My partner & I both grew up, got married & raised our family in the northeastern part of the country, however once our three kids graduated from university, they all moved to FL… They settled into Jacksonville! My partner & I were unwilling to remain up north & suffer through the long, cold & snowy winters. My pal and I missed our kids. My pal and I started searching for available Jacksonville real estate for sale. Our three children are all seriously successful in their chosen fields. They each purchased bigger & newer properties with water access. My oldest child purchased a house directly on the St! John’s river. My partner & I were planning to keep our house in the north & stay there for about half the year. My pal and I couldn’t afford anything in the same neighborhood as our kids. My pal and I searched listings & toured a wide variety of homes for sale, but every dwelling within our price range had extreme complications. One smelled badly of critter urine & another had an immense sinkhole in the backyard. Most included roofs that were too ancient to qualify for insurance. They all advertised seriously seasoned living rooms & lavatories. My pal and I didn’t want to buy a dwelling & immediately needed to invest into new appliances & major renovations. My pal and I doubt these homes would pass a four-point inspection. My pal and I gradually broadened our search to more rural communities outside of Jacksonville. The town is immense, so this led us a considerable distance from our kids. My pal and I ended up buying a house in Keystone Heights, which is approximately an hour’s drive.