Sebastian? (Miami, Melbourne, Port Orange: real estate, renter, house)

[runswithscissors]

Originally Posted by Js81

Looks nice... I'm looking for somewhere that would have places to walk (myself and my dog) and relax. How's the beach access near Sebastian and Vero? To me, there's nothing better than a lazy day at the beach with a good book. Are there any places in the area where I could take my dog (black lab) to the beach? She LOVES to swim...



Nice looking place. Great lagoon view, too. Now I'm beginning to wonder about moving anywhere near Florida - I'd end up head over heels in debt... with a new boat.

LOL I know. That lagoon is actually the Intracoastal waterway and goes up and down all the way to the south.

You can access the beaches in Sebastian through informal "access roads" it's very nice, country rural. I'd be quite happy with that if the living thing had worked out.

You access the beaches in Vero through a more formal kind deal that is like each one has a "park-ett" and most have a small boardwalk and a couple have some restaurants right on the beach. Not boardwalks like the Jersey shore filled with stores or stuff they are empty, just boards you walk on. LOL....

Outside of those accesses, you have to live in a house on the beach or in a development that I've never looked at cuz they are pricey so why bother. They are up and down the beach.

There's also Hutchinson Island, remote and full of beaches and condos but not alot of buildup you have to come over to the mainland to "shop". some people like that too. It's good for renting IMO. You feel remote with the grasslands and stuff even if you're in a condo. You have direct ocean view.

I love the Intracoastal though, too and would prefer buying on it because it's quieter than the beach waves 24/7, seriously it's a consideration although a nice conflict to have if you can afford to choose.

Google Vero beach parks and click on the photos to see what I'm talking bout LOL.

I LOVED Sebastian but it wasn't workable for me, really. I am dog-less right now but if I had a dog I'd be moving to the beach that best serviced the dog and I dont' know of any in Vero that allow dogs. So if Sebastian allowed dogs, Sebastian it would be.

But I always let my dog dictate my life anyway, so that's just me.

[Js81]

Thanks for all the replies, guys! Again, I appreciate it...

I'm still tossed up, but I'm thinking that Sebastian is somewhere I should definitely look into more. I don't want to be in the middle of a tourist mess all the time, but I want to be close to some of the attractions. With Vero and Melbourne nearby, maybe Sebastian would be a good place for us...

However, my wife loves Daytona and really wants to look more toward that area (not IN Daytona, of course). We've looked into Port Orange/Edgewater also, but I keep coming back farther south to the Treasure Coast. Ah, its two years away - we have a lot of "research" ahead of us.

Looking forward to somewhere I can take my dog to the beach with me - don't think that'll happen around Edgewater/New Smyrna. Is there enough remote areas around Sebastian that this may happen? I like the idea of a remote beach without all of the craziness...

Still thinking about it... You don't have to convince about the state... but convince me where to go!

[runswithscissors]

Originally Posted by Js81

Thanks for all the replies, guys! Again, I appreciate it...

I'm still tossed up, but I'm thinking that Sebastian is somewhere I should definitely look into more. I don't want to be in the middle of a tourist mess all the time, but I want to be close to some of the attractions. With Vero and Melbourne nearby, maybe Sebastian would be a good place for us...

However, my wife loves Daytona and really wants to look more toward that area (not IN Daytona, of course). We've looked into Port Orange/Edgewater also, but I keep coming back farther south to the Treasure Coast. Ah, its two years away - we have a lot of "research" ahead of us.

Looking forward to somewhere I can take my dog to the beach with me - don't think that'll happen around Edgewater/New Smyrna. Is there enough remote areas around Sebastian that this may happen? I like the idea of a remote beach without all of the craziness...

Still thinking about it... You don't have to convince about the state... but convince me where to go!

LOL well that won't happen. I grew up here off and on...spent 6 months flying back and forth, drove up and down the coast on the east...even BOUGHT a condo and still not "sure" of where I'm going to end up.

I know it's not here. (I'm 55)....I WILL be somewhere on water.

People say it wears off (water) but that's not true for everyone. I grew up in FLL the city of canals and the NJ Shore on the Bay in Longport so there's no way I get sick of it. I even moved near a river in PA the Delaware when I lived up there.

You'll figure it out when you start coming here more. Just RENT. The mantra of the decade

dog friendly link"

DogFriendly.com - Florida Travel Guide for Dog Owners

[pharmlivin]

I really had no idea one of the buildings was in such condition...coincidently, we're on the bay in Ocean City NJ (summers only) and, like you, love to be near the water...thanks again for the info about your community as well.

