[mshl081515]

Hello!
My husband and I will be relocating to Florida from southern Missouri in May/June. He received a promotion and a reassignment to a new territory so it is all happening very fast! We are both in our late twenties with a dog-child and hopefully in the next year or so an actual human child. He works remotely and will be flying bi-monthly for work and I am a graphic designer. Ideally our drive to a larger international airport would be less than 1 hour. I have family in North Florida and a deceased grandfather who lived in the Sarasota area for 30ish years, so I am somewhat familiar with the state. However not enough to know which area would be the best fit for us!

We are used to having some elbow room here in the Ozarks, so a cookie cutter house with a tiny yard would not be our first choice. We would love to have something with 1/2 acre if possible. Obviously we would like to be near the beach, but it’s not necessary that we are in a coastal town. I think first and foremost for us, is the concern about safety. We both grew up in areas where doors could be left unlocked and we could go on walks at night without feeling threatened. We will be renting for the first year, but after that we anticipate our budget to be in the 200-250K range.

We lived in Wilmington, NC for a short time and found it to be a generally unwelcoming place to non-North Carolinians, so being in a place that is friendly and open to transplants is also a must. We plan to make a few research visits in the next several weeks. These are the areas we have been told to check out by family and friends from Florida:

1. Tampa/Sarasota/Bradenton
2. Space Coast/Melbourne/Titusville
3. Clermont/west side Orlando
4. South side of Jacksonville

Are we on the right track? We are open to any and all suggestions!

Thank you!!

Melissa

[TD*]

Tallahassee is a great place

[Fredesch]

The Jacksonville airport is on the north side of town. The south side is a tech area with a lot of apartments and places to work. Suburbs push farther south into the next county.

Looking at Melbourne is a good idea. Orlando International is nearby and has direct flights to everywhere. Tittusville has lots of crappy areas, I would not recommend Tittusville. Look at Coco Beach, Melbourne and the beach strip to the south.

Florida is 20 million transplants. There are native Floridians, but most areas are chock full of folks from somewhere else. We also have lots of winter only residents called snowbirds. No matter what your accent, you probably can find a snowbird in your area with the same accent.

You could choose to live in a beach town from about Ormond Beach to below Melbourne. We live in Ormond-by-the-sea (zip 32176) and can get to Orlando International is less than 2 hours. We have a small airport in Daytona Beach which is a half hour from our house. We live 800' from the ocean and love being able to walk to the beach. Beaches are a significant part of outdoor activities in Florida. We also like the ocean breeze. The ocean makes beachside living cooler in the summer than on the mainland. I hate going to Lowes in the summer which is 5 miles inland. Lowes can be hot and muggy where as we will have an ocean breeze that keeps us closer to 85 degrees. The downside of beachside living are yards are usually smaller than on the mainland. Our yard is 84' x 152' which is a large lot for beachside.

If you want a huge yard, you can find acres of land in the rural areas of counties. On the down side, rural areas may have slower intent speeds than elsewhere.

Good luck on your move to Florida.

[EscAlaMike]

Originally Posted by mshl081515

1. Tampa/Sarasota/Bradenton
2. Space Coast/Melbourne/Titusville
3. Clermont/west side Orlando
4. South side of Jacksonville

Are we on the right track? We are open to any and all suggestions!

Thank you!!

Melissa

Those are all cookie-cutter places.

Look into Fernandina Beach. That's a town with some character (i.e. soul). Close to Jax airport too.

[Scottamemnon]

Originally Posted by FSUMike

Those are all cookie-cutter places.

Look into Fernandina Beach. That's a town with some character (i.e. soul). Close to Jax airport too.

I was going to say the same thing (closing on a house there in a couple weeks!)

Your budget will be a challenge anywhere in the state though. There are not a lot of good properties, in desirable areas, under $250k. Wanting a 1/2 acre makes this even tougher. In Jax, you would be out in the rural areas, maybe the western parts of Nassau county would work for you (Callahan, Hilliard, possibly some parts of Yulee), the distance to the ocean isn't terrible and the schools are pretty good. The distance to the airport would be great too.

You might be able to find something in the Mandarin area of Jax too at your price point, but be aware of past flooding issues on any house you look at.

In most of the other areas you mentioned, you may have issues with schools eventually at your price point. I love the space coast, but I found it expensive compared to Jax after lots of searching. I would be surprised if you could do better in Orlando or Tampa. Also then you have the horrible traffic of those cities.

[cjairo191]

Oh Tampa Traffic is hell. Do your research, but yeah if you want space in either Orlando or Tampa you will be commuting through horrible traffic. It feels like everyone is moving here.

[Sunshine Rules]

I live in the Sarasota area, it's a great place to be but you most likely won't find something in the $200k - $250k range with a half acre or large lot. At that price range you'll most likely find 1960's - 80's built ranch homes on 7500 sq ft lots in neighborhoods with similar looking homes.

[Gypsy3n8]

Look in the Mount Dora/Eustis area. You are within an hour of Orlando International and just over an hour from New Smyrna Beach.

[FLKitties]

You could probably get that size/price in some areas of Cape Coral, Fort Myers, or North Fort Myers though I don't know if RSW would be a big enough airport for your needs. Depends on where he has to fly, though. In Cape Coral, for example, a large number of vacant lots are still available throughout the city so people will generally buy multiple lots and then combine them, either as a new build or by buying an existing home as well as the vacant lot next door to (or behind) the existing home.

[Gypsy3n8]

Be careful with Cape Coral - they are extending the sewer lines throughout, and if the assessment hasn't already been paid, you could be in for a big surprise.