Please give the dibs on Pensacola (Help) (Destin, Pace: where to stay, sales)

[AJCWILSON]

So my husband is interviewing with 2 different companies in 2 different states, one is in Pensacola and the other is in Roanoke, VA hubby knows the guy from Roanoke but does not know the guy from Pensacola, pay will be about the same in either state, but have been researching and Pensacola is cheaper by a little, both are more expensive that where we live now, pay will most likely be 65,000 plus benefits and I work from home, hoping if this is doable in Pensacola, have been to Pensacola a couple times, but when we come down we usually stay in Destin, Florida, will rent for awhile to get the feel of either place and then purchase a home after a few months. I have read so many things on both states, crime is about the same but housing is much cheaper in Pensacola, Roanoke is a little bigger, my heart really wants to live on the coast, when I have to come home from the ocean I want to cry, not really a mountain kind a girl, but know that this decision is a family one and everyone needs to be happy, I am pretty obsessed with living close to the ocean, something I have wanted for 20 some years, and now we may have the opportunity but I am just trying to research as much as I can about both states to make a wiser decision, we live in a small town in Ohio and are super ready for a change for so many reasons, our little village is dying out and my kids will never have any opportunities here where we live nor do we really, my husband is stuck and has no room for advancement where he is now, we ready for bigger city living and more things to do, we have to drive an hour to do anything, we have a small grocery store, 1 bar, 2 gas stations, a pizza shop, and one stop light, and that is it (1000 people), I literally can walk around my town on the outskirts and have 3 miles in, thats it. I have been coming to the ocean/gulf since I was just a little kid and my family loves everything about it, but they also like the mountains, which are beautiful but I know I would much rather live close to the ocean. Any details on anything Pensacola or the surrounding areas would be awesome, will have one son attending high school, my daughter graduated and will be off to college. Schools are important, as well as the area we live in, I have been looking at a house about 3 blocks from Pensacola Bay in the south/eastern area, hoping that its a bit safer there. Again thanks for any advice!!

Sincerely,
The Wilson's

[SouthernSpiced]

Pensacola is ok. I think faced with the decision of Pensacola vs. VA I would pick Pensacola any day. If you have children in school I suggest checking out Santa Rosa county (Pace, Milton, Gulf Breeze, & Navarre) Pensacola's crime rate is in the toilet lately and good areas are hit and miss. Look to pensacolamls.com to get ideas on rentals. Zillow.com is a good tool to check into rentals and housing prices in general. If you are paying under $800 a month in rent you can bet that it's probably not a great area or the house isn't being kept up. Decent home rentals in Santa Rosa county will run 900-1200 a month. Rentals are far too high in general and the housing market is recovering nicely with interest rates low you would be better off to buy sooner rather than later. Good luck on your move if you have any specific questions feel free to ask away.

[AJCWILSON]

@ SouthernSpiced thanks for the info, ya was seeing a lot on crime both places, VA is about the same as far as that goes, I am not sure I am going to win the battle of living in Pensacola due to the guy in VA wants my husband really bad, so it may be a salary war with him, guess that would not be all bad other than my heart wants to live at the ocean. We are defiantly going to purchase either place as real estate is still low as far as purchasing, renting a whole different story, but would rent a little while just to be able to get the feel of where we would like to live the most. Again thanks for the info, hubby interviews with the Pensacola guy tonight and the guy from VA June 9th so we will see what happens. At least either place we would be out of where we are now with tons more to do!!

[spidac]

Would take living in Florida to VA anyday, there is no comparison. If your hubby will be getting the same pay, I would go with Pcola, the Virginia/DC area is expensive I doubt his salary would go far there.

[drfranklin]

Roanoke is in southwest Virginia and is far-removed the DC area - much, much different area. Roanoke's cost of living is very low and housing is cheap - generally, public schools are excellent (esp in Salem). Roanoke is adjacent to the Blue Ridge Parkway and offers a multitude of mountain activities. Roanoke is an "under-the-radar" city - much like Asheville was 20+ years ago.

The overall shopping/retail amenities are about the same in both areas (the FL Panhandle does have Publix )

Of course, the state of Florida has no income tax and that would be a significant pro for me (esp if salaries/benefits are equal).

If you have the means, you need to personally visit both Pensacola and Roanoke.

