Condos in Port St Lucie (Fort Pierce, East Lake: sales, real estate, apartment)

[Janet0624]

I am going to be moving to the Port St Lucie area in the next few weeks. I will be starting a new job in Fort Pierce. Any suggestions on a safe area to buy a condo? I'm 55 and am not opposed to a 55+, but have a couple of young grandchildren that will be visiting me quite often. This is one of the main reasons for moving to the area.

[aridon]

Anywhere in St Lucie West would work. Plenty of options there. If you're looking on a tight budget you can look further east and save some money closer to US1.

[newred5]

Depends on what you want, where you want and how much you can/want to spend..Give us some more info and we will help you a bit more .

[Janet0624]

I'd like to start looking in the Port St Lucie area for a 2/2 and don't want to pay more than $150,000. I saw a couple in the King Isles subdivision and was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on those.

[newred5]

Kings isle is a good location in PSL West , it's 55 and over . I've never been there but I'm sure others have. A former neighbor of mine moved there and seemed to like it when I spoke with him .
Like it's been said, depends on where you want and how much to spend
You can buy a 2or 3 bed 2.5 bath/1 car garage in East Lake Village ( all CBS, about 10 years old ) for 115-129,000 it's located east of US 1 near the St Lucie/Jensen beach line . Not 55 and over, not gated, no clubhouse . Again , Depends on what you need ...

[aridon]

Originally Posted by Janet0624

I'd like to start looking in the Port St Lucie area for a 2/2 and don't want to pay more than $150,000. I saw a couple in the King Isles subdivision and was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on those.

I'd personally probably avoid kings isle because of the average age in there is quite high. The place is ok, there can be termite issues in there for some areas so be cautious (especially in attached buildings) but it's not a bad place. Just depends on what you're looking for.

There are tons of condo communities in the are with a variety of styles and prices. In your price range I'd look in Saint Lucie West, off of St Lucie West Blvd.

PGA
Lake Charles (Harbor Isles)
The Lakes (just off Bethany on Sun Terrace Circle)
Belmont

Etc, there are tons of possibilities. If you want to save a few $$ look a little closer to US1. Otherwise stay in SLW. Good luck in your search.


Edit:

Let me also add, prices have been rising rapidly here. When you see run of the mill quad condos approaching 145k in some areas of SLW and regular apartment style ones hitting 110k+ you know the bubble is back. I probably wouldn't buy anything at these prices (condo wise) and would rent for 2-5 years because we are in the mid stages of another bubble. It likely won't pop for another 2 years (perhaps more or maybe less) but it is something to be aware of. Real estate here can fluctuate wildly and condos will be the hardest hit when the bubble starts to pop.

Baby boomers and foreigners have been driving our markets higher, really to unsustainable levels. Housing hasn't quite hit that point yet in PSL (as there are some obvious quality lines in the city with the nicer areas appreciating much faster). Condos have been on a teart in SLW and it is likely because the pricing was lower than homes (which are higher compared to eastern sections) and the later half of the baby boomers don't have nearly the resources of the earlier retirees. Now that prices are getting high it is hard to imagine people paying 150k for condos and getting their money back in 10 years. Especially with how the demographics are shaping up for the owners and the later half of said demographics having nearly nothing saved compared to the earlier ones.

Anyway, just be warned. Florida real estate tends to fluctuate wildly and we are in a major appreciation cycle that is more than likely a dead cat bounce when you consider the long term demographics and financial shape of the people coming here over the next 5+ years. We don't have the jobs here to support condos at 150k or housing at 180-300k. Sure you can find cheaper stuff in the eastern sections but there is a reason SLW appreciated as rapidly as it did while other sections are still languishing. Either way, what we have here doesn't support high prices. Simple math. We are rapidly approaching that and in some areas blown past it.

[SeetheUSA]

Where are you moving from? If you are from out of state, I would recommend renting for at least 6 months. Find a nice apartment or house and find out what area you want to be in. PSL is very nice, but we are not exactly a beach community. That may be fine for you, or you may want to be close to the water. I would hate to see you buy something and regret the decision because you were hasty. Good luck regardless!

[boston904]

Originally Posted by SeetheUSA

Where are you moving from? If you are from out of state, I would recommend renting for at least 6 months. Find a nice apartment or house and find out what area you want to be in. PSL is very nice, but we are not exactly a beach community. That may be fine for you, or you may want to be close to the water. I would hate to see you buy something and regret the decision because you were hasty. Good luck regardless!

that's good advice

[FlaLadyB]

I was checking to see what was available and looking to see if anything in Cascades was available or the Belmont, the Club etc. in the St Lucie West area too. Any of the communities there would be perfect for you. Nice location that will give you all kinds of shopping and easy access to I95 if you needed it. Otherwise a single family home.

[lunetunelover]

We are renting at the Belmont and we really like it there. I agree that renting first might be a better option just to get a real feel for the area. I know the Belmont has some availability for both rentals and sales right now.