[runswithscissors]

I was at the beach tonight and saw a guy walking his two boxers on the road parallel to the beach. He said there's no dog beach here or Sebastian but you can take them in state parks on leash only.

On a positive note, for people who have kids there were PLENTY of kids playing on each playground park at each beach access. Also PLENTY of people of every age especially 15 - 40 I'd say. Seniors at a minimum.

Must be a Saturday night thing.

pharmlivin, what a small world LOL. We lived about two blocks from the bridge on sunset av. My father never had any luck. He sold the house in 1962 and moved here, THEN gambling came in. The house had 6 apartments in it that we rented out in the summer and played in in the winter so he would have been a quick millionaire.

I LOVE this HOA, seriously. It's 55 plus, btw not all ages like Reflections.

It looks nice and all from Route One but when you get in here you see how perfectly maintained it is and peaceful. Yet active. Although there are a bunch of OLDER like, 80 year olds, you see people in their 50s all day long. And even the older ones are out. we have two clubhouses one small and one normal size and two pools too. It's not a huge place so that's a nice bonus the small pool is heated every day of the year and right at the nature trail.

If you are over 55 I really encourage you to check it out. Not expensive either. The hoa is 344 and all you pay on top of that is electric and phone and you get free cable. The condos are all 1200 sq feet and larger and range from average 70000 to 130000 now. Depending on the inside and model and upgrades.

Mine was a shock the people were in their early 50s and inherited it only lived here a few months when it got trashed by a hurricane in 05 They remodeled it really perfectly, built in desk in the kitchen, italian tile like I've never seen, five coats of fancy shmantzy paint LOL...every single thing was rebuilt to Dade code and even the inside of the walls new wiring. New wood kitchen cabinets and every thing is modern. Only the windows are original they held up in the storm which is great.

My insurance is only about 600 per year with no shutters. This house wont need another thing done to it for a decade or more and paid under 120. TThe unit across from me sold for 70 because it has goofy cabinets but really , the entire place is perfectly fine. Just they have mostly carpet and no real upgrades. For some reason half the cabints are beige and the other half white lol. But it was also "rebuilt" in 05. All the buildings have new dade code roofs from 05 but a couple buildings really had water damage and this was one of them. Now it's like a brand new house though. Instead of the original 80s in fact people dont really realize that even though the HOA began in the 80s so much was rebuilt like new.

If you want water just hold out till the prices stabilize...Vero has a ton of condos on water.

We have a couple canals too with small condos on them, only a few though.

[runswithscissors]

Originally Posted by Js81

Last night I was browsing around realtor.com and I found a 3 bed, 2 bath condo that was on A1A in Daytona just across the street from the ocean for $179k. I couldn't BELIEVE it was that cheap - and it had ocean views from several rooms! But I just don't want a condo... I need grass to cut and yard work to do.

EDIT: Here's that link!

I like the looks of that. And the price. One on that page is only 135. Good for me lol.

In two years you'll be set. And you may change your mind about mowing every week in 80% humidity which is 100 % from 6 am till it burns off to 80 at 9 am from May till about October ha ha.

NOTHING grew in my garden either, we had a cloudy March and all my veggies in containers stayed completely STILL didnt sprout a single leaf

I moved from a rental house to this condo with south exposure and a 25 ft enclosed porch thinking the sun would be good. I didn't realize March would be bright but no SUN really. lol.

I'll try again later.

[runswithscissors]

Cross posting this reply to an HOA thread on the Tampa forum to explain more about what Grove Isle HOA benefits are.

You can see why I gave up a direct water view for this great community, although I have to admit I may still need to move to water LOL:


QUOTE:

You have to read the documents to see what is covered. Every single one is different although the themes are the same.

I know some sections in FLL that are even less than 75.00 that do the lawns and PAINT THE ENTIRE EXTERIORSOF THE HOMES including the roofs every 5 years.

My HOA is 344 and all I pay for extra is my electric and a landline phone if I want one. And interior homeowners insurance.

We have two beautiful pools and clubhouses, extensive landscaping, a 50 acre nature park with a boat launch and dock on the Intracoastal waterway with picnic tables and seating. And a butterfly park LOL. The local free bus has stops here with benches. We just resurfaced both pools and surrounds (to me they looked perfect even before that) and painted each building's exterior and put up new fencing around to keep the wild hogs out.

Even our trash dumpsters are awesome, surrounded by fences with jasmine that's in bloom now and every time you take out your trash you small jasmine not stale watermelon LOL. Seriously, someone maintains all that landscaping and it has to be paid for.

