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I relocated from Ridgefield, Connecticut to northern Palm Beach County a few years ago. Not knowing Duval at all, I cannot accurately compare the two, however I can compare PBC to Connecticut.
One thing you’ll notice here is everyone - almost literally everyone - is from NY, NJ, CT or somewhere else up north. You’re more likely to hear a NY accent than a southern accent. The people here are far more aggressive than I ever knew them to be in CT; insane drivers, quite a bit of congestion, and lots of impatience. Everyone in CT thought they took the award for all of this - no, not even close. There is a very large Jewish population in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami (second largest concentration of Jews in the country, only to New York). I assume this is due to NY transplants. Unsure if you’re Jewish, but that could be a draw if you are.
For gay males, there is an abundance of them in Fort Lauderdale (Broward) and specifically, the town of Wilton Manors. I know you say you’re not too social, so this may not matter, but figured I’d throw it out there if you’re looking to meet and date. At least in PBC, they’ll be within a short drive if you happen to catch them on Tinder or Bumble.
As for pricing, PBC is very expensive. It’s far more expensive than most of CT, and now seems to be priced fairly comparable to Stamford. There will be no deals to be had these days, and my realtor here said he continues to see prices trend sharply upward as we enter 2022. In your price range, you can probably score a small, dated home in a nice area. You seem to prefer up county (Jupiter, Palm Beach Gardens) as opposed to down county (Boca Raton, Delray Beach). Down county is more showy and flashy. Up county is a quieter affluence. You may like Wellington, but that’s a bit inland and more family friendly. You’ll get slightly more for your money though. Forget affording beach towns like Highland Beach, Palm Beach, Juno Beach, or far east areas in any of the above mentioned towns - they are on par with Greenwich.
As for politics, south FL leans liberal but isn’t “woke” liberal. There is a difference and the latter isn’t common.
Let me know if you have any questions, feel free to DM me.
Gotcha. Very helpful. I've considered Broward, but it just seems way too congested to the point of being a deal breaker. I figured PBC would be a little less congested but I would at least have access to FTL. I've even considered Martin, but it seems much more of a conservative retirement haven.
Palm Beach is just as congested as Orlando.
As said above, Seminole County is more like Jacksonville. More spread out, quieter, but still very progressive.
Winter Park, just outside of the Orlando core, does not feel congested.
Baldwin Park, while quite dense, always felt quiet to me. No loud sirens/noise.
Another area would be Lake Nona, which is fairly new, and removed from the urban core, but still has everything you are looking for.
It’s worth looking at. I think you’d like it, given your criteria, if you checked out the more residential parts of the metro.
Your requests/demands/likes scream Orlando to me.
Does Seminole have a southern/redneck/religious vibe?
One thing that is kind of dispiriting is that in Seminole County, I would have to pay over $500K just to get a house that's just as good as the house I currently own in Jax, which I paid only $270K for. I would easily be able to afford the $500K house, but from a logical standpoint....YIKES. My mortgage payment now is about $1,500 but if I moved to Seminole and bought a similar house in a similarly desirable location, my mortgage would be over $2,000 a month. But I know, money isn't all that matters in life. But taking on that much more debt to have something that's not any better than what I have now would be a tough pill to swallow.
Also, I just remembered all the ridiculous tolls in the Orlando area.
Gotcha. Very helpful. I've considered Broward, but it just seems way too congested to the point of being a deal breaker. I figured PBC would be a little less congested but I would at least have access to FTL. I've even considered Martin, but it seems much more of a conservative retirement haven.
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Originally Posted by nep321
One thing that is kind of dispiriting is that in Seminole County, I would have to pay over $500K just to get a house that's just as good as the house I currently own in Jax, which I paid only $270K for. I would easily be able to afford the $500K house, but from a logical standpoint....YIKES. My mortgage payment now is about $1,500 but if I moved to Seminole and bought a similar house in a similarly desirable location, my mortgage would be over $2,000 a month. But I know, money isn't all that matters in life. But taking on that much more debt to have something that's not any better than what I have now would be a tough pill to swallow.
