Winter Home ( Grandma ) !! - Where in Florida? (Jacksonville, Miami: for sale, real estate)

[MiaCoral]

Hi all,

I haven't personally visited Florida before but my Grandma is planning on buying a winter home near to a beach ... Does anybody have any pointers as to where might be suitable?




Somewhere that is safe, a nice community but not far from somewhere where younger people can enjoy nightlife.





Thanks in advance

[ClearNight]

hi......my parents have a place in florida. Florida has west & east coast.

I hope good advise comes along. You can check....Homes for Sale, MLS Listings Search, Real Estate Agents -- Zip Realty and
zero in on everthing for sale.

Its also handy to see where in proximity to the beach
particular properties and neighbourhoods are located.

I don't think the perfect spot exists, Florida is having many difficulties.

I wouldn't mind checking Hollywood Florida. Good Luck

[lisalisa4444]

Jupiter, Sarasota, Boca, Highland beach, Deerfield Beach. Hope that helps

[ssclulow]

Florida is VERY diverse. I would need more information about the kind of life your grandmother wants to live in Florida before giving opinion / advice on where she should look.

[PeepoRsheep]

Originally Posted by MiaCoral

Hi all,

I haven't personally visited Florida before but my Grandma is planning on buying a winter home near to a beach ... Does anybody have any pointers as to where might be suitable?




Somewhere that is safe, a nice community but not far from somewhere where younger people can enjoy nightlife.





Thanks in advance

Grandma goes to the clubs? Go grandma..

[lhernandez48]

Gulf Beaches are superior to Atlantic Beaches, in my honest opinion. Sand quality is inferior on the Atlantic side and the water contains large rocks and is typically murky. Gulf beach waters are blue and the bottom is visible. Atlantic beaches, especially in the Daytona area are shark prone (New Smyrna beach being the Shark Capital of world) whereas west coast beaches have large schools of fish, stingrays, and water-bound mammals.

Crime in Florida is on the decline but still among the highest in the nation, with Orlando and Miami placing in the top 10 worst cities for crime. Jacksonville and Tampa aren't too far off. However I've lived here my whole life, my house has never been vandalized or broken in to, and none of my cars have ever been touched, and Ive even owned Honda's, the most stolen vehicle in the state. The other risk is the jerks who target the elderly population with scams, it happens way to often here.

Nightlife can be found in any city-center or near a large University.

At any rate, these are the communities I'd suggest:

- Dunedin - A very quaint marine town between Clearwater and Tarpon Springs. It shares the Urban area of Tampa and St. Petersburg, so its a small town within a big city. Very conservative population consisting of middle-high class and the elderly. Lots of open green-space and palms.

- Punta Gorda - Just North of Fort Myers, although decimated in 2004 by Hurricane Charley, the area has rebounded and its a very low-key town. Perdominantly conservative.

- Port St. Lucie - Basically a suburb in the middle of nowhere. It is considered the dividing point between Central and South Florida. The closest city-center is Fort Pierce, which in itself is extremely small.

- St. Augustine - And I'm talking about in the historic city or on Anastasia Island. The historic city is extremely walkable and there are so many fascinating things that old folks love! Plus the beaches in this area are very nice. Anastasia State Park is close by.

- Jacksonville - The largest city in Florida, in terms of the city proper's area and the city proper's population, however don't be fooled, the metro area is among the smallest in comparison with the other cities in Florida. Jacksonville is great because it meshes the best things about a big city with the best things about a small town. There is a football team (which sucks), there is a University, a large-scale downtown area with many nightlife venues. Most big-name concerts come though here and the distance from western county to beaches is typically under 30 minutes. Traffic isn't nearly as bad as Miami, Orlando, and Tampa... likewise with the crime. Jacksonville's location also spares it from direct hit hurricanes, they haven't had one in over 20 years!! The beaches are decent, and in the winter, you may catch a rare Florida dusting.

Those would be my top-5 in order, hopefuly this helps, but of course you really need to do research. I would advise your grandmother to make a few trips first before purchasing... People always make the mistake of taking a community at face value the first time they see it, and there are always surprises to be found!

[cpt757100]

The panhandle is by far the nicest part of Florida. I would stay far far away from Hollywood, this area is full of crime and traffic. Try Destin or Fort Walton Beach!

[lcole07]

Plug Hobe Sound into you search. But the grand kids will have to head South about 30 miles for "night life" in WPB. The beach HSNWR - Martin County, Florida

Larry - Hobe Sound