So sorry...  currently there is no availability for LONG TERM rental, however we do have 2 rooms avail for short term rental through AirBnB or directly though us. 

Check back in the future though if you want long term... we can put you on the "wait list!"

Become part of historic Palatka!

November 2020: So sorry. No long term availability at this time. All rooms are rented. However we DO have 2 rooms available for short term stays through AirBnB, or by contacting us directly. If you are looking for long term for the future though... go ahead and reach out and we can put you on a "reserve list" for when one of our "roomies" moves out.

You can rent a room in this beautiful 1911 home, within walking distance of the park, public boat ramps and downtown. We are also just a short drive or bike ride to the college. We are hoping to attract college students and have lovely plans to make this a dynamic and fun place to live where you can invite friends over on the weekend for a BBQ and, at some point in the near future, have a boat accessible as well for river adventures.

This is an owner occupied home. Poke around the site and learn more about the owners, the home, and Palatka in general...

N. 4th Street, Palatka

We moved in on August 1st, 2020. The home has 6 bedrooms, 2 "kitchens," a large family room and lovely front and back porches.

The upstairs bedrooms (4 of them) are available for rent, and the upstairs has a good sized "kitchenette" or what's called a "breakfast kitchen" (no cooking but fridge and microwave), with plenty of space to eat at the breakfast table.

Rooms are fully furnished with beds, sheets, furniture, decor.

Amenities include: 

• Laundry available
• Housekeeping provided weekly or monthly
• Home cooked meals, probably about once a week
• Backyard BBQ area
• Boat availability

Rooms and common areas include (click or scroll for more info):

• Formal Sitting Room & Study
• Dining Room
• Eat in Kitchen
• Family Fun Room
• Back Porch
• Master Bedroom (ours)
• Guest Room (your guests?)
• Blue Room ($500 rental)
• SunRoom Suite (reserved for short term AirBnB stays currently)
• Beige Room ($500 rental)
• Turquoise Room ($500 rental)

The photos below are of the house before we bought is so it has been refurnished. We bought some beautiful pieces to work with and I'm sure you will be proud to invite a friend over or have visitors.

Will post NEW photos soon... or search AirBnB and you'll see some of the changes.

Front Entrance, room for books

Formal Greeting or Study Room

Formal Dining Room for weekend meals

Eat in downstairs Kitchen

Fun Room ... looking to add a pool table

Door to Back Porch

Big Utility Room with extra bath/shower

Guest room

Chris and Sue's master bedroom

Upstairs Kitchenette (stove gone)

SunRoom that's part of room below

SunRoom Suite for an Artist!

Turquoise Room

Upstairs Bath

Upstairs Hall needs Art!

Blue Room overlooks back yard

This Beige Room also overlooks back

Morning sun on Back Porch with BBQ grill

2 Front Porch swings!

While these are LONG term rentals... living here will provide an ambience perfect for a busy student or single working person. Sort of like living in a small hotel... weekly housekeeping is provided along with laundry service for your sheets and towels. If you would like all your laundry done for you, we can do that as well for an extra $fee; otherwise you have use of the laundry room for self service.

You will have the full run of the house, though be careful with the animals... we have a couple of cats, a dog and a bearded dragon, cats and dog (James) are allowed out back door only as back yard is fenced.

The front "Greeting and Study Room" is perfect for quiet study, having a conversation with friends, tea, etc. It adjoins the formal dining room and you are welcome to use that table also if you have a study group. The book case in the hall has plenty of room if you want to store some of your school books there.

While you have the Kitchenette upstairs for warming up... you are also welcome to use the downstairs kitchen to cook meals, or possible food for the week you can then take upstairs to fridge for reheating later. COFFEE and TEA (including iced) is always complimentary. As far as other food, just keep yours upstairs in the kitchen pantry and label. 

Meals. We will invite you for a "family meal" on a regular basis. If we are in town, it will likely be once a week. You can probably count on 2-4 family meals a month. We will have the schedule on a sign in the downstairs kitchen... please do RSVP though so we can plan food. You will be allowed to invite 1 guest though there will be times we will invite you to invite even more of your friends. If you enjoy cooking we would love help.

Quiet and serene. We have a quiet home, for the most part. We do ask, out of respect for your fellow guests, that you use headphones to play music or videos when upstairs in your room. Downstairs we will have a stereo system and while we usually play rather serene music, like jazz, ballads, etc., on the weekend it will be totally cool to crank up the volume with your own selections as long as we aren't disturbing the neighbors, lol.

Back yard. Right now the back yard is very plain. Just a shed and some grass. However our first improvement plan is to turn the back yard into a "Zen Garden" with shady sitting areas, bamboo, waterfalls and more. If you have ideas, or would like to pitch in and help create this... it would be most welcome!

Guest room. The Pink Room downstairs is the guest room which will be mostly utilized for Guests and AirBnB but is also avail for your own family to stay. Do let us know (as far in advance as possible) so we can block it off.

