....All these are exits off JTB really close to ponte vedra.

There are so many nice houses in these areas Mary, I'm sure you'll find the perfect one for you. I always suggest for people to look in these areas first before the outer counties. Hodges, Kernan, etc. have the same style houses in the same general price points, but with better beach access, shopping, restaurants, etc. than the outer counties.

Happy house-hunting !

[riley]

They now have Nocatee [1/3 Duval county and 2/3 St. Johns county] Mandarin [somewhat on the border of Duval and St. Johns] is also nice---thats where I stay by and it's still close enough to PVB. I commute to St Augustine to work everyday! I live the drive since it is not hectic like going downtown Jacksonville.

Originally Posted by tatismommy

Hi -my husband just had a initial phone interview with a company in Ponte Vedra Beach this week. We have done a lot of research on moving to Florida but never had looked at the Jacksonville area until this job popped up. SO we don't know anything about the schools or best family friendly areas. We have a 1st grader and a 4 yr. so schools are really important to us. We would look at renting at first until we got used to the area. So where are the good areas to live-if our job is actually in Ponte Vedra? We don't mind a 20-30 min. commute. What we would be looking for is good schools, nice community(would love one with a pool and playground), also I have seen that Ponte Vedra is most likely out of our price range. We would like to stay under 300k if at all possible, but need at least 4 bedrooms. Is this even possible in St. John's County? I have looked a little bit at Orange Park-how far is that from Ponte Vedra? Any advice on the area would be much appreciated.

Thanks

[5FLgirls]

Originally Posted by jcs2000

I am also relocating to JAX and have looked at PV. I find it EXTREMELY expensive...3500 square feet homes routinely run $1M to $1.2M. Talk about a housing bubble that needs to pop. You would think for that price, you would get a mansion but most homes are totally disappointing; plus, many neighborhoods have sky high home association fees. The Plantation development charges roughly $650 a month in HOA fees with some properties going even higher. I have never seen anything like it.

You need to keep an open mind and look at other posts in other cities, too. Compared to other parts of Florida, Jax is cheap. When I originally started looking at Jax from SFL (2005), I was excited because I felt I was getting a deal. I was going to get a larger home for less money in Jax. When I started to do my research, I felt that PVB was the best fit for my family (commute-wise, location-wise, and SCHOOLS) and we had to increase our budget and increase it some more. Just like anything anywhere, you pay a premium to live in a high demand location. And if you live in fabulous neighborhoods like Plantation, Sawgrass or Marsh Landing, you have to pay for it to be beautiful. One of the things I was impressed with at Marsh Landing was that I always saw my association dues are work. They were constantly improving and relandscaping. And just to let you know, I sold my home to my husband's company at a $50K loss. Prices have definitely decreased and there are some great deals to be found if you have patience and are in the right place at the right time. My house is currently listed for $29K less than what I paid for it. Good Luck and don't get discouraged.

[riveree]

Originally Posted by 5FLgirls

You need to keep an open mind and look at other posts in other cities, too. Compared to other parts of Florida, Jax is cheap. When I originally started looking at Jax from SFL (2005), I was excited because I felt I was getting a deal. I was going to get a larger home for less money in Jax. When I started to do my research, I felt that PVB was the best fit for my family (commute-wise, location-wise, and SCHOOLS) and we had to increase our budget and increase it some more. Just like anything anywhere, you pay a premium to live in a high demand location. And if you live in fabulous neighborhoods like Plantation, Sawgrass or Marsh Landing, you have to pay for it to be beautiful. One of the things I was impressed with at Marsh Landing was that I always saw my association dues are work. They were constantly improving and relandscaping. And just to let you know, I sold my home to my husband's company at a $50K loss. Prices have definitely decreased and there are some great deals to be found if you have patience and are in the right place at the right time. My house is currently listed for $29K less than what I paid for it. Good Luck and don't get discouraged.

All very true 5FLGirls, the OP is looking to spend under $300k though and that's not really going to buy a single family home in Ponte Vedra. I think this is why people have been directing her to look inland a bit .