Is Palm Bay a good place to live? (Merritt Island, Cocoa: for sale, foreclosures)

[mrsfixit99]

[quote=Rabflmom;40280752]

Originally Posted by mrsfixit99

One thing about Palm Bay almost every area has undeveloped lots in them. Palm Bay has about 90 square miles of roads which means the area is larger than the area for the city of Miami and we only have 104,000 or so people. So welcome to development.

Oh, BTW in answer to why I hate septics from the other post. I hate not being able to bleach whites, I miss having a garbage disposal, and I hate the hassle and cost of having them pumped. Unfortunately our inspector missed the fact that the owner of this little house we live in now had never pumped it in 20 years.

We had the same situation when moving here. The septic hadn't been pumped in over 20 years. The concrete lid was solid- and didn't have a hole to use for a cleanout. We found sewage 2 feet deep in our crawlspace one day when the thing ruptured one of the pipes and it all wound up in the crawlspace.

No, our "inspector" didn't catch that either. Had to get Roto-Rooter to replace the pipes, then had to rent a jackhammer to punch a hole in a foot thick concrete lid to create a hole for the cleanout.

I never had a garbage disposal, and limit my use of bleach. We also have to get the septic pumped every 2 years- the township passed a law a couple of years ago. Living with it isn't that bad, I could manage. The well water, OTOH, is another issue. Might be good for watering plants, but that's about it.

I noticed a lot of undeveloped land around Palm Bay. My friend warned me about getting a place next to vacant land, so I'll bear it in mind. I'm having that issue right now here in PA...

We need to get down there so we can take our time looking around.

Thanks for the input, it's really helpful hearing from someone who lives there.

[mrsfixit99]

Originally Posted by Zen88

I have relatives in western Palm Bay off Malabar Rd. Nice developments and areas there, pretty quiet too. I wouldn't worry about too much building going on, since the market crash there's been very little. Many developments had to lower their prices, now is the time to buy. Plenty of shopping nearby, but the only private butcher/meat market is up in Melbourne near the airport, if you will be interested in that.

Actually, I have a couple of houses "saved" on the real estate sites that are right off Malabar Rd. At least when looking using Google Earth, it seems like a nice spot.

As long as there is a Publix nearby we are good to go. We really don't eat that much meat, and with the availability of fresh fruits/veggies in FL we will probably wind up eating less meat anyway. We prefer chicken and seafood anyway.

Does the airport present much of a noise problem? That was another of my concerns. I don't want to wind up under a flight path with a hundred jumbo jets taking off and landing every day...

[Nypafl4u]

Originally Posted by mrsfixit99

I'm just using Trulia and Zillow to get an idea of what's available. We still intend to rent before we seriously consider buying.

Yeah, Merritt Island is special. We both love it there. But a lot of Merritt just got rezoned as flood areas, so that's a bit scary. Looking at the flood zone overlay using Google Earth is very scary. I don't want to wind up having to pay thousands a year for flood insurance.

But nothing is off the table right now. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

I would not worry too much about the rezoning. The little extra you may have to pay is not that bad (at least for my waterfront properties that barely went up). I truly believe the long term value, quality of life and proximity to what you like, should over-ride potential fears of insurance increases. I own two homes in Pam Bay, they are OK and rent well. But when I eventually move down there, it will be either to one on Merritt Island or Cocoa Beach.

[Sun Thinker]

We're looking at a relative's house now off Port Malabar in Palm Bay because it has a huge lot in a decent neighborhood. The cost to buy and maintain is so low we couldn't pass it up. Waiting to see the insurance quotes now. It's a 3/2 with very nice yard, a bit South of where we had been looking, but great access to everything. In the end, perfection lost out to cost.

[mrsfixit99]

Originally Posted by Sun Thinker

We're looking at a relative's house now off Port Malabar in Palm Bay because it has a huge lot in a decent neighborhood. The cost to buy and maintain is so low we couldn't pass it up. Waiting to see the insurance quotes now. It's a 3/2 with very nice yard, a bit South of where we had been looking, but great access to everything. In the end, perfection lost out to cost.

What you're looking for is pretty much what I'm looking for- a 3/2 with a decent sized lot. A fenced in back yard for the kitties would be nice, and a screen porch of course.

I got a good vibe from Palm Bay when I was there, I would like to start our search there.

