Moving to St. Augustine Jan 2013 (Jacksonville, St. Augustine Beach: insurance, house, teaching jobs)

[leslie&dave]

Hello there, we're looking for more current info on St. Augustine as there are a number of older posts but nothing new. A fellow suggested we post here as lots of St. A folks look at the Jax threads too. We are planning to relocate from WA State to St. Aug in Jan 2013. We plan to live half the year in FL and half in WA. We would like info on what neighborhoods to avoid (if any). We'd like to be as close to downtown as possible, and we're looking for a dirt cheap dump that we can either bull-doze or extensively remodel. We are very handy (just built our own small forest lodge from scratch) and work in the tourism and teaching fields. Should be no problem for us to work in St. Auggie, just need to know where to start looking for our diamond in the rough. Any ideas of which areas to avoid or seek out? Thanks! Leslie & Dave

[ssclulow]

What is your definition of dirt cheap and what type of neighborhood do you want to live in?

[Caladium]

Congrats on your pending move. I'm hoping to be in the same boat, so will be following your posts with interest.

[Robyn55]

Just in case the OP comes back (hasn't returned since this message was posted) - the central part of St. Augustine is not cheap and is a highly regulated historical district. You will not find a cheap dump that you can tear down or renovate extensively without following about a thousand rules and getting a thousand approvals. IOW - your original idea won't fly. Before doing anything - get a map of the district - and avoid looking there.

There are building/zoning rules in other parts of the City of St. Augustine and the City of St. Augustine Beach - but they are a lot less onerous than those in the historic district. Also note that if you tear a place down - or do pretty extensive renovations - you'll be subject to the new coastal construction building codes - and that building in accordance with those codes is far from cheap and simple. It is not a DIY job. You won't even be able to get a building permit without having plans that are certified by an architect or an engineer - and the building inspectors will almost certainly give you a hard time with inspections if you're not a licensed GC.

As for work - jobs in the tourism industry don't pay very well. And since St. Johns County (where St. Augustine is located) has recently been rated the #1 school district in the state - teaching jobs aren't that easy to come by (they weren't easy to come by even before we got to #1). Robyn

[scarlett_ptista]

For anyone who may look at this, I'd highly recommend the Lincolnville area of Saint Augustine for someone looking for affordable downtown housing. It's close to shops and restaurants, culturally significant and while it can be considered "transitional" it's highly underrated.
There are a lot of good people working hard to make it a great place to live.

[arcsurf]

Originally Posted by leslie&dave

Hello there, we're looking for more current info on St. Augustine as there are a number of older posts but nothing new. A fellow suggested we post here as lots of St. A folks look at the Jax threads too. We are planning to relocate from WA State to St. Aug in Jan 2013. We plan to live half the year in FL and half in WA. We would like info on what neighborhoods to avoid (if any). We'd like to be as close to downtown as possible, and we're looking for a dirt cheap dump that we can either bull-doze or extensively remodel. We are very handy (just built our own small forest lodge from scratch) and work in the tourism and teaching fields. Should be no problem for us to work in St. Auggie, just need to know where to start looking for our diamond in the rough. Any ideas of which areas to avoid or seek out? Thanks! Leslie & Dave

Hello soon to be locals Leslie and Dave. I own a building lot within 6 block of the downtown center. It is a small lot but priced accordingly. I am a Carpentry Contractor and Green Building Designer and have at least two designs for the lot. That said, I can work with you on whatever design you would like. If you are interested you can see the lot on Google Maps - 79 Pomar Street. The lot is priced at $39.9k and the connection fees are already paid due to a house previously being there. You can reach me at 904-217-9977. Hope to hear from you,
Bob Balch

[FloridaPirate355]

There are not any real "bad" neighborhoods to avoid here, at least not in the concept of gangs or shootings like LA or NYC. There is one kinda sketchy part of town around King Street. But it's not like it's violent or anything, been down there plenty of times before, but it looks like a place where drug activity happens. So I recommend avoiding it, especially at night.

You will not be able to live in downtown St. Augustine for dirt cheap, and you will certainly not be allowed to bulldoze anything in that area, ever. Downtown is very historical, lot's of buildings and streets go back hundreds of years, the city will not allow you to do anything with the homes in that area, they won't even let you paint it a different color. It all has to go through them. It's also a bit pricey to live downtown too. You might be able to do what you want on Anastasia Island, however just know that home insurance is very expensive (I used to live on the island, so I know). But some people don't like island living and would prefer to be on the mainland.

I don't know about teaching jobs here, but I do know that St.Augustine has some of the best schools in the nation, and the best schools in Florida.

I love St.Augustine. I moved here from Jacksonville and never looked back, it's a great town with a lot of sights and history. The community is friendly and I fell in love with the town the moment I saw it and walked it's streets. I love biking over the Bridge of Lions, I love driving past the Fort, I love the beaches, I love the city at night time especially around Christmas when it's all lit up. St. Augustine is a real treasure and one that I think you would be very happy to live in.