Community Code. We will be utilizing "best practices" for safety in light of the Covid situation. You will be asked to wear a mask in the common areas of the house IF there are a lot of people around. When you come into the house, you will usually be using the side door entering into the utility room... please get in the habit of washing your hands immediately... there is a bathroom right there. We will have masks in the utility room as well... grab one, if you need it, as you come and go. If you are the only one in the common area, or if it's just 2-3 of us and we can all stay safely at a distance, you can be mask-less, we trust you will use your best judgement and not have to be reminded.

Be KIND. We love all people and we are HOPING to have a diverse group of young people around us including all cultures and gender identities. Racism, homophobia, or any other mean spirited behavior, or speech, are not acceptable. Open minded exchanges of ideas are welcome, as long as they are respectful and include tolerance of OTHER peoples ideas as well. We are all adults and human beings here and, hopefully, we will all develop life long friendships as well.

See these links for more info or just keep scrolling...

About Us
Colleges & Universities
Things to do

Florida Boating Guide

Apply Now

Contact Sue at: 407-443-0348

Call me if you have questions prior to applying as a tenant. To apply, simply click on "Apply" above, and send us the requested information in an email. Please be complete as incomplete applications go at the bottom of the pile and we may not have time for a lot of back and forth to fill in gaps.

About Us: Sue & Chris

We were excited to be moving to Palatka after living in Orlando for a number of years. Orlando was fun for a while... lots to do. However we are ready to live a more laid back lifestyle, explore the river, do some fishing, and maybe even a bit of travel in our off time. Less "rat race" more "river rats," lol.

Chris is a truck driver and currently drives a flat bed truck cross country. He is usually home every other weekend and might be in Fargo one week, Texas another or even Canada. However, once we get settled into the house he will probably be looking for a different situation so he can be home more.

Originally Chris is from Michigan, the Detroit area, and grew up with hockey and heavy metal as his go-to things to do. He still loves going to concerts and one year he saw Slayer 3 times I think... one we flew to NY for.

Myself (Sue), I grew up on the west coast of Florida, in the Pinellas County area. I went to Tarpon Springs High School and have worked in various industries from radio, to insurance, nightclubs and restaurants and retail. I moved to Orlando in the 80's.

I enjoy doing creative things, riding my motorcycle and also being involved with people. I started the largest business networking and social organization in the Orlando area in the 90's and grew it to over 3400 members and hosted hundreds of events from small networking groups to big charity fundraisers.

Chris and I met about 7 years ago and have been together ever since. We are like peas and carrots and are each others best friends. We hardly ever fight or quarrel, in fact we average only about one a year. I say this because it can be tense being around a couple who bicker all the time. That's not us. We get along great... Chris is a continual source of knowledge and information as he spends his time while driving trucks listening to books and podcasts and expanding his knowledge.

When he is home, Chris loves to work on projects around the house. He remodeled our bathroom in the house we have in Orlando and is quite handy to have around. He is also a great cook and loves to take over in the kitchen or on the grill. 

I also enjoy cooking and baking bread. You will have access to great homemade bread while here... at least most of the time. Chris loves it for the sandwiches he makes to take on the road.

As I mentioned in the main post, we are planning on remodeling the back yard into a great "hang out" place, sort of a Zen meets English Garden style... with bamboo and canopies for shade, pavers, tables and chairs and cozy reading nooks nestled in some colorful landscaping. Chris will be doing most of the work on that, but if you enjoy that sort of thing or like design, we would love your help and ideas. Once completed, it will be a great place to relax, do some art, make music, or whatever you are into.

We now have a Pontoon boat, and keep it on the river at a friends home just 20 minutes north of downtown. The house is only 2 blocks from the river and 5 blocks from the public boat ramp. Provided you can show competence on the water you can use the boat (there will be some conditions, including a liability waiver and taking a test showing you have studied the Florida Boating Guide).

This is not OUR boat... but this is a great photo of the St. Johns River where you will be able to explore...

Contact Sue at: 407-443-0348
if you have questions prior to applying as a tenant. To apply, simply click on "Apply for tenancy," and send us the requested information in an email. Please be complete as incomplete applications go at the bottom of the pile and we may not have time for a lot of back and forth to fill in gaps.

Things To Do

There are myriad things to do in this part of Florida... some right in Palatka and some just a short drive away. This is the "nature" part of the state, with the Ocala National Forest just to our West, the St. Johns River at our doorstep and historic St. Augustine a short drive to the northeast. 

I've dedicated a whole page to Palatka History, so here I will just touch on things do do around town...

Ravine Gardens State Park is one of nine Florida parks that were built during the New Deal-era. It’s particularly known for its ravines, some of which are more than 100 feet deep. The park is spread over nearly 60 acres, and unlike other state parks, it includes cultivated gardens and manmade terraces. For much of their existence, the park and gardens were city property, but more than a half-century ago, ownership was transferred to the state; now, they’re listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The park’s flowers explode in vibrant colors in early spring and the park is great for year round walking, hiking and picnics.

