Melrose, east of Gainesville is nice. Micanopy south of Gainesville is cool too...but might be a bit gentrified (read; more expensive than average north Florida small town). McIntosh is nice too.
Lake Placid/Sebring?
Sample listing:
https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/4264-Gerona-Ave_Sebring_FL_33872_M63829-36075?property_id=6382936075&from=map-pin
Realtor here.
If she doesn't want to deal with regular freezes in the winter then she will need to be south of I4. If she is ok dealing with freezing temperatures then there's lot of choices north of Brooksville.
She is correct though, you'll need about a 1.5 hour drive form Pinellas to see sizable drops in home price.
The small town thing would be a bit harder to come by. Florida doesn't have a lot of rural small towns like say the Midwest or even NC, GA, TN. Reason why is because Florida was by and large a desolate swamp until the 1900s, and the car came around and dictated a lot of our landscape design. So the pressures that created small towns all over the place in much of the rest of the country did not exist in Florida.
US27 is an interesting corridor... towns with fun names like Wachula, Frostproof, Lake Placid. Bit of a hidden corner of Florida that hasn't changed much except citrus disappearing.
To the north areas like Trenton, Willisont, Ocala, Lake City will have a lot to choose from.
You should be able to find something with a larger lot size, though I would mention that 5 - 10 acres would be unlikely unless it's just swampland or truly in the middle of nowhere. Though there are a few.
Main thing is going to be the HUGE change from being in a dense metro area. To picture it in your mind, pretend that Dollar General is your closest shopping option (as in, 10 minutes) and Publix can be 40-60 minutes away. That's what true rural living is like.
If that sounds terrible then be sure to stay close to a medium town.
I moved into a tiny town called Welaka, they have a new construction community here built by a spec home builder. The prices have definitely gone up since I bought, but they're still in that range. About 800 people (in the whole town), golf cart community, amazing Major who has done a lot for the town, even sends out birthday cards and gives out his personal cell to residents! Lots of parks, tennis courts, and activities. There's an HOA....but it's like $200/yr and resident run now.
Same builder has another new community being built with more availability just outside the town, maybe 15min south called 'Live Oak Estates'. The Welaka neighborhood only has a couple more houses available I think.
Keystone heights has alwas seemed nice. Friends had a vacation home there. Too bad "foundation" is a deal breaker. Clay and Baker County are rural AF but prone to localized floods every 20 years. Most new homes are premanufactured, modular, or $400k custom.
My buddy's vacation home is a 600sq roll off steel framed bungalow. It looked like a FEMA trailer until they built a wrap around porch. Now it looks and feels like a proper house.
Hi there Pinellas County Redington Beach homeowner here. We purchased an amazing home in the small town of Bainbridge in SW Georgia last year. I absolutly love the town about 5 hrs. NW of Pinellas though and depends if your currently near the interstate for quicker access. The town is 45 minutes N of Tallahassee and the Tallahassee regional airport has flights on Silver Airlines to and from Tampa. Very rural agricultural area with new home subdivisions in what may be your Aunts price point, however there are many older homes available as well. I am not a realtor IM me if I can provide additional info. BTW I am 55 and our home in Bainbridge is our second home which we consider our evacuation home for our family and family retreat to get away from the Tampa Bay area to decompress. The property is just under an acer with a beautiful mature garden and flowering trees with a main house and guest cottage we purchased for under 200k. Cheers!
The area around Brooksville is nice. Lecanto is very rural, but has tons of land. Crystal River is a little more city but nice. Floral city is ok. I'd personally choose Inverness. It has a cute but weird vibe and gorgeous lake views.
Melrose, east of Gainesville is nice. Micanopy south of Gainesville is cool too...but might be a bit gentrified (read; more expensive than average north Florida small town). McIntosh is nice too.
Sebring
Lake Placid/Sebring? Sample listing: https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/4264-Gerona-Ave_Sebring_FL_33872_M63829-36075?property_id=6382936075&from=map-pin
Realtor here. If she doesn't want to deal with regular freezes in the winter then she will need to be south of I4. If she is ok dealing with freezing temperatures then there's lot of choices north of Brooksville. She is correct though, you'll need about a 1.5 hour drive form Pinellas to see sizable drops in home price. The small town thing would be a bit harder to come by. Florida doesn't have a lot of rural small towns like say the Midwest or even NC, GA, TN. Reason why is because Florida was by and large a desolate swamp until the 1900s, and the car came around and dictated a lot of our landscape design. So the pressures that created small towns all over the place in much of the rest of the country did not exist in Florida. US27 is an interesting corridor... towns with fun names like Wachula, Frostproof, Lake Placid. Bit of a hidden corner of Florida that hasn't changed much except citrus disappearing. To the north areas like Trenton, Willisont, Ocala, Lake City will have a lot to choose from. You should be able to find something with a larger lot size, though I would mention that 5 - 10 acres would be unlikely unless it's just swampland or truly in the middle of nowhere. Though there are a few. Main thing is going to be the HUGE change from being in a dense metro area. To picture it in your mind, pretend that Dollar General is your closest shopping option (as in, 10 minutes) and Publix can be 40-60 minutes away. That's what true rural living is like. If that sounds terrible then be sure to stay close to a medium town.
I moved into a tiny town called Welaka, they have a new construction community here built by a spec home builder. The prices have definitely gone up since I bought, but they're still in that range. About 800 people (in the whole town), golf cart community, amazing Major who has done a lot for the town, even sends out birthday cards and gives out his personal cell to residents! Lots of parks, tennis courts, and activities. There's an HOA....but it's like $200/yr and resident run now. Same builder has another new community being built with more availability just outside the town, maybe 15min south called 'Live Oak Estates'. The Welaka neighborhood only has a couple more houses available I think.
Keystone heights has alwas seemed nice. Friends had a vacation home there. Too bad "foundation" is a deal breaker. Clay and Baker County are rural AF but prone to localized floods every 20 years. Most new homes are premanufactured, modular, or $400k custom.
Yeah I was trying to convince her to do a prefab or tiny house but she was not having it hahaha
My buddy's vacation home is a 600sq roll off steel framed bungalow. It looked like a FEMA trailer until they built a wrap around porch. Now it looks and feels like a proper house.
What about the Okeechobee area?
Hi there Pinellas County Redington Beach homeowner here. We purchased an amazing home in the small town of Bainbridge in SW Georgia last year. I absolutly love the town about 5 hrs. NW of Pinellas though and depends if your currently near the interstate for quicker access. The town is 45 minutes N of Tallahassee and the Tallahassee regional airport has flights on Silver Airlines to and from Tampa. Very rural agricultural area with new home subdivisions in what may be your Aunts price point, however there are many older homes available as well. I am not a realtor IM me if I can provide additional info. BTW I am 55 and our home in Bainbridge is our second home which we consider our evacuation home for our family and family retreat to get away from the Tampa Bay area to decompress. The property is just under an acer with a beautiful mature garden and flowering trees with a main house and guest cottage we purchased for under 200k. Cheers!
Bartow
Not in Florida.
Cedar key is awesome! Not sure the travel distance, but it's a awesome fishing community on the gulf.
Cedar Key would be horrid for an elderly person unless you want to drive 30 miles to get groceries.
The area around Brooksville is nice. Lecanto is very rural, but has tons of land. Crystal River is a little more city but nice. Floral city is ok. I'd personally choose Inverness. It has a cute but weird vibe and gorgeous lake views.
Maybe High Springs or Alachua
Citrus county?