We have a 24 hour guard and gate. They are VERY dilligent about security.

MOST importantly, people forget the RESIDENTS ARE THE HOA after the builder leaves. Whatever the rules and bylaws are are controlled by the residents. So the level of involvement is key.

Our HOA had almost 2 million in reserves which is why I bought here. It's irreplacable IMO, and all of the residents respect the place and work to keep it what it is. There is no bickering about stuff like demanding they be allowed to put window air conditioning units all over the place to save money on central air.

Conversley I almost made a major error and bought in another place with individual building hoa's and most had ZERO reserves. LOTS of problems there with mold and bad roofs in those particular buildings.

If you have lawn maintenance, tennis courts, lakes that need to be maintained or even a gate, you have to pay for them and the BUDGET on file will show you EXACTLY WHAT IS SPENT every year.

Get the 2009 budget from the realtor and you can see the expenses. If you like a neighborhood without any HOA and feel you're up to the work involved in keeping your own property for the next however many years AND you judge that your NEIGHBORS are the same, and they won't be deteriorating the neighborhood any time soon OR if there's a lot of privacy where you can't see the neighbors then you won't need any type of HOA situation anyway, imo.

I also obtained the docs and past four years' HOA budgets through the realtor that had been certified legally for what it's worth. Before ever making an offer I spent time in the development talking to residents in detail and trying to confirm what I was told was true. My next door neighbor had been a previous HOA president so he was eager to "share" ha ha.

ONE condo was bank owned and had a flood and it was the talk of the neighborhood since it was so rare. It happened to be the unit over my realtor's home and she was displaced while the repairs were going on and she also had slight mold in the walls. So it was a big deal.

Then the HOA went to a program of inspecting all water heaters especially with unoccupied snow bird units and the residents all approved of the idea. The HOA entered into a bulk discount water heater replacement program offering new heaters at a substantial savings. They also have the same program for storm/screen doors if you want one it's cheaper and installed by the same company so you don't get a headache with different contractors.

When I saw how proactive and NICE the people were here I knew it would be a good fit for my personality. Especially compared to other dumpy places that I saw where the master association didnt even fix a roof that was open to the SKY on a bank owned unit.



Edited to add: We have a paid property manager too, that is very nice, organized and a real asset. She runs interference with all the residents and the HOA on daily stuff. That includes if you are going away they'll look out for your place or the person you designate in charge. We also have cleaning staff organized through the office who vacuums the landings and wipes down the railings outside, about once a month or so. She also facilitates all new buyers to make sure the documents, amenities and rules are CLEAR and understood before you buy here and gives you a copy of the budget and the docs. This is not that common in my experience here, most HOAs are very loose and less formal but I liked that aspect here as well.

[MB2]

Originally Posted by runswithscissors

I was at the beach tonight and saw a guy walking his two boxers on the road parallel to the beach. He said there's no dog beach here or Sebastian but you can take them in state parks on leash only.

.....

I just got the word about that yesterday as well from a co-worker, which always took her dog to the beach.
Well, it looks like it was tolerated here in Sebastian/ Vero for many years, without anyone ever saying anything.
But now, they really started to crack down on it. (She was approached by a female police/ ranger letting her dog run on the beach....just to be told, that it's a warning.....this time. Next time she surely will get fined !)
So, I guess with dog friendly beaches here in Sebastian/ Vero it's a "no go" anymore.

[Js81]

Originally Posted by MB2

I just got the word about that yesterday as well from a co-worker, which always took her dog to the beach.
Well, it looks like it was tolerated here in Sebastian/ Vero for many years, without anyone ever saying anything.
But now, they really started to crack down on it. (She was approached by a female police/ ranger letting her dog run on the beach....just to be told, that it's a warning.....this time. Next time she surely will get fined !)
So, I guess with dog friendly beaches here in Sebastian/ Vero it's a "no go" anymore.

Thanks, MB2. Do you know of any dog-friendly beaches near Sebastian, maybe up closer to Melbourne? If not, do you know of any closer to the Port Orange/Edgewater/New Smyrna area? While not a DECIDING factor, it is important to us - we are definitely dog lovers! Any help is greatly appreciated.

[runswithscissors]

[SIZE=2] Jupiter Beach -A1A at Xanadu Road Jupiter[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2] Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge -North Beach Road Jupiter Island

These are near Tequesta the village I think you'd like.

but in two years things can change.

check the link I posted for other towns..[/SIZE]