What area of St. Johns County might work best for me? (Venice: how much, new home)

[wizrap]

Thunder, I agree that Ponte Vedra Beach is a fantastic choice for the OP except this person doesn’t want to live near water, and felt Nocatee was too close (& PVB is even closer!)

I agree with your assessment that PVB is the best area. Gorgeous, upscale, well-manicured—not much to dislike.

[Thundarr457]

Nocatee and all those new communities have CDD fees which is a big minus IMHO. They are all built around amenity centers which is pretty much the norm nowadays. They are all geared towards families because of the top rated schools. TPC is the closest thing to the OP's previous residence. We have gone through 4 hurricanes with no flooding. Best for the OP to do a road trip and see for themselves. I prefer an existing community because you know what you are getting. TPC has gated, manned entry plus patrols. There is a nice mix of seniors and new families. My wife and I love to look at new houses to get decorating ideas and we have been to every single community multiple times.

[SkyNSea55]

Originally Posted by Thundarr457

Nocatee and all those new communities have CDD fees which is a big minus IMHO. They are all built around amenity centers which is pretty much the norm nowadays. They are all geared towards families because of the top rated schools. TPC is the closest thing to the OP's previous residence. We have gone through 4 hurricanes with no flooding. Best for the OP to do a road trip and see for themselves. I prefer an existing community because you know what you are getting. TPC has gated, manned entry plus patrols. There is a nice mix of seniors and new families. My wife and I love to look at new houses to get decorating ideas and we have been to every single community multiple times.

We are retired and currently live in Charleston, SC. If...we were ever to move, it would be to TPC Sawgrass. Love that neighborhood! Winters are a bit milder there than here too.

[LFJourney]

Originally Posted by socalbee

Unfortunately, one needs close to $1m to live in a nice part of St. Johns. The whole of middle and upper middle-class Florida is going/heading this way.

I don't agree that "the whole of middle and upper middle-class Florida is going/heading this way." It's funny to me how everyone in every part of Florida says the same thing, including here in SW Florida where I'm currently living. Actually, I'm a subscriber to a ton of blogs about personal finance, and the housing market is frequently mentioned. I consistently get stuff about the most popular areas that people are moving to in this state, and NE Florida is pretty much never mentioned, and many towns in SW Florida is always mentioned. I've lived in Florida my entire life, and I much prefer the weather to be warmer like it is here.
I also honestly think the beaches are much prettier here, but that's not important to me. The only reason that St. Johns County is on my radar now is because apparently it's #1 in the state when it comes to health and wellness, which is very important to me. There's a lot of different aspects to this so I'm not referring to just great medical care like doctors and hospitals. It's also being around people who have healthy behaviors, etc. Another huge reason SJC appeals to me is because there's a possibility that one of my closest friends and her husband will some day move back to the area. She actually tried to get me to move to Nocatee a few years ago when she lived in Southside JAX, but I dismissed it mainly because I was concerned that it's too cold for me.

However, I've recently learned that SJC is considered a "peer" and comparable to the county where I lived for 28 years when it comes to health and wellness. I next to never had to dodge someone's second-hand smoke there, unlike here in Venice/Sarasota County where it's next to never that I don't!
I'd much rather put on more clothes and be colder than I like if it means that I'll be living in a healthier environment like where I used to live. I feel like I'm a fish out of water here!

[LFJourney]

Originally Posted by Thundarr457

I didn't care for E-town. Its too close to the major highways for my taste. I really like Beacon Lake, Nocatee is OK but massive and family oriented, there is Shearwater, Markland, Rivertown and Silverleaf. One thing to remember is that they build in the best areas first. You are getting further from the ocean with some of these. Maybe you can score a foreclosure since they are starting to appear and the easy money investors are leaving the market. At this juncture its more of a buyers market and you should be patient. If you don't mind an older home, the Alta Mar area of Sawgrass TPC is one to consider. Ponte Vedra Beach IMHO is the best area, most of the newer communities are in Ponte Vedra which is a totally different animal. Again get a GOOD realtor, it makes all the difference. I have found that most just stick you on a MLS search and forget about you. PM me if you need anything else. Good luck.

