Durbin Crossing vs Murabella (St. Augustine, Golf: for sale, foreclosures, houses)

[truzella]

I really want to live in Durbin Crossing but the same Dream Finder home in DB is $20k more expensive than Murabella. I suspect there is a reason but not sure why. Any thoughts? Would you live in Murabella?

[ctown83]

Asking if someone would live in Murabella is a pretty open ended question. It really depends on what you are looking for in terms of living situation. Both neighborhoods have a wide selection of builders and have some nice looking houses (not cookie cutter). You can also get fairly large lots in both- Murabella offers larger lots I believe- 65,75,85 foot lots. Both neighborhoods have CDD fees; however Durbin Crossing has the better amenities between the two. Both are zoned for good schools and are safe areas- Durbin is closer to Jax if you work there and Murabella is closer to downtown St. Augustine if you like to hang out there on weekends/etc. Overall, Durbin is closer to a wider variety of needs (shopping, restaurants,etc.) but this may change as both areas are slated for a lot of growth in the future. Good luck with your decision.

[truzella]

@ctown83 thank you for the response. I was trying to determine what the differences are between the communities that would support a $20k difference. Especially, given that Murabella has larger lots.

[madcapmagishion]

It seems like more people want to live in Durbin than want to live in Murabella, hence the higher cost of the home in Durbin. Simple supply and demand economics, more people want item A (Durbin) than item C (Murabella) so the price on item A is raised to what the market will bear.

[cricketfan]

All depends on the price range of the house you are looking at unless you are looking at an identical house, identical floor plan, identical acreage and identical giveaways in both communities. Otherwise, if you are considering say a $350k - $400k house, a 20k differential is not enough of a factor to tell you one community is more or less desirable than another.

[truzella]

In this case it is an identical house. The base price for the same house in Murabella is $20k less than DC. ...hence the question as to why? Typically the more desirable neighborhoods are more expensive. If this statement is true I just can't seem to put my finger on why Murabella may and I do say may be less desirable if for only the fact that the same house is $20k less.

[ctown83]

^ In my opinion it is not completely supply/demand, although this probably plays a part. There are most likely other factors at play here- World Golf Village area was starting to build out prior to Durbin Crossing and was therefore more affected by the housing collapse-hence more foreclosures in the area- brings down home prices to a certain extent (for the time being). Secondly, the developers of these communities may charge the builders different costs for the lots they buy to build on. Both areas are good areas it really just comes down to personal preference and what your priorities are.

[Mgs225]

Hello. I most definetly agree with other posters in that does come down to which location is more highly desired by the public. We are building in Durbin with DS Ware & could've easily built the same exact house with them in Aberdeen for 20k less but for us location for resale is important. Hence the reason we built in JCP 12 years ago for 40k more than what we could've built in Mandarin. When we sold we were only on the market 6 weeks and got more return. It's all about location!

[Acebab]

I have asked this question to builders and their response has been that it depends on what it cost them to purchase the lots. If they pay more to be in a development, they charge more. It makes sense, but I also bet that they charge more if they perceive it to be in a more "in demand" location. Which again, makes sense. Then it is up to you to choose what is more important to you, cost or location.

[beaming323i]

We are relocating and our home is for sale in Durbin Crossing North (the more expensive area). Priced below what it can be built for today and it includes 113K in upgrades. You will not find a better quality home at this price!

1911 DUMFRIES CT ST JOHNS FL 32259 Watson Realty Corp

Good luck!