After we find a rental, that is... first things first... lol

[mrsfixit99]

Originally Posted by Nypafl4u

I would not worry too much about the rezoning. The little extra you may have to pay is not that bad (at least for my waterfront properties that barely went up). I truly believe the long term value, quality of life and proximity to what you like, should over-ride potential fears of insurance increases. I own two homes in Pam Bay, they are OK and rent well. But when I eventually move down there, it will be either to one on Merritt Island or Cocoa Beach.

Like I said, nothing is off the table. I would certainly talk to an insurance agent for any house I was seriously interested in and get an idea of flood insurance costs.

Hubby really likes Cocoa Beach. He's an early riser, so when visiting our Merritt friends he likes to walk on the beach in the early morning before the rest of us layabouts get up... lol

We do like Cocoa Beach too, it's a very pretty area and it's nice to have the beach so close. I think it might be a bit above our price range.

Does Palm Bay have beaches? Hubby and I are nature lovers and like to walk on the beach, birdwatch, etc...

[Rabflmom]

Originally Posted by mrsfixit99

Like I said, nothing is off the table. I would certainly talk to an insurance agent for any house I was seriously interested in and get an idea of flood insurance costs.

Hubby really likes Cocoa Beach. He's an early riser, so when visiting our Merritt friends he likes to walk on the beach in the early morning before the rest of us layabouts get up... lol

We do like Cocoa Beach too, it's a very pretty area and it's nice to have the beach so close. I think it might be a bit above our price range.

Does Palm Bay have beaches? Hubby and I are nature lovers and like to walk on the beach, birdwatch, etc...

No, it is not beach side. You have to go up to Melbourne or down to Wabasso to get to a causeway to get across the Indian River so it is a drive even if at spots in town you are only 5-10 miles inland at the most.
Then if you are like most locals you will not go to the beaches at the ends of the causeways, you will find a favorite that doesn't get as many tourists. Parking at all county beaches is free. We still get to the beach several times a week if not everyday and sometimes even twice in a day.

[Sun Thinker]

Originally Posted by mrsfixit99

Like I said, nothing is off the table. I would certainly talk to an insurance agent for any house I was seriously interested in and get an idea of flood insurance costs.

Hubby really likes Cocoa Beach. He's an early riser, so when visiting our Merritt friends he likes to walk on the beach in the early morning before the rest of us layabouts get up... lol

We do like Cocoa Beach too, it's a very pretty area and it's nice to have the beach so close. I think it might be a bit above our price range.

Does Palm Bay have beaches? Hubby and I are nature lovers and like to walk on the beach, birdwatch, etc...

We've spent a lot of time in the Cocoa Beach area, so we obviously love it too. The few areas in CB we would live in, are just outside of the budget we're dedicated to. For us, this is the absolute best in terms of budget and decent neighborhood, location loses out in this instance. But this property enables us to not only buy right now, our costs are so low we can retire fairly soon. Having the budget to do what you want and earlier than expected wins for us. Not to mention having a big private yard and be near some family as well.

We'll be house poor(not really), and life rich.

[Rabflmom]

Originally Posted by mrsfixit99

Like I said, nothing is off the table. I would certainly talk to an insurance agent for any house I was seriously interested in and get an idea of flood insurance costs.

Hubby really likes Cocoa Beach. He's an early riser, so when visiting our Merritt friends he likes to walk on the beach in the early morning before the rest of us layabouts get up... lol

We do like Cocoa Beach too, it's a very pretty area and it's nice to have the beach so close. I think it might be a bit above our price range.

Does Palm Bay have beaches? Hubby and I are nature lovers and like to walk on the beach, birdwatch, etc...

Forgot to mention we have Turkey Creek for nature walks and we have some bike paths if he happens to like bicycling through some interesting areas.

Turkey Creek Sanctuary


Grapefruit Trail Mountain Bike Trail in Palm Bay, Florida || SINGLETRACKS.COM

[mrsfixit99]

Originally Posted by Rabflmom

No, it is not beach side. You have to go up to Melbourne or down to Wabasso to get to a causeway to get across the Indian River so it is a drive even if at spots in town you are only 5-10 miles inland at the most.
Then if you are like most locals you will not go to the beaches at the ends of the causeways, you will find a favorite that doesn't get as many tourists. Parking at all county beaches is free. We still get to the beach several times a week if not everyday and sometimes even twice in a day.

Sounds good to me. I don't want to be beachside. As long as it's short drive away, that's works for me.