Possible move from N. VA :) (Jacksonville, Orange Park: renter, condominiums, mortgage)

[coolfam7]

Good morning everyone! After reading this forum for a week, I've gathered a lot of information, possibly too much as now my brain is officially on overload. My BIL has been in the Jacksonville area for 7 years now. They want us to move so our family can be closer. My husband and I are prior military, and we are ready to settle down and find a place to call home. We have 5 kids ages 14 to 2 so of course good schools are a priority. We moved to NOVA early last year, and we have struggled financially ever since.

Which brings me to my concerns...our credit is horrible!! Which means we're not buying a home anytime soon. I've seen plenty of houses for rent, however I'm scared people won't rent to us after running our credit. Does everyone pull a report. DH makes good money in his field (Surveyor makes $24 up here). Does $20 seem doable in your area? I am a Medical Assistant making $15 in NOVA. I will not be working for about a year until we get used to the area. I plan to continue school for my RN eventually. DH brother just bought a home in Callahan. That doesn't seem like somewhere I want to live though, it seems rural.

Where would a family in my situation start looking for a house to rent? Note, that although my family are African-American, we are far from "Ghetto". My children were raised in the military, they are used to a diverse area. Actually, they get picked on for being too white by their black friends. We are looking for jobs now, but I think in our career fields it would be better for us to actually be in the area first. Commute doesn't bother either of us, and we've dealt with all types of traffic.

I'm sick of moving all over the country, and just want to be "home". Jacksonville looks to be that place for us Thanks in advance for all your advice.


ETA: Currently, we live in a 3b 1.5ba townhome and pay $1300 for rent. I would like to pay considerably less for at least a 4bed home. No more than $1100.

[David in JAX]

Well, I'm a current renter and landlord and here are my thoughts on credit reports. I always run a credit report on a rental. But, when my wife and I were looking for a place in Jacksonville we were very shocked. We looked at 12 different condominiums and not one person ran our credit. Only three took a rental application. I think it's real hit or miss on what people do.

[daedalo]

Get personal references from prior landlords. There will be some landlords that will not require a credit reference but this is the exception. Do inquiries by email or phone prior to find out who will take your references (with phone numbers to call). Hopefully you have good references. Personal references are very valuable in this case.

[coolfam7]

Thanks for the information . Our credit report does not represent who we are, and I cringe at the thought of someone seeing it. Our priority is ensuring my family has a roof over their head, and the basics like food and clothing. After that, we pretty much have no money left to pay our credit cards. This is why we need to escape where we are now. I live in the Washington, DC metro area... this is the worst we've ever been. I'm tired of robbing Peter to pay Paul

Up until last year we've lived in military housing. We've had the same rental management company since then. They gave us a chance when not many others in this area would. Will just having 1 reference hurt us?

[jimbo13]

try to get payment history on other things to indicate your worthiness... utility bills, phone bills, etc... we looked at alternative forms of credit sometimes in mortgage lending. maybe even prepare a good letter of explanation for why you fell behind in your CC payments.

[riveree]

I was going to say exactly what Jimbo said above - be prepared ahead of time with all the things he mentioned.

You're planning on living on about $40k a year? That's going to be slim for a family here.

You also said you're currently paying $1300 for a 3/1.5 and you'd like to pay less and get a four bedroom? You might find a 4/2 for $1300, but if you can live in a smaller house and pay less, considering your reduced income and your current credit situation you're trying to rebuild, I'd go for a smaller house for less $. I'd go as modest as possible so you can easily cover the rent each month - relocating to a new city can eat up a lot of $ getting settled.

Callahan is rural, you're right. The areas I'd recommend to you are going to be a distance from Callahan though - do you mind if you're 45 minutes or so away from your BIL, or do you want to be much closer?

Am I right in reading that you're moving here first without jobs? You're making me nervous now .

[coolfam7]

Originally Posted by riveree

I was going to say exactly what Jimbo said above - be prepared ahead of time with all the things he mentioned.

You're planning on living on about $40k a year? That's going to be slim for a family here.

