Calling JAX area residents

[emmababy]

Ok, my dreams of moving to warmer climates might be coming true! Hubby applying for a transfer down to JAX area. Someone told me to look at living in St John's area. But, give me the low down on going with eyes wide open!

 

[Donna M]

My sister lives in Neptune Beach, which is adjacent to or part of JAX and it's very nice. It has one of the good high schools too.

 

[JKLLady]

Jax is bordered by St. John's & Clay counties to the south & Nassau county to the north. Both St. John's & Clay have "A" rated school districts with St. John's being the top rated district in the state. I live in Clay (moved here 5 yrs. ago from NJ) & my sister lives in St. John's (moved here 6 yrs. ago from MD), & we both love it. In Clay, you might want to look in the Fleming Island area (Eagle Harbor, Fleming Island Plantation, Pace Island & Hibernia) & in St. John's, try looking at Julington Creek, Palencia, Durbin Crossing, Friut Cove, Murabella, and the World Golf Village area.

 

[Jedana]

If you must live in Jax, do not live in the west or north sides. Get on the south side or east.

If you are looking at Fleming Island/Orange Park/Middleburg, but work in Jax, be warned the traffic sucks. We have seen the Buckman back up at 5:30pm from the Park exit to San Jose exit (the whole length of the bridge). (Of course, all highways suck during rush hour. Avoid Blanding, Beach and Butler during high volume times)

That being said, Fleming Island and the outskirts of Middleburg are very nice. Off of Doctor's Inlet rd (look near Camp Echockotee), there are a lot of very very good houses for sale, some with waterfront.

We're out in Clay also, and have been for the last 2-1/2 years. Much better than the 3 1/2 years spent in Jax. DH works in Green Cove Springs, and it's about 30 minutes for him to get to work (using street--well, back country roads).

St Johns schools are very good, but some are starting to get overcrowded. A lot of people have moved there, some just for the schools.

 

[emmababy]

Thanks everyone! What is at johns county like? Is it all major subdivisions or is there things to do??

 

[JKLLady]

There are things to do in St. John's county, which includes St. Augustine. There's shopping at the two outlet centers (they're on both sides of I95, off State Road 16), plenty of places to dine in St. Augustine, historic sites, concerts & plays at Flagler College, the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall, & the St. Augustine Ampitheater. If you're on the west side of the county, you have quick access to the Mandarin section of Jax, which has a Whole Foods & Fresh Market, along with plenty of places to eat & shop.

The entire area has many choices for activities & entertainment, and most are within a 30 -45 minute drive.

 

[emmababy]

There are things to do in St. John's county, which includes St. Augustine. There's shopping at the two outlet centers (they're on both sides of I95, off State Road 16), plenty of places to dine in St. Augustine, historic sites, concerts & plays at Flagler College, the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall, & the St. Augustine Ampitheater. If you're on the west side of the county, you have quick access to the Mandarin section of Jax, which has a Whole Foods & Fresh Market, along with plenty of places to eat & shop.

The entire area has many choices for activities & entertainment, and most are within a 30 -45 minute drive.

Thanks!! We were thinking Nocatee or Murabella areas. Question- if you rent a house there, would the hoa and CDd fees be included in rent?

 

[islandtimect]

I lived in Ponte Vedra Beach in St Johns county fir 3 yrs and can give lots if input but am going to church now do will get back to you. Do u have kids and what are their ages? Do you like hot humid weather for 6 straight months?

 

[granmanh603]

Hi well we just in May bought a condo in St Augustine. it is 10 min south of ST Augustine and 10 min to beach which is what we want. So far love it. Also like 5 to 8 min to 95. Great place and good prices,

 

[emmababy]

I lived in Ponte Vedra Beach in St Johns county fir 3 yrs and can give lots if input but am going to church now do will get back to you. Do u have kids and what are their ages? Do you like hot humid weather for 6 straight months?

We have 3 kids. 7,5,3. Would love input!

 

[JKLLady]

Where in Jax will your husband be working? His work location would effect your housing choice to keep his commute reasonable. For instance, if his office was in Deerwood on the Southside, Nocatee would be a good choice for a quick commute up 95.

Also, Nocatee just recently opened up a new elementary school just for that community & has a fabulous waterpark for your kids.

As to HOA & CDD fees when renting, I expect that would be negotiable with the landlord, although I can't see why you should pay CDD fees when your not the owner. HOA fees I could understand since you'd be using the community's amenities.

 

[islandtimect]

Nocatee is a beautiful development that's really more of a new town. The common areas are well maintained, there's a cool waterpark, a new elementary school, and a small shopping plaza with a huge Publix, dry cleaners, yogurt shop and wings restaurant. Nocatee is between Rt 1 and A1a, the "coastal highway". It takes at least 15 minutes to get to the closest shopping centers from Nocatee (other than their little one), so know that running errands will take longer than usual. I know folks who live there and they plan their errands so they do banking, grocery shopping, etc on the same day.

