Retired Law Enforcement from N.Y. looking to relocate to Jacksonville area (Plantation: HOA fees, house)

[writer1]

I'm am retired N.Y.P.D. Looking in to relocating from the Big Apple. I have one middle school age child so an area with good schools is important, the price range I'm looking for is 175k to 260k any help would be greatly appreciated......no rural areas please THX

[riveree]

Hi ,

I moved from NYC, are you moving out of Manhattan, one of the boroughs or the suburbs? You said you didn't want rural, but I'm wondering how dense of an area you're looking for?

$175-$260 can buy quite a bit right now...good for you, bad for us .

Would you consider private or parochial schools once your child is at high school level, or will you only consider public schools? I ask because Jax only has a few good high schools. We have good middle schools, but you'll need to consider high school too.

[writer1]

I would like a suburban type neighborhood with good public schools if I have to pay for High School don't mind investing in education. A planned cookie cutter neighborhood would be kool.

[FLPL75]

writer1
I may know of a house that could fit your needs
I will send you a DM with some info

[writer1]

kool

[agreatlife]

You might also want to check into Julington Creek Plantation, in St. John's County just south of Jacksonville. Planned community, homes in your price range and good schools.

[riveree]

Originally Posted by writer1

I would like a suburban type neighborhood with good public schools if I have to pay for High School don't mind investing in education. A planned cookie cutter neighborhood would be kool.

That keeps your options open then .

It sounds like you want new/newer construction, so that narrows things down a bit - the newer construction is clustered in just a few area of the city.

If by "planned" community you mean one of the communities with a clubhouse and a community pool, etc., you will have CDD fees on top of HOA fees, so that can add considerably to your housing costs. I'm thinking since the top of your budget is $260k, you'll want to keep that in mind. You can still get the same new construction without the CDD fees in a more traditional neighborhood (no community pool); you'll only have HOA fees which are only once a year and usually reasonable ($200-$400/yr is typical).

So considering that you want newer construction, and you don't want anything too rural/too far away from things, you'll find a lot of neighborhood choices in these zips: 32246, 32224, 32225.

There are other nice areas with new construction to consider, but keep in mind - by New York standards - it can get very rural very fast as you head out from the city center.

[lvmy3grls]

Hey, we relocated from Long Island less than one year ago, we live in a community called Murabella, and we love it here! They just built a brand new middle school which is the best school around, and the high school is Nease which has a stellar reputation as well. You can get a home right now for about $250K or so, our fees are $2600 per year, but our taxes are only about $4K so it evens out. Also, our electric bills from Nov thru May were under $100 a month, way different than NY!! We have a beautiful amenity center with a pool and water slide, work out room, tennis courts, park, basketball courts, and soccer. They are building tons of new stores here, its a great time to buy!!! You can email me for more info if you like, good luck! If you settle here, you will love it!!!

[agreatlife]

Murabella is a nice community, just keep in mind that if you need to be in Jax, you will have a bit of a commute, and it may be a little more rural than you would like. However, that area continues to grow, and it sounds like lvmy3grls has found something perfect. It is within the World Golf Village area. There are several builders in Murabella, and there are several other communities you might consider in WGV as well.

[writer1]

Thanx for all the help I will be looking in to the communities U guys have recommended.