You also said you're currently paying $1300 for a 3/1.5 and you'd like to pay less and get a four bedroom? You might find a 4/2 for $1300, but if you can live in a smaller house and pay less, considering your reduced income and your current credit situation you're trying to rebuild, I'd go for a smaller house for less $. I'd go as modest as possible so you can easily cover the rent each month - relocating to a new city can eat up a lot of $ getting settled.

Callahan is rural, you're right. The areas I'd recommend to you are going to be a distance from Callahan though - do you mind if you're 45 minutes or so away from your BIL, or do you want to be much closer?

Am I right in reading that you're moving here first without jobs? You're making me nervous now .

Riveree,

I would love to live in a 4 bedroom, but we have lived in much less. We can manage in a 3 bedroom. My oldest is almost 14, and well..teenagers like their space...LOL! I know all about the relocating cost Since 1993 I've lived in TX, WA, HI, NC, PA, VA and I'm originally from CA. We have no problem living 45 minutes away from the IL's. That's a lot better than 12 hours. I've seen homes for rent in Orange Park that could be affordable. What other areas do you recommend.

We do not plan on moving down there without a job..don't panic just yet DH has started putting in resumes. Our last move was from PA to VA, he actually moved 4 months before we did. If the same thing has to happen this time, he's ready to go. I have no plans on leaving until our lease is up in Jan 08.

[riveree]

Originally Posted by coolfam7

Riveree,

I would love to live in a 4 bedroom, but we have lived in much less. We can manage in a 3 bedroom. My oldest is almost 14, and well..teenagers like their space...LOL! I know all about the relocating cost Since 1993 I've lived in TX, WA, HI, NC, PA, VA and I'm originally from CA. We have no problem living 45 minutes away from the IL's. That's a lot better than 12 hours. I've seen homes for rent in Orange Park that could be affordable. What other areas do you recommend.

We do not plan on moving down there without a job..don't panic just yet DH has started putting in resumes. Our last move was from PA to VA, he actually moved 4 months before we did. If the same thing has to happen this time, he's ready to go. I have no plans on leaving until our lease is up in Jan 08.

Orange Park is one place I was thinking of for you, actually. I think it might be a nice balance for your particular needs. Some of the older areas in OP like Foxridge (look along Kingsley Ave) or neighborhoods in the Doctor's Lake area might have nice, older, affordable rentals. The commute - if you end up working in Jax - might be a little less painful if you stick to the older, more northern regions of the OP area.

Normally, I'd recommend some parts of Jax, but considering your BIL is in Callahan, OP would keep you on the same side of the river .

If you do want to venture out into Jax, I'd recommend:

Southside (32207, 32217, 32256)
Intracoastal West (32246, 32225, 32224)
Mandarin (32257, 32223)

Here's a map of zips:

http://www.florida-business-data.com...cksonville.htm

[the9thwonder]

Originally Posted by riveree

I was going to say exactly what Jimbo said above - be prepared ahead of time with all the things he mentioned.

You're planning on living on about $40k a year? That's going to be slim for a family here.

You also said you're currently paying $1300 for a 3/1.5 and you'd like to pay less and get a four bedroom? You might find a 4/2 for $1300, but if you can live in a smaller house and pay less, considering your reduced income and your current credit situation you're trying to rebuild, I'd go for a smaller house for less $. I'd go as modest as possible so you can easily cover the rent each month - relocating to a new city can eat up a lot of $ getting settled.

Callahan is rural, you're right. The areas I'd recommend to you are going to be a distance from Callahan though - do you mind if you're 45 minutes or so away from your BIL, or do you want to be much closer?

Am I right in reading that you're moving here first without jobs? You're making me nervous now .

No, I think he/she means $24/hr and $15/hr, which would be like $80k based on a 40-hr work week. Definitely doable I think.

[riveree]

Originally Posted by the9thwonder

No, I think he/she means $24/hr and $15/hr, which would be like $80k based on a 40-hr work week. Definitely doable I think.

Oh, I read it as that was their current situation, but that it would change once they relocated (she would not be working for a year, more than likely).