Living in Riverside, Jacksonville

Where Riverside is and what it looks like

Riverside sits on the west bank of the St. Johns River, southwest of downtown. It is part of the Riverside Avondale historic district, one of the largest historic districts in Florida, and most locals talk about Riverside and Avondale together. Riverside is the older, denser half closer to downtown.

The streets are lined with early 20th-century houses: Craftsman bungalows, Prairie School homes, Colonial Revival and Mediterranean Revival houses, plus small apartment buildings and duplexes mixed in. Five Points, where Park Street, Margaret Street and Lomax Street meet, is the main cluster of restaurants and shops. Memorial Park sits on the river, and the Riverside Arts Market runs on Saturdays under the Fuller Warren Bridge.

Riverside Avenue runs along the river with office buildings and a few condo towers. Downtown is a short drive or bike ride away, which is a big part of the appeal in a city where most commutes are long.

What homes cost compared with the rest of the city

At $367,157, Riverside sits well above Jacksonville's typical house value of $296,696. It is close to San Marco across the river and below Avondale next door. Among the Zillow neighborhoods in my data set, it falls in the same band as Mandarin Station - Losco ($348,941) and Sunbeam ($339,719) in the city's list.

The trend is the surprise. Riverside gained only 7.2% over five years, against 15.6% for the whole city, and it was flat over the last year at 0.1%. Part of that is likely the mix: Riverside has more condos and small multi-unit buildings than a typical suburb, and condos have been the weakest part of Jacksonville's market. Riverside also started from a higher base than most of the city. A buyer today is paying a premium for location without a recent surge baked into the price.

Because the housing varies so much house to house, the typical value is a rough guide. A fully restored four-bedroom on a large lot and an unrenovated two-bedroom bungalow can sit on the same block at very different prices.

Inspecting a century-old house

Most Riverside houses are 80 to 110 years old, and the inspection is where you learn what you are buying. The points I ask buyers to focus on:

• Electrical. Knob-and-tube wiring or older panels can block insurance coverage outright. Ask what has been updated and when.
• Plumbing and sewer. Cast iron and clay sewer lines are common. A camera inspection of the sewer line costs little and can reveal a five-figure repair.
• Foundation and wood. Many homes sit on piers with crawl spaces. Look for termite damage, rot and settling.
• Roof. Insurers care about roof age more than almost anything else. Get the year and the permit.

Most insurers will require a 4-point inspection on a home this age before they write a policy. Get the homeowners quote before your inspection period ends, not after.

Historic district rules

Because Riverside is a locally designated historic district, exterior changes such as new windows, additions, demolition, fences and some roofing changes need a Certificate of Appropriateness from the city's historic preservation staff or commission. Interior work is generally not reviewed.

That matters if you plan to replace original wood windows with impact windows, add a second story or tear down a garage. Ask the seller what permits and approvals the house has, and check the city's records before you close. Unpermitted work is common in older houses and can complicate both insurance and a future sale.

The district's rules also protect what you are paying for: a street that keeps its character because the neighbors face the same rules.

Flooding near the river

Parts of Riverside along the St. Johns and the creeks that feed it flooded during Hurricane Irma in 2017, when the river rose to record levels. Higher streets away from the water did not. The difference can be a few blocks.

Look up the FEMA zone for the house and ask for an elevation certificate. If the home is in an A zone and you are financing, flood insurance is required. Even in an X zone close to the river, I suggest getting a flood quote and asking the seller directly whether water ever came into the house or the crawl space.

Condos and small buildings as the entry point

For buyers below the typical house price, Riverside's condos are the usual way in. Citywide, the typical Jacksonville condo is $171,895 and fell 6.4% last year, so this is a buyer's segment. In Riverside the options range from units in converted older buildings to newer mid-rise buildings along the river.

The questions are the same as anywhere in Florida, with extra weight in old buildings: the reserve study, any planned or pending special assessments, the master insurance policy and its deductible, and whether lenders treat the building as warrantable. A non-warrantable building narrows your loan options and often means a larger down payment. You can cancel a resale condo contract within 7 days of receiving the association documents, excluding weekends and holidays, so read them fast.

Who Riverside fits

Riverside fits buyers who want character and a walkable neighborhood, people working downtown or in the medical and office buildings nearby, and anyone willing to take on the maintenance an older home needs. It is less of a fit for buyers who want a new house, a large yard with no maintenance surprises, or a quiet cul-de-sac. If Riverside is on your list, I'd look at it next to Avondale and San Marco in the same shortlist, because those are the buyers' usual alternatives.