When I looked at a map last week and before I saw your post, it also seemed to me that E-town is too close to major highways so thanks for confirming what I was concerned about and for your additional insight. I'm also really not interested in Duval County unless something really wonderful changes my mind, and the Del Webb community there is the only reason that I even somewhat looked at it. I'm going to research all the new communities that people have been nice enough to mention on my thread, but I'm curious what it is that you like about Beacon Lake because it's on my list. I really want a new home so I doubt very seriously if I'd ever consider a foreclosure. I'm starting to see a glimmer of hope in the housing market because I'm definitely starting to see prices fall so I truly appreciate you reminding me that I should be patient. It's very difficult because I feel like I've been on a painful roller coaster to nowhere for two years, but I force and tell myself every day that I need to continue to be patient.

[LFJourney]

Originally Posted by wizrap

Thunder, I agree that Ponte Vedra Beach is a fantastic choice for the OP except this person doesn’t want to live near water, and felt Nocatee was too close (& PVB is even closer!)

I agree with your assessment that PVB is the best area. Gorgeous, upscale, well-manicured—not much to dislike.

I wish it wasn't so close to the water because it otherwise sounds like something that I'd possibly be interested in. On the other hand, maybe it's a good thing because the prices might be higher there than I can or want to spend.

[LFJourney]

Originally Posted by Thundarr457

Nocatee and all those new communities have CDD fees which is a big minus IMHO. They are all built around amenity centers which is pretty much the norm nowadays. They are all geared towards families because of the top rated schools. TPC is the closest thing to the OP's previous residence. We have gone through 4 hurricanes with no flooding. Best for the OP to do a road trip and see for themselves. I prefer an existing community because you know what you are getting. TPC has gated, manned entry plus patrols. There is a nice mix of seniors and new families. My wife and I love to look at new houses to get decorating ideas and we have been to every single community multiple times.

I'm also really turned off and very annoyed about CDD fees, which I didn't have where my home was located and that community is very upscale and gorgeous. This is yet another difficult thing for me to have to deal with as a result of me stupidly selling my house. Even though my heart is in new construction, I might still check out TPC just to see what you're talking about. It certainly can't hurt, and new construction in today's world kind of scares me. Thanks again for your additional helpful information.

[LFJourney]

Originally Posted by Thundarr457

Nocatee and all those new communities have CDD fees which is a big minus IMHO. They are all built around amenity centers which is pretty much the norm nowadays. They are all geared towards families because of the top rated schools. TPC is the closest thing to the OP's previous residence. We have gone through 4 hurricanes with no flooding. Best for the OP to do a road trip and see for themselves. I prefer an existing community because you know what you are getting. TPC has gated, manned entry plus patrols. There is a nice mix of seniors and new families. My wife and I love to look at new houses to get decorating ideas and we have been to every single community multiple times.

Sorry. I was in a hurry earlier when I first responded to your post where I indicated that I might still check out TPC just to see what you're talking about. I forgot that TPC Sawgrass is in PVB so that won't work for me. Plus, I really do want new construction. The last thing in the world I want to do is ruin my life even more than I already have and buy an existing home that I know that I normally wouldn't buy and really don't want, unless it's maybe, maybe a few years old.

[Thundarr457]

We didn't care for new construction mainly because your lot is like a postage stamp and you can shake hands with your neighbors without going outside. We almost bought a new house in SW Florida and thank goodness we didn't because we wound up with a nice large parcel on an existing home 30+ years old. If you don't mind neighbors really close that you can hear when you sit outside in your lanai then certainly consider new construction replete with CDD fees and small yards. Go check out TPC while you are in town and see for yourself. We liked Beacon Lake because it has a nice amenity center and isn't a zillion miles from the ocean. To me, the lot and location are far more important than dealing with old house issues. You can always fix things but you can't change your lot and location.

[Thundarr457]

Another point, when new developments are built, most of the vegetation is cleared. I don't know about you but I like to see trees and lots of green plants. Come for a visit and see for yourself. Since you moved from a house that was 28 years old it must have had lots of lush green spaces as land costs were a fraction of what they are today.