Saint Johns or Jacksonville, FL for Family or 2 School Age kids (Plantation: 2015, rentals)

[jflanigandoherty]

We are relocating to Jacksonville, FL from Raleigh, NC this summer for a job. Good public schools and nice neighborhoods with lots of kids is our top priority. We drove through Julington Creek Plantation and loved it, but are there a lot of kids (Ages 5-9)? Also, are schools rezoned often? We've dealt with this up here and are not interested in getting assigned to a new school ever year. Are there any areas in Jacksonville with good neighborhood schools Elementary - High School? We'd really like to be closer to the beach, but not sure we can afford (budget 350K-400k) it and we are concerned about the schools. Finally, does anyone know where to get a short term rental (3mos) while we look for a home? Thank you in advance to all who reply

[SaintCabbage]

I would look through the other threads in here that are nearly identical to your request. Nocatee and Durbin Crossing are the other two neighborhoods you'll want to look at. You will have a very hard time find a 3 mo. rental unless it's a very small condo on the beach, like a long term vacation rental, which will be incredibly expensive. 3 months will pass in a blink of an eye, I would think a 1 year rental would be a good idea. We personally rented for 2 years first and it passed very quickly. Although the housing market is really on fire here, so 2 years might cost you $50k in price hikes at the current pace.

Nocatee and Durbin Crossing have identical brand new K-8 schools opening next year, so no re-zoning happening there after next year where all the kids will switch to the new schools. At $350k-400k, you are right in the meat of what it's going to cost you in either neighborhood currently.

Good Luck!

[mawipafl]

First, there may be difficulty, though not an impossibility, to find an affordable short-term rental because of the Florida statute that says rentals 6 months or less are considered "hotel" stays and subject to the hotel tax. Therefore many landlords only offer the shortest lease of 7 months. Perhaps a realtor or other informed members of this forum can point you in the right direction.

Second, there are great neighborhoods full of kids in good school districts all over the area. With your wish to be nearer the beach, you will probably want to househunt in the eastern or southern parts of Duval County or in St. Johns County rather than in Clay County (on the other side of the St. Johns River from St. Johns County). But it all depends on the job location and the commute -- that's a huge factor.

Lastly, school rezoning, I don't think there's any easy way to predict. Logically it would seem to me that areas experiencing growth with new construction might be subject to school reassignments down the road, but that established areas would be less likely. I don't have kids in the public school system, but hopefully forum members who do can give you an insight to that.

P.S. SaintCabbage and I were posting a reply at the same time, so some duplicate info!

[JMMH]

Welcome and good luck! I am originally from NC and used to live in Raleigh. Miss being in the Triangle, but we have really enjoyed our time here in Jacksonville.

I live in one of the numerous Julington Creek subdivisions, and agree would also look at Durbin and Nocatee as well. Plenty of kids in any of those subdivisions. I can't speak about rezoning as I've only been here since 2012, but all of the schools in this area are excellent.

I rented for a year before buying a house. I don't remember seeing any short term leases, and at the time rentals were very in demand in St. Johns. Your price range should get you a nice house in this area as well.

[jflanigandoherty]

Thank you! I really appreciate the feedback! Looking forward to our move

[West Coast Republican]

I have family who live in both places, and St. Augustine is by far the more superior location IMO. It's far safer and the St.Johns County schools rank among the best in the state of Florida. Only downside is that St.Augustine is basically just a small tourist town and it doesn't really have a lot of activities to do. I thought it was pretty boring honestly. I've vacationed there and whenever I wanted to go out and do something really fun I would either have to head up to JAX (which was about 30 mins away) or go south to Daytona (which was about an hour away).

[Robyn55]

Originally Posted by jflanigandoherty

We are relocating to Jacksonville, FL from Raleigh, NC this summer for a job. Good public schools and nice neighborhoods with lots of kids is our top priority. We drove through Julington Creek Plantation and loved it, but are there a lot of kids (Ages 5-9)? Also, are schools rezoned often? We've dealt with this up here and are not interested in getting assigned to a new school ever year. Are there any areas in Jacksonville with good neighborhood schools Elementary - High School? We'd really like to be closer to the beach, but not sure we can afford (budget 350K-400k) it and we are concerned about the schools. Finally, does anyone know where to get a short term rental (3mos) while we look for a home? Thank you in advance to all who reply

I agree with mawipafl that moving to a place that is currently more or less "built out" will decrease the odds that you'll have to deal with changes in school zoning in the future (and vice versa). See for example postings on the SJC schools website like this one:

St. Johns County School District - Attendance Zone Changes for 2014-2015

I also agree that unless you're willing to have a pretty long commute - where you'll be working is an important factor. In what part of town will you be working?

In terms of rentals - I think 3 months will be difficult. A year much easier. 6 months a tossup. For shorter term rentals you should look at small local papers like the Ponte Vedra Recorder - the St. Augustine Record - etc. (get print editions - they usually have more classifieds than the on-line editions). Also check with a reputable realtor that handles a lot of rentals - like Watson Realty:

Jacksonville Property Management and Property Managers, Jacksonville Houses and Homes for Rent

Note that there are a lot of rental scams in Florida. Like people claiming they own property (when they don't) - taking your first and last months rent - and then disappearing. Be careful. Robyn

[jflanigandoherty]

Thank you!

[elreflects]

st johns county has the best school district in the state forget Jacksonville traffic is nightmare black white racial setting of the 70's

[elreflects]

go to nocatee new schools going in all age kids believe me this is your choice I am not a realtor . St Johns county has the best school district in the state.. I am not a teacher
Jacksonville is like the racial tension and riots of the 70's. Backwards in that regard