St. Johns county? Need help from the locals please (Jacksonville: best city, real estate)

[RoxyL17]

We are contemplating the possibility of relocating to St. Johns County from Miami, I read lots of postings and doing some research on my own, I have clear that this is one of the best areas in Florida for Education, I also know there is a lot of new properties being built. We have a 10 year old son and there is nothing that we would like more than to see him outdoors riding bike, playing sports, playing with other kids, like we used to do!! I would like to know why I see lots of empty houses when I search for one in realtor.com, is everybody buying brand new homes? Which would it be the best city to settle if I want a great middle and high school for my son, lots of kids to play with outdoors, shopping centers near by and not too far from hospitals. We picked St. Johns county also because we would like to be East of the St. Johns River and not too far from St. Augustine. Can somebody please tell me how is the Real Estate growing in that area? My husband is a Realtor and we were wondering how long would it take to sell a property? He also flips properties here and is successful, but my concern is if it would be the same way there. Thank you so much!

[projectmaximus]

It's a hot market right now. Inventory is a little low. I don't know SJC RE but I imagine it's mostly new construction with lots of developers competing.

We're focused on the historic urban areas and they're very good for flipping at the moment.

[RoxyL17]

Thank you for your response, where exactly are the historic urban areas you are talking about?

[houdinis mom]

Hi RoxyL17, depends on what you want....do you want to be right at the St. John's County/Duval Co line, or further south. Do you want to be East or West of 95, or east of US-1, there is also a little strip of some houses between US 1 and 95. Julington Creek is huge, plenty of options, different types of neighborhoods, different price levels and located between 95 and St. Johns River and just south of the county line. I am no longer a licensed RE agent...gave up on that a long time ago for another career in mortgage underwriting... but I love the area of real estate and looking at houses and after looking for 2 years and finally buying last year, very familiar with all of the areas..... please message me directly or on here, either way....I would be happy to give you some ideas. There are also still a lot of foreclosures here, with plenty of opportunity to flip. Oh and I don't want to speak in PM's place, but my opinion of the historic and urban areas would be in Jacksonville in the general vicinities of Riverside, San Marco, Springfield, St. Nicholas and there are some other sketchy areas around Springfield, which is fairly new in the gentrification process (about 15-20 years going).

[RoxyL17]

Hello houdinis mom, thank you for taking the time and answer to my post. I wouldn't like to be on the county line, prefer south. Rather be west of 95. I like the area you mentioned Julington Creek between 95 and St. Johns River and South of the county line. Is good to know that there is still option to flip properties, we will definitely visit the area soon. I will message you when we make a decision. Thank you for all your help!!!

[projectmaximus]

Yes, thank you houdini, I was thinking Riverside, Avondale, Murray Hill, San Marco and Springfield. Best for flipping opportunities would be Riverside, San Marco and Avondale, although the latter two not quite as easy to find good ones. Springfield and Murray Hill you'll want to tread a little more carefully. St Nicholas isn't bad area either, but I'd see much more buy and hold properties rather than flips.

We've considered a few flips in the burbs (one in Mandarin and one in Orange Park) but eventually decided against it. Not that there aren't possibilities though, just always feel more comfortable with the areas you know.

[RoxyL17]

Thanks PM areas to take into consideration!!

[mbpiedra]

If you are looking to live in St. Johns County with proximity to shopping, the beach, the highway, etc.. You should focus on Durbin Crossing (new and resale), Julington Creek Plantation (mostly resale), Aberdeen (new and some resale), and maybe Nocatee. Nocatee is a little more remote from many activities but it is 10 minutes or so closer to the Beach.

We built new 3 years ago and found new construction to be less expensive then resales. Prices have gone up considerably since we built so it may be different now. We chose Durbin and love it. Great schools, my son is 9 and is in a brand new K-8 (Patriot Oaks Academy) that was just built this year. He loves it, his teacher is great, and it is a wonderful atmosphere.

The beach is 20 minutes, downtown Jax is 30 minutes, Avenues mall is 20 minutes, Town Center is 30 minutes, and San Jose Blvd where we find ourselves all the time is 10 minutes away.

[RoxyL17]

Very interesting information mbpiedra I will definitely look into it. I guess we will have to rent first for a while ago be sure where to buy, what about a high school? Do you have any picked already? Thanks for the information ��

[JennyJake]

Hi everyone! I'm new to this site, and am searching for similar information. My family and I currently live on Long Island and are looking into relocating to St. Johns County for the schools. My 1st-grader has PDD-NOS (high-functioning on the Autism Spectrum Disorder). We really NEED to make sure we select the absolute best school for him (as well as for his typically-developing little brother). Someone recommended this district to us, and so far I'm hearing wonderful things about the district..... However, nobody has been able to recommend one school over another.

We're not familiar at all with the area. Our son is in a General classroom (he does receive services as well), and he currently has a shared aide in his class to help him when he needs a little extra push. SUPER friendly and outgoing kid, and extremely bright. We want to make sure we have him in a school with knowledgeable, experienced teachers who know how to give him the little extra TLC he needs to maintain his progress, and prevent any regression.

We also want to make sure we choose a SAFE, friendly neighborhood to raise a family in. We're very friendly people, and don't particularly care for snotty crowds - which I'm hearing that many areas along the coast tend to have a little bit more of that. At the same time, we don't want to be anywhere near the ghetto. lol

So..... if anybody has ANY helpful information, I would greatly appreciate it! Thank you to anybody who takes the time to read this and reply.