[AJCWILSON]

Awesome thanks @spidac and @drfranklin great info, have never been to Roanoke, but been through the blue ridge mountains many times we usually stay in Tennessee, either state would be great to live in and know that both positions have a greater potential for the future on an even better pay scale, have been to Pensacola but more just for vacation purposes, the guy from Pensacola would like to fly him out for a day or 2 to do a formal interview and very interested in him. Love that Florida has the no state income tax and that would be awesome and put about $50 a week back into our paychecks which would be really nice, looking at purchasing a house would most likely being paying cash depending on what we find and cost, so after some time would not have a house payment either place. I LOVE the ocean, and know this is where I would fair better than anywhere where in the US but would be OK with the Mountains if that is where hubby feels better with a career change, he knows this guy more personally but know he loves the panhandle as well. Big decisions in our future for sure. Have been told the real estate market is picking up so I am thinking a real estate career and I also work from home would be fun. Again thanks for all the great advice.

[beachmouse]

Every place gets you with extra expenses somehow, and in Florida it can easily be the homeowner's insurance, which you still want to have even with a home bought with cash. There are some things that help in that regard- home less than ten years old, hip roof instead of gabled, in Flood Zone X (aka not really a flood zone)... your realtor can recommend a home inspector who also does inspections for state-mandated insurance reductions if your house meets certain structural integrity criteria, and you can then go into getting an insurance quote with all the relevant discounts.

[moondoggy51]

I'll give you my 2 cents worth. My wife and I retired. Initially we were scared to move here after hurricane Ivan so we moved to the upstate area of South Carolina (near the GA, TN, NC boarder). Very beautiful area with trees, waterfalls, hiking trails and lakes. People were wonderful but it was too rural for our taste when you have to drive 45 miles to the nearest mall. After thinking about it a bit we decided to move to the Pensacola area and chose Pace, FL to move to. Why Pace? Where we live which is 7 miles north is pretty much out of the hurricane zone. We live in a newer subdivision that has newer homes. Although we're retired Pace is one of the fastest growing communities in the US and a major factor is the schools. To get most anywhere takes us about 20 minutes but that's all based on where you need to go. Some people told us that nearby Milton was a bit too redneck but I've not found that to be the case. On the contrary I've found most people down here are nice and friendly and in our area we've not seen or heard of any crime. Granted that there are places in the Pensacola area that you want to stay away from but you'll find that in most area.

Quite honestly we love the fact that there is no tax on groceries, no income tax and the property taxes are extremely low in comparison to what we were used to in Illinois. Gas is high and so are sales taxes but you take the good with the bad. Bottom line is that there are far worse places to live than the Pensacola area but if you're a beach lover like we are then you'll love being this close to the white beaches in this area.

[AJCWILSON]

@moondoggy51 Thanks so much for the reply, do not live here yet but the south is so different than the north and if redneck is because people are to friendly then I am fine with that. Anywhere along the Carolina beaches, southern Alabama, and Northern Florida has always been nice to be around and people are always friendly, and as far as crime goes well I live in a town of 1000 people (hate it) and there are 8 to 10 child molesters living in town and any given time and theft, no not murder but just saying it is everywhere, we live about an hour from 2 big cities where their are murders every single day, but have good friends that live on the outskirts of town in one of these cities and love it and just know where to stay away from bad crime.
We have been saying for years we wanted to move to the Carolinas to the ocean until we started coming to Florida and found we love it even more, the water is like living on a Caribbean island, the people are so much nicer than up north, actually housing is pretty close to the same as well as property taxes, pretty sure the major cost will be insurance, love the idea of some money back in our pocket from no state taxes, Ohio is not lots but we will be getting an almost 200 a month raise. Groceries will be about the same a little higher maybe but nothing drastic, gas will be lower as where we live its always on the higher end, love coming to Florida or south, the gas is always cheaper. Hubby is scheduled for another interview via skype this Thurs. so things are continuing to look pretty promising. He interviewed with the Virginia guy this morning and just not sure its what we want or where we want to be. Also he did not come in very well for salary either actually lower than the guy from Florida so I will keep hoping it all works out and we end up in Florida... The kids and I want this Florida move really bad.. So ready for more to do, warmer weather, and lots and lots of water, we love to be outside and on the water, so may end up with some paddle boards and a boat..

[moondoggy51]

Hope things work in your favor and you end up down here in Florida. One thing I forgot to mention is that Pensacola itself is actually pretty small. The metro area is quite large however and is mostly made up of unincorporated communities like Pace. The only thing that this means for the average person is that the county (Escambia or Santa Rosa) handles most everything instead of these services being provided by a city. If you do decide to come this way and are searching for a home have your realtor tell you if the prospective home is in or near a hurricane evacuation zone. I'm still freaked out about living in a area that can be very negatively impacted by a hurricane and my home is not even in an evacuation zone. Just something to think about as there are many nice homes in many parts of the Pensacola metro area and you'll want to make a careful choice on where you'll want to buy.