Hurlburt info

[Murph]

Good grief! It seems to be nearly impossible to find a decent place to rent (I'm in the process of buying), anyone have suggestions? I'd like to stay within a 30 min drive of base.

murph

[Guest CrashCB18]

Ha, good luck. Housing office had a lot of good options for rentals. Seems like the best and smartest real estate purchase would be Navarre. However, sucks if you're a bachelor, means the bars are at least 20 miles away to Destin or 25 miles to Pensacola. Navarre is great though if you have a family, lot of little Air Force neighborhoods too. Somerset Apartments are on the island and a lot of Lts live there. Cayo Grande is in Navarre. I live on the island in a smaller apartment complex, but cheaper, and can't argue with the everyday view driving home across the bridge! I even know someone who lives 20 miles away in Destin, but says he enjoys the nightlife. With buying a house in Navarre, could be risky. Either the market bubble will burst like half the people have said, or it'll keep growing since the liquor law just passed there. Good Luck!

[Guest DaRevrend]

MM,

It all depends on what you are looking for. Do you have a family with you, and if so how many total people are there? Are you just looking for a temp place until the house is ready, or do you want a nice place you can live in for awhile.

Do you want to be around nice restaurants and nightlife (Destin), or is a quiet neighborhood more your thing (Navarre and Gulf Breeze)? Better yet, are you down with cars parked on the front lawn everywhere and being close to HRT and some decent food/drink establishments (FWB)?

What price range are you looking for? BAH just went up here to a reasonable number but the rent prices vary greatly from town to town. If you don't have a family you can usually bag a fairly nice place with a roomate and still pocket some leftover scratch after utilities/cable/internet are paid.

Give a little more info and we all can help point you in a better direction.

Rev

[mule]

www.militarybyowner.com is a good/cheap place to list for military people....Obviously, anyone can go to this site and rent your house, but the majority are probably military.

[Guest PhantomII]

I'm a casual at Hurlburt, and I've been here since last July. I live in Navarre at Cayo Grande which is right on 98. I've got not pets nor a wife or any family with me so it's not really too bad a deal, and it's only about a 15 minute to 20 minute drive to base as long as the traffic isn't too bad (which depending in how people are driving in 98 in a given day can range from smooth to horrible as anyone who lives or has lived down here knows).

I'm about 25 minutes from Pensacola and about 30 minutes from Destin. Having friends living closer to Destin and Ft. Walton has paid off when I needed a place to crash cause I couldn't drive home (for obvious reasons), and since I came down here without anyone else I didn't know where most other LT's would be living. I like my place, but there are times I wished I'd lived closer to the island and Destin. Somerset Apartments seem like a good place to live, and in addition to being much closer to the bars you're also within walking distance from the beach which is nice in warmer weather.

If anyone else is moving down this way feel free to send me a PM and I can try to help you out if you need it.

[FlyinGrunt]

Alright, a few years after Murph's original post, I find myself in about the same position - thinking western destin, okaloosa island, FWB. I'd like to get a 1 bedroom apartment within walking distance to the beach and/or good bars, while keeping the drive to work under, say, 25 minutes. Finding any of that so far's been pretty tough, so any tips on good apartments around Hurby would be great. I'll be moving down December-ish after little rock.

And I checked out Somerset, but they were . . . less than helpful. I think I'm gonna keep looking.

[Guest soflguy]

Alright, a few years after Murph's original post, I find myself in about the same position - thinking western destin, okaloosa island, FWB. I'd like to get a 1 bedroom apartment within walking distance to the beach and/or good bars, while keeping the drive to work under, say, 25 minutes. Finding any of that so far's been pretty tough, so any tips on good apartments around Hurby would be great. I'll be moving down December-ish after little rock.

And I checked out Somerset, but they were . . . less than helpful. I think I'm gonna keep looking.

I would check out Commodore's landing on Okaloosa. Townhomes ranging from 1-3 bedrooms, and they were really nice. You can rent them, and some were for sale when I was there (~1.5 yrs ago). But really nice, a 1 mile walk from the Swamp and Howl at the Moon/Crab Trap. Really good deal to be able to walk there and back and the cops loved that you would walk instead of drive, never bothered us once. Great area!

