Potential Move To Jacksonville (Plantation, Sawgrass: for sale, insurance, condo)

[aandj]

My wife and I, plus our three young children, are considering a move to Jacksonville from Los Angeles in response to a job offer I received. I have been reading these posts and found them to be extremely informative -- thank you.

We would be looking for a house in either Ponte Vedra or N / NW St. John's County, and our budget is about $800,000. I have some questions if anyone can help out.

In comparing Ponte Vedra to the St. John's area west of the Intercoastal :

a. are there less bugs in Ponte Vedra;

b. is it cooler at all in Ponte Vedra;

c. can you buy considerably more house for the money in W. St. John's (e.g., in the 210 corridor area) as compared to Ponte Vedra;

d. what are the approximate property taxes in these areas; and

e. can anyone recommend any particular subdivisions that are nice.

Thank you so much for any responses.

[5FLgirls]

I will try to start this thread out for you and answer to the best of my abilities. By the way--my house in PVB in Marsh Landing which is an A neighborhood is for sale for $799K. It is over 3,000 sq.ft with 5 full bedrooms, lagoon view completely remodeled in the last year. I am giving this info because I am currently moving to OC at the end of June and having a heart attack at the differences. You will definitely get WAY more for your money here.

a. I don't know the answer to this. I haven't found bugs to be too much of an issue here but then I've lived in SFL for the last decade and the mosquitos there are worse. Those "lovebug" things are annoying and I've seen more wasps here than in SFL. I usually just throw some repellant on my kids for the mosquitos when they go out to play during the warmer months.

b. I think you get great breezes here. It's such a small beach town. The weather is much warmer than LA. I am having anxiety over the difference in temperature!

c. Doing my research, I spent a lot of time househunting in St. John's County and I think it comes down to lifestyle more than house for the money. I paid up to live in PVB but I didn't see anything that I'd want to buy in 210 and then have to drive for all my activities. Most of the people I've met who live in the 210 area (for example, St. John's Golf & Country) bring their kids to PVB for preschool.

d. I'm not 100% sure of our property taxes. When we compared taxes from NFL to OC, they all came out to be about the same. And we're talking property taxes (less that Mella Roos stuff), HOI, and auto insurance.

e. In 210 area, I really like St. John's Forest and Southhampton (I think that's what it's called). Cimarron was nice too. I've never driven through St. John's Golf & Country but people say it's nice) In Ponte Vedra, I would definitely mention Marsh Landing. There isn't that much under $1M here but it's a great neighborhood. Sawgrass is nice as well as Plantation Oaks. There isn't a lot of new construction for under $1M at the beaches but sales are slow so you could possibly get a builder down into your price range.

Friends just moved from Stevenson Ranch in N.LA County to Marsh Landing last year and they are very happy with their decision. They don't feel that their everyday expenses changed much (activities, cost of living, etc.) but they definitely bought a beautiful house with enough money left over to remodel and add a fantastic pool.

Good Luck. Your family will love Jacksonville.

[riveree]

Originally Posted by aandj

In comparing Ponte Vedra to the St. John's area west of the Intercoastal :

a. are there less bugs in Ponte Vedra;

b. is it cooler at all in Ponte Vedra;

c. can you buy considerably more house for the money in W. St. John's (e.g., in the 210 corridor area) as compared to Ponte Vedra;

d. what are the approximate property taxes in these areas; and

e. can anyone recommend any particular subdivisions that are nice.

Hi Aandj,

a) Your first question was so cute, it made me giggle a little! I think the bugs are pretty evenly distributed overall. There might be a few different types out at the beach though (different ecosystem). You'll see slightly different birds, lizards, snakes, etc. out at the beach than inland...it's just different (and I think that's what makes it more special, really).

b) The ocean breeze is so nice and it smells so good. I'm not sure if it's actually cooler or not....but the breeze can make a huge difference in how it feels.

c) You might be able to buy a bit more square footage inland (I certainly hope they are charging less per square foot!), but as 5FLgirls said so well 'it's about lifestlye'. I would choose PVB in a heartbeat.

d) I tried to look up the millage rate for you, but the St. John's County website is having issues, so I'll just post it here for you (just go to the property appraiser's dept):

http://www.sjcpa.us/

e) I'm seconding what 5FLgirls said again - Marsh Landing is one of the better known communities out there. What I would recommend is a drive down A1A from the north end of Ponte Vedra down to the south end. This will give you a good feel for the area so you can see what you prefer. I like Old Ponte Vedra a lot (on the north end).

Good luck in your search! Lots of nice places to choose from in your price range.

[aandj]

Thank you so much for your time and responses. Looks like we will be coming to Jacksonville in a few weeks. I was hoping the cost of living (other than housing) was a little cheaper than California, but that may not actually be the case. Once again, Thanks.

[jerseygirl151]

We have been looking for a condo in the area and found one called Ocean Grande. It is located in a marsh area and I was wondering about the bugs. I have read some comments about having screened porches but can you even walk around day or night. Is there any affect on the beach? I've never lived near a marsh and have a lot of concern. Does anyone have any input about this issue and input about Ocean Grande?? Thanks.

[tercel95]

Originally Posted by aandj

Thank you so much for your time and responses. Looks like we will be coming to Jacksonville in a few weeks. I was hoping the cost of living (other than housing) was a little cheaper than California, but that may not actually be the case. Once again, Thanks.

No state income tax, make sure you factor that in... I would think almost everything would be cheaper here than in CA...

[fsquid]

you just responded to a two year old post.