Work from home - undecided on where to buy (Jacksonville: insurance, townhouse)

[Wanderlust2]

Hi!

I'm a 34-year-old single male. My career allows me to work from home 50% of the time (the other 50% involves travel throughout the country). I have family in Jacksonville, so I've been here for the past year. Truth is I really dislike Jacksonville. My ideal living situation is a townhome in a neighborhoods that is walkable. Jax in this regard seems like the whole city is a giant subdivision with the same tract building housing types. To be fair, there are a couple neighborhoods that are walkable in Jax, but they are really expensive, and I dislike the vibe. I'm also looking for a diverse neighborhood with a mix of people of all ages and backgrounds. I'm not a fan of the beach or the beach nightlife. I prefer a good authentic Irish pub for the conversation (I'm not a fan at all of Lynch's at Jax, Beach but nearby Culhane's is great!).

I've been looking at other areas to buy a home, for no more than 200k, that will put me in about 3 or 4 hours commute to family in Jacksonville.

#1 on my list is Tallahassee. It's affordable, laid back, has the townhome housing stock I'm looking for and there are parts that are walkable, and seems fairly diverse. It's seems fairly compact city as I can be anywhere in town in no more than 20 minutes.

#2 is Savannah, GA. There are plenty of affordable options in the suburban areas, but all the type of housing I'm looking for is very pricey. Also trying to avoid GA income tax.

#3 Tampa Bay. I don't know much about the area, but I have fun every time I visit. A little further from family than desired.

#4 Orlando. Not a fan of the tourist stuff or traffic, but I'm told there is some nice areas to checkout.

Any advice or feedback would be appreciated. Looking to buy sometime next year. I'm strongly leaning towards Tallahassee.

I posted this on the Florida board, but since Tallahassee is the area I'm seriously considering, hoping to get a more local perspective.

[Hammocks Bum]

Originally Posted by Wanderlust2

Hi!

I'm a 34-year-old single male. My career allows me to work from home 50% of the time (the other 50% involves travel throughout the country). I have family in Jacksonville, so I've been here for the past year. Truth is I really dislike Jacksonville. My ideal living situation is a townhome in a neighborhoods that is walkable. Jax in this regard seems like the whole city is a giant subdivision with the same tract building housing types. To be fair, there are a couple neighborhoods that are walkable in Jax, but they are really expensive, and I dislike the vibe. I'm also looking for a diverse neighborhood with a mix of people of all ages and backgrounds. I'm not a fan of the beach or the beach nightlife. I prefer a good authentic Irish pub for the conversation (I'm not a fan at all of Lynch's at Jax, Beach but nearby Culhane's is great!).

I've been looking at other areas to buy a home, for no more than 200k, that will put me in about 3 or 4 hours commute to family in Jacksonville.

#1 on my list is Tallahassee. It's affordable, laid back, has the townhome housing stock I'm looking for and there are parts that are walkable, and seems fairly diverse. It's seems fairly compact city as I can be anywhere in town in no more than 20 minutes.

#2 is Savannah, GA. There are plenty of affordable options in the suburban areas, but all the type of housing I'm looking for is very pricey. Also trying to avoid GA income tax.

#3 Tampa Bay. I don't know much about the area, but I have fun every time I visit. A little further from family than desired.

#4 Orlando. Not a fan of the tourist stuff or traffic, but I'm told there is some nice areas to checkout.

Any advice or feedback would be appreciated. Looking to buy sometime next year. I'm strongly leaning towards Tallahassee.

Tally would also be No. 1 in my list you have provided...One heck of a Town and it would work great with your likes and dislikes, ONLY drawback I see for you, since you're all over the country 50% of the time, the flights out of their Airport are not much to choose from and the flight prices in and out are more expensive than buzier Fields elsewhere.

Do Ck on that..

[Gulf coast jon]

I worked out of Tampa for over 20 years, had to travel a bit and LOVED using the Tampa Airport.
Front-door-close to butt-in-seat in under 20 minutes (pre-9/11) days.

Look into Hyde park/Soho Tampa for a walkable area. Puts you close to the airport but out of any possible flightpath.

Trust me on the flightpath thing. Mail gets flown in early morning, and even wealthy areas get buzzed.

Originally Posted by Wanderlust2

Hi!

I'm a 34-year-old single male. My career allows me to work from home 50% of the time (the other 50% involves travel throughout the country). I have family in Jacksonville, so I've been here for the past year. Truth is I really dislike Jacksonville. My ideal living situation is a townhome in a neighborhoods that is walkable. Jax in this regard seems like the whole city is a giant subdivision with the same tract building housing types. To be fair, there are a couple neighborhoods that are walkable in Jax, but they are really expensive, and I dislike the vibe. I'm also looking for a diverse neighborhood with a mix of people of all ages and backgrounds. I'm not a fan of the beach or the beach nightlife. I prefer a good authentic Irish pub for the conversation (I'm not a fan at all of Lynch's at Jax, Beach but nearby Culhane's is great!).

I've been looking at other areas to buy a home, for no more than 200k, that will put me in about 3 or 4 hours commute to family in Jacksonville.

