Moving to the area (Jacksonville: houses, established neighborhood, schools)

[tundra53206]

Hi all. I'm looking at relocating to the JAX area and need a little help on where to look for affordable single family housing. I'm married with two children so safety and quality schools are my major concern. I would love to live somewhere near water with good parks, hiking/biking trails, etc. Any help would be appreciated. P.S. I would like a commute of less than 1 hour from central JAX. Thanks.

[fsu813]

What's "affordable" to you?

[tundra53206]

I'm looking between 225k and 275k, pref. 4/2+/2 on decent lot (over 1/4 acre)

[mawipafl]

Within an hour's commute gives you more choices than you could ever sift through. So, let's try and narrow it down a bit :-)

Near water: meaning ocean, river, streams, ponds?
Type of 4/2 house: older, newer, cookie-cutter, unique?
Neighborhood: masterplanned with amenities or established neighborhood or semi-rural?

Depending on your answers, getting more than 1/4 acre lot might or might not make it harder. Some newer neighborhoods (most actually I think) were built with houses one on top of another. In many of these, attention was paid to privacy, so the smallness of the lot isn't felt, but in some cases you can feel on display.

[tundra53206]

Originally Posted by mawipafl

Within an hour's commute gives you more choices than you could ever sift through. So, let's try and narrow it down a bit :-)

Near water: meaning ocean, river, streams, ponds?
Type of 4/2 house: older, newer, cookie-cutter, unique?
Neighborhood: masterplanned with amenities or established neighborhood or semi-rural?

Depending on your answers, getting more than 1/4 acre lot might or might not make it harder. Some newer neighborhoods (most actually I think) were built with houses one on top of another. In many of these, attention was paid to privacy, so the smallness of the lot isn't felt, but in some cases you can feel on display.

OK - established neighborhood, not cookie cutter, doesn't have to be new, remodeled old would be fine. As far as water, within a short drive of the ocean (10-15 minutes). Thanks for the help.

[mawipafl]

You'll probably want to look on the east side of the St Johns River. I'm on the west side and my drive to the beach is 35-40 minutes which is not a problem for me, but may be too far for you.

Try the Mandarin area - zip code 32223

Will you be able to come down on a househunting trip? That's the absolute best way to find what fits your needs and desires. The Jax area is so huge land-wise and has such diversity.

[tundra53206]

Thanks mawi. I do plan a trip in the next month or so.

[mawipafl]

Great to plan a trip. One way to whittle down the many choices is to drive around and get a feel for the traffic issues (or non-issues) - the driving around will also give you either warm-fuzzies or doesn't-float-my-boat feelings about particular neighborhoods in the Jacksonville area.

A highly useful tool for your endeavor is a paper map of Jacksonville/Duval County. Maps of Clay, St Johns, and Nassau Counties would be a worthwhile investment, too. It would be quite helpful, pre-househunting, to get a lay of the land, to see the different main routes to downtown and to the beaches from the various places on the First Coast.

[fsquid]

I loved the Mandarin part in 32223. However, it was outside of my budget.

[EricBoyd]

Originally Posted by fsquid

I loved the Mandarin part in 32223. However, it was outside of my budget.

You'll still be close enough to enjoy it, from your 32259 location.