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My boyfriend and I will be relocating from Alaska to the panhandle around the beginning of January, he is in the Air Force and will be stationed at Eglin AFB. We know very little about the area, aside from the names of the towns in the area. We are thinking of going for a place in Mary Esther or Crestview, and I have ruled out Destin due to it being on an island (don't want to lose access to my home due to a hurricane, although I know there's a slim chance of that happening). Because I want to take my time to find a job, we will be limited on our rent amount (about $1000 tops). We have no kids, so we aren't worried about the school districts or if we're next to parks. Can anyone give us an idea of what areas we should stay away from, along with any other usefull info? I've also been wondering if Pensacola is a good option because I know it's farther away, but would it be worth the commute? I have also seen (on city-data) what the average temps are, but how is the weather month-to-month? Any other information about what is recommended? We also would like to buy a house several months after we arrive, any recommendations on good realtors (and why you recommend them)?
My boyfriend and I will be relocating from Alaska to the panhandle around the beginning of January, he is in the Air Force and will be stationed at Eglin AFB. We know very little about the area, aside from the names of the towns in the area. We are thinking of going for a place in Mary Esther or Crestview, and I have ruled out Destin due to it being on an island (don't want to lose access to my home due to a hurricane, although I know there's a slim chance of that happening). Because I want to take my time to find a job, we will be limited on our rent amount (about $1000 tops). We have no kids, so we aren't worried about the school districts or if we're next to parks. Can anyone give us an idea of what areas we should stay away from, along with any other usefull info? I've also been wondering if Pensacola is a good option because I know it's farther away, but would it be worth the commute? I have also seen (on city-data) what the average temps are, but how is the weather month-to-month? Any other information about what is recommended? We also would like to buy a house several months after we arrive, any recommendations on good realtors (and why you recommend them)?
Thanks in advance to any help!!
Search the posting for Crestview, Fort Walton Beach, Navarre, Shalimar, Niceville, and Mary Esther. Crestview and Shalimar are in between Eglin AFB. As a retired USAF members (Hurlburt Field) I will say that Crestview has better pricing, but is about a 15 to 20 minutes drive depending on your location in Crestview.
Navarre and Mary Esther might be way long of a drive. But consider all. Also have your husband contact Family Housing and get the off-base housing referral listing. This is only available to military members and does do have better prices on rentals and homes for sale.
My boyfriend and I will be moving to the Fort Walton Beach area around the end of December/beginning of January, he is in the Air Force and will be stationed at Eglin AFB. We have done some homework on the area along with asking a couple friends that have lived or been stationed there, but we don't know about what areas we should avoid when it comes to house hunting. We are wanting to look around Crestview, Niceville, Valparaiso, Shalimar... (The area's surrounding the main part of base) We already have information on homes, (pricing, size, etc) so we don't need that. We would like to know if there are area's to avoid (too close to the highway, more of a trashy neighborhood) it would be appreciated.
... I have ruled out Destin due to it being on an island (don't want to lose access to my home due to a hurricane, although I know there's a slim chance of that happening).
It's not as slim as you might think, the people who live on Pensacola Beach and Navarre Beach had their access blocked for quite a while after hurricane Ivan in 2004. However, unlike those beaches, Destin is not on an island, it is on a peninsula so the access from the east is not dependent on a bridge. Usually when they block people from accessing their houses, it isn't because of the bridge but because there is too much debris to make it safe for people to get around. Traveling by car may not be an option and you are more likely to get hurt wading through debris. That can happen on the mainland too if the storm is bad enough. Destin is an expensive area and may be out of your price range. The easiest route to the base from there also involves a toll bridge. Destin is an upscale area and if you like designer clothes, this where most people go to do a lot of their shopping.
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Originally Posted by hicks-k
I've also been wondering if Pensacola is a good option because I know it's farther away, but would it be worth the commute?
I work on Eglin and I would not want to commute from Pensacola. A guy in my office commutes from there and it takes him close to 1.5 hours one way. Another guy I work with commutes from Milton and it takes him about 1 hour. It's a long drive and I wouldn't want to risk my life commuting on I-10 every day. The guy who lives in Milton is currently looking for a house in Crestview.
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Originally Posted by hicks-k
I have also seen (on city-data) what the average temps are, but how is the weather month-to-month?
Unlike most of Florida, we do get 4 seasons here. They are different in duration than up north and there is no snow (although natives swear it snowed here in 1989), but there are definitely seasonal changes.
Spring is from March to May, it is anywhere from 50-80 during the day and in the 40s or 50s at night. All of the trees and grass are turning green and the plants and trees are blooming.
Summer is May through Sept. It is anywhere from 80-100 during the day, and usually 60s-70s at night. We turn our A/C on in early May. Sometimes when the temp is high and the humidity is high, you can get a heat index of around 110 or so.
Fall is Oct through Dec. It is anywhere from 65-80 during the day and 40s or 50s at night. We have deciduous trees whose leaves turn colors and fall off and the grass turns brown. We turn off our A/C by mid Oct.
Winter is Jan & Feb. It is in the 50s and 60s during the day and 30s and 40s at night. We only run our heat during these two months and usually only at night.
