Best community on southside/mandarin to buy a home (St. Augustine: for sale, real estate)

[cathal]

Which communities on southside area are best to buy a home (singlefamily/townhomes -new/foreclosures) in the 200's range.What about mandarin---old st augustine & julington creek area.Any nicer communties there? Can somebody suggest? Also do i have to look for any factors in choosing a real estate agent??I like living in a peaceful area with no disturbances

thanks in advance

[riveree]

Can we get a few more details please?

"The Southside" region, which would include Mandarin and a whole lot more, covers a lot of ground. Where do you need to be on a daily basis (commute?)?

What kind of home/neighborhood do you like? Do you want to be in close distance to _____ (fill in the blank)? What is your range? Is $299,999 okay, or were you thinking more along the lines of $200-$210,000?

There are a lot of things to consider when choosing a realtor. How long has she/he been a realtor? Have they weathered the market's ups and downs? How well do they know the area you wish to buy in? Buying is easier than selling, so find someone who seems well versed and capable and that you click with .

[EricBoyd]

Riveree asked some good questions of your questions, so once you can answer those, then you'll get some more detailed responses.

For choosing a real estate agent, as riveree mentioned, it's good to have someone who works the area in which you are wanting to buy. They'll be more in tune with market conditions for that area and should have a pretty good idea of some houses that'll fit your needs/wants, once you can explain it to them. Being an agent myself, it's also very helpful if you've already gotten a loan preapproval and can provide the agent with a letter from your lender showing what amount they approved you for. By not having that, you could leave your agent in the dark about your ability to actually purchase a house. Honestly, getting the loan preapproval should be your first step towards buying a home.

As far as buying being easier than selling, I don't think either one is necessarily easier than the other at any given time. These days, with so much inventory, much of it being distressed sales, the search for the "right" home can take a very long time. There are so many homes with depressed prices, it can be very challenging to just pick a few good ones. Then, when the "one" comes along, priced ridiculously low, you finally make an offer. Then, a day later, your agent gets word back from the listing agent that there are now multiple offers on it, so you have to back to your budget and see if you really can raise your offer. Or, you see all these short sales listings with low prices, so you make an offer, then you have to wait 60, 90, or 120 days for the lender response, only to find out they're not accepting your offer, but they will accept $20k more than that. And, during all that time, you're forced to keep extending your current rental lease for yet another month, assuming your landlord doesn't have another tenant waiting to get in there. All in all, there's a ton more leg work involved with buying a home, than there is with selling. But, hey, don't let me discourage you from buying a home! Hopefully, you'll choose the right agent to help you manage the stresses involved with buying.

[cathal]

i work on old st augustine rd , prefer living in abt 10miles or even closer distance to work.Im willing to get in upto 250$$ for a single family home or may be upto 200$$ for a brand new townhome, but still im in a fix weater to go for a townhome or single family.Im not so sure how long i would stay here , so thinking all these situations , which would be a better one in resale point of view? are there any single family homes out there under foreclosures which are abt 2yrs old?Can you please suggest me some nice communities to live , for a 3bedroom & not so expensive??

Thanks for your inputs!!

[EricBoyd]

I live off Old St. Augustine Rd. There are a few 3BR single family homes for sale in my neighborhood, Grand Lakes, in the sub-240k range. These were all built in 2002-03. You should have no problem finding something in your stated range. I think a single family detached house is gonna have better resale potential than a townhouse. I'd give you some community suggestions, but I'd rather get your business first. haha! It's probably time you start looking for a real estate agent.

[EricBoyd]

Just to clarify my "start looking for a real estate agent" remark...You'll be better served by the services of a real estate agent if you can take the time to meet with him/her to explain your needs and wants from your future home purchase. Rather than just throwing out community names and send you driving all over an area, not really knowing what you're seeking, it's best to get as much information from you on what you're seeking. I'm only saying this because you asked about finding a real estate agent. (not trying to be self-serving, here, even though this is what I do for a living)

Also, just in case you don't know this, a real estate agent's sales commission is paid from the seller's side of the transaction. So, there's no out of pocket expense for a buyer to use a real estate agent.