[niceguy19125]

Hi everyone, I'm making a move to Florida from the Northeast US to be closer to my elderly parents and am quite torn as to where.

I'll be selling my house here and buying a condo there. I want to keep the cost down as I'll be starting a new business and working part-time to keep spending cash flowing. As a result I'm looking for a larger one bedroom or two bedroom condo for less than 75K.

Currently I'm torn between the Tampa Bay area (Pinellas County mostly), the east coast north of Jupiter up to Vero Beach or the St Augustine/Palm Coast area. I'm open to other areas but probably not SE Florida as I think it's too crowded and congested. I enjoy more of an old Florida feel ( I grew up in
SE FL in the 60s and 70s) and I want to be as close to the ocean or Gulf as possible.

In some areas I keep running into 55+ only condos which I am too young for, though not by a lot. I also want to be in an area where there isn't a high density of seniors/retirees. I'm a young 50, most of my friends are in their 30s and 40s.

Can anyone suggest a place from the areas I mentioned where it's mixed in terms of age, has condos in my price range and is relatively close to the beach?

Thanks!

[niceguy19125]

Anyone at all...??

[niceguy19125]

If I had said I was married with two kids looking for good schools perhaps..??

[2bohemians]

Originally Posted by niceguy19125

Hi everyone, I'm making a move to Florida from the Northeast US to be closer to my elderly parents and am quite torn as to where.

I'll be selling my house here and buying a condo there. I want to keep the cost down as I'll be starting a new business and working part-time to keep spending cash flowing. As a result I'm looking for a larger one bedroom or two bedroom condo for less than 75K.

Currently I'm torn between the Tampa Bay area (Pinellas County mostly), the east coast north of Jupiter up to Vero Beach or the St Augustine/Palm Coast area. I'm open to other areas but probably not SE Florida as I think it's too crowded and congested. I enjoy more of an old Florida feel ( I grew up in
SE FL in the 60s and 70s) and I want to be as close to the ocean or Gulf as possible.

In some areas I keep running into 55+ only condos which I am too young for, though not by a lot. I also want to be in an area where there isn't a high density of seniors/retirees. I'm a young 50, most of my friends are in their 30s and 40s.

Can anyone suggest a place from the areas I mentioned where it's mixed in terms of age, has condos in my price range and is relatively close to the beach?

Thanks!

Hopefully someone that lives in one of these areas will chime in. However after your plea for someone to respond, we thought we would at least acknowledge you with some kind of response.

We are located in the Northwest Florida panhandle on the west coast / Gulf of Mexico ... commonly referred to as the Emerald Coast. We have lived in the St Pete area many years ago but only visited St Augustine a few times. Since it's been so many years, we don't feel comfortable really commenting on how these communities are today.

Where are your parents located ... as there is quite a distance between St Augustine & the Tampa / St Pete area. This is probably something you will want to consider along with which place would best fit the new business you will be starting. Obviously since Tampa / St Pete is a larger city, you may find more employment options than you would in a small town like St Augustine.

Our experience living in the Tampa Bay area was in Dunedin, Pass A Grill Beach and Tampa. Didn't love living in Tampa but have nothing bad to say of either of the other places.

Don't know what the prices are in any of those places today ... but we would imagine that a condo for under $75,000 at the beach may be a little challenging to find, but possible ... especially if you are open to being a short distance to the beach.

Best of luck in your search.

[daytonadewd]

Um, your OP doesn't mention WHERE your parents live (even generally like SE FL Coast, Central Florida, etc.)

This is a very important factor to make worthwile suggestions for you (unless you enjoy driving for hours on FL roads, congestion, construction and traffic issues) to check in on your parents regularly!

Driving from Tallahassee to Key West every weekend would NOT be a fun idea, although you could probably do a meal then leave! (Your family will totally LOVE visiting the folks regularly and sleeping in the car!)

So, best advice for now is check out comp. coverage policy quotes for your vehicles (including uninsured). You'll need it!

[niceguy19125]

Originally Posted by daytonadewd

Um, your OP doesn't mention WHERE your parents live (even generally like SE FL Coast, Central Florida, etc.)

