[Algae27]

I have an upcoming job interview in UF Health Shands Hospital in Gainesville, FL and would want to maximize my trip there to look around the area for a house to buy should the interview go well and I get accepted. I will be relocating with my husband and 2 sons (11 and 13 y/o) from Louisiana. I would like to ask for recommendations for safe neighborhoods that are around $450K max and that are less than 10 miles away from the hospital, and of course, that are zoned in good schools for our kids. I have been doing some research on Redfin, Realtor.com, and Zillow. So far, the neighborhoods I have taken note of are at Grand Oaks, Arbor Greens, and Tara Estates. I noticed though that in these places, with the target budget we have, we are only getting a house that is not even at the 2,000 sq. ft. size. Any additional comments and recommendations are highly appreciated. Thank you in advance!

[Ghaati]

There's no state income tax in Florida. At Tara estates, you get a /minimum/ of a half-acre of land with your home. But the one in Gainesville proper has no available homes, they're all sold. The one in Newbury, around 20 minutes away from Shands, has a 4-5-bedroom, 3 bathroom home, 2280 square feet, for $443,000.

You're basically looking at brand-new construction in brand-new communities that haven't been around long enough to gain either a positive or negative reputation in the area they're built in.

I found 30 homes for sale over 2000 sf, with minimum 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, most of them were 4 bedrooms, most of them in desirable neighborhoods, all within 20 miles of Shands, and all under $450k.

[wizrap]

As Ghaati said, are you only considering new construction? That’s why you’re not finding bigger homes in your price range.

As for your list, I’m not a fan of Grand Oaks’ location because it’s sandwiched between old, sad looking villas and townhomes to the south, and the 1-75 overpass to the north, with nearby apartments and condos that double as off-site student housing.

As for Tara Estates, is that the one off of 137th Court in Newberry? If so, that’s an excellent location which is quickly getting built out. That whole area is becoming a land grab for developers. There are many Tara developments in the area, as the builder who has been active here in Gainesville likes to name them all Tara names.

We rented in Arbor Greens (the older section) before buying elsewhere and liked our stay there very much. Many of the neighbors moved there because it was zoned for such good schools. That being said, the vision of the original developers was to build nice homes in one section, nicer homes in the next, and mini-mansions in the next, but the 2006 housing market imploded and they sold all that land to a builder that put 4 or so homes on an acre instead of one. So the new section of new homes is massive and has even more room to grow. You’d have to see if you like it.

We loved the area, but finally bought in another development that is much older and all built out. May not be your taste though; all older homes built in the late 80’s to early 2000’s.

[AngelaRetired]

Hi Algae27, any updates for us? Angela