Also, I just remembered all the ridiculous tolls in the Orlando area.
Broward is a very congested area. Lots of traffic on 95 round the clock, both directions. That’s what can be expected in one of the most populated counties in the USA. It’s in the heart of South Florida and is a mixture of Miami commuters, single minglers, vacationers, NYC snowbirds, etc. It’s also less aesthetically pleasing than Palm Beach County due to its urban nature, and it really is the county of the haves vs have nots. Seems that each area is filled with either double digit million mansions or dangerous street corners.
All that said, I find Broward to be an exceptionally fun place to live. You have bustling Las Olas, the beach walk with lots of touristy restaurants and bars, downtown, and hipster neighborhoods along the tracks becoming gentrified. You did say you’re introverted so that may not appeal to you.
The biggest downside to Broward is housing cost. It’s exceptionally high for what you get. We purchased a small 3/2 investment home in Oakland Park for 360 just two years ago. We renovated it and it’s now worth close to 800k, and we’re renting it out for the time being. Oakland Park is more of an “up and coming” town and, while you can still get a house there for 400k, it’s going to need quite a bit of work.
If you paid 270 for your house, I’d absolutely stay put. You’re not going to find a house in these areas to your liking for much under 600k, and even if you do, your overhead will double. Taxes, insurance, utility cost, etc. You got a steal on your house so enjoy the appreciation. It’s something we didn’t experience much in Connecticut!
Broward is a very congested area. Lots of traffic on 95 round the clock, both directions. That’s what can be expected in one of the most populated counties in the USA. It’s in the heart of South Florida and is a mixture of Miami commuters, single minglers, vacationers, NYC snowbirds, etc. It’s also less aesthetically pleasing than Palm Beach County due to its urban nature, and it really is the county of the haves vs have nots. Seems that each area is filled with either double digit million mansions or dangerous street corners.
All that said, I find Broward to be an exceptionally fun place to live. You have bustling Las Olas, the beach walk with lots of touristy restaurants and bars, downtown, and hipster neighborhoods along the tracks becoming gentrified. You did say you’re introverted so that may not appeal to you.
The biggest downside to Broward is housing cost. It’s exceptionally high for what you get. We purchased a small 3/2 investment home in Oakland Park for 360 just two years ago. We renovated it and it’s now worth close to 800k, and we’re renting it out for the time being. Oakland Park is more of an “up and coming” town and, while you can still get a house there for 400k, it’s going to need quite a bit of work.
If you paid 270 for your house, I’d absolutely stay put. You’re not going to find a house in these areas to your liking for much under 600k, and even if you do, your overhead will double. Taxes, insurance, utility cost, etc. You got a steal on your house so enjoy the appreciation. It’s something we didn’t experience much in Connecticut!
These are good points. My house is a 3x2 with a large pool, deck, tiki bar with full privacy all around, 2 car attached garage and in a highly sought after neighborhood established in the 1970's. My lot is one third of an acre. There's about 35 feet between houses. Million dollar homes are just a 5-10 minute walk down my street. Whole Foods is nearby. A lot of good things. My property taxes are $3,400 per year.
When I was house hunting back in 2019 even then it was a VERY competitive, fast market. Houses were going under contract within hours here in Jax. I was about to give up and renew my apartment lease. I literally had to have my dad (he's in the real estate industry) contact the listing agent directly and convince him to privately show me the house within hours of it going on the market. It worked. I got the house for $10K below asking price and closing costs covered by seller credits. Unbelievable.
I can't even IMAGINE how competitive it is today. My former neighbor here sold their house for $32K above asking price within 12 hours of an open house, after bidding wars. The open house was on a freaking Tuesday late morning and the street was packed with cars attending. Nuts.
And according to Zillow, Jacksonville will be the #2 highest appreciation metro in the US for 2022.
I grew up in Orlando and when I moved to Jacksonville/ St. Augustine 20 years ago it was a culture shock.. very old time conservative mentality. Racism is very much alive up here in North Florida so I would imagine as a gay person you may feel some of the hostility as well. I think you would probably be happier anywhere in or south of Orlando. I’m a pretty much middle of the road with my political views and I feel out of place up here especially in Trump/Covid times.
