Visiting in April for possible relocation-need some advice (Jacksonville, Brent: for sale, rentals)

[sickofsnowychi]

My husband and I and our 2 girls (8 and 5) are looking seriously at the St. John County area of Jacksonville as our new home. We are originally from Chicago, but moved to Nashville 4 years ago in search of warmer weather and a more laid back lifestyle. Even then, we knew we wanted to he beach, but at that time, being able to drive there in 6 hours from Nashville was good enough. We always said Nashville was our stop on the way to the beach. We are now ready to take that next step!

We are going to be in the area for a Friday and Saturday and we want to maximize our time, so I want to determine neighborhoods that are a good fit before we go. I have done extensive reading on this forum, on the school ratings, etc. I am still a little confused on the neighborhoods and which ones are new construction and which are more established. Here's a little bit about what we are looking for. 4 bedroom, 2 bath. A bonus room or office. 2 car garage (3 would be awesome). A fun, active neighborhood filled with young kids. I want my kids to be able walk out front and have a friend to play with. A neighborhood pool. We are looking between $275k-$350k. My husband works from home, so commuting isn't a huge factor, although I don't want to have to drive really far to do standard errands like grocery, Target, etc. My husband does travel sometimes, so he will have to get to the airport. We would love to be close to the beach, but it looks like Nocatee is the only area in our budget that gets us close to the beaches. We are going to drive through there, and I have the posts on it, so I know we will either like or won't. It feels too large for our liking, we tend to like smaller communities. Any other areas closer to the beach that you would suggest checking out? What about other areas? Jurlington Creek looked good. Does that have neighborhoods within the large subdivision and then everyone shares the pools, etc? Finally, on the subdivisions that you would suggest us looking at, which ones are established vs new construction? Pros and cons?

Thank you!

[SaintCabbage]

This thread has some good information on the differences in the neighborhoods:

Nocatee - is it really as great as it sounds?

That budget wont get you into Nocatee for a 4/2. At $350k, you could likely find a resale at the low end of Durbin Crossing or maybe something older in Cimarrone.

If you went deeper into Saint Augustine proper, you could find a 4/3 pretty easily in that budget.

[sickofsnowychi]

I saw several on Realtor.com in our price range in all the subdivisions, including Nocatee. I also did read through that thread and that is where I got a lot of my information. I still don't think Nocatee is a fit for us anyway. I do like Durbin Crossing and there are several options for us there. What about Jurlington Creek? Is that one subdivision, or several little subdivisions in one?

[SaintCabbage]

Originally Posted by sickofsnowychi

I saw several on Realtor.com in our price range in all the subdivisions, including Nocatee. I also did read through that thread and that is where I got a lot of my information. I still don't think Nocatee is a fit for us anyway. I do like Durbin Crossing and there are several options for us there. What about Jurlington Creek? Is that one subdivision, or several little subdivisions in one?

Julington is broken up into sections internally, but it's all together, not all spread out like Nocatee. It's very similar to Durbin Crossing, just about 5 to 10 years older. There's also a bigger spread in Julington, there are sections that have million dollar homes on the river back in there. Durbin basically has the same types of houses across the board. It does range from low 200's to 700ish, but 90% of it is in the low 300's to low 500's range I would say.

[JMMH]

We moved from Nashville (Brentwood) a few years ago to St. Johns. This area is similar to Williamson County with good school systems and safe neighborhoods, but St. Johns County isn't as wealthy overall (no country music singers/producers living here!).

I don't know St. Augustine very well but in St. Johns (the town not the county), new construction is available in Durbin Crossing, Nocatee, and various individual lots all over that are not part of a larger subdivision. There may be more subdivisions with lots available but these are the ones that come to mind.

Julington Creek is built out except for one last gated neighborhood. That one does have its own smaller swimming pool but overall Julington Creek has a large swimming pool and fitness center that anybody can use who lives within one of the Julington Creek subdivisions, as do Durbin and Nocatee as well.

You should be able to easily find an existing house meeting your criteria in St. Johns. Most neighborhoods here are full of young kids as most people live here for the school system (i.e. it's certainly not for the commute downtown I can tell you).

As long as you don't live in certain remote parts of the county (such as south on SR-13), going to the grocery store, post office, etc should not be too hard. There are basically two pockets of commerce/restaurants in St. Johns, the northwest corner of the county where Race Track meets SR-13/San Jose, and down on 210 near I-95. The rest of St. Johns is residential for the most part. St. Augustine is part of the county and has a lot to offer as well, but again I don't know that area very well and will defer to others on this board.

Closest Target would be up San Jose in Mandarin or at St. Johns Town Center which despite its name is not at all close to St. Johns, roughly 25+ minutes.

Also, you cannot get any farther geographically from the Jacksonville airport than St. Johns in the greater Jacksonville area. Easily a 50+ minute drive with good traffic either up I-95 or along I-295.

[judeK]

Have you considered Amelia Island, just north of Jacksonville? It too has A rated schools and is right on the coast. It consists of many small developments and a couple of large ones too. It's closer to JIA (the airport) than anywhere in St Johns County. And has just about every basic shopping need one could want, and quick access to all of the more upscale ones in Jacksonville. Throw in a lot of family-run restaurants and the usual smaller chain eating establishment.

[projectmaximus]

East Arlington is full of family-friendly subdivisions and you'd be 5-10 min driving from the beach. Not sure how the schools would work out for you...they are a bit of a crapshoot in Duval County. Please do research on that but don't just look on the surface and assume that everything in Duval is bad. There are plenty of magnets and charters as well.

[Vols2Gators]

FWIW, we followed a similar pattern of move. Chicago to Chattanooga to St. Johns. Now living happily(subjectively speaking) in JCP. There are plenty of rentals and for sale in JCP that'll meet your needs. We rented for a year before made the decision to buy. The community recreation center in JCP has a nice fitness center(cancelled our Y membership) and a nice sized pool. They also have skating park if your kids are into it. Another plus with JCP is the lowest of CDD fees (if you're buying) among Nocatee, Durbin Crossing and other comparable subdivisions.

For everyday shopping there is a neighborhood walmart (mini version of super centers) at the corner of Rt 13 & Race Track. There is a Fresh Market across Julington Creek which is not far. Whole Foods is about 10 to 20 mins drive depending on which side of JCP you end up and the traffic. Good luck!!

[snuffybear]

I agree with Julington Creek, Amelia Island, and St. Augustine. Definitely more choices since you don't have to commute into Jacksonville. Julington's pool center is beautiful!

[ilfaith]

You might also consider the area around World Golf Village (including Murabella) as well as the neighborhoods just south if Nocatee off US1...Palencia, Las Calinas, and Kensington. All are family-friendly (good schools) and have existing home stock as well as new construction.