Okay, I'm hooked...but what about this (Jacksonville, Vero Beach: sale, real estate)

[murfslaw]

Spent my third 3 week vacation in JAX in last two years. We're seriously considering leaving SoCal and moving to Amelia Island. I have several questions. 1) How are real estate taxes really calculated and do they increase significantly each year. 2) How expensive is homeowners insurance for typical coverage in NE Florida. 3) Is the humidity 2-4 blocks from the Atlantic Ocean really that bad in summer? We love the friendly people, great
restaurants, the fishing, the green foliage, the slower pace and the unpoluted air. We've been blessed in life and can afford the area and can take summer vacations to the northwest.
Thanks for any help!

[riveree]

1) How are real estate taxes really calculated and do they increase significantly each year.

There's a formula that would be too complicated to cover here, but one of the major factors is the sale price of the home. If the home will be your primary residence, you will get a break known as the "homestead exemption" which keeps the property tax increase to no more than 3% per year. If the home is not your full-time primary residence, there is no exemption and the tax increase can be as much as 10% per year.

Here is a link to Nassau county's property appraiser site. Most of the appraiser sites have a calculator where you can plug in some theoretical home sale prices and see what your taxes might be:

Welcome to the Nassau County Florida Property Appraiser's Office

2) How expensive is homeowners insurance for typical coverage in NE Florida.

Again, many factors and no one answer for everyone. The style of house (construction materials, roof style, etc.) play a role, your flood zone rating plays a big role, your distance to the beach plays a role, your personal credit score....and on and on....

If you're going to be living on Amelia Island, you'll be living on a barrier island and will pay a premium for that...it can be very expensive, ask your realtor to give you some examples - a local realtor will have some idea of what it may run you.

3) Is the humidity 2-4 blocks from the Atlantic Ocean really that bad in summer? [/quote]

I don't think so. I've been living 6 miles in from the ocean and can feel the breeze...2-4 blocks should be very breezy .

[apvbguy]

Originally Posted by riveree

1) 3) Is the humidity 2-4 blocks from the Atlantic Ocean really that bad in summer?

I don't think so. I've been living 6 miles in from the ocean and can feel the breeze...2-4 blocks should be very breezy .[/quote]


I beg to differ, I am very close to the beach, what would amount to 2-4 blocks and when the humidity is bad, unless you are directly on the sand, it is bad here

[Ryde41]

So you are saying its unpleasant to live at the beach when its humid? more so than inland? I never lived at the beach.. Why would it be more humid? Is the ocean air contributing to the humidity?

[seeriously]

I don't live in Jacksonville, I live in Vero Beach, a good distance south of Jax so all I'm going to address is the humidity. We moved to Vero Beach three years ago and I thought that I'd be able to walk the beach all year round, but during the summer months when there is high humidity, you cannot walk the beach without getting soaking wet from perspiration. Also, and I don't know why this is, but Jacksonville is about 5 to 6 degrees hotter than where we are. Several times we've driven up the coast and found 97 degree weather by the time we got there in the evening.

[Ryde41]

Well, that's interesting.

[agreatlife]

We have a formula we use for calculating property taxes, and it was explained to us in school that this is what the property appraisers do. And this assumes that you will have the homestead exemption.

Take 92% of the purchase price of the home, deduct for your homestead exemption, then multiply that times the millage rate.

Ex in Duval: n * 0.92 - $25,000 * 0.01669 = x
Where n = purchase price of the home.

Also, the taxes may vary by area, for example, the beaches in Duval have a slightly higher rate. Riveree's suggestion is right on - most of the counties have a tax estimator which would be much more accurate.

[jmc]

I moved here from SoCal over a year ago (San Diego)....much better weather out there. As previous posters have said, it definitely gets humid here!! If you can stand the humidity in the summers up through September, maybe even October, the rest of the year isn't bad weather-wise. I'll warn you: There isn't an In-N-Out Burger or Wahoo's Fish Tacos anywhere in sight (just to name a few SoCal things I miss...).

[riveree]

Originally Posted by apvbguy

I don't think so. I've been living 6 miles in from the ocean and can feel the breeze...2-4 blocks should be very breezy .

I beg to differ, I am very close to the beach, what would amount to 2-4 blocks and when the humidity is bad, unless you are directly on the sand, it is bad here[/quote]

When the humidity is bad, it's bad everywhere, but you must feel an ocean breeze if you're that close? It's not going to eliminate the humidity, but it's better than being further inland with the same humidity and the air not moving a bit.

[apvbguy]

Originally Posted by riveree

I beg to differ, I am very close to the beach, what would amount to 2-4 blocks and when the humidity is bad, unless you are directly on the sand, it is bad here

When the humidity is bad, it's bad everywhere, but you must feel an ocean breeze if you're that close? It's not going to eliminate the humidity, but it's better than being further inland with the same humidity and the air not moving a bit.[/quote]
you don't always get a breeze and sometimes depending on the direction of the wind, the breeze has little effect