Which area is relatively safe while offering affordable rent? (Jacksonville: apartments, to rent)

[denizk]

Hi!! We are planning to move to Jacksonville at January. We live in Cape Coral but we’re being crushed by extremely expensive living costs that getting worse every year. We traveled here this Morning and looked at bunch of houses, and asked a lot of people where to live. They always told us we should go to Southside but all the houses over there are over our budget. Do you guys know any reasonable area with an affordable rent?

Where are you coming from?
Cape Coral, SWFL.

Why are you moving?
Living costs and rent on SWFL.
We have a home improvement and maintenance company; and the construction market over where we live is over-saturated.

Where will you be working?
We have a home improvement and maintenance company; we offer interior work. I’ll be working at all over the place honestly. I travel to 2-hour radius for work.

Will you buy or rent?
We plan to rent.

What is your budget ?
$1350 is what we’re thinking. Lower would be great!

What kind of place are you looking for ?
2 bedrooms, 1 bath should be fine. I also need a decent parking area because we have one car, a truck, and a trailer to put my tools in. Area should be safe enough to ensure that my tools and vehicles won’t get stolen. It can be outside of Jax.

Also, my wife had to vacate her place due to family reasons in 2021. There were no eviction has been filed against her. It is just visible on the credit score as debt; therefore we’re not sure if we can work with property management companies.

Will anyone (spouse, children, pets) be moving with you ?
Me, my wife, and our 4-year-old children. We’d love to have a dog though.

Do you need/want good public schools?
No we do not. We homeschool our child.

Briefly describe the kind of neighborhood you'd like to live in
Honestly we’re just looking for a neighborhood where we can sleep without worrying about our properties

List three things that are important to you in order of importance.
1) Affordability
2) Safety
3) Cleanliness (no big bug problem, mold, stink, etc.)

Thank you for reading all these out, and if you decide, for your help!

[kyle19125]

Check out Clay County around Middleburg. It's more rural suburban with very good public schools and lower crime. There's a couple of newer apartment communities worth checking out well within budget. Since you have no eviction on record you should be fine with a credit score of 580 or better.

https://www.apartments.com/nathan-ri...rg-fl/n96scxq/

https://www.apartments.com/hunters-r...rg-fl/pw3m9bt/

Another thought too for safe/affordable is across the state line in Georgia which is very commutable to Jacksonville's booming north side. Check out Kingsland/St Mary's and some of the communities there in Camden County.

https://www.apartments.com/royal-poi...nd-ga/ghs66kx/

https://www.apartments.com/brant-cre...ys-ga/gg7ktzz/

https://www.apartments.com/park-plac...ys-ga/q1nvmdx/

[GeorgeJ.]

$1350 is going to be a problem for finding a decent place in a good area...Rents for a two-bedroom are typically higher than that. And you're going to need a condo/townhome for a unit with a garage (one car garage)..

[rainroosty]

If only it were 1973 again...

[Florida2014]

$1350 for a 2 bedroom will only get you to the very worst parts of the city with high crime and poor schools. You're going to need to add at least another $500 to $750 per month for your budget or stick with an efficiency or small 1 bedroom. Someone suggested Clay County, that might be your only real bet with such a low budget and Clay County isn't the best part of the area for a number of reasons.