#1 on my list is Tallahassee. It's affordable, laid back, has the townhome housing stock I'm looking for and there are parts that are walkable, and seems fairly diverse. It's seems fairly compact city as I can be anywhere in town in no more than 20 minutes.

#2 is Savannah, GA. There are plenty of affordable options in the suburban areas, but all the type of housing I'm looking for is very pricey. Also trying to avoid GA income tax.

#3 Tampa Bay. I don't know much about the area, but I have fun every time I visit. A little further from family than desired.

#4 Orlando. Not a fan of the tourist stuff or traffic, but I'm told there is some nice areas to checkout.

Any advice or feedback would be appreciated. Looking to buy sometime next year. I'm strongly leaning towards Tallahassee.

[Arcenal813]

Originally Posted by Wanderlust2

#4 Orlando. Not a fan of the tourist stuff or traffic, but I'm told there is some nice areas to checkout.

Any advice or feedback would be appreciated. Looking to buy sometime next year. I'm strongly leaning towards Tallahassee.

I find Tallahassee to be boring, personally, but that's just me.

As for Orlando, keep in mind that the tourist stuff is all concentrated in one area (SouthWest), and is easily avoided by most locals, unless specifically trying to go there.

The rest of the Orlando metro is far from touristy.

Traffic, on the other hand, is pretty nasty all over.

[Wanderlust2]

Originally Posted by Hammocks Bum

Tally would also be No. 1 in my list you have provided...One heck of a Town and it would work great with your likes and dislikes, ONLY drawback I see for you, since you're all over the country 50% of the time, the flights out of their Airport are not much to choose from and the flight prices in and out are more expensive than buzier Fields elsewhere.

Do Ck on that..

Thanks! The airport is a drawback. Company pays the fares, but I would have a much easier time getting to where I need to be from Jacksonville or Orlando.

Originally Posted by Gulf coast jon

I worked out of Tampa for over 20 years, had to travel a bit and LOVED using the Tampa Airport.
Front-door-close to butt-in-seat in under 20 minutes (pre-9/11) days.

Look into Hyde park/Soho Tampa for a walkable area. Puts you close to the airport but out of any possible flightpath.

Trust me on the flightpath thing. Mail gets flown in early morning, and even wealthy areas get buzzed.

I heard about the Tampa airport being easy to access. Thanks for tips in neighborhoods. I'm heading down next month to check out more of Tampa.

Originally Posted by Arcenal352

I find Tallahassee to be boring, personally, but that's just me.

As for Orlando, keep in mind that the tourist stuff is all concentrated in one area (SouthWest), and is easily avoided by most locals, unless specifically trying to go there.

The rest of the Orlando metro is far from touristy.

Traffic, on the other hand, is pretty nasty all over.

When I've told people in Tallahassee that I'm considering moving, some have mentioned they prefer Jacksonville. When I ask what is it about Jacksonville they prefer, it's something about the beach, or that they have more shopping, or that they have a Cheesecake factory or other favorite chain restaurant. None of this was selling points for me about Jax. I do most of my shopping online, avoid chain restaurants, and not into the beach culture vibe. I'm more of a city person. I do like concerts and museums,but usually get to visit those when I'm on the road during some off time somewhere.

Orlando is intriguing because it's closer to Jax than Tallahassee, has an airport that will take me anywhere in the world, and I don't have to worry about traffic since I'll be working from home and trying to find a neighborhood that's somewhat walkable. I feel like it suffers a similar fate as Jacksonville in that it's very suburban in nature and the few urban places look well beyond my price range. But maybe it's because I'm looking in the wrong areas.

I've seen some great housing in Tallahassee in the midtown neighborhood at very reasonable prices. I'm looking for a townhome for 200k or less in a walkable neighborhood and I didn't see much of that in Orlando. Maybe I'm looking at the wrong neighborhoods?

[TD*]

I think Tallahassee is perfect for what you want. It’s got that perfect mid size metro that has enough of what you want.

It’s really a beautiful city with a high quality of life.

[Hammocks Bum]

Originally Posted by TD*

I think Tallahassee is perfect for what you want. It’s got that perfect mid size metro that has enough of what you want.

It’s really a beautiful city with a high quality of life.

If it wasn't for the wife, I would not mind at all living there....

[mph101]

The first question I ask about is flood insurance. All of these locations are at risk for having huge flood insurance liability. Inland floods too. Outside of tidal storm surge which is rare but lethal the ocean front doesnt flood compared to inland low elevation areas in prolonged rains.These rates will continue to rapidly climb.
Second question I ask is what type of internet connection is available.
If the answer is good then I view the property.
Later I research to confirm I was given accurate information on both questions.

[Suzebee]

Look at Winter Park and don’t look back! They have light rail, great non-chain and chain restaurants and it’s very walkable.

[JMatl]

Originally Posted by Suzebee

Look at Winter Park and don’t look back! They have light rail, great non-chain and chain restaurants and it’s very walkable.

It will be impossible to find a townhouse in the walkable part of Winter Park for anywhere near $200,000, and they don't have light rail - they have commuter rail. It only runs during rush hours, and not at all on the weekends.