Which communities? (Jacksonville, Plantation, Orange Park: HOA fees, homes, neighborhood)

[lindquist22]

Thanks everyone for all of the good advice. I'm constantly on craigslist, inputting all of these neighborhoods but it is daunting.. when I put in ponte vedra beach, i get all kinds of listings for st. augustine as well - when I do a search for fleming island, i get a lot of listings that have a Middleburg address... whew!

I will be driving around with a 7 and a 9 year old and would love to zero in on specific areas. From what you told me and from what I can see from the listings, my best bet for what I am looking for are Julington Creek, Eagle Harbor, Fleming Island Plantation, Oak Creek, right?

Question for Riveree -- the 4 communities you listed near St. Johns Town Center all seem to be apartments/townhomes (at least that's all that comes up when I do a search on craigslist) - are there any single family communities in the same area that would still meet my budget (I could go up to $1,500 if it was a fantastic house).

Thanks so much to all of you for all of your help!

[agreatlife]

Have you looked on Realtor.com? That site has all the rentals that have been listed in the MLS, and it allows you to hone in on a zip code, and put in all the criteria that are important to you.

[riveree]

Originally Posted by lindquist22

Question for Riveree -- the 4 communities you listed near St. Johns Town Center all seem to be apartments/townhomes (at least that's all that comes up when I do a search on craigslist) - are there any single family communities in the same area that would still meet my budget (I could go up to $1,500 if it was a fantastic house).

Thanks so much to all of you for all of your help!

All of the four have a mix of housing. They all have apartments, townhomes/condos and plenty of single family homes (mostly single family homes). The differences between the areas are negligible, so you could focus on the location primarily (how close you want to be to the beach, downtown, etc.).

For $1300 or $1500 you could definitely rent a nice house in one of those areas, try the realtor.com search that Agreatlife recommended.

I don't know all the zips, but these are the ones I know for those areas (you can always expand the search):

32246
32225
32224
32256

[mawipafl]

32259 Julington Creek Plantation
32003 Fleming Island (Fleming Island Plantation, Eagle Harbor, etc.)
32065 Oak Leaf Plantation

[lindquist22]

We're here for the next two days! We are at World Golf Village in a hotel and we will start driving around neighborhoods tomorrow. Any suggestions on how to maximize our time in terms of driving around? I imagine we would want to do Fleming Island and Orange Park communities and then maybe go over to the Julington Creek area?

I hope to report back to you all tomorrow evening.

Thanks!

[kunacavegirl]

Personally, I would not go to Orange Park, too near to Jacksonville influence -- that is, unless you go to southernmost end called Plantation Island-Doctor's Inlet (off Route 17 South) That is an affluent area and schools are decent with good shopping, brand new Walmart, new Target, new post office and library. If you want a cheap condo or townhouse, go to Centex Homes website to search for Orange Park. The thing to remember about Orange Park is the Jax influence and that you will be commuting over the Buckman Bridge to Jax everyday, not fun.

I would go across the river to look at housing in Saint Johns County. From I-95 south, start looking from St. Augustine Road interchange (new Baptist Hospital), there's lots going on behind the Kohls shopping center in terms of new construction, and proceed south as well. Route 210 interchange is another area off I-95. Each interchange of I-95 offers a whole new group of construction projects going on, to rent or buy, and now is good time to buy. Golf Village is a nice area and will always hold its value. There's a good dog groomer there at Golf Village called Bark of the Town in the new Publix shopping center.

Get an appt. with a good realtor to help you cover the mileage. Watson Realty or Prudential are some names. There's alot to see so good luck!

[kunacavegirl]

Newcomers -- please be aware that all of the Plantation Island area is part of a development district and you will be assessed a monthly Community Development District fee, which is added to your property taxes (sort of like a homeowners' dues or fee, and some people find this extra amount, on top of mortgage PI, taxes and insurance, can be somewhat cost-prohibitive, especially if you are watching your monthly outlay. The realtors always forget to tell you of the CDD fee and this is something for which you will be obligated for 30 years -- or more -- even if you pay off your mortgage, and it can be increased at will by the CDD Board of Directors on an annual basis during the 30 years (or more, if they decide to extend it). [Just an FYI, so you see, these nice community services at Plantation Island do not come free with your new house. It's a country club lifestyle, if you'd call it that.]
-------------------------------
"There is a fabulous YMCA family center in Fleming Island Plantation, with one of the biggest fitness facilities you've ever seen. Clay County Library Headquarters is right nearby. Four great elementary schools and a high school. "

"The St. John's River. Two incredible golf courses (Eagle harbor and Fleming Plantation). "

"Housing can be a bit pricey in some of the snottier developments, but if you look around, you can find some real gems. i can tell you in my neighborhood, the houses that do hit the market don't last...the asking prices tend to be more moderate than EH, Fleming Plantation or Pace Island, but I'd still take my neighborhood over those three.[/quote]

[lindquist22]

Hello, I did not get a chance to write while we were visiting - we are back home again in Windermere. We only really got a chance to go to World Golf Village (which is where we stayed) and Fleming Island area. We LOVED Eagle Harbor - I have to say nothing else we saw compares in terms of amenities of the community and the shopping all around it.

I would have loved to go to Julington Creek and that area but we didn't make it. Is there comparable shopping within 5 minutes as there is near Eagle Harbor?

Thanks so much!

[lindquist22]

kunacavegirl - thanks for the info. I plan to rent and would like to rent a house vs. townhome (definitely not a condo).

Thanks!

[apanda]

Originally Posted by lindquist22

I would have loved to go to Julington Creek and that area but we didn't make it. Is there comparable shopping within 5 minutes as there is near Eagle Harbor?

Thanks so much!

Not so much. Grocery stores and some places to eat, but past that no not really.