[Techsan]

And I checked out Somerset, but they were . . . less than helpful. I think I'm gonna keep looking.

Things never change...Somerset was the same way when I was there back in '01.

I lived right by the brooks bridge (near the Publix), and I found it through the housing office listings @ Eglin. It was a 900 sq ft condo. Not quite within walking distance to the beach, but only about a 5-10 min drive.

[Vprdrvr69]

Not to rain on everybody's parade, but I would not recommend buying in Navarre unless you financially cannot afford to buy in a few of the other areas. I have lived in numerous parts across the southern US and was sick of trailer parks and dollar stores when I moved here; that was my impression of Navarre. It reminded me more of lower Alabama than a vacation paradise that I was expecting. I would look into areas like Destin, Bluewater Bay (Niceville) and possibly parts of Okaloosa Isl. In addition, many dudes are buying right outside of Hurlburt (I believe it is classified as Mary Esther) in a small new home subdivision- it's not too bad. You are going to pay more to live out of Navarre, but you may enjoy things like golf courses, marinas, restaurants, nightlife, proximity to kick ass beaches (Destin) and better resale. Like the other post said, they can keep on building in Navarre. That is true, and that does not help resale value. Your land will be worth far less than your house. Not to mention, I have heard of a lack of HOA's. Many people hate them; I hate when my neighbor parks in his fu*&ing yard! HOA's can be a benefit and I personally like them.

In addition, while Navarre schools may be better than many in the southern US, the public schools in Bluewater and Destin parallel any private school I have seen and are in the top 3 schools for Fl year after year (for those reading with kids). JSF will be finding its way to Eglin in the coming years and this will boost values and demand even more (just watch out for ValP). Talk to some realtors in each area (rec. Bob Booker with C21 in Niceville- awesome dude with REAL experience) and get their opinions before you buy. Believe it or not, the commute from other areas is not as bad as you might think. You can get from the Mid-Bay bridge (between Destin and Bluewater Bay) to Hurlburt in 35 mintues and day of the week all the time. Ask folks in Navarre how long it takes to get home in rush hour or on Friday afternoon. Furthermore, ask how many fatal car/ MX wrecks they have seen on 98.

The other post regarding Militarybyowner.com is spot on. That site is awesome- I have used it on both sides of rentals and it is great!

[ClearedHot]

Not to rain on everybody's parade, but I would not recommend buying in Navarre unless you financially cannot afford to buy in a few of the other areas. I have lived in numerous parts across the southern US and was sick of trailer parks and dollar stores when I moved here; that was my impression of Navarre. It reminded me more of lower Alabama than a vacation paradise that I was expecting. I would look into areas like Destin, Bluewater Bay (Niceville) and possibly parts of Okaloosa Isl. In addition, many dudes are buying right outside of Hurlburt (I believe it is classified as Mary Esther) in a small new home subdivision- it's not too bad. You are going to pay more to live out of Navarre, but you may enjoy things like golf courses, marinas, restaurants, nightlife, proximity to kick ass beaches (Destin) and better resale. Like the other post said, they can keep on building in Navarre. That is true, and that does not help resale value. Your land will be worth far less than your house. Not to mention, I have heard of a lack of HOA's. Many people hate them; I hate when my neighbor parks in his fu*&ing yard! HOA's can be a benefit and I personally like them.

In addition, while Navarre schools may be better than many in the southern US, the public schools in Bluewater and Destin parallel any private school I have seen and are in the top 3 schools for Fl year after year (for those reading with kids). JSF will be finding its way to Eglin in the coming years and this will boost values and demand even more (just watch out for ValP). Talk to some realtors in each area (rec. Bob Booker with C21 in Niceville- awesome dude with REAL experience) and get their opinions before you buy. Believe it or not, the commute from other areas is not as bad as you might think. You can get from the Mid-Bay bridge (between Destin and Bluewater Bay) to Hurlburt in 35 mintues and day of the week all the time. Ask folks in Navarre how long it takes to get home in rush hour or on Friday afternoon. Furthermore, ask how many fatal car/ MX wrecks they have seen on 98.

