Relocating to JAX-HELP! (Jacksonville, St. Augustine, Springfield: rental, loans, how much)

[NJToJAXRN]

Hello Everyone,

My fiancé and I are relocating from Jersey to Jax this May for several reasons; family and weather being the top 2. Here are my most perplexing obstacles I need guidance on...1) Do I rent first or try to buy while still living in NJ? 2) 1st time homebuyer FL programs/FHA loans/Realtors- is this even possible if I’m not a Florida Resident yet?? 3) Location- I’m very partial to Riverside/Avondale/San Marco...is this unrealistic in the current RE market? We are in our 30’s, no kids, and looking to make friends/ an active neighborhood. 4) Probably should be number 1- Getting a job while out of state. I’m a nurse, hoping that makes securing employment somewhat easier but still nervous.

All advice welcome! Thank you in advance.

[mawipafl]

I can't speak to the ease or difficulty in finding a nursing job here, but if it is "easy" and you have the funds to live on between the move and securing a job, then I would put finding a rental as step one next May. If you haven't physically spent time here, the usual advice is to rent before buying. I don't believe it matters if you don't live in Florida yet to buy using any kind of first-time buyer program. That's all about a lender and its qualifying rules. However, logically a lender is going to want you to be employed here in a field you've been in for a while before qualifying you for a loan.

[NJToJAXRN]

Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it!

[Heather72754]

I work in a hospital in St. Augustine and our OR supervisor regularly does phone interviews with out of state nurses who plan on relocating to St. Augustine. They are sometimes also hired before their arrival, with a starting date determined by when they actually do arrive. I feel like nursing is one of the easier professions to get work in after a relocation, so good luck to you!

[Fr8mvr]

Originally Posted by NJToJAXRN

Hello Everyone,

My fiancé and I are relocating from Jersey to Jax this May for several reasons; ..... 3) Location- I’m very partial to Riverside/Avondale/San Marco...is this unrealistic in the current RE market? We are in our 30’s, no kids, and looking to make friends/ an active neighborhood. .....

All advice welcome! Thank you in advance.

Plenty of nursing jobs in JAX. You may want to check out Springfield if you want to make friends and your life does not revolve around children. Not that it's a bad place for children but if you want friends who may want to walk to a brewery or bike to a Shrimp or Iceman game with you..

https://www.sparcouncil.org https://historicspringfield.org

[Johnathon Hills]

I believe you have to be a FL resident to qualify for any FL housing programs,which as of this moment aren't all that great.

[projectmaximus]

Originally Posted by NJToJAXRN

Hello Everyone,

My fiancé and I are relocating from Jersey to Jax this May for several reasons; family and weather being the top 2. Here are my most perplexing obstacles I need guidance on...1) Do I rent first or try to buy while still living in NJ? 2) 1st time homebuyer FL programs/FHA loans/Realtors- is this even possible if I’m not a Florida Resident yet?? 3) Location- I’m very partial to Riverside/Avondale/San Marco...is this unrealistic in the current RE market? We are in our 30’s, no kids, and looking to make friends/ an active neighborhood. 4) Probably should be number 1- Getting a job while out of state. I’m a nurse, hoping that makes securing employment somewhat easier but still nervous.

All advice welcome! Thank you in advance.

1) I would definitely recommend renting first
2) I'm not sure. Contact an agent to ask about it.
3) Not sure what you mean by unrealistic? Price-wise? We don't know how much you can afford.
4) There's a lot of healthcare employers in the area...it should be a pretty decent area of opportunity for you.

Good luck!

[BabyBoomers2]

For some jobs, like CFO and CEO, many companies will advertise through out the U.S. for candidates for the job. A company can even pay the entire moving cost for a candidate that is hired.

For other jobs, many companies want the candidates to come from the local area. My wife has a Bachelors Degree in Business/Accounting, but when applying for jobs in Denver, CO metro, while still living in So California, nobody contacted her. She had to wait until we made the move to CO to get any response and job offer.

[Florida2014]

If you have local family here, list their address on your resume and application. If pressed for it during interviews, tell them you're living with family temporarily until you secure full-time employment.

You mention moving here for family, is living near them important? One thing many people don't realize is the size of the Jacksonville area, the city itself is nearly 1,000 square miles and if your family were living in St Augustine while you are working and living in Amelia Island, that would be a real pain.

I would recommend renting for a year if possible. It will give you a lay of the land and help to narrow down areas where you want to call home vs. areas that you'd never want to live in.

[NJToJAXRN]

Originally Posted by Heather72754

I work in a hospital in St. Augustine and our OR supervisor regularly does phone interviews with out of state nurses who plan on relocating to St. Augustine. They are sometimes also hired before their arrival

That’s awesome Heather, and definitely put me more at ease. St. Augustine is beautiful, I’ve also been looking into that area. Thank you for the reply!