Relocating to Palm Beach Gardens / Jupiter. Family friendly communities $1.2-$1.5 price range?

[willjbryan]

Just for fun, I will respectfully disagree with most of the above:


On the likelihood of issues cropping up, I printed out all your posts on Valencia and reviewed them with inspectors, compared notes with coworkers who had previously lived there, who had purchased or had failed inspections in other neighborhoods, etc. I got comfortable with a big investment in part because their consensus view was that the Issa/DelCrest homes are not particularly issue-prone for the price and the issues you've identified are the exception rather than the rule. Maybe they're wrong and you're right, although I hope not!


On Rialto as an alternative, I can see the argument for spending $800-900k there over the Spear homes at that price in Valencia. I would rather get less land and square footage in New Haven/Valencia in exchange for the better location, less street noise and better walkability, but different people obviously have different preferences. For $1.2+, though, Rialto has no equivalent - no home has ever sold for $1m+ there.


On the value proposition/longevity of the neighborhood, at $1.2+ the homes have all been extensively updated from their humble 2003 roots and generally have impact glass etc. I do agree that homes that are not updated tend to sit on the market, but that's not an issue for a new buyer.


On the bridge, I live near it and drive across it twice daily, and don't notice much through traffic at all. It just doesn't save any time - because of the much lower speed limits inside Valencia, you're better off to stay on Central or Frederick Small rather than cutting from one to the other on Barcelona.

[City Guy997S]

I would love to know if your realtor/inspector acknowledged the plumbing/mold issues in Valencia? I know your house got a clean inspection but did they agree there has been quite a few issues in there with other homes?


My buddy lived on the main street by the green area......the cut through traffic was down right scary especially after 4:30. People also cut down there to access those apartments north of Valencia. The stop sign was a joke.

You are 100% correct that Rialto hasn't hit a million bucks but I bet it will shortly due to the square footage offered there. It has an older section and a newer section, the newer houses got bigger/more upgrades than the original side. The walk-ability is moot since nobody "walks" anywhere. The sports complex across from Rialto comes in real handy if your kid plays baseball/soccer. For commuters Rialto is tough to beat.

Valencia upgrades, sure a few people might have but a quick look on realtor.com and I see plenty of original kitchens/baths. If that stuff wasn't done then no way did they spent 50K on impact glass.
Looking at this one made me laugh: https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...-52430?view=qv

Look at the 3rd pic, big blue tarp on the neighbor's roof! House just went on the market this week so those pics have to be current so the roofs are getting ready for replacement in there. Also note the previous sale price (1.18mm 10 years ago). Can't see the owner piling in many upgrades when they might struggle to get their purchase price back. Of the 8 offerings on realtor.com, I'd say ONE has a new kitchen and the rest are original. The one with the new kitchen is looking to set a record with Valencia prices as well.


Good luck with your new home, it is a cool place to live.

[willjbryan]

1) Nobody agreed that Valencia is especially issue-prone. I know one Valencia resident who pulled out of another Valencia home over inspection issues, but he is the exception. I'm also pretty familiar with all the current $1m offerings/recent sales, which I'll address below.

2) Just going property by property, 109 Villa Bella ($1.4 ask) has an updated kitchen and went under contract within 48 hours of listing. 146 Barcelona (sold for $1.2) has an updated kitchen and impact glass and was under contract within a few weeks of listing. 107 and 108 Segovia were also updated and went quickly. 136 Segovia was updated including a renovated kitchen but had really bad road noise in the back yard so it sat for a while. I don't know about Villa Bella, but all of 107/108/136/146 were fine on inspection. 118 Santander was in perfect shape with tons of updates and went over asking for around $1.7. Your example (102 Santander) is probably pretty rough around the edges given the low price for the lot and the lack of updates, but a Valencia buyer can easily avoid that situation.

3) Based on https://www.buildzoom.com/answers/t/...-florida/649/5 I doubt the barrel tile roofs in Valencia are close to failure in general (although particular tiles will break in storms and need repair).

4) Older construction is always going to require more money to maintain than newer. Why, then, does the $1m+ Valencia tier go for around $300psf on average while Rialto is closer to $225, notwithstanding Valencia's older construction and smaller lots? You would appear to ascribe the price difference to a collective delusion of Valencia owners. I think you tend to get what you pay for, so you're better off buying a place that's tailored to your idiosyncratic preferences. Personally I love mature trees so would pay an even larger premium than the market places on Valencia housing to have that amenity, but I'm sure there are plenty of other considerations that contribute to the average.

