If you can only spend about $100,000 is there just no point? (Jacksonville: for sale, apartments)

[JennyFL]

We Have previously lived in Jacksonville and Tallahassee, but we are currently living in Southern Indiana. We hate it here and are looking to move back to FL in the next year or two. My husband was a chef in the Navy for 8 years, he has a culinary degree and is enrolled in hospitality and culinary operations classes via Le Cordon Bleu. We are doing everything that we can to prepare ourselves ahead of time for life in the area and to make him as appealing to WDW as possible because ultimately he would like to work in one of their restaurants. We are trying to learn the lay of the land, we've been studying maps to learn the streets and even taking conversational Spanish lessons to help us get along better once we get there. We are trying to be prepared for everything.

That being said, we have been looking at realty websites trying to get an idea of what types housing there is where. After looking around, it seems like maybe we should drop the idea of being able to be in our own home as we are here in Indiana? We can probably only afford something at or below $100,000 and it seems like the only properties available in that range either LOOK like they have been abandoned for decades, served as the neighborhood crack den or are foreclosures so have no photos or info provided. After 8 years in various Navy Housing complexes I HATE living in apartments! We have three pets (1 small dog, one medium dog and one cat) so living in rental complexes where we have to walk up and down several flights of stairs is NOT something I would ever want to HAVE to do, but it seems like maybe we will be left with no choice.

We would like to find an area with as short of a commute to the WDW complex as possible and somewhere that is safe. With hubby being in the culinary industry, I spend evenings alone most of the time and expect to do so after we move. I don't want to be terrified of the local criminals busting down my door all night every night. We have no children, so schools are not a concern. I've read several threads about which areas are safe, but I don't think I could afford a storage shed in Dr. Phillips and there seems to be disagreement about other mentioned areas. We also are not adverse to an older place as long as it isn't a moldy hovel... our current home is over 100 years old.


Thank you for taking the time to read this and I appreciate any positive advice that you could give.

[WithDisp]

$100K is just too low to buy a house in most areas. Increase your budget to 150K and you're in a great spot.

You could rent for a while and hopefully bring in more money.

With all that in mind, is your 100K in cash? You -might- be able to work out a leftover shortsale with that kind of cash.

[DreamingofSunshine]

Wow that is a tough one. 100k won't buy much in a lot of areas in this country, let alone the Orlando area. My advice would be not to give up on your dream. Your husband will find a job someplace (maybe not orlando at first) and start to make decent money. Then he can look to work in Orlando and land a job....then with that salary you will be able to determine how much you can afford. If he is making 65k for example, you will be able to afford a lot more than a 100k house. I would not move anyplace without a job in place though. Good luck

[JennyFL]

I will have about 35k in cash, we make about 40K a year. I hate owing large amounts of money so even if I could "afford" $150k I'm not sure I would want to owe that much. We have a 5200sqft 6 bedroom home that we own right now, and honestly we are only living in the first floor and using the rest as storage because it is just took much house for us. I don't want to count on any specific amount of money from the sale of it though, because who knows what it will actually sell for or how long that will take. I don't like taking financial risks and so therefor don't want to mortgage myself to the hilt like a lot of people have done. I'd like to stick with what I know I can comfortably pay for or would rather not buy.

[tinytrump]

you have to read the values per sq ft honey... in the city is is way different. I rem in Miami a sq ft was $300. Condo/ short sale but 5200 sq ft for less than 100K...dubious

[JennyFL]

What we have is too much house, it's two normal stories, finished basement and a full finished attic. It's non-stop just keeping it dusted, We are looking for something more like a two bedroom 2,000 sqft or less. We had planned to fill the house with kids one day when we bought it in 2008, but that wasn't in the cards for us so now it is just hubby and I. We want to leave Indiana. It was a nice little town when we bought here, but since then the meth has exploded and after finding a methhead in my driveway the other night, the one thing that recommended this town (the low crime) is no more.

How is the Davenport area? Is that pretty bad?

[SanyBelle]

If you aren't opposed to condos/townhouses, you might be able to stay around 100K, just stay away from apartment conversions since you'd have to walk up/down steps with the dogs. Here are a few:

5292 Paradise Cay Cir # 5292, Kissimmee, FL 34746 is For Sale - Zillow

8843 Villa View Cir APT 204, Orlando, FL 32821 is For Sale - Zillow

This one even has a one car garage: 644 Cresting Oak Cir, Orlando, FL 32824 is For Sale - Zillow

Homes: Cermont is to the north, a good drive from the parks: 3631 Cinnamon Fern Loop, Clermont, FL 34714 is For Sale - Zillow

Winter Garden has some sketchy area, but worth a look around: 323 Windford Ct, Winter Garden, FL 34787 is For Sale - Zillow


Good luck!

[Mr Idealism]

Despite being above your $100k budget, I would look into the Williamsburg area. They have plenty of 2bed 2bath homes that would suit your needs, and once you see for yourself that $100k won't buy you much of anything, I think you'll realize you need to stretch your budget to $150k. If that's something you can afford, and you should be able to on $40k/year plus your savings, I think it would be a good fit. It's close to Disney and is a relatively quiet and safe area.

[qdogfball]

MLS # G4691645 1225 4TH ST Clermont

There are other places to work than WDW

[adamosgp]

They're still out there. I got my house for $105k last year in Azalea Park. I'm fully aware that 32807 isn't exactly glamorous, but it's a starter home that I'm happy with. 3 bedroom, 2 baths, relatively new kitchen appliances. Huge backyard.

The problem right now though is that inventories are purposely low so that more bidding wars occur on those properties that do seem like steals.

It takes some patience, but there are various gems in various spots of the Orlando area.