Florida Real Estate News

There are always plenty of great reasons to retire to Florida:

• great weather year round
• access to some great golf courses and fishing
• retiring to Florida is going to virtual ensure that the kids and grandkids come to visit

Cities like Jacksonville, Florida have been sited by Money Magazine as among the best places for retirees for those reasons and others. But that doesn’t mean that, when you retire to Florida you should be looking only at “active adult” communities: there are plenty of Florida condominiums in popular areas like Jacksonville, Jacksonville Beach, Ponce Inlet and St. Augustine that are ideal for retirees.

Why a Florida condo? Well, on one hand, condominiums are maintenance free: the outdoors and general property will be maintained for you. Condos offer a stronger sense of community and security. Small enough to be manageable, but large enough for there to be plenty of space when family and friends come to visit – these features set condominiums apart and help them to rise to the top when you start to think about your options.

Do you often find yourself with a strange obsession with going out for Sushi – not just what you can find premade at the local grocery store, but fresh tuna, sashimi and California rolls that are expertly prepared while you watch? Do you find yourself waking up in the morning and wishing that there were a nearby cafe whose cappuccino rivaled the one that you have while vacationing in Northern Italy? For that matter, there was probably that one dish at a restaurant you visited during your trip that’s stuck with you; wouldn’t it be great to find a similar place near home?

When you live in Jacksonville’s Riverside Avondale historic district, you’re likely to find that there are enough dining options available to you that you’re likely to find whatever it is that you’ve been looking for.

Just as the art scene in the area is eclectic, the dining options are varied from fresh, local seafood to American bar food to Asian inspired dishes, Italian meals and much, much more. Going out to eat in Riverside is easy; it’s choosing the place that can get a little challenging.

When some people write about their time in Jacksonville, they focus on one thing or another:

(source)The slogan for Jacksonville is “Where Florida Begins.” My nomination would be Jacksonville: City of Bridges.

Come to find out, there are more than 200 in the area, including seven major bridges in Jacksonville that are individually named. The St. Johns River is all over the place here, more or less cutting the city in half.

It’s very true: the St. Johns River is a big part of Jacksonville living. From running next to the river, enjoying parks and just getting out, there’s going to be a way that the river is present in your life.

But that isn’t all that you’ll discover when you call Jacksonville your home. You’ll also find a thriving arts community – small galleries, museums, art walks and shops that feature the work of local artists. You’ll find sports – those that you can participate in as a spectator and those that you can actively participate in on your own or with friends.

Mostly, however, you’ll find a lifestyle – you’ll find that you’re able to be comfortable, to be yourself and to live your life your way: only you can determine what that means.

If you ask someone who lives in Ponce Inlet, Florida why they have made the area the home they might look at you quizzically: why wouldn’t someone want to live in the area?

1. The untouched beauty of Ponce Inlet: unlike some coastal Florida areas, Ponce Inlet hasn’t yet been built up.
2. Access to beautiful white sandy beaches.
3. The history of the area dating back to Spanish exploration and Ponce de Leon.
4. A chance to find a sense of community with people whose appreciations are similar to your own – art, relaxation and more.
5. The ability to choose a beautiful home designed with everything you could possibly want.

You’ll be able to find great seafood restaurants, fantastic fishing and boating opportunities and far, far more. Choosing a Ponce Inlet home is as simple as looking at all of your options and taking the time to explore them.

There’s little that can make you feel closer to someone than spending time with them, quietly, sitting on a dune and watching as the waves gently roll in. The way that you talk – even without words – and the way that quiet envelops you: there’s really nothing else quite like it.

When you spend time with someone you love on a Florida beach, you’re likely to feel as though – even though you grasp a sense of how huge the whole world around you is – you’re the only people there. When the time that you spend sitting together on the dunes is spent in your own backyard – well, you’ll have nothing but time to enjoy, time to spend together, time to talk, and time to relax away from the chaos of the rest of your lives.

Whether you sit on the dunes and talk about how you’ll spend your time or you talk about your day or whether you just sit silently and watch the sun rise, it won’t take long to see how much closer you can become (and to understand why so many couples choose to have their weddings on Florida beaches each year.

A Jacksonville loft condo makes a great home for those who want to be sure that they are able to pursue all of their options.