[City Guy997S]

Originally Posted by willjbryan

1) Nobody agreed that Valencia is especially issue-prone. I know one Valencia resident who pulled out of another Valencia home over inspection issues, but he is the exception. I'm also pretty familiar with all the current $1m offerings/recent sales, which I'll address below.

2) Just going property by property, 109 Villa Bella ($1.4 ask) has an updated kitchen and went under contract within 48 hours of listing. 146 Barcelona (sold for $1.2) has an updated kitchen and impact glass and was under contract within a few weeks of listing. 107 and 108 Segovia were also updated and went quickly. 136 Segovia was updated including a renovated kitchen but had really bad road noise in the back yard so it sat for a while. I don't know about Villa Bella, but all of 107/108/136/146 were fine on inspection. 118 Santander was in perfect shape with tons of updates and went over asking for around $1.7. Your example (102 Santander) is probably pretty rough around the edges given the low price for the lot and the lack of updates, but a Valencia buyer can easily avoid that situation.tps://www.buildzoom.com/answers/t/how-long-should-a-concrete-tile-roof-la

3) Based on htst-in-florida/649/5 I doubt the barrel tile roofs in Valencia are close to failure in general (although particular tiles will break in storms and need repair).

4) Older construction is always going to require more money to maintain than newer. Why, then, does the $1m+ Valencia tier go for around $300psf on average while Rialto is closer to $225, notwithstanding Valencia's older construction and smaller lots? You would appear to ascribe the price difference to a collective delusion of Valencia owners. I think you tend to get what you pay for, so you're better off buying a place that's tailored to your idiosyncratic preferences. Personally I love mature trees so would pay an even larger premium than the market places on Valencia housing to have that amenity, but I'm sure there are plenty of other considerations that contribute to the average.

I get that you are personally invested in the neighborhood but be honest you have only been there a short time. I have mentioned before I wish the best for you in your new home. I asked if your "inspector/realtor" acknowledged the flooding/mold issues. You didn't mention if they did or not. The issues are there and there seems to be a recurring theme in certain homes so if they are denying the issues that would seem they are either new to the area or simply misrepresenting the truth.

#2 - Unless you have read all the inspection reports personally I'll chalk that up to "realtor upsell."
I have no idea about the individual homes you have posted that have recently sold. However I have seen a few renovated homes in there......paid for with insurance money after the floods!

#3 tells me you have absolutely NO IDEA WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT! There isn't a barrel tile roof out there that will last 30-50 years in Florida! Next time you are in a 20+ yr old neighborhood in Florida note the roofs. The listing I posted showed a neighboring home with a giant blue tarp......You don't need those for a cracked tile or two, those are for major leaks. I will bet 75% of the homes in Valencia will get total re-roofs in the next 5 years (models were built in 2002, most homes were built 2003-04) so the roofs at the 20 yr mark will start needing work. Also keep in mind those homes have been through 6-7 major hurricanes. The tiles aren't the issue, it is the tar paper below the tiles. Once the paper rots the drips start. Valencia had fancy roof designs, multiple valleys which all will hurt the long term viability of the roof. A simpler "A frame" design would have no valleys which would mean the roofs last longer by design.

One issue that is very troubling in Valencia regardless of the price per sq ft is the lack of profits the owners seem to take away. Original owners can make some money but it seems subsequent owners do the upgrades and then sell but the realtors are the only ones making a profit. Look at the last house on West Segovia, original owner paid 810K....sold 3 years later for 1.15 (only profit so far), sold again for 1.15 5 yrs later and then sold again last year for 1.2mm. The last 2 owners made nothing, lost money after selling it over a 11 yr span. It was a nice house, originally a model home, never a foreclosure (I was friends with a former owner) yet definitely not a money maker!

[grahasu]

Originally Posted by Elbig

I think Jupiter would be worth checking out. I know a realtor that could help. I used her when we moved to West Palm. I have no affiliation with her . I just know she is very good at what she does and knows Jupiter/ Palm Beach gardens very well. I can PM info if you are interested.

I'm not sure how to message you. Can you send me your realtor recommendation contact info for Jupiter area? Thank you.