Moving to jacksonville (Orange Park: 2010, apartments, to rent)

[ch1992jones]

I will be moving to the Jacksonville area in 2010 due to retiring from the Armed Forces after 23 years. I'm looking for a home with 3+ bedroom, 2+ baths, 1600+ sq ft in the price range of 90,000 to 135,000 dollars. Also, I married with a son 12 yrs of age who will be in the 8th grade. Can anyone please give me some advice of nice areas to live in with a good school system?

[mawipafl]

Since Jacksonville, land-wise, is huge and diverse, the first thing to do is eliminate certain areas so that a home search can become manageable.

So, do you plan to work after your retirement? Then you'd want to choose a home within an easy commute.

What kinds of neighborhoods do you like? Rural, cookie-cutter, older/established, suburban-urban?

Do you want to be near anything in particular such as the beach, the river, downtown, etc?

There are many good schools sprinkled all over the First Coast, so it's relatively easy to answer the above questions and find a good school within your preferences.

[fsu813]

i think options are limited if he wants a 1600 sq ft 3/2 for 90-135k. There are large parts of town that you mentioned where nothing like that exists. He'll prolly have to be on the West or North side....perhaps Arlington.

[cricketfan]

Looking to buy a home isn't always your best option if your funds are that limited. Even if you were able to find a 3/2 1600sf home for 90k to 135k you might end up hating the location. It is sometimes wiser to look at renting.

[tercel95]

I would definitely rent down here first... Apartments are so cheap to rent down here that you wouldn't be throwing that much money away... Your price range is a little bit low, even for JAX so it might take you some time to find what you are looking for... The schools are not the best down here, although Clay county seems to have some of the better ones...

[riveree]

Originally Posted by mawipafl

Since Jacksonville, land-wise, is huge and diverse, the first thing to do is eliminate certain areas so that a home search can become manageable.

It's really vital to do that. Otherwise you won't be able to do an in-depth search on an area - there's just too much ground to cover here.

Will you be working part-time or full-time once here? If so, you'll want to consider your commute. You'd hate to be living at the beach if your job is in Orange Park and vice versa.

Consider your "must have's" and your "deal breakers". These specifics should help you narrow your scope considerably.

[Aulesia]

I was laig of my job here in Atlanta a year ago. Ready for a change. We are really thinking about leaving Atlanta and migrating to Jax for the fun in the sun. What is a good area to live? Need to be near shops and eateries. Will be renting an apartment when I arrive. Want to stay in a nice area though...