St. Lucie/ Martin County (Hollywood, Port St. Lucie: short sales, real estate, apartment)

[Jillzilla]

I see a lot of homes in Port St Lucie for cheap that are between I-95 and Florida's Turnpike. Is it safe to assume this is not such a great area? Where do I want to be?

[Lilybeans]

You want to be in Martin County

[Cougar31]

Port St. Lucie has gone downhill quite a bit. I would definitely try Stuart, Jupiter, or Vero Beach.
Best of luck.

[like2fish]

pt st lucie has gone downhill a bit? why? i am not suprised actually, and i have my thoughts, but just curious why you think it has gone downhill lately.

[TriMT7]

Originally Posted by Jillzilla

I see a lot of homes in Port St Lucie for cheap that are between I-95 and Florida's Turnpike. Is it safe to assume this is not such a great area? Where do I want to be?

The area "between I-95 and the turnpike" (AKA, simply "West of the Turnpike" generally) in Port St. Lucie is cheaper because it is less developed, and there are still lots of lots available for building. It was also the scene of most of the "speculation" building.

All in all, it's not a bad place. Again, just stay away from buying in "Parks Edge" or "Windmill Point." Actually, some of the newest construction neighborhoods are West of the tunrpike.



Port St. Lucie, for the most part, is a place for working class and middle class people to own homes in a decent, safe, but not perfect place that is still reeling from over development and over speculation. That means unless you choose to consciously live in a gated or "elevated" area of town, you're not going to have an HOA, you're not going to have guarantees that your neighbors cut their grass, and you're not going to have uniformity of housing. If you'd like a 3/2/2 on a 1/4 lot for well under 200k though, it's a good place.

Again, PSL is HUGE, with many different areas and regions that will give you very different living experiences. Just off the top of my head: Southbend, St. Lucie West, Torino, St. James area, East of US-1, Floresta area, Club Med/Sandpiper, Becker Road area, Gatlin Blvd. area, Tradition, PGA Village, Rio Mar area........ if you're working with a realtor and he or she can't tell you the pros and cons of all of the above areas, find another realtor!

Originally Posted by like2fish

pt st lucie has gone downhill a bit? why? i am not suprised actually, and i have my thoughts, but just curious why you think it has gone downhill lately.

Most of it has to do with over-speculation and overbuilding and the "bubble hangover" that hangs over the town. I think it's a pervasive poor attitude lingering because so many people bought so high, and now their homes are worth a lot less than they paid for them.

Port St. Lucie is also trying to stave off the influx of hordes fleeing South Florida, bringing their "South Florida" problems and attitudes with them. Except for being a bit more crowded, however, retail is finally catching up with the population (which WILL cause a problem for Martin County in the future, where PSL residents traditionally shopped), and schools, after falling in rank and now having taken a breath from massive growth, showed improvement in testing. (Remember to always read "St. Lucie" schools and "Port St. Lucie" schools differently. "St. Lucie" is the County as a whole... PORT St. Lucie is the City. ST. LUCIE includes Ft. Pierce, with a large migrant, Spanish speaking population and poor black population. Ft. Pierce is also where the "F" schools are).

BUT despite the negativity, and despite dropping to only "25th" safest city in the nation, it's STILL safer than it's neighbors to the North AND South. Good luck to you. If you are the same person who said that you will be working in Palm Beach Gardens, however, my only concern for you, again, would be the commute.

[TriMT7]

Originally Posted by like2fish

pt st lucie has gone downhill a bit? why? i am not suprised actually, and i have my thoughts, but just curious why you think it has gone downhill lately.

Also, a lot of this is generated and perpetuated by the "Palm Beach County" attitude and "Martin County" attitude, which has always looked down on Port St. Lucie as not as sophisticated.

As a now-resident of Palm Beach County, though, let me just say that for all the problems PBC has, people around here have NO room to talk AT ALL.

[Jillzilla]

Originally Posted by TriMT7

. If you are the same person who said that you will be working in Palm Beach Gardens, however, my only concern for you, again, would be the commute.

