Relocate JAX through Daytona - Need Quiet, Safe Place w. Sea-Salt Air (Ormond Beach: house)

[Jackrabid]

Hello Everyone!

I'd appreciate any help that you kind folks could give me in finding “nice” place in NE Florida in which to live – RENT, probably – while finishing two hard books I am writing. I'm really easy to please: just want perfection. (LOL!) I'll be moving in late Spring this year.

A. PLACES – First, let me tell you the places I am considering – in no particular order. You may want to tell me about “better” places or warn me about the GOTCHAS of the places I list – I'd be grateful for any/all of that.

1. Yulee; 2. Amelia Island; 3. greater St. Augustine area; 4. Ormond Beach; 5. DeLand


B. NEEDS – Needs determine place. Here are some needs:

(I) PEACE and QUIET – not much traffic, no funky neighbors, no leaf-blower fetishists or neighbors who sandblast and repaint vehicles in their driveway every other week. I think you know what I'm getting at;

(II) SEA-SALT AIR – Nearby beach is nice, but don't care if I'm 20 miles inland, as long as air has sea-salt. (Have a sinus condition GREATLY helped by salt air.)

(III) SAFE PLACE – little personal or property crime, and where the police actually give a sh-t (pardon me).

(IV) DECENT SHOPPING - for food and small general items, within 10 miles.

(V) PLEASANT DOWNTOWN – perhaps with a few nice cafes or restaurants.

(VI) PRO-ACTIVE PROPERTY MANAGEMENT – managers or landlords who deal effectively with “bad” tenants – Murphy's Law says they'll be *your* neighbors – rather than just take rent.

(VII) FRIENDLY TOWN.


C. BUYING – When the two years and heavy editing are up, I'll be looking to buy a place. Perhaps not realistic, but it would be nice to spend my first 2 years in Florida more or less in the same town where I end up buying.

Thanks so much, everyone, for you help!

[squarpeg]

I don't know anything about Ormond Beach so can't comment on that.

Peace and quiet - suspect you can get that at any of these places. More dependent on the house or unit you are in then the town.

Salt air - Amelia, St Augustine

safe place - again mostly depends on where in the town you are. I looked at Deland as a possible place to relocate and my thoughts ,,, there was a friendly group of locals working to better the town but there was a lot of property crime, break ins and probably drug oriented theft going on. Some areas I thought were bad. The good willed people were not able to override those issues for me. Amelia island is safe. Yulee is largely safe. St augustine probably also safe, again these towns can be large and encompass all strata of income and folks so I am assuming your not going to pick living in the crack house next to the run down trailer park.

shopping - come on, it is Florida. Where is there not adequate shopping?

Pleasant downtown - As I said I do not know about ormond Beach. I am partial to fernandina as I live here and it is about the right size for me. yes to restaurants cafes, St Augustine I like but is much more tourist oriented but you will find plenty there also, deland while it has been a few years since my visit they had less to offer and was much rougher they simply do not have the kind of tourist money we do on Amelia island.. Yulee no, Yulee is not a town. It is a place on the map. There is no mainstreet or anything like that. It is mostly a series of large housing developments set behind a series of corporate box stores. Your morning coffee will be from Duncan doughnuts, panera, sonic, flash foods

Property management - I know nothing about this.

Friendly town - A meaning less criteria. Your not moving to a foreign country. You'll find people are as friendly to you as you are to them.

Buying - check out zillow I do not know your price point and who knows what will be in 2 years. Amelia island and st augustine tend to be expensive, again depending on what you require and will pay. Yulee is building 30,000 homes. there will be plenty of stock there and as a general rule I think you will find the same home in yulee costs about 100,000 less then that home on amelia island. I do recall deland had some cool old homes that were very affordable, when I was looking, I have not checked recently but again do you want to live there? Ultimately that is the question

[Jackrabid]

hi squarpeg!

wow! i am blown away by all the superb and extensive info you have provided! thank you!!

i am still processing it. may i ask you a few questions when i have done so? thanks again so much.