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Hi, We're planning to relocate to Ponte Vedra this summer. We have visited the area twice but we are still undecided on which neighborhood to move into. We plan to rent for a year so we can become familiar with the area (and make sure we want to stay) before we buy, but I still worry about renting in the right neighborhood because we really don't want to have to switch our kids' schools when we buy. They have already attended schools in 3 different states in the last 7 years. We love the amenities in Nocatee and the proximity to the beach, but I just cannot get over the lot sizes. We currently live on 3 acres, and no, I am not expecting (nor do I desire) a lot this big, but something between 1/4-1/2 acre would be ideal. Are there other neighborhoods we should consider? We want a friendly neighborhood with a lot of kids, dog parks, a great pool, and family-oriented activities as well as easy access to the beach. Rental budget is in the $2800/mo range, when we buy we'll be looking to stay under $450k.
Another question - what is the general feeling about Nease vs PVBH? I know all of Nocatee is zoned for Nease but our research is showing that PVBH may be a better school, academically.
Thanks!
One thing I can say. With the growth in this area - your kids can't be assured of any particular schools until they graduate (unless perhaps they're already in high school and get "grandfathered in" to the high school they're attending).
We have 3/4 of an acre in Marsh Landing - and it cost us $95k - in 1995. Cost today here or in a similar area would be well over $250k - maybe like $400k. If you're looking for acreage (like more than 1/4 acre of acreage ) - look outside larger developments/HOAs.
Your rental idea is excellent. Rent and explore. We rented here for 6 months before we decided to build a place (and we had lived in Florida for 20+ years before we rented then). Robyn
Mostly in terms of "personality" of the communities.
Also wondering if I teaching swimming lessons at my own house/pool in one of these communities would be allowed? (ie HOA rules).
Just piggybacking on the thread to get more responses and also capture this in one thread with the encompassing subject line. Thanks!
Last edited by snuffybear; 02-27-2014 at 08:49 AM..
Mostly in terms of "personality" of the communities.
Also wondering if I teaching swimming lessons at my own house/pool in one of these communities would be allowed? (ie HOA rules).
Just piggybacking on the thread to get more responses and also capture this in one thread with the encompassing subject line. Thanks!
All 3 of these HOAs contain different "neighborhoods" (sub-associations - we have 10 in Marsh Landing). They vary a lot in terms of price/income levels. You have everything from the Players Club Villas in TPC Sawgrass (in about the $250k range) to Harbour Island in Marsh Landing (in the $2+ million range) - and lots of different neighborhoods in between. I'm not sure what you mean by "personalities" - but I think you'll find a lot of differences among these neighborhoods.
In Marsh Landing - you can't operate a business at home unless you get a letter of approval from the Master Association. If the Master Association thinks the business is ok - but only if you follow certain requirements - it can impose any requirements it deems appropriate as a condition of granting approval for the business. You need Master Association approval to get a business license from the county.
I doubt what you're trying to do would be a "slam dunk" in terms of HOA approval (compared with doing something like running a computer consulting business from inside your house). Because of safety considerations. Possible neighbor complaints about swimming pool noise. Too many cars parked on the street. The possibility of having a business advertising that it's operating in Marsh Landing. Etc. Note that I don't know whether there are state statutes/local ordinances requiring certification to teach swimming at a private home. There are state statutes regulating these things in public pools. And we have at least 2 places that teach swimming here (the Y and Planet Swim - which is located in TPC Sawgrass at the Ponte Vedra Golf and Country Club). Overall - I suspect obtaining HOA approval would be difficult at best. Robyn
I live in PVB, so I can share my own personal opinion of these neighborhoods. My husband and I spent months looking all over Ponte Vedra Beach when we were house hunting two years ago!
Azalea Point and Fairfield are basically the same neighborhood. It's gated, and it's zoned for PV/Rawlings. It's a bit more cookie cutter/less landscaped than most of the other gated communities, probably because it doesn't have a golf course. So you're more likely to have the back of your house looking at another house rather than green area or a lake. I think the location is convenient -- right on A1A, and from some of the houses you could walk to Starbucks. I don't think there's a community pool.
I don't know much about Ocean's Edge, other than that it has an automatic (not manned) gate and it's on the east side of A1A. I don't believe it has beach access -- a friend who looked at a house in there mentioned that they would walk to Mickler's. That is not a walk I'd want to do (no sidewalk on that side of A1A there), so unless there's a cut through to PV Boulevard, I'm notmsure why you'd pay a premium to be on the beach side of A1A. It's also zoned for PV/Rawlngs.
Odom's Mill and Sawmill Lakes are both great neighborhoods for families. They are both zoned for Ocean Palms -- from Odom's Mill you can walk to Ocean Palms and Landrum Middle. Both have neighborhood pools and playgrounds. Sawmill Lakes has a community room by the playground that you can use for group meetings. Both neighborhoods have great families and good community feel, from what I can tell, and they're the only neighborhoods in PVB that I've driven through and just seen kids out playing everywhere. The downside is that the houses are very cookie cutter -- all very similar, on small lots, and most of them have no view -- you just see your neighbors' houses out the back of your house. They also aren't as "pretty" as some of the other neighborhoods, but -- I imagine their HOA fees are less.
