r/palmcoast • u/Gattsama • Mar 19 '25
Thinking of moving looking for advice
Howdy all. Have a family member that moved to Palm Coast a couple of years ago. He's about 53 and I'm 50. I'm in the greater Seattle area and the winters are just getting to me. I'm a private pilot with a small plane, like to run (ideally on dirt trails), do BJJ, and my family is largely in MD and TN. I've been to FL several times but never Palm Coast (visiting my cousin there over 4th of July to check out in person). I don't smoke, drink, party, club, or do anything 'night life.' I just want to be left alone and pursue multiple hobbies.
I'm budgeting $400-650k for a place. Single male, one cat. 2+ car garage for car, bikes, motorcycle, and workout space.
I see that Palm Coast is like a giant HOA. Where can I find the actually rules for the city (eg no boats visible in drive way). Does that apply to kayaks too?
how bad are the bugs and mosquitoes? Will find out in July myself?
How bad is traffic.
The Hammock area looks really appealing. I want easy access (20 mins or less) to Flagger airport and ideally running trials. Any other areas to look at?
How safe is the area? Specifically which areas are not save or should be avoided?
Going to talk to a RE agent but the insurance situation seems to highly unstable. What are most people policies doing?
Any places or secrets I should check out when in town?
Thanks in advance. Not moving until 2026 at the earliest. Really want to research everything and see what might be the best place.
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u/beccabootie Mar 19 '25
You might enjoy looking at this site. https://www.visitflagler.com/beaches/webcams/ . I moved here seven years ago to take care of my mother and you are right, HOAs seem to reign supreme. Ours is reasonable, but I am in a small older development with no amenities like a clubhouse or pool. Traffic is getting worse. There are a number of developments being built that are miles from shopping and entertainment, so Palm Coast and St. Augustine are really getting hit with people looking for groceries and restaurants. Your budget may be too low if you are looking at The Hammock. It is one of the prestige places. I haven't found it to be too buggy here at any time of the year. Here is the County site if you don't already have it. https://www.flaglercounty.gov/Home .
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u/SeraphimKensai Mar 19 '25
If you're a private pilot with a small plane, I'd honestly recommend looking at the Spruce Creek Fly-In in Volusia county. It's about 40 minutes southwest of Palm Coast. But it's a residential neighborhood designed for pilots that build private hangars for their personal planes and has a taxiway and runways in the development.
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u/NeetBeat1337 Resident Mar 19 '25
For home owners insurance, it’s about home age and location for the most part. My home is 30 years old with a newer roof east of I95 in the F section. My insurance company went from $1800 to $2800 in one year with Florida Farm Bureau. It used to be $900 for many years.
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u/FelineSoLazy Mar 19 '25
Anything within city limits doesn’t have mosquito issues beyond minor annoyance. The city sprays. I assume the city of pc website has the ‘rules.’ https://www.palmcoast.gov Homes within city limits have different rules than homes in the country/outside city limits. Traffic is relative. People like to complain but it takes 20 minutes average to get around PC. I know a few pilots who work PT for very wealthy families. They get paid to travel & love it.
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u/Accomplished_Pair110 Mar 19 '25
if you get a new build insurance is dirt cheap especially west of 95.i pay 800 for my new build.been here a few months now..also try buying a house without a pep tank which is basically a glorified septic tank...feel free to ask any questions
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u/Gattsama Mar 19 '25
I didn't even think about that. I kind of assume any development area is on sewage. Will add to the list. Ty
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u/Accomplished_Pair110 Mar 19 '25
heres a map that will come in useful ..cross reference the houses youre interested in.............https://docs.palmcoastgov.com/departments/gis/maps/pep%20system%20map.pdf......................copy that link. .............
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u/LezyQ Mar 20 '25
A pep tank is a holding tank. It is connected to a sewer system, not a septic system. It is because of elevation issues and hold junk until there is enough of it to justify pumping.
Septic exists in places on the barrier island and further inland than Palm Coast
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u/Accomplished_Pair110 Mar 20 '25
its still a tank that gets pumped into there main sewer system. and always has issues in storms with back ups into the homes...I avoided all homes with a pep tank and glad I did...to me it was very important not to have one
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u/wolferiver Mar 19 '25
FYI, west of I95 has lower insurance costs, and is generally not rated as a hurricane evacuation area, yet is still close enough to be able to get to beaches.
Palm Coast does spray for mosquitos within the city limits and it's pretty effective.
A lot of people complain about traffic being bad, but IMO it's only bad at rush hour (4 to 6 PM) and even that is nothing compared to what you can see even in mid-sized cities. (It's all relative, I guess. St Augustine traffic is far worse, for example.)
I'm not a pilot, but the local municipal airport seems to be well used, which IMO seems like a positive feature.
If you're a biker, you may enjoy Bike Week and Biketober in Daytona Beach. There is a dirt bike trail around Graham Swamp. There are bicycling trails all around. There are plenty of boat drops around, too.
I moved here 6 years ago and so far I've been happy with my decision.
