Seaside Villas in St. Augustine (University, St. Augustine Beach: real estate, apartments, foreclosures)

[NicM987]

Can anyone who has lived here tell me anything about this property? I went and checked it out and loved it. However, I went online and found 3 reviews of it and they were terrible! I know I shouldn't go off of just 3 reviews but it has made me a little hesitant. Makes me wish I would have spoken to some residents while there to get a real opinion. Has anyone lived here that could give me some insight? THANKS!

[ssclulow]

These were apartments that the owner tried to convert to condos in 2006 at the height of the real estate boom. People bought them to flip for a profit and got caught in the real estate bust. Lots of foreclosures. A management company bought up most of them and is now trying to rent them out as apartments by cheaply window dressing them to look good momentarily. If you are going to be renting from a private owner, that may be ok maintenance-wise but honestly I would steer clear no matter how good a price it is. If the price is too good to be true, there's usually a problem because the rental market here is tight. Incidents of patrol car calls over there are high compared to the rest of St. Augustine Beach. Everyone I knew who lived there moved out long ago. If you just want to live at the beach for a bargain price and don't care about these issues, maybe it is the place for you.

[NicM987]

Originally Posted by ssclulow

These were apartments that the owner tried to convert to condos in 2006 at the height of the real estate boom. People bought them to flip for a profit and got caught in the real estate bust. Lots of foreclosures. A management company bought up most of them and is now trying to rent them out as apartments by cheaply window dressing them to look good momentarily. If you are going to be renting from a private owner, that may be ok maintenance-wise but honestly I would steer clear no matter how good a price it is. If the price is too good to be true, there's usually a problem because the rental market here is tight. Incidents of patrol car calls over there are high compared to the rest of St. Augustine Beach. Everyone I knew who lived there moved out long ago. If you just want to live at the beach for a bargain price and don't care about these issues, maybe it is the place for you.

Thanks for your response, I really appreciate your honesty. I actually called the police department today and they said while it was not the best place to live, it wasn't the worst. It seems the calls they get for that area (including neighboring communities) are mostly alcohol related. I would assume that is mostly because of it's location and the fact that many residents are students. As for the price, I didn't find it to be amazing, but it was okay.

I have had a really time finding a place in St. Augustine that fits my budget (max of $850/month) and allows for pets (I have two cats). I will be a graduate student at the University of St. Augustine and it seems that I soon as I say "student", it scares people off. I guess that's why I got so excited about Seaside Villas - until I saw the reviews. What a bummer.

Do you recommend any other places I should look? I feel like I've checked everywhere but nothing has come up in my needs. I am planning to move at the end of April so it's coming up pretty fast and I'm getting worried. I'd like to stay on Anastasia Island but at this point, would consider anywhere local to the area.

Thanks in advance. I really appreciate you taking the time to comment.

[ssclulow]

I did a quick look on the island and down US1 and came up empty handed. I thought that the University of St. Augustine did a good job of helping their students find housing. Are they not helping you? Instead of saying you are a college student, say you are going to physical therapy school (or whatever) at University of St. Augustine. Their students usually are more mature and have a better reputation with landlords. There are rentals available north of St. Augustine, but that is a long haul back and forth to school.

[NicM987]

Originally Posted by ssclulow

I did a quick look on the island and down US1 and came up empty handed. I thought that the University of St. Augustine did a good job of helping their students find housing. Are they not helping you? Instead of saying you are a college student, say you are going to physical therapy school (or whatever) at University of St. Augustine. Their students usually are more mature and have a better reputation with landlords. There are rentals available north of St. Augustine, but that is a long haul back and forth to school.

I was under the impression that they helped to find housing as well. However, I've discovered that their "help" consists of giving us a piece of paper with a list of names and phone numbers of rental communities and realtors. They gave us a housing list, but calling the numbers down it, it seems it was a really out of date list because most places hadn't been available for awhile. :/ As I mentioned as well, I've tried most of the communities and when it comes to realtors, none of them have been helpful at all. Most don't even return my call.

I will try what you said and not say the student thing and just word it differently. I can completely understand why they'd be hesitant with students. However, I'd be crazy busy with OT school and I don't drink/smoke/party anyway. I like to keep to myself.

Worst case scenario if I can't come across anything else, I may have to suck it up and choose Seaside Villas. If that's the case, I'll sign up for the 6 month lease and if I absolutely hate it or something else comes up after those 6 months, I have the opportunity to move.

Thanks again for your help! I'll keep looking out for better places in the area and hope somewhere pops up!