Re: [gatortalk] Gainesville house hunt

I live in Gainesville and am a former County employee.

City of Gainesville: Pros: Proximity to UF sports and culture. Medical facilities. Cost of living is decent for Florida.

Cons: Lots of people complain about Gainesville Regional Utilities' bills. Some of it is perception and some is reality. I'm in some community groups with strong GRU defenders. My GRU bill includes Electric, Natural Gas, Potable Water, Wastewater, Storm Water and Refuse. Most I talk to are comparing this total bill to other area's Electric-only bill. Our home is 2,300 sf, I work from home (AC set about 80 degrees during summer days), we have great attic insulation and energy efficient, double paned windows, in a heavily treed area. It's just the 2 of us most of the year. Our total GRU bill averages $200/month. Roads - UGH! The City is currently redoing 8th Avenue for the 3rd time in a year. If they'd listened to the citizens, the current design would have been the initial design. Don't try to remove a tree, even when it falls down on your home from the city-owned right-of-way. We're almost to the 2 year mark on that fight. GRU had no maintenance budget for ~20 years. Pipes are exceeding capacity, breaking, etc. Some areas of the city do not have wastewater svc, like the neighborhood across the street from ours. So their septic drains into our creek.

Alachua County: Pros: Lifestyle. Nature. Becomes rural quickly in most directions. Areas served by Clay Electric Co-op or City of Newberry pay less for electricity.

Cons: Roads. Budget - I don't know why, and I've tried to figure it out. Alachua County and Leon County have similar population & similar acreage of land on tax rolls. Alachua has 9 municipalities, Leon has 1. Leon's property appraisals are about 5% higher. Leon's Constitutional Officers' (Tax, Property, Sheriff, Clerk of Court, Elections) budgets average double Alachua's. Leon's multilane roads are in good condition, with one exception.

I have several Residential Realtor friends. Different specialties. I could connect you if you want.

-Jeannene

On Fri, Jun 10, 2016 at 1:59 PM, Jerry D. Belloit <belloit@clarion.edu> wrote:

Charlie,

I will make a case for a more rural lifestyle.  There is something to be said for living where:

1.  Land use regulations are more flexible.
2. A loud neighbor is less of a problem.
3. Crime is lower.
4. You can have a nice garden and possibly some food animals (Chickens, goats, rabbits).

I am very nearing retirement and moving back to Florida as well.  Here are my metrics as to where I have chosen to locate in addition to the above.

1. Traffic.  Can I get to the grocery store and other shopping without living in my car to get there?
2. Distance to the things I enjoy doing.  I personally love to fish.  For me I wanted to be able to fish for fresh water as well as salt water.  I chose a location Citrus County so I could do both.  I also love fly fishing and want to be able to find good spots for that as well.
3. Safety from hurricane and flooding.  My home is over 150 feet above sea level and is protected by large live oaks and red oaks.  I am able to actually have a basement.
4. Access to quality medical facilities.  This is a very big issue.  How long does it take to get me to a level 1 or two trauma center?  Is there a medical helicopter available?
5. Can I reasonably get to Hogtown to go to a ball game and get back home the same day.  For me this was about a 1.5 to 2 hour circle around Gainesville.
6. Property taxes and small local government.  I don't want my retirement savings to be eroded by property tax creep and permit creep.  If I don't like a tree in my yard, I want to be able to take it out without unnecessary permits and permissions.
7. Can I get to the City and home in under a day?
8. Can I conveniently find good affordable restaurants?

Jerry

On 5/23/16, 2:56 PM, "gatortalk@googlegroups.com on behalf of Charles Simpson" <gatortalk@googlegroups.com on behalf of imagator@outlook.com> wrote:

>We may finally be able to make our move to Gainesville this fall. We've
>made two recent trips to look at houses and the big challenge will be
>finding something affordable inside the city limits. Newberry and High
>Springs have more bang for the buck but as I've told my wife many times
>I want live in Gainesville not near Gainesville. My original criteria
>was inside a 10 mile circle from BHG but I may have to back off from that.
>
>Charlie
>
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GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY!
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GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY!
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