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Old 11-12-2013, 03:20 PM
 
5 posts, read 19,408 times
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Hi,
My husband has accepted a job in St. Augustine. Currently, we live in Lake Mary, which we both really like for its short commute times to either Orlando (30 min) or Daytona (45 min), the city has a lot of events for families and children, and shopping is within a 5 minute drive (mall, target, publix).
I work from home, so there is no commute that I will need to be concerned with. We are looking for a nice neighborhood that tends to be more family than retiree. We would like some semblance of a yard (I'd be ok with just a 1/4-1/2 acre).

I would appreciate some input from the locals on the following:
1. Are there any family friendly subdivisions, that do not have CDDs? (our desired price range is <200k; looking to pay it off quickly so that I can stop working to be with the kiddos while they are still small). We are not against moving out beyond the city limits. Is 200k reasonable for the area?

2. Let me be clear, I don't want to have a boat or a car on blocks, but if we would have a vegetable garden within a fenced area of our yard, would it be common that an HOA would fine?

3. I see that there are a lot of touristy things to do, but once that stops being appealing, what do locals do with their children for fun (other than the beach - (I have one child that has sensory trouble with the sand). Are there children's museums, or children's theatres where they could see a play? Mine are 7/5/3 - girls.

4. Are there sidewalks within the subdivisions? Odd question probably, but we enjoy taking nightly walks & don't really want to do it in the street.

5. Is there a local girl scout troupe?

If you don't like my questions, and think that there are other more important things to tell me to give me some info, please don't hesitate. I will appreciate any info.

Regards!
mom23skiddles
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Old 11-12-2013, 06:43 PM
 
Location: Nokomis Fl
1,008 posts, read 2,624,035 times
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Most of the neighborhoods near to St Augustine are mixed family and retirees but there is never a predominance of retirees unless you go to the golfing communities.

1. family friendly subdivisions, that do not have CDDs price range is 200k
Sebastion Cove is one
The Shores is another
I live in Heritage Park where we have CDD but not too expensive compared to others but we are family orientated and have sidewalks playing areas community pools etc
200k is just reasonable for the area.

2. Most hoas will not permit boats or a cars on blocks.

3. There is going to be a new children's museums where the Dow is now and there is the Pirate museum and of course kids love the Fountain of Youth Park
We have plays at the Flagler Auditorium, and we have the Limelight Theatre
We have lots of kids activities last weekend Pirate gathering, before that Haloween Parade.Now we have night of lights and Christmas activities at the Ampitheatre and Ripleys .

4. Plenty of sidewalks within the subdivisions. I am a runner and enjoy taking nightly runs

Not sure about girl scout troupes they may be attached to schools

I suggest that you pay us a visit we are only 90 minutes away
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Old 11-12-2013, 08:55 PM
 
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Thank you! Your response is very helpful. We are indeed going up for a visit; Thanksgiving weekend we will be up there to familiarize ourselves with it. I will check out the subdivisions you noted along with Heritage Park (I was able to find their 2014 CDD budget which doesn't seem unreasonable at all).

Definitely wanted to go in with some sort of idea of the area, so thanks!
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Old 11-13-2013, 10:06 AM
 
Location: Nokomis Fl
1,008 posts, read 2,624,035 times
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If you need a friendly voice ( English ) please pm me and I will let you have my phone number
The thanksgiving weekend will be busy in town and the advantage is the lights will be on so magical for the children
Our taxes including cdd in a 4 bed new house in Heritage Park value about $225,000 are $2800 and hoa $175 a quarter and we have every facility a family would want, tennis courts, baseball and soccer pitches, swimming pool and clubhouse, walking trails.

Please be careful with school catchment areas as some are better than others and I have to be honest we are not in the best one. Sadly the better schools are in the more expensive areas where prices are more than $200,000. However St Johns schools are the best in the State!
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Old 11-13-2013, 11:34 AM
 
285 posts, read 604,144 times
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It really is magical in downtown St. Augustine this time of year with the lights! Also, I know a few people who live in CDD/HOA communities and have gardens in their yards. I don't know if they were required to check with the HOA or not, but they have some pretty nice sized ones behind their fences. Best of luck to you!
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Old 11-21-2013, 11:56 AM
 
9 posts, read 19,794 times
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This past July we moved to Saint Johns from NJ. We chose a short term rental while we figured out the area and explored all of the different towns and communities. We are now buying in Durbin Crossing but was very happy in Julington Creek Plantation too. The neighborhood has tons of kids and the schools and amenties are all great. I definitely think you should consider a rental before settling on one area.
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Old 11-30-2013, 07:21 PM
 
Location: Centennial, CO
32 posts, read 68,166 times
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Hi, All! I just sent a friend request to two of you mommies! We too are relocating, but from Denver. We are visiting next week - so excited after three months of internet "browsing" - also trying to narrow down the SJC areas.

