St. John's or Tampa area?

[socalbee]

Originally Posted by sunlover23

Homeowners are suing builders left and right for defects because the houses have gone up so quickly to keep up with demand. There’s a whole other thread on home builders to check out.

Do you due diligence and visit to decide for yourself.

That is why buying a NEW home most anywhere these days is a crap shoot. Personally, we now look for homes built between 2001 and 2011. We gave looked recently at probably 120 new homes in the area as we wish to downsize. The workmanship is shoddy for the most part and they are just slung together.

A reputable custom builder is the way to go if one can afford it. Our current home was custom built and it definitely shows, we are spoilt and lucky at the same time when we compare it to today's offerings.

As usual you get what you pay for, and buyer beware and heed ShakenStirred's advice in previous threads and posts in the JAX group.

[JoJoCal19]

I realize this thread is a bit old, but still relevant to people who are making the same choice. We lived in both SJC and Tampa so will share some thoughts to help anyone out.

We bought our first house in Heritage Landing in St Johns Co in 2009 and sold it in 2013 to move to......Tampa (Wesley Chapel)! We lived in Wesley Chapel from 2013-2015. I will say, neither WC nor SJC are like they were back then. We are now back in Fleming Island (Clay Co) but travel to SJC regularly and also through WC every so often. Leaving4Ca is right, SJC is NOTHING like it was even 3 years ago, let alone when we lived there. It has blown up and would be unrecognizable to us had we not been traveling though SJC regularly since leaving in 2013, and seen the build up. Traffic is honestly about on par with WC area but not as bad as Tampa proper IMO.

I would say make your decision on location based on what is important to you. There really isnt much to do in NEFL (I've lived here for the past 28 years (minus 2 years in WC and 1 year in Colorado Springs). You will be bored and probably have done about everything there is to do in a year (or a couple). We loved the Tampa location as it was still not too far from the beaches, more varied and beautiful parks than NEFL, more pro sports if you're into that, 1 hour door to door to Disney (and all that Orlando has to offer), Busch Gardens, the Gulf is faaaaaaaar better than the Atlantic, and just more diversity of people, and more things to do and explore.

SJC is more laid back overall if that is more your thing. Beaches are closer than down in Tampa. Schools were (might still be) better, but its not like it used to be, like Leaving4Ca pointed out. NEFL is having a ton of teacher staffing issues as was mentioned. As well there are a lot more problems at the schools than there used to be. I know some friends who live in Nocatee (single family residence) and were made fun of for being from the "poor" section of Nocatee. I mean really? I have another friend whose daughter despite being a great student dealt with miserable bullying issues. It's definitely changed since we first lived there.

For anyone deciding between the two, I recommend spending a weekend (preferably a week) visiting both places and checking things out.

[socalbee]

Originally Posted by JoJoCal19

South SJC is more laid back overall if that is more your thing. Beaches are closer than down in Tampa. Schools were (might still be) better, but its not like it used to be, like Leaving4Ca pointed out. NEFL is having a ton of teacher staffing issues as was mentioned. As well there are a lot more problems at the schools than there used to be. I know some friends who live in Nocatee (single family residence) and were made fun of for being from the "poor" section of Nocatee. I mean really? I have another friend whose daughter despite being a great student dealt with miserable bullying issues. It's definitely changed since we first lived there.

For anyone deciding between the two, I recommend spending a weekend (preferably a week) visiting both places and checking things out.

EXACTLY (South Added by me) why we like it and have been here for almost 17 years. We have travelled all over Florida looking for some place better to downsize to and so far have never found it.

The only real downside for new transplants is the cost of housing, but that also has its benefits. You get what you pay for.

[FL_Expert]

For what it’s worth, I think this thread would have gone very differently had it been asked in the main Florida forum instead of the Jacksonville subforum.

[Gromicide]

Originally Posted by JoJoCal19

I realize this thread is a bit old, but still relevant to people who are making the same choice. We lived in both SJC and Tampa so will share some thoughts to help anyone out.

We bought our first house in Heritage Landing in St Johns Co in 2009 and sold it in 2013 to move to......Tampa (Wesley Chapel)! We lived in Wesley Chapel from 2013-2015. I will say, neither WC nor SJC are like they were back then. We are now back in Fleming Island (Clay Co) but travel to SJC regularly and also through WC every so often. Leaving4Ca is right, SJC is NOTHING like it was even 3 years ago, let alone when we lived there. It has blown up and would be unrecognizable to us had we not been traveling though SJC regularly since leaving in 2013, and seen the build up. Traffic is honestly about on par with WC area but not as bad as Tampa proper IMO.

I would say make your decision on location based on what is important to you. There really isnt much to do in NEFL (I've lived here for the past 28 years (minus 2 years in WC and 1 year in Colorado Springs). You will be bored and probably have done about everything there is to do in a year (or a couple). We loved the Tampa location as it was still not too far from the beaches, more varied and beautiful parks than NEFL, more pro sports if you're into that, 1 hour door to door to Disney (and all that Orlando has to offer), Busch Gardens, the Gulf is faaaaaaaar better than the Atlantic, and just more diversity of people, and more things to do and explore.

SJC is more laid back overall if that is more your thing. Beaches are closer than down in Tampa. Schools were (might still be) better, but its not like it used to be, like Leaving4Ca pointed out. NEFL is having a ton of teacher staffing issues as was mentioned. As well there are a lot more problems at the schools than there used to be. I know some friends who live in Nocatee (single family residence) and were made fun of for being from the "poor" section of Nocatee. I mean really? I have another friend whose daughter despite being a great student dealt with miserable bullying issues. It's definitely changed since we first lived there.

For anyone deciding between the two, I recommend spending a weekend (preferably a week) visiting both places and checking things out.

Once something explodes in popularity, it's inevitable that it will soon be 'not what it used to be'.

[JoJoCal19]

Originally Posted by socalbee

EXACTLY (South Added by me) why we like it and have been here for almost 17 years. We have travelled all over Florida looking for some place better to downsize to and so far have never found it.

The only real downside for new transplants is the cost of housing, but that also has its benefits. You get what you pay for.

I hear ya. I feel Naples is probably the best overall place for that beach lifestyle that is also a laid back area now that SJC has blown up over the years. It's still very laid back down there and I would have moved down there permanently had it not been for the fact that back then remote work wasn't quite as prevalent and there were not really many high paying Cybersec jobs.

[85dumbo]

Originally Posted by socalbee

PV is OK, but way too crowded for us, the traffic is almost as bad as south Florida. We prefer further south, and the beaches are better and more accessible.

I came from NY. PV traffic and crowds are non existent compared to NYC. lol.

[Ivan Putski]

Originally Posted by 85dumbo

I came from NY. PV traffic and crowds are non existent compared to NYC. lol.

That's what I said lol.