Bartram Springs (real estate, new home, neighborhood)

[one busy mom]

I am moving to Jax shortly and will be working downtown and in Mandarin. Will be working all days and hours. I am interested in what people think of the community of Bartram Springs as will likely be purchasing a home in that neighborhood. My son will be attending private school so schooling is not an issue. I am mostly interested in what people think of the homes in the community, friendliness, home values, ability to get around from that location, and likelihood of meeting people in the neighborhood. Since it was such a quick visit our initial impression was very favorable but would love to get some feedback from others. Thanks so much from everyone who helps out.

[riveree]

It's pretty, the houses are nice. The less expensive sections look like they could be any neighborhood anywhere, but the more upscale sections are very nice and a bit more unique.

The home values have been dropping, seems like more than average (probably due to not being a completed neighborhood). So you'd want to be sure you plan to ride out this market and won't need to sell anytime soon.

Your commute to Mandarin will be pretty easy, but your commute to Downtown will be long - definitely a longer-than-average commute. Hopefully that works for your particular situation.

[jackaroo]

The biggest negative to Bartram Springs is that you are so close to St. Johns County, but you still live in Duval so your children will go to school in that district, so the fact that your child will go to private school regardless will give you an opportunity to buy a really nice house for a good price.

The second negative though is that it does take a while to get to the interstate since there isn't an interchange at Racetrack Road, which means going down Philips Hwy or Bartram Parkway to get to I-95.

I recommend going through during your commute times and see how bad traffic is and then determine if that is something you are ok with.

[mrpvb]

Originally Posted by jackaroo

The biggest negative to Bartram Springs is that you are so close to St. Johns County, but you still live in Duval so your children will go to school in that district, so the fact that your child will go to private school regardless will give you an opportunity to buy a really nice house for a good price.

The second negative though is that it does take a while to get to the interstate since there isn't an interchange at Racetrack Road, which means going down Philips Hwy or Bartram Parkway to get to I-95.

I recommend going through during your commute times and see how bad traffic is and then determine if that is something you are ok with.

while bartram springs is nice, for the same kind of money, and a few minutes more commute time you could go over to Julington creek in st johns and have better schools, and better schools always translates to better real estate values

[cricketfan]

Originally Posted by mrpvb

while bartram springs is nice, for the same kind of money, and a few minutes more commute time you could go over to Julington creek in st johns and have better schools, and better schools always translates to better real estate values

Both are very nice but the big negative is access to the interstate. No direct access from Bartram Springs and from Julington Creek commuting can be a nightmare.

[agreatlife]

There are an incredibly large number of resales in Bartram Springs. Just keep that in mind, especially if you may be moving again within the next several years. There is still plenty of new construction, and that makes it harder to sell your own home and compete against the builders. There are also CDD fees in addition to HOA, so factor that in to your overall costs.

[one busy mom]

Thanks all for your help. We got a great deal -- I think --on a new home over there and I think we are going to go for it. We had to find something in like 2 weeks and couldn't find something we wanted in that short a time frame in Julington. So hopefully for the next many years we will be really loving our new home and --commutes.

[tamcim72]

eventually they will be adding an interchange on to 95 on the with 9A extending through a narrow area on the north side of bartram springs....may make access easier but also increase noise. We checked there and happened to hear the "train" go by. Something I would n't want to hear espically at night. May be not as noticable in some areas

[vpdianne]

I currently live in Bartram Springs. It is a lovely neighborhood, however, I am planning to put my house on the market in a few weeks. Just retired and the house is way to big. Bartram Springs will soon have a new school right on the property as well as a new shopping center. The development has so many amendities, it is a great place to live especially if you have children.