Looking To Move To A New Area

[Been There]

My realtor in Pensacola and my realtor in Jacksonville called me 2 weeks ago and told me that they both had homes to show me that matched my choices I selected on a form they had me fill out. I flew down to Jacksonville last Thursday and looked at 5 different homes. The one home was within walking distance to the beach and it was beautiful, inside and out. The kicker was that it is being sold furnished, if the new buyer likes the way it’s decorated.

On Friday, I drove over to Pensacola and looked at 4 homes over there. Three of them were within walking distance to the Gukf and 1 was close to the Naval Station. This is the one I liked the best. It’s a bit pricey, but real estate has really risen in Florida due to its high demand for homes. It has 4 bedrooms, 4 1/2 baths and an outdoor pool with a screened in lanai around it. I thought the HOA fee was also a bit high, but the maintenance crew keeps the place looking pristine and beautiful. The HOA fee is $450 per month and includes mowing, mulching, water and trash pickup twice per week.

The water used to irrigate the lawn is metered and runs about $40-50 per month, if you water 4 days per week. Golf courses are nearby. I didn’t want on a golf course because of a lack of privacy. I think I’m going to buy this one. I have to put a deposit on it and I asked for an inspection. Closing would be in mid September since I am paying cash, they can do it sooner.

I called 2 movers this morning and 1 is coming today and 1 is coming tomorrow to give me a price on packing and moving. I will do the unpacking once my stuff gets down there. It has a 3 car garage, so they can put most, if not all of my stuff in there until I get to it one box at a time. I hope this will be my last move, but never say never. I will be glad to leave the area I am in now.Too crowded and too much traffic.

 

[Alligatorob]

I like Pensacola and the house sounds nice.

Just be sure to check a few things like the flood insurance situation, do they have it now? How much is it costing? What is the flood claim history? What would it cost going forward. What is the elevation compared to the base flood elevation. Some of the same questions regarding wind insurance too.

Best of luck with it!

 

[Lilac]

Glad to hear you're finding something that you like. That seems to be the hardest part when trying to find a new house. If this is the one you want, I hope everything goes smoothly for you.

 

[ElCastor]

My realtor in Pensacola and my realtor in Jacksonville called me 2 weeks ago and told me that they both had homes to show me that matched my choices I selected on a form they had me fill out. I flew down to Jacksonville last Thursday and looked at 5 different homes. The one home was within walking distance to the beach and it was beautiful, inside and out. The kicker was that it is being sold furnished, if the new buyer likes the way it’s decorated.

Just something to consider … One of my favorite Web sites for evaluating cities and communities in the US is something called areavibes.com. Various local qualities are rated A to F. Scores are combined to arrive at an overall score, and both Jacksonville and Pensacola scored OK in that regard, but … one rating I place the highest importance on is Crime and I am sorry to say that with regard to Crime both earned an F+. A second important rating is an overall one by those residents who choose to give it a rating, and both earned an F+.

 

[seadoug]

My realtor in Pensacola and my realtor in Jacksonville called me 2 weeks ago and told me that they both had homes to show me that matched my choices I selected on a form they had me fill out. I flew down to Jacksonville last Thursday and looked at 5 different homes. The one home was within walking distance to the beach and it was beautiful, inside and out. The kicker was that it is being sold furnished, if the new buyer likes the way it’s decorated.

On Friday, I drove over to Pensacola and looked at 4 homes over there. Three of them were within walking distance to the Gukf and 1 was close to the Naval Station. This is the one I liked the best. It’s a bit pricey, but real estate has really risen in Florida due to its high demand for homes. It has 4 bedrooms, 4 1/2 baths and an outdoor pool with a screened in lanai around it. I thought the HOA fee was also a bit high, but the maintenance crew keeps the place looking pristine and beautiful. The HOA fee is $450 per month and includes mowing, mulching, water and trash pickup twice per week.

The water used to irrigate the lawn is metered and runs about $40-50 per month, if you water 4 days per week. Golf courses are nearby. I didn’t want on a golf course because of a lack of privacy. I think I’m going to buy this one. I have to put a deposit on it and I asked for an inspection. Closing would be in mid September since I am paying cash, they can do it sooner.

I called 2 movers this morning and 1 is coming today and 1 is coming tomorrow to give me a price on packing and moving. I will do the unpacking once my stuff gets down there. It has a 3 car garage, so they can put most, if not all of my stuff in there until I get to it one box at a time. I hope this will be my last move, but never say never. I will be glad to leave the area I am in now.Too crowded and too much traffic.

I'm quite familiar with Jacksonville because my sister-in-law lives there and we've spent many Christmases at her house. There are some nice areas there. I've always been amazed that Jacksonville has been rarely hurricane-free. They either seem to hit further south or head to GA or NC.

I lived in Florida most of my life, but I'm not as familiar with Pensacola, although I'm sure it is beautiful. My only advice is to check on prices for homeowners' insurance because they have gone up significantly in FL due to hurricanes and flooding. If I recall correctly, Allstate moved out of Florida. That is an additional cost that very few people consider.

 

[seadoug]

I like Pensacola and the house sounds nice.

Just be sure to check a few things like the flood insurance situation, do they have it now? How much is it costing? What is the flood claim history? What would it cost going forward. What is the elevation compared to the base flood elevation. Some of the same questions regarding wind insurance too.

Best of luck with it!

Sorry, I just posted the same before I read your comments. Yours is more detailed.

 

[Been There]

I'm quite familiar with Jacksonville because my sister-in-law lives there and we've spent many Christmases at her house. There are some nice areas there. I've always been amazed that Jacksonville has been rarely hurricane-free. They either seem to hit further south or head to GA or NC.

I lived in Florida most of my life, but I'm not as familiar with Pensacola, although I'm sure it is beautiful. My only advice is to check on prices for homeowners' insurance because they have gone up significantly in FL due to hurricanes and flooding. If I recall correctly, Allstate moved out of Florida. That is an additional cost that very few people consider.

My realtor explained all of that to me. I was amazed at the costs of the policies. I chose Pensacola only because of their military ties to the area. Jacksonville also has a Naval Air Station, so it was a toss up. I thought Pensacola was nicer only because it was situated along the Gulf. I definitely like the Gulf over the Atlantic. The water is warmer and stays warmer longer during the season.

Maybe if I drove around Jacksonville, I would change my mind. I liked what I did see and the St. John’s River is beautiful. It would be great to have a boat and go fishing. I would like to have a home with a boat slip. I haven’t made up my mind yet and have been considering taking another trip down there this weekend.

I really enjoy watching the planes fly over.