Intracoastal Area of Jacksonville

Northeast Florida covers a large area in Florida. In fact, Jacksonville, with its consolidated city/county government structure, is the largest geographic city in the continental United States. With this said, I thought I would provide a little peak into neighborhoods in Northeast Florida, beginning with my own - The Intracoastal Area.

The Intracoastal Area - Intracoastal referring to the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway - sits to the immediate west of the waterway and runs westward approximately 5 miles, from McCormick Blvd south to J. Turner Butler Blvd, which is an estimated 10 mile stretch from north to south. While not all of the area has navigable water access, many of the communities do feature waterfront property and/or access complete with docks and harbors.

This area first began to develop in the early 1970's, but really didn't see much more development until the 80's and 90's. Once the new millenium was upon us, the Intracoastal area was hot and construction boomed. Now it is one of the most attractive areas in Northeast Florida, due to its proximity to the beaches (within 7 miles avg for most), University of North Florida, Florida State College at Jacksonville and Jacksonville University, shopping and major highways. The schools in this area are typically above average rated, primarily "A" rated schools, which is important to families with children.

Northeast Florida Beaches

Starting at the most northern of our beach communities, Nassau County beaches include Fernandina Beach, Amelia Island and American Beach. Nassau county offers a slow-pace, southern style with graceful palm trees and majestic oak trees so plentiful, you will think you stepped back in time.

Our next beach stop is located in Duval County, at Huguenot Park, the only beach area in Duval county on which you may drive; Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach and Jacksonville Beach are a bit farther to the south. The tri-beach communities of Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach and Jacksonville Beach are primarily residential areas, with sufficient commercial and retail to support the community. There are hotels and condos for hire, but most tourists quickly melt into the laid-back lifestyle that these beach communities offer.  The beaches are wide, with white powdery sand, perfect for building your favorite sand castles.

St. Johns County features Ponte Vedra Beach, Vilano Beach, St. Augustine Beach and Crescent Beach. St. Augustine Beach will offer the most commercial activity, but the others have sufficient retail and commercial business to support the needs of the area. Ponte Vedra Beach will feature upscale lodging, but will have condos, townhouses and single family homes available for rental, in golf and tennis communities for those who seek those activities. Vilano Beach is a quiet condo/townhome/single family rental base, but with a limited supply of immediate retail and commercial businesses. However it is just a short drive to St. Augustine, where you can shop to your heart's content.

Arlington Area of Jacksonville

32211. It is the date of birth of my first grandchild, born on 3-22-11, an exciting day for our family!  But on the real estate side, this is the one of zip codes in Northeast Florida. The Arlington area is one of the Northeast Florida/Jacksonville's neighborhoods hardest hit with declining values, but is beginning to show signs of stabilizarion.

Arlington actually shares two zip codes - 32211 and 32277. The Arlington section of Jacksonville was primarily built during the post World War II housing boom. Most of the houses in the area are of concrete block and/or brick construction, 3 bedrooms with 1 or 2 bathrooms and built between 1947 and 1955, although there is some new construction activity taking place. There are little to no restrictions in place, other than city/county zoning, so there are at times a lack of uniformity in the appearance of the structures and yards. While this may be a deterent to some, the flexibility to be able to store a boat or other recreational vehicle in the yard, and generally large yard, is a plus to many homeowners.

During the real estate boom between 2004 - 2007, it was quite popular to see homes in this area purchased for rehabilitation purposes, then sold for a profit - otherwise known as flipping. Additionally, many investors of rental property have also invested here, as the neighborhood is on several city buy lines and in close proximity to several of the universities and colleges in the area. Subsequently, as the market retreated and property values began to decline, those investors who purchased here found themselves either unable to secure the financing to complete rehabilitation, or were left with empty houses with no renters due to the impending rise in unemployment that began in 2008. We are beginning to see the that trend reverse, as detailed below.

Currently, we are seeing an uptick in purchases in Arlington, with new listings declining 23% from February 2010 to February 2011. The total inventory also declined by 10%, resulting in a months' supply of housing also decreasing 16.6% from 10.4 months's supply to an 8.7 month's supply. During the past year, the median sales price has declined 5.4% overall. A closer look, however, reveals that the large number of lender-mediated sales, those either in a foreclosed or short sale status, represented 49% of all sales closed during the same time period. Currently, 47% of listings in the area are lender-mediated. The high number of lender-mediated sales was the key driver in the reduction of the median sales price to $87,000 for traditional sales and $58,000 for lender-mediated sales. Yes, you heard me correctly. A single family detached dwelling, with a decent-sized yard, 3 bedroom home for $58,000. 

I'm glad to see the inventory levels dropping, and hope that Arlington will see a resurgence in "community" presence. This was one of the neighborhoods that thrived during Jacksonville's era of consolidated city/county government, where military and civilian families lived and worked to raise their families. This area is also home to several affluent neighborhoods, although they are along the St. Johns River and built in the last 30 years or so. Jacksonville University and Jones College are also located in Arlington, two well-respected private universities with lovely campuses along the St. Johns River.

St. Augustine

St. Augustine is not only one of the most famous cities in Florida, but in the United States. It is the oldest, continuously inhabited community in the United States. Founded by explorer Don Juan Ponce de Leon on Easter, March 27, 1513, he claimed the land for Spain and named it La Florida, meaning "Land of Flowers".