We considered buying a house in Nocatee but didn't because 1) we're concerned about the resale value (we didn't know if we would live in FL more than a few years), and 2) the distance to get to everything. If you do buy there, I would buy an existing home and not new construction, as you'll be overpaying. Nocatee hasn't taken off like the master developer has hoped, and they've scaled back their projections. Nocatee is very family friendly, with social activities and playgrounds.

Northern St Johns county (which excludes St Augustine) have some of the best schools in the state. Ponte Vedra Beach has the best schools, but most Nocatee residents attend the new elementary school and Nease High School, which is also a great school. Not sure where the attend middle school, but it used to be in PVB. Other great school districts are in Fruit Cove and Switzerland, both in St Johns county.

Regarding heat and humidity - the closer you live to the beach, the more pleasant the weather. We lived <2 miles from the beach and were 5-7 degrees cooler than folks who lived inland. If you don't like months of hot, humid weather, it makes a difference!

I can recommend a great realtor who helped us buy and sell our house, as well as someone who specializes in rental properties. Let me know if you'd like their info.

I rented before buying our house, and most landlords price the rent to cover their HOA and CDD fees. I doubt you would pay for them separately.

 

[emmababy]

Nocatee is a beautiful development that's really more of a new town. The common areas are well maintained, there's a cool waterpark, a new elementary school, and a small shopping plaza with a huge Publix, dry cleaners, yogurt shop and wings restaurant. Nocatee is between Rt 1 and A1a, the "coastal highway". It takes at least 15 minutes to get to the closest shopping centers from Nocatee (other than their little one), so know that running errands will take longer than usual. I know folks who live there and they plan their errands so they do banking, grocery shopping, etc on the same day.

We considered buying a house in Nocatee but didn't because 1) we're concerned about the resale value (we didn't know if we would live in FL more than a few years), and 2) the distance to get to everything. If you do buy there, I would buy an existing home and not new construction, as you'll be overpaying. Nocatee hasn't taken off like the master developer has hoped, and they've scaled back their projections. Nocatee is very family friendly, with social activities and playgrounds.

Northern St Johns county (which excludes St Augustine) have some of the best schools in the state. Ponte Vedra Beach has the best schools, but most Nocatee residents attend the new elementary school and Nease High School, which is also a great school. Not sure where the attend middle school, but it used to be in PVB. Other great school districts are in Fruit Cove and Switzerland, both in St Johns county.

Regarding heat and humidity - the closer you live to the beach, the more pleasant the weather. We lived <2 miles from the beach and were 5-7 degrees cooler than folks who lived inland. If you don't like months of hot, humid weather, it makes a difference!

I can recommend a great realtor who helped us buy and sell our house, as well as someone who specializes in rental properties. Let me know if you'd like their info.

I rented before buying our house, and most landlords price the rent to cover their HOA and CDD fees. I doubt you would pay for them separately.

Can you tell me what area you all decided on. We Plan on renting first as I'm not convinced you would ever be able to sell a house for profit in Florida right now. I would love your agents name.

I like Ponte Vedra but wasn't sure where all the communities are. My husband will be covering a territory. If we finalize his transfer we plan on flying down and looking. Did you find you could negotiate rent?

 

[islandtimect]

Can you tell me what area you all decided on. We Plan on renting first as I'm not convinced you would ever be able to sell a house for profit in Florida right now. I would love your agents name.

I like Ponte Vedra but wasn't sure where all the communities are. My husband will be covering a territory. If we finalize his transfer we plan on flying down and looking. Did you find you could negotiate rent?

We lived in The Players Club, also known as the TPC Sawgrass, home of the Players Championship golf tournament. It's an older development, so the neighborhoods were established and we found it difficult to make friends. They have homes in every price range - 200k to a million +. Gorgeous place to live and great location, but not many families with kids in our subdivision. PVB has other subdivisions that cater more to younger families - Saw Mill Lakes, Odom's Mill, Azalea Point. The nice thing about moving to Nocatee is that because it is still growing and will be for years, it'll have a friendlier atmosphere. If you look at home over 10 years old, be prepared for lots of outdated fixtures, cabinets, etc. Because many homeowners have lost equity in their homes, they haven't updated them, even in the higher price ranges.

I don't think rent is negotiable, at least it wasn't for us and from reading the newspaper. The rental market was hot, because owners are waiting for prices to come back up and buyers are hoping prices will continue to fall. FYI - we made a profit, even after realtor commission, on the home we owned for 2 yrs. It was a combination of the perfect buyer wanting our home, and us spending money wisely on renovations that had the highest return on investment.

Our realtor was Mandy Morrow 904-229-7825. mandy@besthomeviews.com

 

[emmababy]

Thanks for all your tips!!