I am the same person.. but how can I pass up a home that was built in 2005, 4br's, 2 bath on 1/4 acre for only $81k ! It just boggles my mind, really. I can't even buy a co-op in NY for less than $250k. I see these cheap homes are in St. Lucie County, so I guess that is why. I need good schools..

I am just so confused, and overwhelmed.. but really, $81k for a beautiful house.. a mortgage for just $400 a month?! My rent up here for a ONE bedroom apartment is more than double that.

I am hoping the grass is greener on the other side.. I leave for Florida tomorrow.

[TriMT7]

Originally Posted by Jillzilla

I am the same person.. but how can I pass up a home that was built in 2005, 4br's, 2 bath on 1/4 acre for only $81k ! It just boggles my mind, really. I can't even buy a co-op in NY for less than $250k. I see these cheap homes are in St. Lucie County, so I guess that is why. I need good schools..

I am just so confused, and overwhelmed.. but really, $81k for a beautiful house.. a mortgage for just $400 a month?! My rent up here for a ONE bedroom apartment is more than double that.

I am hoping the grass is greener on the other side.. I leave for Florida tomorrow.

If you want, PM me the address or street, and I can tell you what the area is like.

Schools are FINE in Port St. Lucie. Many are actually "A" schools. As you get into high school, make sure your kids are "honors" or better, and they'll never come in contact with the element that brings test scores down. Always remember that education starts at home. All schools in PSL and St. Lucie county are equal funded. The only possible explanation for why one school does better than the other is the pool of students that go there.

[runswithscissors]

Originally Posted by Jillzilla

I am the same person.. but how can I pass up a home that was built in 2005, 4br's, 2 bath on 1/4 acre for only $81k ! It just boggles my mind, really. I can't even buy a co-op in NY for less than $250k. I see these cheap homes are in St. Lucie County, so I guess that is why. I need good schools..

I am just so confused, and overwhelmed.. but really, $81k for a beautiful house.. a mortgage for just $400 a month?! My rent up here for a ONE bedroom apartment is more than double that.

I am hoping the grass is greener on the other side.. I leave for Florida tomorrow.

The way you will pass it up is when you see the neighborhood. I flew back and forth for months on several wild goose chases. Notably, a duplex that the realtor didn't even bother to take the mattress off the front porch and trash out of the back.

I hope it's good....BUT.....That price is highly suspect. Must be a teaser listing, offering a short sale "guestimate" when in reality they have no CLUE about how much the bank will accept. Been there, done that too. You really have to watch your real estate dealings here, people pull all kinds of tricks you'd never anticipate.

Like a homeowner who scammed me on a house rental on Hollywood Beach and took 2400.00 deposit on the house that ALREADY HAD A TENANT WITH A SIGNED LEASE living in there. I'll never see that money again. What a crack pot but he got the last laugh.

You WILL be successful here if you have the job because your goal is to be a homeowner and homeownership is possible here. But there is NO RUSH TO BUY. RENT.

These houses are not going to disappear and they're still going down. Once you live here you can drive all over the place and you'll find something that has a decent school AND a OWNER OCCUPIED neighborhood where the people are not going to let it fall apart.

[Wendyb0077]

As the poster said above, A larger newer home in the 80's is most likely a SHORT SALE. Unless the bank has agreed to take that price, it is a crap shoot. I was out with people yesterday looking in that price range. 9 out of 10 were Short Sales. Port Saint Lucie as Part of Saint Lucie County is over 80 SQ Miles. There are lots of things to consider when moving here. It is very depressing to see all of the homes that are being walked away from. Most are not left in very good shape, so expect to be putting some money into the home. You are looking at AS-IS properties. MOST! will not fix anything for you.... You will need to hire a Licensed home inspector and have them check all systems out. Termites are a major problem in FL. A CBS home holds up better then a Frame home, but you can still get termites... Check for Mold, Get the a/c checked (inside and outside). Many of the homes built before our hurricaines in 2004 and 2005, need a good roof inspection. Plumbing, electrical etc. A home inspector only needs an occupational license to do inspections. Make sure you check out the inspector. A lot of them come with a team to do the inspections. Don't jump into anything without doing your homework. Hope these tips help you! Good Luck..