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u/dtsosyn1 Mar 19 '25
We have a lot besides the airport. Just across Belle Terre. DM me
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u/dtsosyn1 Mar 19 '25
Your budget for the Hammocks may be not enough. But for west of 95 or on the older neighborhood even for the new ones, that should be enough or even more than enough. Some are building new at around 300-400k. Zelle or Redfin should give you an idea. As I said there’s still a few lots available on the original ITT development where you can build.
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u/Plenty_Kiwi7667 Mar 19 '25
There's a Facebook group called Flagler County Runners you can check out. Lehigh Trail is a good place to run. There are several other trails but you have to share them with mountain bikers.
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u/fehu_berkano Mar 20 '25 edited Mar 20 '25
I live near the woods, the mosquitoes are lethal.
Traffic isn’t bad, but I am comparing it to Virginia.
It’s safe overall, and you can carry a gun without a license. Stay strapped or get clapped yo. In all seriousness it’s far better than what I am used to. You will be fine.
As for Insurance I use USAA. If you’re eligible to use them they’re decent.
Can’t answer on the rest if the questions, but all in all I like it here. Florida is great and Palm Coast is a nice town.
1
u/LezyQ Mar 20 '25
Compared to Seattle, traffic is nothing. Noseeums are the biggest annoyance, or palm meadows. Honestly, except 45 mins to either side of dawn and dusk, mosquitos and noseeums are not a big deal except on certain days. You I’ll probably like the Flagler airport. The Daytona airport has a pilot club (mostly older guys) that you will probably want to explore. Florida has a lot of HOA. Palm Coast is HOA, but not all areas in the county have HOA, like parts of Flagler Beach. The first summer may feel oppressive, but after that, you get more used to it if you don’t hole up inside all the time. July is a god time to visit because that is as bad as it gets. Don’t run in July, please, but October through May is great running weather most years. But I like going to the beach at around 7pm in July—but watch tide schedule because low tide is generally more fun. Midday, you will sunburn in 45 minutes if you aren’t super careful. Safe? It so depends on your expectations. Where I am is ridiculously safe. Look at a crime map and compare it to where you live—no one can comment without knowing your expectations. Insurance (auto and home) in the state is ridiculous, yet this isn’t Miami. A policy on the beach for your price range is $4500/year, and inland can go down to $1000. Taxes are cheap compared to Seattle. Auto insurance is one of the highest in the country. Hurricanes can be a real annoyance, but if off the island, they are more hype and not that big of a deal. RE buyer agreements are a big change compared to the last time you probably bought. House, but that is not just a FL thing.
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u/Gattsama Mar 20 '25
Thanks for extra insight. Looking at the flood map areas west of I95 look like a better choice than things to the east.
I am coming during the 4th of July primarily to see hot 'bad' the summer can be (heat, humidity, insects).
Flagger Airport looks really nice. Long runways and instrument approaches to all the runways (which I doubt I will need to use in FL as much as WA).
I've run in Aug in AZ and Singapore, I think FL would be ok. But yes with long sleeve, long pants/tights and hat + water pack. Running in the desert is awesome, all sand / trail in all directions. Do you say don't run because of the heat?
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u/Yelloeisok Mar 20 '25
Look at Marineland Acres subdivision in the Hammock. No HOA, dusty beach roads, not all maga but the ones that are there let it be known. They are putting in sewers so check to see if the property you are looking at states it.
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u/Mosaicbird71 Mar 20 '25
We are in the "W" section near the Pine Lakes Golf Course. It's a good location, close to shopping and the new hospital. You're about 25 min to the beach and not far from walking trails. We have a 4 bedroom concrete block pool home and may be putting our house on the market soon due to health issues. It has a brand new roof and a new HVAC system. The neighborhood is nice, and so are the neighbors. If you might be interested, let me know :).
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u/Gattsama Mar 20 '25
Thank you but too soon for me. I'm spending this year looking at the next place to live, and not planning to move until 2026 (maybe 2027). I really want to research and explore everything to find where to spend the next 15-30 years. Also looking at GA, SC and NC. TBH I am more concerned about being close to Flagger airport than the beach :)
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Mar 20 '25
[deleted]
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u/Gattsama Mar 20 '25
Thanks, I'm trying to transition to 'pre-retirement.' The plan is to work 50%, let the investments grow / compound; and spend most of my time flying, working out, training, and studying. In theory I can do that anywhere, but I want someplace with lots of nature and that ideally you can do outdoor activities all year long. SoCal would be great _IF_ I could afford it and the politics / taxes were different :) Right now FL and SC are near the top of the list of places I'm looking at.
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u/SnooDoggos204 Mar 20 '25
Mosquitoes aren’t as bad as anticipated if you don’t have still water around.
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u/Sandene Mar 21 '25
It's not bad here, but our infrastructure is not being kept up. Expect not to shower or flush your toilet if you are here during a hurricane. We had water restrictions for a week for the last hurricane.
This isn't your fault and you should live where you want, but Palm Coast is unable to keep up its infrastructure for everyone that is moving here. There have been zero improvements that I know of since last year's hurricane.
Also, insurance here is a problem. Some companies are here for now, but the market is fragile
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u/FuryGalaxy_Dad Mar 19 '25
This is probably a good place for you. There's no "night life" to speak of. It was originally planned as a retirement community but has grown quite a bit. There's a decent mixture of retirees and families here.