Vero Beach??? (Tampa, West Palm Beach, Boca Raton: for sale, HOA, high crime)

[pslOldTimer]

Nationwide Insurance's main Florida office is in Gainesville; several other companies have major offices in Jacksonville and a few in Tampa. I can't think of anything comparable in the Vero area. Melbourne is about 30 miles or so north, but I don't think there are many underwriting positions or jobs that take similar skills; one of the major employers in Melbourne is Harris Corp, a communications and electronics company. There are some other NASA related businesses in the area. Vero has the New Piper Aircraft company, which is making a comeback.

My son-in-law is working in Clearwater, and my daughter is giving serious thoughts to moving the family to that area (just north and west of Tampa). They live on 2.5 acres in rural Okeechobee, now, so they're looking seriously at the rural area around Dade City in Pasco County, which is about 40 or so miles from Tampa and about 50 miles from my s-i-l's work location. I saw a gorgeous contemporary deck home on a couple of acres with a pool, spa and separate workshop for $425,000, so I'm certain you can find anything your want in your price range.

If you are willing to give up the idea of multiple acres and want to live closer in, give Dunedin a look. But, traffic is pretty bad. There are also some nice properties around Oldsmar, at the top of Tampa Bay, where you can get on the water. Check out Safety Harbor, as well.

[yogini]

Wow great info pslOldTimer and bbabessp-
That gives us a whole buch of new places to look at. Working and a commute seem to be the biggest issues for us now. Where there is great land and houses there doesn't seem to be work for us and vice versa. I'll keep on looking Thanks for everyones feedback

[TriMT7]

Have you looked into Jupiter Farms? GREAT schools in Jupiter, and West Palm Beach is just a short drive away.

[yogini]

Jupiter seemed a little extravagent to me when I researched it. We are a very laid back family just looking for a nice piece of land and to be able to start a family and work. I may have been misled but Jupiter seemed more for the very very wealthy and a sort of overly upscale area.

[TriMT7]

Well, Jupiter Farms is out West, off Indiantown Rd. The rest of the town IS upscale though, yes!.... BUT commuting distance is MUCH closer to a large city than Vero!

[yogini]

TriMT7
Sounds like it would be great for commuting. I gather from what you said that Jupiter Farms is a different part of Jupiter? What is the actual area like? Small community/town? Thanks

[TriMT7]

Jupiter Farms is on the Western side of the Turnpike/I-95. As far as I know, it's still a PART of the city of Jupiter, but is a more rural area, with large acreage lots and a decidedly "country" feel. The Publix Supermarket sells horse feed and things like that.

There is a website where the residents of Jupiter Farms "gather" so to speak:

http://myjupiterfarms.com/
The zip code is 33478, so you can do an MLS search.

Some of the properties you can find:

6 acres, 4 bedrooms, Lake View (829k):

http://www.realtor.com/Prop/1064802654 (broken link)

7.3 acres, 4 Bedroom, Lake View (1.4 million):

http://www.realtor.com/Prop/1064792619 (broken link)

5 acres, 5 bedroom, (1.2 million):

http://www.realtor.com/Prop/1070250309 (broken link)

8 acres, 5 bedroom, (1.5 million):

http://www.realtor.com/Prop/1066497204 (broken link)

[elfyum]

Joes Jupiter Farms have a HOA? I was searching, & it mentions that they don't have "all those HOA rules" - or something to that effect...
But does it actually have a HOA, and equally important - does it have HOA FEES...?!

[VBmom]

I would say your biggest issue would be jobs. Vero is a very nice and safe place to live with good public schools. Our biggest issue is the job market. There are a lot of retirees here and very little in the high paying job area. The only great jobs are: lawyer, doctor, working in daddy's business. My husband is an accountant with an MBA and we are having to move to make ends meet.

[yogini]

VBMom-
That was my biggest fear. When all of the pieces of the puzzle come together the one that always seems to pose a problem is the job...
I have started to look on the West coast around Tampa. About a 20-30 mile radius around because we thought Tampa might be better for work. We have also considered North Carolina although I don't think it will be warm enough there. If you don't mind my asking where are you relocating to?