We liked the WGV area until we heard of some really bad internet issues - we rely on wireless and connectivity for our businesses. So that puts us back to JCP, Durbin Xing and maybe Murabella. I also like Las Calinas, but they don't have as many amenities and my husband really wants a gym so we have one less bill each month. (right now in Denver we belong to Lifetime Fitness and although it's nice, it's $185 month for our family - adds up fast over a year!)

I like the look of JCP and the pricing, but hubby wants a home either new or less than 3 yrs old. (Leaving a 40-yr old home that has been avg. $1,200-$1,500 a month in repairs now and is killing us!) So that led me to Durbin Crossing - but we were hoping to stay around $250-$275K and need 4bd/3ba/3car - so I'm not sure if we can afford DCrossing. That led me to Murabella - I love the proximity to St. A, the outlets and the larger lots.

I am with you, I do not want a "cinder block" storage unit next to me and I also garden so I don't want to have to ask to grow tomatoes and cucumbers - it's good for the kids too! I also want nice amenities, proximity to grocery shopping and no more than 40 minutes to St Johns Center. - Murabella seems to balance out, but I've been told it's "out there". I don't mind though because he only commutes a few times a month to the airport for weekend work and I work from home.

We loved the look and idea of Nocatee but the price points are high and I am trying to leave the mortgage anchor around my neck in Denver!

Anyway, BatchT and mom23skiddles, I hope to hear your feedback! I am so excited to finally be getting down there! Our family of 6 is ready for a less-stress type of change!!
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Old 12-02-2013, 03:53 PM
 
9,284 posts, read 8,196,249 times
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Please keep me updated on how your exploratory trip goes! Anxious to hear your feedback on the various communities.
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Old 12-03-2013, 10:02 AM
 
5 posts, read 19,408 times
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Thank you so much to everyone for all of your assistance!
My husband and I (with the 3 kiddos in tow) went up for a weekend trip. After many many hours corralling them & attempting to make looking at homes fun, we only ended up looking at 2 communities. Oh well, better than nothing.

We visited the Shores but found that the majority of the homes were older than what we are looking for, although there were some that appeared to be newer construction (by the walgreens side) with pretty good sized lots. A rated school in walking distance could be a big plus though.

Murabella was very nice, the prices were right, the homes are new & I thought that my husband was going to buy something when I wasn't looking. However, while he was enticed by all of the amenities, I was put off by the $2,500 annual community development dues ($2,500!!) for things that I just didn't think that were really worth all that extra money. There are parks in St. Augustine, right? I pay nothing for a gym currently since my company reimburses, while he pays only $10. So, the $200 payment per month is so high to me. The only grocery store was Publix & being from FL, I know how Publix pricing compares to other stores. Kind of felt like we were really out in the middle of nowhere with Murabella. The agent at the development said that there's "supposed" to be a Super Target coming, but...I've searched & see no mention of that anywhere. I am a Target shopper at heart, so 30 minutes to Target =

I had not heard about the internet access issues. Something else for me to consider since I will be 100% working from home.

For now, I believe that my husband will commute the 1.5 hours (1 way) until we get a better handle on an area. The tough part is that we have 2 kiddos in school & are concerned about renting in 1 area, then buying in another & making them switch schools again. (OK, yes, I know that it's better than buying in the wrong area...).

I am officially confused. Planning on checking out Heritage Park as was recommended on our next trip up.
Please keep the comments coming -- I can certainly use the help.
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Old 12-03-2013, 10:27 AM
 
9,284 posts, read 8,196,249 times
Reputation: 18946
Did you happen to see my planned communities thread here? I gave a good list of all of the master planned communities in and around St. Augustine. Several locals chimed in as to their favorites and some hidden gems. Might be worth checking some of those out. Although I realize it's a timing issue, even if you like a neighborhood you have to find something that is up for rent in your price range.
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