Housing prices in Pensacola? (Tampa, Brent: foreclosure, car insurance, crime rate)

[Dino1]

Is Pensacola a good place to retire to? My wife and were thinking of St. Pete but friends suggested we look into the panhandle. Can anyone give us a ballpark idea of what a decent, non-handyman special small home would cost? What areas should we avoid? Any advice woould be welcome as we are coming in about six weeks and would like ideas on where to look and where to avoid. Thank you for sharing.

[southernnaturelover]

You can find a decent house for $125k-$160k, although one person's opinion of "decent" is different from another's.

I suggest looking in the Milton or Pace area in Santa Rosa County. Avoid the west side of Pensacola (aka "Brownsville"), Brent, and Ensley.

[ncnittany]

Originally Posted by southernnaturelover

You can find a decent house for $125k-$160k, although one person's opinion of "decent" is different from another's.

I suggest looking in the Milton or Pace area in Santa Rosa County. Avoid the west side of Pensacola (aka "Brownsville"), Brent, and Ensley.

I will second what southernaturelover says. You are looking a mostly 1950-1970's ranch homes in that range (1600-1900 sqft.) with a few being newer if looking in Pensacola. You can find newer construction north of I-10 in that price range, but the neighborhoods are hit or miss.

[southernnaturelover]

I wouldn't use I-10 as a guide. Neighborhoods all over P'cola are hit or miss, even south of I-10, this is why I suggested Santa Rosa County.

[EducationNeverEnds]

A good suggestion would be to watch one of the local news programs from the area (check online), crime rate is high in certain areas. I would look at Destin (probably not going to happen in that price range) or stick with St Pete. St Pete is also a great town. IMHO

[kwazywabit]

St Pete will be roughly 10 degrees warmer than Pensacola... The big advantage to being in the panhandle is the Gulf of Mexico... Despite the big BP oil spill..the beaches are pristine and very Carribean like... I don't feel that the beaches in the St Pete area are quite as nice... Smog testing might be required on your vehicle in a big metropolis whereas it is not in PNS.... Car insurance might be a tad cheaper here as well since it is less populated.... Now to housing... We bought a 5 year old 3 br/ 3 bath home in very good condition ( a foreclosure) for $60K... It just needed paint and some carpet and now it's like new... We live one hour East of Pensacola just off I-10.
If you are retired military, I would most certainly recommend retiring in PNS... There are a number of bases here.. Even with future closures, this area would look pretty positive... Back to temps.... if winter nights in the 40s and days in the 50's might bother you..St Pete would be a better choice... The last thing I woud mention is air fare... If you fly.. Tampa/St Pete would be a lot cheaper to fly in and out of..... I have no idea if groceries would be cheaper in the St Pete area but, my guess is yes... As you can see, I am pretty objective as to living in either location.... Last item, LOTS of rednecks in the panhandle...Good Luck!

[kwazywabit]

Use Zillow.com to compare housing prices in both areas.