The next boom town in Florida
The next boomtown in Florida
As a real estate agent and long time Florida resident I have watched the changes here in South Florida. Dade County and Miami Beach were the hotspot of the 60’s and 70’s. Broward County and Ft. Lauderdale took the crown in the late 70’s and 80’s. Palm Beach County and Boca Raton was the place to live in the 80’s and the 90’s. Northern Palm Beach County has become the hotspot to live in 2000. So where is the next Florida hotspot to live? Hutchinson Island? Maybe. What has continued to draw retirees to Florida has been warm weather and inexpensive living. No longer is South Florida and places like Jupiter and Boca Raton inexpensive places to live. Oceanfront condos are starting at $500,000 for small 80’s built condos. Want something with 9ft ceilings. Start looking at close to a million dollars to start. That’s not inexpensive living and add taxes and condo fees and the average carrying costs on a beachfront condo are $30 to $35,000 per year to start with paying cash for your condo. The average Joe Smith isn’t affording that lifestyle.
Hutchinson Island Condos – Ft. Pierce to Vero Beach
As you can see the people are slowly gravitating North and some places do go bust again and boom again. Miami Beach is one of those places but foreign money drives that market. Both European and South American money are strong influences. So where does that middle class worker go who wants to live a beach lifestyle in Florida. The West Coast offers some inexpensive alternatives but many don’t like the feel of the West Coast of Florida so Hutchinson Island may be your last option to enjoy true mild winters. Median temperatures between Hutchinson Island and Ft. Lauderdale may be 10 degrees cooler in the winter at times but still plenty warm. You get much above this part of Florida and you truly do get a winter season. Vero Beach is probably the very last stop and next boom town along the East Coast. But Vero Beach is very expensive so just to the South and a few minutes drive away you will find South Beach on Hutchinson Island where affordable living is still available. Do I see an influx of young people like Palm Beach county. No as the jobs are just not there and it took decades for good jobs to finally be brought to South Florida, always know as a retirement destination.
Oceanfront Condos on a Budget in Hutchinson Island
What do you get when buying a condo in Hutchinson Island vs buying a Jupiter condo or Boca Raton condo. Expect to save almost 50% here in Hutchinson Island than buying condos in Jupiter. An oceanfront condo in Ocean Village has the Oceanhouse, a four story beachfront condo with 9ft ceilings and built post 2000. Expect to buy a 1,400 sq. ft ocean condo with garage parking at $350,000 or less. Move this condo to Jupiter and you will no longer sit on the sand but have a road in front of your condo. Places like Ocean Club have similar size units that were built in 1996 with side ocean views from many condos and a master bedroom with a small window for your ocean view. A condo here will set you back $550,000 for a similar condition unit. Not quite double the price but a big savings. We may start to see a push North into Hutchinson Island for the average Joe looking to retire here in Florida.