The other post regarding Militarybyowner.com is spot on. That site is awesome- I have used it on both sides of rentals and it is great!

What???

How long have you been here? With a name like "Vprdrvr69", I am guessing not very long...

It sounds like your realtor has given you a line of crap. Navarre still has the best value and lowest cost per square foot in the tri-county area.

Through 13 years of PCS' I have spent a lot of time in Navarre and love it. In my opinion, the only advantage Destin has is the night life...But I don't need to go to a bar everynight to find happiness. i would much rather hang with the family and get liquored up.

As for beaches, have you even been to Navarre beach?.. How about Juanna's?

I would purposely avoid many of the areas you mentioned unless I wanted an older house form the 70's with enough closet space to hang three things.

As for schools...what fact do you base that on? Holley Navarre Middle School has the highest ranking in the state.

And finally with regard to traffic, I live on the far west side of Navarre and it takes me 30 minutes to get home at peak traffic time. I get to work in 25 minutes int he morning. Destin traffic is an absolute mess.

I don't know which orifice you pulled your analysis from, but it was plain wrong.

[Skitzo]

All the single guys seem to think that at Hurlburt you go left to live and right to die. Personally I think Navarre is pretty nice, I'm about 5 minutes from beach access and Cocodries is pretty nice, although not the Swamp but then again I'm married and not looking to hook up with some random enlisted chick.

The drive can be aggravating but if you leave at the right time it's not that bad, esp if you know the school bus schedules. Navarre might not be the heart of the action but on the whole it's a lot better than life at an SUPT base. Holley by the Sea is also a really nice area, big yards, decent houses.

I haven't been here all that long but there are A LOT of military folks buying in Navarre.

[drewpey]

Just crunch the numbers, and come up with a figure of what you can afford, and then look at the houses in that range in Destin, Ft Walton, and Navarre. You will see a VAST difference.

I really wanted to live in Destin too, until I found out it's a shit hole, unless you live in a half a million dollar condo.

If you want to go out, go to Pensacola. It's got more to offer for entertainment, and isn't the asspain destin is with all the tourists.

Rationalize it though. Unless you go out to the bars drinking every night, why go through the pain of living in destin?

Also, everyone says the commute to Navarre is bad, but it's not. 15 miles for me, 20 min in, 30 minutes out, unless there's an accident, and that can/will happen anywhere on 98.

[Whitman]

Just crunch the numbers, and come up with a figure of what you can afford, and then look at the houses in that range in Destin, Ft Walton, and Navarre. You will see a VAST difference.

I really wanted to live in Destin too, until I found out it's a shit hole, unless you live in a half a million dollar condo.

If you want to go out, go to Pensacola. It's got more to offer for entertainment, and isn't the asspain destin is with all the tourists.

Rationalize it though. Unless you go out to the bars drinking every night, why go through the pain of living in destin?

Also, everyone says the commute to Navarre is bad, but it's not. 15 miles for me, 20 min in, 30 minutes out, unless there's an accident, and that can/will happen anywhere on 98.

Bahahaha! AJ's is a whole lot better than Seville or anything else Pensacola has to offer.

As far as the original question, it's pretty simple. If you're single and renting, don't live in Navarre. It's a pain driving to Destin and the work commute is frustrating during peak times, especially during the school year. Also, people will not hesitate to pull out in front of you on US-98. Aside from the shear boredom of the road, I wouldn't drive a bike on there either.

You can find some sweet places on the bay or close to the beach in FWB and you'll be a lot closer to work and restaurants. As far as buying opportunities, Navarre is a good one and is going to expand, it's just a matter of when.

[drewpey]

Bahahaha! AJ's is a whole lot better than Seville or anything else Pensacola has to offer.

As far as the original question, it's pretty simple. If you're single and renting, don't live in Navarre. It's a pain driving to Destin and the work commute is frustrating during peak times, especially during the school year. Also, on US-98 people pull out in front of you on without even looking. I wouldn't drive a bike on there.

You can find some sweet places on the bay or close to the beach in FWB and you'll be a lot closer to work and restaurants. As far as buying opportunities, Navarre is a good one and is going to expand, it's just a matter of when.