This is a very important factor to make worthwile suggestions for you (unless you enjoy driving for hours on FL roads, congestion, construction and traffic issues) to check in on your parents regularly!

Driving from Tallahassee to Key West every weekend would NOT be a fun idea, although you could probably do a meal then leave! (Your family will totally LOVE visiting the folks regularly and sleeping in the car!)

So, best advice for now is check out comp. coverage policy quotes for your vehicles (including uninsured). You'll need it!

They're in Lake Mary, outside of Orlando. I wanted a coastal location as I am not a big fan of the climate of the interior section of the state. A 2 to 2.5 hour drive is fine with me, which is reflected in the three choices given. There's also such a thing as too close. No offense, but I'm not a fan of Volusia or Brevard, as I see you're from Daytona. Thanks for any input you may have about the areas mentioned.

[niceguy19125]

Originally Posted by 2bohemians

Hopefully someone that lives in one of these areas will chime in. However after your plea for someone to respond, we thought we would at least acknowledge you with some kind of response.

We are located in the Northwest Florida panhandle on the west coast / Gulf of Mexico ... commonly referred to as the Emerald Coast. We have lived in the St Pete area many years ago but only visited St Augustine a few times. Since it's been so many years, we don't feel comfortable really commenting on how these communities are today.

Where are your parents located ... as there is quite a distance between St Augustine & the Tampa / St Pete area. This is probably something you will want to consider along with which place would best fit the new business you will be starting. Obviously since Tampa / St Pete is a larger city, you may find more employment options than you would in a small town like St Augustine.

Our experience living in the Tampa Bay area was in Dunedin, Pass A Grill Beach and Tampa. Didn't love living in Tampa but have nothing bad to say of either of the other places.

Don't know what the prices are in any of those places today ... but we would imagine that a condo for under $75,000 at the beach may be a little challenging to find, but possible ... especially if you are open to being a short distance to the beach.

Best of luck in your search.

Thanks for taking the time to respond, I was getting a complex!

As you'll see in my other response, my parents are in Central Florida. I don't feel the need to live right on top of them, a couple of hours or so away is fine.

I prefer coastal areas, but I realize given my price point I won't be living a short walk to the beach. I would however prefer something a short drive to the beach...10 minutes? All three areas mentioned in my OP would support my business model, so that isn't a concern. My major concern is finding a 1 or 2 bedroom condo (approximately 900-1000 sq ft) in my price range that isn't retirement/senior citizen-centric. In fact that will probably be the motivating factor of where I focus my search.

So to reiterate, my choices so far are the Tampa Bay area (mostly Clearwater, west Seminole or west Largo), St Augustine (the north side closer to Jacksonville, World Golf Village/Palencia,etc) or the Martin County/Indian River County corridor (Stuart,Port St Lucie or Vero Beach).

I'd greatly appreciate any feedback on those areas or nearby places I haven't
researched. Thanks guys!

[faithfulFrank]

Other folks know more about this then I, but the law states that 20% of owners in a 55+ community may be less than 55. I bought my place when I was 48, and it never even came up.

Frank

[Uk2fl]

St. Petes in Tampa is a really nice area that has 55+ communities and Im sure there are homes under $75k there with the economy how it is.
What type of business are you looking to buy? I know a great business broker if you need one.

[beachmouse]

Originally Posted by daytonadewd

Um, your OP doesn't mention WHERE your parents live (even generally like SE FL Coast, Central Florida, etc.)

This is a very important factor to make worthwile suggestions for you (unless you enjoy driving for hours on FL roads, congestion, construction and traffic issues) to check in on your parents regularly!

Driving from Tallahassee to Key West every weekend would NOT be a fun idea, although you could probably do a meal then leave! (Your family will totally LOVE visiting the folks regularly and sleeping in the car!)

This is definitely the case. We're in the western Panhandle, and when we first moved down here, we'd get extended family talking about getting together for an afternoon/evening while they were down at Disneyworld. What they don't realize is that we're a solid six hour drive one way from Orlando so it just doesn't work that way.