Living in St. Augustine provides the opportunity to live oceanfront or riverfront, as St. Augustine features both the Atlantic Ocean and the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway as water features for many of their homes.

Transportation into St. Augustine area is either through the Jacksonville International Airport or Daytona Beach International Airport for commercial flights, or for privately chartered flights, the Northeast Florida Regional Airport (NFRA), which offers full-service airport services including on on-site customs office for clearing international passengers and cargo. While there are no commercial flights available into NFRA, there are about 5,000 private and corporate jets that arrive annually at the airport, so chartering flights are often a great option for travelers into the area. Interstate I-95 adjoins St. Augustine, and U. S. Route 1 and Coastal Highway A1A flow through the city proper.

St. Augustine offers not only some of the oldest historical houses in the Northeast Florida area, but also some of the newest. Nocatee, a new planned community just northwest of the St. Augustine city limits, and offers schools, parks, libraries, recreation, offices, shopping, restaurants and so much more. There's even an active-adult community within Nocatee! If you want new construction, in the St. Augustine area, Nocatee would be a top consideration for you. Palencia is also a newer development in the area, a smaller planned development community featuring condominium and single family detached housing, a golf course and community area as well. Prices range from just under $200,000 to just under $1,000,000, USD for single family detached houses. Other communities just west of I-95 in the State Route 210 area feature newer homes and schools, with new retail supporting the community popping up every month.

West of US Route 1, is the World Golf Village area, a beacon for those whose lives revolve around golf. A wonderful community with condominium, single family detached and attached housing for all ages and lifestyles, the focus of this community are The King and The Bear golf courses, designed by professional golfers Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. Prices in World Golf Village range from the mid $100's to just under $2 million USD.

If the beach is more your style, coastal St. Augustine and the Vilano Beach area offers scenic Atlantic Ocean views, some more private than others, with prices ranging from around $500,000 to $2.5 million USD, for single family detached housing.

Whatever your budget, St. Augustine has a home in your price range to fit your needs and lifestyle.

All of our Northeast Florida communities are primarily owner-occupied and second home properties.  There is abundant rental or investment properties available to accommodate the community and collegiate need, so if investment property is your interest, Northeast Florida will not disappoint you. Whether you are a tourist or a resident, you will quickly find why we love living in Northeast Florida! Enjoy a comfortable, southern way of life not found in other areas of the state.  We are "the other Florida", away from the noise, congestion and "touristy" southern parts of the state.  If you are interested in properties in our area, whether for your own enjoyment or investment purposes, just give me a call at 904-716-1713 or send an email to MissiHowell@MissiHowell.com to get started.

The Northside of Jacksonville

The Northside of Jacksonville was, for many years, a vast land of rural farms with commercial port and distribution facilities interspersed. In recent years, residential development, shopping and schools have been popping up on a regular basis, transforming this once rural setting into one of the most popular new communities in Northeast Florida.

North Jacksonville can be loosely defined as being bordered by the Intercoastal Waterway or its tributaries to the south and north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east and I-95 to the west. Its proximity to the Ports of Jacksonville, major highways and Mayport Naval Station, coupled with the completion of several major roadways in recent years, make this an ideal location to put down roots.

While there are a few attached townhomes in the area, single family detached housing is the predominant form of residential dwelling in the area. In formal PUD neighborhoods, a typical lot size will be .25 acre, with housing ranging from $75 - 90 a square foot for most homes.

One of the challenges yet opportunities of the Northside is that this area is one that has been hit hard by distressed property sales. Areas around Northeast Florida that built the most steam during the "boom" days beginning in 2004 - 2007, are the areas that are the hardest hit, since this is the same time frame that the "funny money" loans were being generated. Of the 619 homes listed for sale on the Northside as of April 30, 327 or 53% of them were lender-mediated (meaning the lender is negotiating the terms of the sale). With this level of distressed property means the overall neighborhood property values are also impacted. Lender-mediated sale prices fell an average of 14.75% in this area from April 2010 to April 2011, compared to only about 9.5% for traditional owner-mediated sales in the same time period in the same area.

A flattening is occurring, as the inventory has dropped in the same time period. Last April, there were 806 single family homes available for sale; this April, 619. The months' inventory has decreased from 10.6 to 8 months - nearing that every so cherished "normal" indicator of a 6 month supply. This trend will be welcomed by those selling their homes, because as less inventory is available, the better their house looks in the eye of the buyer. But - there is still an oversupply based on demand, and as long as that continues, we can expect an elongated time on the market and less-than-list price offers to be made.

All in all, the Northside offers unique value to the home buyer. It is a very attractive area, conveniently located with some of the most affordable property values in Northeast Florida. The question I am asked most often - will the market come back? I wish I had a crystal ball. But - what I know is that available land is diminishing - unless you are in Hawaii and have several million years that you can wait. Real estate is and always has been a long term investment and should be treated as such. With the Port of Jacksonville becoming more and more prevelent to national and international shipping and logistics companies, and Mayport Naval Station being one of the premier Navy bases, I would be on this horse to be a favorite in the not too distant future.

If you have specific questions about an area in Northeast Florida, let me know. I'm happy to research the area and give you factual information to assist with your real estate decision making.