AJs is ok, but Pensacola beach is better. Yeah, Seville quarter is cool for about 30 seconds, until you feel like you're on the set of Top Gun and the place is packed full of uniform chasers.

As far as the commutes go, get out and drive to the communities during rush hours. I was told things were "bad", but based on previous experiences living elsewhere, it wasn't that bad at all.

If looking to rent, don't rule out houses. There are a lot of people who can't afford to sell their house and are looking to rent for a good price. Look around or even talk to a realtor about any rentals they have.

Also, check with your squadron, there's always a crusty or two sitting around with that beach house on navarre beach looking to find renters.

[tac airlifter]

My wife and I are looking for a family friendly place to buy a 4 bedroom home, and Navarre seems to have alot of options when we investigate online. Our biggest concern is being able to resell the home, and then after we feel secure about that we're like it to be within 20 minutes of HRT and the beach. Do you have any recommendations for realtors or specific places or people we should stay away from? I'll be TDY quite a bit before I PCS there so consequently most of the research will fall onto my wife. We looked at FWB online but most of the homes seemed old. I've had enough problems with old homes in Arkansas so I'd rather get something made at least in the 90's.

Also, since I've never lived in FL, should I expect to pay extra for insurace against hurriucanes or will standard homeowners insurance cover that? What kind of precautions do you take against natural disasters, or am I silly for asking this?

[RescueRandy]

Anybody have any new gouge on living near Hurby? I was originally looking to stay close to base and was looking in FWB, but the impression I got from the earlier posts and my online searches is that it's generally got older homes. Most of my searches lead to homes built in '72 - '73 and lack serious renovation.

We're a family looking for a new-ish (< 10 years) 3/2 house on a decent sized lot (> 1/4 acre) in the 250k - 300k range. Also something with rental potential in the future. Would prefer < 30 minute commute. Would like to be not too far from shopping/parks/restaurants, etc. Basically a nice suburb with a strip mall or something...

Anybody know of any new construction going up in the area with a reputation for quality workmanship and nice finishings?

Thanks!

[LoneStar]

I would say Holley By the Sea in Navarre. They have a bunch of new(er) homes, but then that means that you have to take a right out of the gate and fight the traffic on 98 every night between the hours of 1530-1800. Some times it might be quick (sts) and sometimes it will take a while to get home. But the homes are a little bit nicer than FWB.

[scudrunner12]

I would recommend Shalimar. There are newer homes on/near the bay. It avoids the Holley traffic nightmare, but gets you in a more upscale area than Ft Walton. I own a place less than a mile out the back gate of Hurlburt in Ft Walton. It was awesome for a 2Lt that was always deployed; however, if I were to go back now (married w/children) I'd do Shalimar instead.

Edited February 7, 2013 by scudrunner12

[hispeed7721]

Shalimar is probably the best that meets all of what you said. You would probably find better houses/selection in Holly by the Sea, but again you'd be dealing with traffic.

I live in a new house ~3 miles west of the front gate and I think it's the perfect location, but land is so scarce that you have to literally find houses that are built one at a time as there's really no space for neighborhoods to be built anymore unless you go pretty far north.

[BQZip01]

Lived there once as a dependant and once as AD. Shalimar does have nicer homes than FWB, but if you want newish homes, Navarre is your best bet. Don't write off the near side of Gulf Breeze. There's some nice housing there only 3-5 more minutes down 98 (when 98 isn't a parking lot)

You may also want to consider base housing (likely not on Hurby, but on Eglin). I rarely had more than a 15 minute commute.

[FallingOsh]

I'll give you a terrible deal on a house that's half the size you're looking for. PM if interested.

[Danger41]

Why not Destin? Just hang a right one time out of the main gate at ~1630 and you'll never want to live in Navarre.

[KB03]

Im looking for a room in Destin available by the end of this month (february). please PM if a room is available...

[drewpey]

Why not Destin? Just hang a right one time out of the main gate at ~1630 and you'll never want to live in Navarre.

leaving base at 1630...what are you...a shoe clerk?

I'll take the drive to Navarre over lost tourists any day...

[hispeed7721]

leaving base at 1630...what are you...a shoe clerk?

I'll take the drive to Navarre over lost tourists any day...

Too true, too true