All of the above should be in the OP's budget. I think $450k is realistic for all of them, but probably on the low side.
The other neighborhoods mentioned would not be in that price range, unless you found a short sale or something.
Marsh Landing (generally -- I don't have a feel for the different neighborhoods within it) is a beautiful neighborhood, and it's a great neighborhood for kids. It is actually one of my favorite neighborhoods in PVB for families. Great community playgrounds, but no neighborhood pool. Gated (with a manned gate), so the HOA fees are going to be higher. Zoned for PV/Rawlings.
Sawgrass Country Club (the east side of A1A) seems to have few kids. It's a beautiful neighborhood, but it does seem to have mostly more mature residents. I don't think there's a neighborhood pool -- I'm not even sure if there's a playground. It has a manned gate, and is zoned for PV/Rawlings.
TPC Sawgrass has a lot of great neighborhoods (I'm more familiar with these). Cypress Creek seems to have the most kids -- and it's right next to the playground (which is awesome) and rec field. There is a neighborhood pool (it's located in The Coves area, but I believe it's for the use of all of TPC Sawgrass), although I know a lot of people with kids in there and I don't know of anyone ever using it. The Coves have very small lots, so I imagine not many kids, but I do know some in there. Salt Creek is a great neighborhood, and it does have kids. Seven Mile Drive, Sawgrass Island, and Water's Edge are the other ones I'm familiar with, and all of them are mostly older -- some kids, but not a lot. It has a manned gate and is zoned for PV/Rawlings. Although, the gate isn't as tight on security as others because of the TPC clubhouse.
These weren't mentioned, but I'll also throw out there --
Plantation Oaks also seems to have a lot of kids. It's an electronic gate, and it's zoned for Ocean Palms. It's a really pretty neighborhood, but I thought all the floor plans were odd. Tons of bedrooms, but very few living spaces -- tiny "great" rooms and no separate living/family rooms. Much newer than most houses in PVB -- I think most were built in 2006 or so.
The Plantation gets a bad rap sometimes, but it's worth considering. Yes, the monthly dues are expensive. But it includes a country club membership and a beach club -- so to really compare apples to apples you have to look at the cost of a house in another gated community (such as Marsh Landing or Sawgrass) PLUS the cost of a golf membership at a country club that also has a beach club (only Sawgrass CC or Ponte Vedra Inn and Club, or Marsh Landing plus Cabana Club). So if you plan to join a country club, look into Plantation. It used to be basically a retirement community, but that's an outdated view of it now. They just built a new playground and are in discussion about building a new amenity park. They are heavily marketing to families now, and lots are moving in. The neighborhood has a manned gate and is zoned for Ocean Palms. When you buy a house, you have to join the country club, so the club and neighborhood amenities are one and the same. They include a golf course, tennis courts, a clubhouse (no monthly minimum), and a beach club -- just south of Mickler's -- with a junior Olympic sized pool, right on the ocean, and a second clubhouse that offers a more limited menu.
Finally, although in general St. Johns schools are being rezoned frequently as the area grows, the areas in PVB have been built out for a while, so they're unlikely to change. Even with the big shake up of the Nocatee school opening next fall, none of the PVB neighborhoods are changing which elementary school they go to -- all the changes are for houses west of the Intracoastal.
A couple of additions. We rented a house in the Coves in Sawgrass while we were building our house. At the time - the pool area in the Coves was for Coves residents only. Doubt that has changed - but there's no harm asking. Waters Edge (Drives) are in the Coves.
This is a description of the playground facilities in Marsh Landing:
Our current master HOA fees are $1940/year. Each sub-master association sets its own fees. Those in ours are $840/year.
I suspect that Sawgrass County Club may be undergoing a lot of what we're seeing in Marsh Landing. Older residents (60's/70's) moving out of large houses and downsizing - with younger families moving in to take their place. Except of course in the condos (we know some people who are downsizing from a large house in ML to a smaller condo in Sawgrass).
Although there are still a few lots available in parts of Sawgrass and Marsh Landing - there are more in The Plantation. So building "from scratch" in any of these communities is still an option.
Also - there are quite a few houses in "old Ponte Vedra Beach" - smaller communities in PVB (along - for example - PVB and Roscoe Blvds. and in areas like Palm Valley) - as well as houses that aren't in any community/HOA at all. Robyn
One other thing about The Plantation. Because CC membership is mandatory - and adds to the costs of homeownership there - the home/lot prices are lower than those in a place like Marsh Landing. So - if a potential buyer *is* interested in the CC there - it can be a pretty good deal overall.
Note that I ruled out the Plantation because - at the time - it only had - IIRC - 4 or so tennis courts - and didn't support organized women's tennis teams. Don't know what the story is today. I've played the golf course a couple of times as a visiting member of another women's golf team - and thought it was a pretty nice well-maintained course (it's probably even nicer now that the old bent grass greens - impossible to maintain in Florida - were replaced with a more suitable grass).
This thread has been really helpful. Thank you to all who have posted so far! Can anyone share their thought on l'atrium or the sister neighborhoods inside (fiddlers hammock to be precise?) we're considering a home as a family of 3 (1.5 year old). Would like a family friendly neighborhood.
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) - look outside larger developments/HOAs.