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Originally Posted by hicks-k
We also would like to buy a house several months after we arrive, any recommendations on good realtors (and why you recommend them)?
I would hold off on buying a house around here for at least a year. Prices are literally dropping by the month in this area. You could buy a house in January and wind up with negative equity by April. We have some acquaintances who recently PCS'd. They listed their house in December for $215,000. They sold it out of desperation a couple of weeks ago for $176,000. It was the first offer they had in almost 10 months. If someone had bought it in Dec for 215k, they would be kicking themselves right now. You will probably get a much better deal on a nicer house by the fall of next year. Also, be aware that homeowners insurance is very expensive and somewhat hard to get here. The panhandle's hurricane risk is as high as Miami's.
I live in FWB so I can give you more specific info about areas in Shalimar and Fort Walton. The ok areas would probably be Mary Esther, Northgate, Ferry Park, Elliot's Point, Cinco Bayou, Oakland Heights, most of Shalimar, Lake Lorraine, Kenwood, Garnier Beach, Poquito Bayou, the area between Beal Pkwy and Hollywood Blvd., and Bayou Woods.
The areas I would personally avoid would be Sylvania Heights, Ocean City south of Racetrack Rd. and north of Mayflower Ave., Greenacres, Willow Bend, Wright, the area south of Hollywood Blvd between Eglin Pkwy and Memorial Pkwy., and many of the areas east of Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Just my opinion.
Crestview is about 20 miles north of Eglin. It is a very nice town and I've never really noticed any bad areas when I've been there. It will take you about 30 min. or so to get to the beach from Crestview. That area is a bit country and is a small town America type of place. One drawback to Crestview is that you have to drive to FWB or Destin to do any real shopping other than grocery shopping. There is a Wal-mart in Crestview.
Niceville is nice as well. Again, I've never really noticed any bad areas there either. The more affluent areas are definitely on the east end of town, especially Bluewater Bay. It will take about 15 minutes to get to the beach from Niceville and you are close to the more upscale shopping areas of Destin.
Valparaiso is not a bad area and technically, the base address is Valparaiso. The only real negative about Valparaiso is that it is next to Eglin's flightline so the jets will be taking off right over your house. They are incredibly loud and will shake the house. It would be enough to keep me from living there.
A lot of people who work on base live in Navarre. I used to live there but I got tired of the drive. It was 2 hours a day that I could be spending with my kids. It will take about 45 minutes during the rush hour on Hwy 98. If there is an accident, you might have to double that time. The biggest clog is the area around the gate at Hurlburt Field. We loved Navarre. There really are no bad areas there. There are a few roads with trailers but they are taking them out as they are planning to build a town center where most of the trailers are. One negative about Navarre is that you have to drive to either Pensacola or FWB to do any real shopping other than grocery shopping. That will be changing over the next 5-10 years but right now, Wal-Mart is as good as it gets. The nearest Target is 15 miles away. Other than that, it is a great area.
I have lived all over Florida and I guarantee that the beaches on the panhandle are the nicest in the state. The sand is made of quartz rather than silica so it is snow white and powder soft. The water is turquoise and clear. You can stand in water that is chest-deep and look down and see your toes.
Unlike some parts of Florida, you have relatively easy access to other areas of the country. From Fort Walton Beach, it will take about 3 hours to drive to New Orleans, 6 hours to Atlanta, 7 hours to Savannah, 9 hours to Houston, 5 hours to Jacksonville, 6 hours to Orlando, and 6 hours to Tampa.
The entire panhandle is very conservative and doesn't care for differing opinions. All of the areas are small towns compared to other metro areas. If you are used to shopping at big brand stores like Macy's or Nordstrom the closest stores are probably New Orleans or Jacksonville. The airports are small so the price of flights is a bit higher than larger airports. For the most part, these are the only major drawbacks.
Crestview sounds like it might be the place for me, too. Thanks for this post, deckardc. Any thoughts now that a few years have passed? Any change on the insurance situation? I am due to possibly relocate out there either late in 2011 or early 2012. (12-18 months is the figure right now) I am considering renting but mainly because I'd be looking for a little more house and at least 1/2 acre (I have a big family).
Home prices have essentially stabilized, and sales have been up year to year. Insurance is still expensive and can be annoying to get. (Bundling insurance does seem to help- even if you pay a little more for auto, it can increase your odds to get decent homeowner's)
deckardc's assessment outside of the stabilized real estate prices is still pretty accurate. Navarre has continued to grow, leading both to more local shopping and even worse traffic on US 98. Crestview has continued to grow in a totally unplanned sort of way. If you're living up there and working on one of the bases, you seriously want to be south of I-10 for commute purposes.
If you're thinking public schools, I'd avoid Mossy Head. I know it's getting pushed as a Crestview alternative in some quarters and you can get a lot of land there, but the northern Walton County schools aren't nearly as good as what you get in Okaloosa or Santa Rosa County.
Sounds like you're arriving smack in the middle of the BRAC build up, and I suspect real estate is going to get crazy if you're looking in the senior NCO/junior officer/GS-9 to 11 sort of price band. There's enough platted land in outlying areas to absorb the new folks but it's a matter of builders timing it right so they're finishing spec homes as new people report.
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