I grew up in Orlando and when I moved to Jacksonville/ St. Augustine 20 years ago it was a culture shock.. very old time conservative mentality. Racism is very much alive up here in North Florida so I would imagine as a gay person you may feel some of the hostility as well. I think you would probably be happier anywhere in or south of Orlando. I’m a pretty much middle of the road with my political views and I feel out of place up here especially in Trump/Covid times.
Well, I'm sure Jacksonville today is significantly different than it was 20 years ago.
No friends in 4 years? Are you making an effort? Joining activity groups, meet ups, volunteering, going to bars, dating apps, etc? There's over 1 Million people in the Jax metro. It's big enough to keep you busy but you have to put yourself out there. People think a change of scenery is the fix but maybe therapy would be a lot cheaper? You don't want to buy a $600k house in South Florida only to complain about the same issues in 4 years and the issue is your introversion.
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PBC overall seems to be slightly more progressive thinking than Jax, which is a plus for me. Especially as a gay person and social democrat. I am 37 and single, so there are probably slightly better dating opportunities down there compared to here, which is abysmal. I've been here for 4 years and have zero friends (all of my friends are in CT).
No friends in 4 years? Are you making an effort? Joining activity groups, meet ups, volunteering, going to bars, dating apps, etc? There's over 1 Million people in the Jax metro. It's big enough to keep you busy but you have to put yourself out there. People think a change of scenery is the fix but maybe therapy would be a lot cheaper? You don't want to buy a $600k house in South Florida only to complain about the same issues in 4 years and the issue is your introversion.
I mean I've had a few temporary friends over the past 4 years here. But for whatever reason, they ended up fizzling out. The pandemic has also made it much harder to meet people. I haven't been to a restaurant in 6 months and never go to bars anyway. I don't like the bar atmosphere, crowds or loud music.
I use apps all the time and have met many people, which is how I've befriended many people but it often doesn't hold permanence. Or they move to another city. Or whatever.
I don't think it helps that I'm in my late 30's either. Seems harder to make friends as I get older.
Broward is a very congested area. Lots of traffic on 95 round the clock, both directions. That’s what can be expected in one of the most populated counties in the USA. It’s in the heart of South Florida and is a mixture of Miami commuters, single minglers, vacationers, NYC snowbirds, etc. It’s also less aesthetically pleasing than Palm Beach County due to its urban nature, and it really is the county of the haves vs have nots. Seems that each area is filled with either double digit million mansions or dangerous street corners.
All that said, I find Broward to be an exceptionally fun place to live. You have bustling Las Olas, the beach walk with lots of touristy restaurants and bars, downtown, and hipster neighborhoods along the tracks becoming gentrified. You did say you’re introverted so that may not appeal to you.
The biggest downside to Broward is housing cost. It’s exceptionally high for what you get. We purchased a small 3/2 investment home in Oakland Park for 360 just two years ago. We renovated it and it’s now worth close to 800k, and we’re renting it out for the time being. Oakland Park is more of an “up and coming” town and, while you can still get a house there for 400k, it’s going to need quite a bit of work.
If you paid 270 for your house, I’d absolutely stay put. You’re not going to find a house in these areas to your liking for much under 600k, and even if you do, your overhead will double. Taxes, insurance, utility cost, etc. You got a steal on your house so enjoy the appreciation. It’s something we didn’t experience much in Connecticut!
The housing costs are actually worse in PBC. I relocated to Hollywood in 2020 before COVID and found an OK apartment within walking distance to downtown for $1200/month.
This year I took a position with a new employer in West Palm Beach. The rents for a downtown apartment start at $3K a month. I ended up signing a lease in Northwood for $2200/month that starts in on 02/01. You're almost better off buying in PBC as opposed to renting.
I think the OP would be better off moving back to Connecticut to be among his liberal cohorts, but if I were him I'd move to Broward over PBC because it's cheaper and he can be close to Wilton.
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