St. Augustine PV neighborhoods - need advice (Miami: 2014, home)

[Robyn55]

Originally Posted by cclovis1

You are fortunate to have locked in when you did. PVB is my favorite location.

We would have made more money had we stayed in our place in Miami - at least in terms of simple appreciation. But things seem to have gone nuts there in terms of things like windstorm coverage (which is still relatively affordable here). OTOH - we moved when we sold our old place - it was on the market for almost a year (real estate market was slow then). It was as simple as that.

FWIW - I'll give you a clue about some of the cheaper prices you'll see here. When we first moved here - just about all of the county was pine tree farms. Hundreds of square miles of pine tree farms. And it's still mostly hundreds of square miles of pine tree farms (and other agricultural uses). IOW - there's plenty of cheap land in most parts of the county west of the ICW. Cheap land can > cheap houses. Can't speak for the quality of the construction - am not familiar with it.

Also - this area is still pretty much the "middle of nowhere" here. A Publix - a dry cleaner - maybe a takeout pizza place or similar - that's about it. When we first moved here - we were looking for a good golf/tennis community - and were willing to be a little "far out" to get it. At the time - we were about 18 miles away from the Avenues Mall/shopping on Southside (we're now 13 miles from the Town Center - the "center of gravity" has moved closer to us). In a place like Murabella - you're about 27 miles from the Town Center. And traffic - although not as bad as traffic up north - has gotten worse since we moved here. So you can't assume all your driving on roads like I-95 will be a "straight shot".

Also - as one ages - medical care becomes more important. Murabella is 15 miles away from Baptist South (closest large medical complex IIRC) and 30 miles from Mayo (we're 7 miles away from Mayo).

Then there are other things. Like the closest Y to Murabella is 15+ miles away. Etc. Don't know what you're looking for in terms of amenities - but it's a schlep to most of them from the Murabella area.

IOW - here - as in most places - you're paying more for locations that people find desirable. Most of the people here find SJC more desirable than Duval County because of the schools (they're young people with young kids). But - at 55+ - schools aren't a factor for you. Robyn

[Robyn55]

P.S. Most of Florida is subject to flooding - even during minor tropical storms or winter "northeasters" (that can dump tons of rain). Flood insurance is recommended even when not required.

[cclovis1]

Have heard that re: flood insurance - thanks!!

[cclovis1]

Btw, is Baptist South considered to be a good hospital?

Totally agree that people need to think about medical care -- we all need it eventually!

[Robyn55]

I'm not personally familiar with Baptist South (perhaps other people here can help you). My husband and I get most of our medical care at Mayo and are very happy with it. Robyn

[Zaba]

Originally Posted by cclovis1

Convenient
Cheap
Safe

The rule of urban real estate is that you may choose two of the above three things.

Fortunately, St. Augustine isn't 'urban' and you're coming from an area where the sale of your home (there) will take you a long way here.

"Close to downtown and shopping" is an interesting requirement; have you actually spent much time here? Because 'downtown' is a tourist trap, unless 'shopping' in your daily life consists of lots of post cards, shot glasses and limited edition Star Trek Klingon battle swords. Outside of that, St Augustine isn't very retail intensive. Its a Wal Mart town.

As far as everything else, yes, St Aug has Starbucks and Home Depot and (Insert National Chain Here).
St Johns County is developing into very distinct communities whereas everything tends to get swept up in the "St Augustine" moniker and they're not the same thing so bear that in mind. All these people on this site talk about living in "St Augustine" yet they're 30 minutes from the Lighthouse living in some Heron Cove Eagles Nest Marlins Tide Landing on Soaring Hawks Turtle Ridge spec home PUD in what used to be an old turpentine plantation. I just totally can't relate to that.

