Thinking About Moving To St. Augustine Florida

a reply to: IAMTAT

Yikes
Many have melted plumbing and wires with a massive sulfur smell infused into the framing and insulation from it.
Especially that area of the coast by Cape Coral.
I was almist roped into that nightmare place.

We live in the "first coast" area which includes st augustine. My girlfriend is a realtor and in this area there is a shortage of houses for sale. As soon as one goes on the market it has sometimes 20+ different offers on it. People are flocking to florida from all over the country but mostly from the north east.

I just moved back. Love it. Don’t let the naysayers drain you. St. Augustine is beautiful. There is cheap land within 30 minutes you can build your own home. If you want to live on the beach there are condos for rent here in central Florida literally on the beach for 1500-3000 per month ( and up). I didn’t check prices there.

We are in process renting Very close to the beach for 800. We Go almost every day. If we get the place we are Steps away.

If your serious rent a place for a month or two while you look. Lots of short term rentals.

After selling our house in Kentucky I’m extremely happy to be back in Florida. No more winter for me thank you! And my beautiful Pinay wife is extremely happy! She nor I never want to suffer another winter.

There’s more homeless in Kentucky now than here. Used to be more in Florida when I was a kid growing up. Maybe they migrated to the land of milk and honey blue states.

Either way happy to be walking around without a face diaper and no one giving me stink eye as they are not wearing one either - other than grocery stores and government buildings.

Lots of people ignoring them there too and never heard anyone tell anyone to put on a mask.

Very happy to be back.

a reply to: IAMTAT

Dunno, in our case everyone is leaving where we want to retire, so better and better opportunities pop up daily. Prices are way over inflated, but they're coming down like a rock through thin air.

I could go into details, but it's paradise and the best place on Earth!

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

We're eyeing Thermopolis personally.

a reply to: DBCowboy

Oh now you have planted all the wrong thoughts in my mind, a town called the HOT GATES.

There seem to be a lot of town's and city's in the US named after ancient Greek locations and city's, odd but also interesting and I would assume some team there call themselves the Spartan's or something similar.

originally posted by: IAMTAT

originally posted by: KKLOCO
a reply to: IAMTAT

I was a Realtor for 10 years. When the market is this hot — you have to do escalation clauses.

Most houses are selling for over full price. People will come in with an offer at 20k over asking. With an escalation clause, you can offer (as an example) 2k over whatever the highest bid is. That ensures you have first shot at it.

Paying cash also dramatically increases your chances.

Good advice.
We are definitely doing cash too.

You’re an optimal buyer then.

NEVER buy a house without seeing first. There is so much more than just pictures or video. Take a vacation where you want to go. Find a badass realtor before you go. You are a realtors dream buyer. Cash in hand and ready to pop. Close within a couple weeks and they are payed out and done. Do you have any idea how many buyers will spend two years looking at houses; and never end up purchasing thru that Realtor - Endless times. Every realtor deals with it constantly.

Additionally, I’ve heard many stories recently, through Realtor buddies, that people are forgoing the inspections to get the house over other buyers. NEVER do this! 🍻

a reply to: KKLOCO
More great advice...and totally agree about the home inspection.

a reply to: IAMTAT

originally posted by: pianopraze
After selling our house in Kentucky I’m extremely happy to be back in Florida. No more winter for me thank you!

That wall of Haze that rears up at you on your southerly approach to the border of Tennessee. Yeah ... that humidity wall ... LOL

I'll take 'drier weather' over 'warm winters' any day. Cold kills bugz.

I grew up just south of that area TAT. That was a long time ago and things have probably changed. Summers are probably more blistering hot. Probably needles just barely covered by sand waiting for you to step on 'em. LMAO - love creating doom porn ... Back then, St. Augustine was a tourist trap with all the destitute Dindu Nuffins waiting for you to go shopping.

Please check out the water quality. It's not something you can fix. You can buy my retirement home from me if you like. It's 20 something acres ... 20 miles from Daytona Beach ... with flowing poop-water. Can't stand the smell of Sulfur Water and neither can the wife. You might get lucky and dig a well to a fresher smell ... might.

Cheers
-Snarl