Sebastian? (Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando: for sale, foreclosure, HOA)

[Js81]

My wife and I are looking to move from KY in a couple years and I was wondering if I could get some info. Its just us (for now, no kids) - I'm a teacher, she's a nurse. We want to be on the east coast, near the water (a coastal town) but not ON the water, in a small-ish town (we're from a town of 6,000, but we want BIGGER than that), with good home prices. I've been looking a lot lately at Sebastian. What do you guys think?

We've also been considering Port Orange and Ormond Beach near Daytona. Any suggestions? We're at least a couple years away still...

[stevep111]

Some of the things you should also look at are services available and Taxes. Due to the recent economic conditions some of these places are cutting services because they are losing their Tax base. I don't know if it is just climate change (not sure the debate is finished on that) but that area has been having a lot of summer fires. This could be a huge problem if you have breathing issues. Hurricane season is not that much different than your Tornado season in KY. Florida can go years without them and then all of the sudden get them one after another. Don't get wrapped up in those issues. The weather trumps all of that.

OH BTW Sebastian is the Shark bite capitol of the world or at least it is in the running.

[Js81]

Originally Posted by stevep111

OH BTW Sebastian is the Shark bite capitol of the world or at least it is in the running.

Nice to know, lol. Thanks for the info, stevep. We haven't decided for sure yet - I've been coming to FL for at least a couple of weeks every year now for 25+ years (since I was a baby). My wife had never even seen the ocean until we were married, and since that time we've both been set on moving. Would I be better off looking more toward Melbourne or PSL? Any other ideas?

[runswithscissors]

No, Vero Beach hands down. Looking two years in advance is tricky. Vero has been and is stable and even the developments that builders walked away from leaving the homeowners in a mess are not "bad". Sebastian is ok but housing wise there are two huge areas of single houses a vast sprawl and alot of deferred maintenance in them and one whole affordable areas was "bad" before but a real mess now. IMO. Off Schumann. You see the house pics and it looks great then you go there and hate the neighborhoodl.

I almost bought a condo in Reflections right on the Intracoastal there but two out of three buildings were in disrepair with mold, a collapsed roof and NO RESERVES. You could not tell from the outside and I was VERY LUCKY my intuition told me to check the other two buildings that I wasn't buying in just to evaluate. Also the quiet peace of Sebastian is nice but NOTHING THERE...not when you don't want to shop exculsively at Walmart as the big trip LOL. Although I love Capt Hirams and go there regularly. At least in Vero you can even walk on the beach and see beautiful water and there is some mild activity like restaurants and stores but the beaches are EMPTY. For me it's the perfect balance.'

Each beach access has a great small park deal with trees and stuff before you step on the beach with small board walks and practically each one has kid's stuff but we are not overrun with kids imo.

Our housing is great price wise you can get a condo in a perfectly fine HOA (even for 40 - 60 right on the Intracoastal from 30,000 through $25 milliion estates.

You can read all about Vero by going to my profile clicking on stats and read all posts then chose the ones about Vero.

I searched up and down the coast and selected Vero AND I have a lifetime of experience coming here too.

I also like Tequesta VERY MUCH but the crowds are moving north from Palm Beach County.

In two years' you cant guess what'll happen.

[stevep111]

It is all a matter of your tastes. Portions of this area are kind of like Kentucky in that a lot of people are just plane country folks. The farther south you go it melds into something different until you get to hell south of PGA blvd in WPB. From there south it is like another country all together. Before some people yell I don't mean that in a racist way it's just that it is different south of that line.

We chose PSL becaus it was not that far of a drive from where our primary home is in Miami and the Taxes and home prices were very good. It's an hour north of an Airport and about 100 miles from Orlando. Anywhere between Stewart and Jacksonville would be good. Like I said you have to weigh what you are looking for against what is available.

[bgrasser]

My wife and I recently bought a two BR condo at River Run; a complex in Sebastian. It's a third floor penthouse unit that was completely remodeled in '05
and is about ten feet from the waterfront with beautiful views of our marina and the Indian River; all for 150K. We spent this past winter there and can't wait to get back. Check it out, if condo living is for you.

[Js81]

Thanks for the posts, guys - I really appreciate it. I realize that a 2 year advance is definitely hard to plan for - it may not be that long, but then again, it may be longer.

So Sebastian really is dead, in terms of shopping/activities, etc., huh? The town I'm from is like that - there's NOTHING here, save for Wal-Mart and the other usuals. But our town is growing - we recently got a new expo center and they've had some big name acts in there. I want small-ish, but bigger and more happenin' than where I am now. I DON'T want an Orlando, Miami, Jacksonville, etc. - but I do want SOMETHING. Where I'm at now is 2+ hours from a "large" city.

As for the condo suggestion, thanks but no thanks We'd be looking for a detached single family, no question. I was hoping to find 3 bed, 2 bath and a 2 car garage for around $150k (similar to what we have now) - and something nice, not run down.

I'm a bit familiar with Vero - my grandmother lives in Yeehaw Junction, so we've been to Vero a bit, but mostly just to the shopping complexes, etc. Do you think I might should look a bit more toward Daytona, like I originally planned? I was just seeing better prices in Sebastian and that drew me in.

[seeriously]

Sebastian is a great area with a good reputation. One thing to be aware of is that you'll be spending a lot of time driving back and forth to Vero for your doctors and purchases but it's worth it. Sebastian is sweet!

[MB2]

I live here in Seabastian, and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it here !
(Living in PSL and Stuart before)
There are a couple of things to consider though.....
No, there is nothing really "happening" here in Sebastian (and that's why we love it here !), and the town is pretty much dead comes 8 pm (unless you go by the river to Archies or Capt. Hiram's on the weekend, where they have live music and such)
If someone is looking for employment, then I can tell you that you have to either drive further south (to Vero and past), or head up to Palm Bay and Melbourne.
My kids (19 and 21 liked living here, but, again....nothing for them to do....they were heading to Vero for the Mall, the restaurants and movie theater)

You will also find, that here in Sebastian it's a different, slower lifestyle in a sense. Fishing and boating is the big thing to do here.
Yes, there has been a recent growth in some sense. BUT, it's restricted and VERY WELL planned (since we have a lot of nature preserves and protected wetlands here, which they will never be able to build on)
So, from the area, Sebastian can only grow so much.
Palm Bay however, sees a (it seems) somewhat steady building boom....still !

I also see, that Sebastian's home prices seem to hold steady, unlike the surrounding areas. And it seems, Sebastian doesn't see the influx of homes for sale and/ or foreclosure, unlike the areas surrounding them (I know, because we are looking for a house to buy, but taking our time)
Which is somewhat bad for us, since we can't "steal" a house....lol, but is AWESOME since there is not a lot of coming and going here from people moving in and out, holding stable and steady !

Rumor also has it here in Sebastian, that Vero will see an increase of taxes coming up within the next several years. But, again, it's a rumor I have heard, but I can not confirm that to be the truth !
Maybe someone actually living in Vero can shed a little more light on the tax situation they have planned in Vero ????

It's GREAT to live here....BUT, you have to consider to travel outside the area in order to see and get what you want.

[stevep111]

Sebastian has definate advantages for those people who don't mind the small town setting. You get the country along with the beach. As long as you don't mind living in a semi remote place then it would be about the perfect place to live. That's not a knock on the place because I would not mind living there myself if it were not for my circumstances. Just buy plenty of shark repellant LOL. OH wait someone got bit the other day in Jupiter.