[Mavoufl]

According to the flood map linked in this thread, Mandarin is relatively free of storm surge danger, which is what our research showed when we moved here. This is a terrific community for active retirees, quiet, treed and convenient. Pick your point of entry to San Jose Blvd, and you are within a block or two of a lot.
We DO drive a ways to Costco and the big shopping center there, and we drive 26 miles one way to Mayo Clinic where we both receive most of our medical care. Frankly I would walk it if I had to, for the quality of care, but we have some health issues and feel confident and comfortable there.
We have a large lot, older ranch home on a well cared for and large pond, completely updated and over 2000 SF, which will sell in the low to mid 200's, and prices are moving.
I think Jacksonville has a positive future from our observations and participation since we moved here over two years ago. We moved specifically for the medical care, having lived in Alabama.
Good luck with your hunt.

[Robyn55]

Originally Posted by Mavoufl

According to the flood map linked in this thread, Mandarin is relatively free of storm surge danger, which is what our research showed when we moved here. This is a terrific community for active retirees, quiet, treed and convenient. Pick your point of entry to San Jose Blvd, and you are within a block or two of a lot.
We DO drive a ways to Costco and the big shopping center there, and we drive 26 miles one way to Mayo Clinic where we both receive most of our medical care. Frankly I would walk it if I had to, for the quality of care, but we have some health issues and feel confident and comfortable there.
We have a large lot, older ranch home on a well cared for and large pond, completely updated and over 2000 SF, which will sell in the low to mid 200's, and prices are moving.
I think Jacksonville has a positive future from our observations and participation since we moved here over two years ago. We moved specifically for the medical care, having lived in Alabama.
Good luck with your hunt.

Parts of Mandarin flood (sometimes from the river - sometimes just as a result of lousy street or retention pond drainage). E.g.:

Photos | jacksonville.com

As for quiet. Perhaps the residential streets are quiet - but San Jose Blvd. is often one of the most traffic-choked streets in the metro area. We use the back roads to go on our occasional trips to Whole Foods (from the Beaches). And we usually go on Saturdays - because even the intersection at St. Augustine Road and Hood Road can get pretty backed up during the week.

IMO - there are nice parts of Mandarin - and some not so nice parts (which is the story in lots of the metro area). Robyn

[EricBoyd]

Originally Posted by Robyn55

As for quiet. Perhaps the residential streets are quiet - but San Jose Blvd. is often one of the most traffic-choked streets in the metro area. We use the back roads to go on our occasional trips to Whole Foods (from the Beaches). And we usually go on Saturdays - because even the intersection at St. Augustine Road and Hood Road can get pretty backed up during the week.

I traverse this area through each weekday and I can say that San Jose has gotten a lot better since they installed the new traffic signals at San Jose Blvd/Claire Ln and San Jose Blvd/295 ramp. Even rush hour traffic flow doesn't back up like it used to. I can get from Marbon Rd to 295 (and back in the evenings) in no more than 5 minutes. I also go through the intersection at OSA and Hood/Hartley Rds several times per day, since that's how I get from my home to my office, and I have never seen a long delay at this location. So, I'm not sure what you're talking about WRT backups there.

[Florida2014]

Originally Posted by EricBoyd

I traverse this area through each weekday and I can say that San Jose has gotten a lot better since they installed the new traffic signals at San Jose Blvd/Claire Ln and San Jose Blvd/295 ramp. Even rush hour traffic flow doesn't back up like it used to. I can get from Marbon Rd to 295 (and back in the evenings) in no more than 5 minutes. I also go through the intersection at OSA and Hood/Hartley Rds several times per day, since that's how I get from my home to my office, and I have never seen a long delay at this location. So, I'm not sure what you're talking about WRT backups there.

+1. Definitely lots of volume on San Jose but it flows nicely assuming no accidents, malfunctioning stoplights, etc. In the early a.m. the lights are almost always green so you can get through from Race Track to 295 in no time at all. I will say, though, that some people drive way, WAY too fast on this road. Speed limit is 45 and I'll be doing 50ish and will be passed like I'm parked.