Moving To Jacksonville Fm Hawaii!!! (Plantation, St. Augustine: rental, low crime, mortgage)

[Ncboy]

Aloha All!!!

My family and I are moving to Mayport (military) for a few years. We're looking at buying a single-family home(new construction preferred) there and would like some info on the areas. Looking for an area that has many different races since my family is multicultural(black & japanese).
We also have an 8yr old daughter so being in a safe area with low crime is a must. We're looking for a good school system, good housing community that has good amenities, and not to far from shops, malls, and all that good stuff. We've heard about some of the areas there but still not quite sure.
Since I'll be working in Mayport, the North seems idea to buy a home but I heard that the Northside is dangerous and always in the news with something bad happening. We've also heard that Oakleaf Plantation, Fleming Island and Eagle Harbor are good areas that have good amenities but seems pretty far.
Lastly, we heard a little about Julington Creek, Mandarin, and St. Augustine area. Driving 30 to 45 minutes to the Oakleaf or St. Augustine wouldn't be a problem if it's worth the money(under 210,00) and safe but some suggestions on other areas just as good with amenities and safe would be great. Any and all suggestions would be great!

[apvbguy]

Originally Posted by Ncboy

Aloha All!!!

My family and I are moving to Mayport (military) for a few years. We're looking at buying a single-family home(new construction preferred) there and would like some info on the areas. Looking for an area that has many different races since my family is multicultural(black & japanese).
We also have an 8yr old daughter so being in a safe area with low crime is a must. We're looking for a good school system, good housing community that has good amenities, and not to far from shops, malls, and all that good stuff. We've heard about some of the areas there but still not quite sure.
Since I'll be working in Mayport, the North seems idea to buy a home but I heard that the Northside is dangerous and always in the news with something bad happening. We've also heard that Oakleaf Plantation, Fleming Island and Eagle Harbor are good areas that have good amenities but seems pretty far.
Lastly, we heard a little about Julington Creek, Mandarin, and St. Augustine area. Driving 30 to 45 minutes to the Oakleaf or St. Augustine wouldn't be a problem if it's worth the money(under 210,00) and safe but some suggestions on other areas just as good with amenities and safe would be great. Any and all suggestions would be great!

your problem is that oakleaf and st augustine are more like an hour or so away, there are some decent areas that are closer, but $210k is not going to get you too far in anywhere but the worst of areas.

[Ncboy]

apvbguy: Thanks for the response...So what are the closer areas that are decent?

[apvbguy]

Originally Posted by Ncboy

apvbguy: Thanks for the response...So what are the closer areas that are decent?

atlantic beach, neptune beach, JAX beach, arlington, ft caroline, are some places to consider

[vdecapio]

I was thinking 100 would put you in a poor area....but I was under the impression that 200 is about an average price here with 300 and above being an upper class home?

I know so many young people who have bought newly constructed 3 br homes that pay basically a mortgage that is not much more than the rental costs in the area (maybe 1000-1500 per month for a mortgage). So, I know these houses can't be much more than 200K. Now these houses are not mansions, but they are nice smaller houses in good neighborhoods. A lot around the unf area.

Am I wrong?

[Ncboy]

vdecapio:thanks for ur repsonse... so what is unf area?

[GA DAWG FAN]

Im also in the navy and have lived in the Jacksonville area for over seven years...the northside isnt all bad..I lived in northeast Jacksonville for several years and really enjoyed it...there are several new communitys out in the area....a couple them with community pools and tennis for around 200,000 you can get a nice home....check out the 32226 and 32218 zip code...welcome to Jacksonville

[riveree]

Originally Posted by Ncboy

Aloha All!!!

My family and I are moving to Mayport (military) for a few years. We're looking at buying a single-family home(new construction preferred) there and would like some info on the areas. Looking for an area that has many different races since my family is multicultural(black & japanese).
We also have an 8yr old daughter so being in a safe area with low crime is a must. We're looking for a good school system, good housing community that has good amenities, and not to far from shops, malls, and all that good stuff. We've heard about some of the areas there but still not quite sure.
Since I'll be working in Mayport, the North seems idea to buy a home but I heard that the Northside is dangerous and always in the news with something bad happening. We've also heard that Oakleaf Plantation, Fleming Island and Eagle Harbor are good areas that have good amenities but seems pretty far.
Lastly, we heard a little about Julington Creek, Mandarin, and St. Augustine area. Driving 30 to 45 minutes to the Oakleaf or St. Augustine wouldn't be a problem if it's worth the money(under 210,00) and safe but some suggestions on other areas just as good with amenities and safe would be great. Any and all suggestions would be great!

Based on your requirements, I don't think Oakleaf or St. Augustine will work based on distance alone (as Apvbguy said, plan on an hour or more each way...easy).

Mayport might not suit you as it is a higher crime area...not necessarily one of our worst crime areas, but there is enough crime to deter a fair amount of people from wanting to live there.

Mandarin is probably more in the right direction for the kind of area you're looking for, but distance may be a problem again. Julington Creek is at the southern end of the Mandarin area and you're getting an even longer commute now.

What Mandarin offers - a safe, family-friendly area withe plenty of shopping and amenities - can be found just south of Mayport in the areas Apvbguy mentioned and the bonuses would be 1) much shorter commute and 2) very close to the beach - just minutes away (10-15 minutes).

For your budget - $210k or less - you should be able to find a small, modest home, maybe a bit of a cosmetic fixer-upper, but a decent home. Try searching in zip 32225 to start.

[riveree]

Originally Posted by vdecapio

I was thinking 100 would put you in a poor area....but I was under the impression that 200 is about an average price here with 300 and above being an upper class home?

I know so many young people who have bought newly constructed 3 br homes that pay basically a mortgage that is not much more than the rental costs in the area (maybe 1000-1500 per month for a mortgage). So, I know these houses can't be much more than 200K. Now these houses are not mansions, but they are nice smaller houses in good neighborhoods. A lot around the unf area.

Am I wrong?

Well, location is everything of course, so $200k in one area might buy you a decent modest home, but $200k in another area might buy you little more than a tear-down/serious renovation project.

I would venture to guess that for the type of home most people envision as merely "average" in Jacksonville, you'd be looking at houses closer to the $250k mark. $300k can get you a bit more square footage and maybe what some may consider entry-level luxury.

Your friends who bought houses where their mortgage is less than what the house would cost to rent probably bought those homes a few years back, and that makes all the difference in the world. 5, 6, 7 years ago, you could build a brand new 3, 4 or 5 bedroom home for $130k, $150k, $175k in the UNF area....today those same homes would sell for $225k-$300k+ range.

So a mortgage for $130k could easily run less $1000/mo....especially at the older mortgage rates of 5% or so that were available a few years back.

(and for the OP, UNF area would be zips 32246, 32224 & 32225)

[Ncboy]

Thanks to everyone for all ur info...keep it coming...

riveree - so what is the avg price of a single family home in the Mandarin/Julington Creek area?