On the inside, the open floor plan of a loft home creates countless design possibilities – making it easy for you to express yourself, easy to entertain, and easy to use all of the space that you have.

Of course, you aren’t likely to spend all of your time inside – and that’s why loft condos in Jacksonville’s Riverside district give you access to everything that you might want to experience.

Great shopping is going to be an option. Going out for a great dinner on the nights you don’t feel like cooking won’t mean struggling to find a place to go (though there will, of course, be some challenges when it comes to choosing where you’ll go). Spending time outdoors, at sporting events or even at museums – all of these options will be available to you whenever you want them to be.

In other words, when you want to have a home that gives you access to everything that you’re looking for, look no further than a Jacksonville loft condo; you’ll find everything that you’re looking for and more.

Once you’ve made a commitment to living in Florida, you’ll know that there is always something going on.

Despite the fact that, when tourists start thinking about nightlife their thoughts gravitate towards the hotspots of Miami and Orlando (with such notable spots as CityWalk at the Universal Studios complex), many who live in Florida know that there are plenty of other experiences to be found.

In St. Augustine, there are outdoor restaurants and plenty of places to go that will make it easy to kick back and relax after a rough day or to sit down with someone who is special to you. In Jacksonville, well there’s plenty that you will find there – from bars to nightclubs to restaurants and more.

But it’s not just that there are a lot of options; it’s more that you’re not just going to find one place where you’ll spend your time. You’ll quickly realize that there’s an option for your every mood, and a different place that you can go with each of your groups of friends.

There’s something about the untouched, underdeveloped beauty of Ponce Inlet that makes it appealing to everyone who knows that, when they choose a home, they want a place that is not just a place to live but also something of a retreat. That’s something that draws many people to The Ponce Inlet Cottages.

What makes The Ponce Inlet Cottages more than just a home? All of the following features:

• Ocean views and protetive sand dunes right at your home
• Maintenance free landscaping
• Spacious, open floor plans
• Pre-wiring for security and home entertainment systems
• Temperature control
• Top of the line kitchen appliances
• Natural stone floors
• A luxurious master suite
• Whirlpool garden tubs
• Balconies designed so that it’s easy to take in spectacular sunset views

Of course, if you’re looking for a place that has ample parking, The Ponce Inlet Cottages also povide that and many other features. In fact, it’s probably safe to say that these Ponce Inlet homes have all of the features you’re looking for and then some.

There’s the smell of the ocean – salty, but fresh and sweet at the same time. There’s the soft sand that finds its way between your toes as you walk over the dunes to make your way to the beach. There’s the gentle breeze that’s cooling even on the hottest of days. There’s the way the water feels, and the way that the salt water keeps you buoyant and that moment when, while floating on the waves, the idea of being carried out to sea doesn’t seem like such a bad thing at all.

More than just the beach itself though, what will you remember? Will it be the way that kids tried to jump over the waves as the tide rolled in? Will it be the first time that surfing was a successful endeavor for you? Will it be the way that you laughed while you sat back and talked with friends at the end of a long day?

When you live in a seaside community you’ll find that it’s much harder to pinpoint those singular moments that really stand out because there are so many more opportunities available to you to make memories.

For those who live in Jacksonville, Florida’s First Coast offers a wide variety of opportunities for fishing. Some of them are nearby off the coast in the Atlantic, but many are best enjoyed by those who make the choice to fish inland.

(source)Where Jacksonville really excels is its inshore fishery. There are literally hundreds of creeks off the ICW and river, including some sensational wetlands, preserves, and parks, such as the Timucuan Preserve. If you are into shallow water angling, fly fishing, or live bait fishing, the choices of location are limitless and the species present are spectacular. In the brackish inshore waters the favorites are redfish, spotted seatrout, flounder, sheepshead, black drum, stripers, and even the occasional snook. Typically creeks through Jacksonville’s marshlands have lots of flooded grass, mud flats, and oyster beds, which are ideal for sight-fishing tailing and backing redfish

In other words, fishing isn’t all about getting out on the open water with friends on a boat – whether your own or a chartered trip out – a lot of it is about taking advantage of quiet time on your own to just relax and enjoy the sport.

While Jacksonville offers something for sports enthusiasts of all types, shoppers, art lovers, those who enjoy the club scene and fine dining, the city also has a great deal to offer those who just want to have the chance to kick back, unwind and relax their own way.