St. Johns River Center is on the waterfront andi s staffed by local volunteers, is full of fun and engaging interactive exhibits that touch on the area’s ecology, wildlife, history, and culture. Taking it all in shouldn’t take more than about 40 minutes, but most guests walk away pleasantly surprised at the things they learned while inside. A path leads from the center to the river, and there is a playground and picnic tables on the way; the river scenes from the shore are nothing short of stunning.

The MURALS! in Palatka are both charming and historical. They are spread all over the downtown area and portray a variety of themes, including local people going about their daily lives. Art loving visitors have commented on the fantastic skills of the local artists who made them, adding that they really add a vibrant and trendy element to the area that’d definitely be lacking otherwise. Local businesses have mural site maps, so stop by and pick one up. Take a day to stroll around, check out the murals, grab some lunch in a cafe, or take a picnic down to the waterfront to finish up.

The Bronson-Mulholland House is just two blocks from our house, we are on the corner of Bronson and 4th Street. The Bronson house was built in the 1850s and is one of Palatka’s historical and cultural centerpieces.

The home has been restored to near-original condition and is full of period furniture and household items that were typical of the day. Free guided tours are available, but they’re not open every day, so be sure to check online or give them a call before making a special trip.

The house is actually located on Madison Street, and most guests end-up staying about an hour. Though there’s no cost to visit, many visitors leave a donation of a few dollars to help with the house’s general upkeep.

Riverfront Park is located in the downtown area. In addition to its scenic views and walking paths, it’s a memorial to several local sailors who died during the Second World War.

The park includes a well-maintained playground, a fountain, and a historic World War II-era torpedo.

Fisherman often try their luck from the shore, and there are public piers and a boat launch as well for those who want to take to the water.

The park is a great first stop for those new to the area, and the welcome center is staffed with local volunteers who are glad to talk about things worth seeing and doing on your trip.

Palatka Golf Club sits near the shores of the St. Johns River, and the course was designed by a famous course designer, Donald Ross, in the 1920s.

The course is in an area that’s known for its natural sand ridges and forested areas, and it’s considered by many to be one of the region’s best-kept golf secrets.

The par-72 course is nestled among the grounds of the Ravine Gardens State Park, and depending on when you play, it generally takes about four hours to complete a round. Tee times may be reserved on the course’s website in advance of your trip.

St. Augustine is less than an hour to the northeast and is one of the most historic cities on the Atlantic coast. The Old City portion is a fascinating place that’s characterized by old buildings, cobblestone streets, and tons of old-world Spanish influence. Old City is the perfect area for a stroll. Do-it-yourselfers will have relatively easy access to historic attractions, museums, galleries, and trendy dining and drinking establishments to fit most budgets. Walking tours are available, as are horse-and-buggy excursions, the latter of which offer guests a truly unique way of seeing the area while letting a beast of burden do all the legwork. St. Augustine is also home to Flagler College, the Lightner Museum, beautiful beaches and more.

Gainesville is just an hour west of Palatka and features the University of Florida, the Kika Silva Pla Planetarium (with laser light shows!), the Museum of Natural History and more. For more natural Florida activities you can tube down the Ichetucknee River or swim and snorkel. Lake Alice isn’t for swimming but boasts some of the most beautiful scenery and wildlife in the state… including the Bat House and Barn wildlife sanctuary where you can watch more than 30,000 bats head out into the night at sundown.

Universities & Colleges

Because many colleges offer a combination of live, and online classes these days, you might find it possible to live here in Palatka, yet attend school here, St. Augustine or Gainesville. My last student tenant only attended classes in person 3 days a week so, for her, a quiet place to study was more important than the distance to school.

But I’ll start with the CLOSEST school, which you could could walk or bike to…

St. Johns River State College is right in Palatka and just a short bike ride from the house, or 10 -15 minutes by car. You can get an AA or Bachelor’s degree OR specialize in Health & Nursing, Business, Criminal Justice, Computer Sciences and Engineering. 

St. Johns River Community College is dedicated to providing students with equal access to a broad spectrum of educational and cultural opportunities while encouraging the pursuit of truth, academic excellence, and scholarly achievement. The College is committed to creating and continuously improving affordable, accessible, effective learning opportunities, resources, and support services for the ever-changing educational needs of the diverse population it serves.

St. Johns River State College has offered a myriad of athletic opportunities for students since the College opened in 1958. Through the 1970s, SJR State fielded a wide scope of athletic teams that seemed to vary nearly every year and even included eight teams during a single year in 1967: basketball, baseball, tennis, golf, track, cross-country, sailing, and wrestling. By 1980, this was reduced to men’s

basketball, men’s baseball, and women’s tennis. In 1983, the College offered men’s basketball, men’s baseball, and women’s softball. In 1994, a second women’s team was added, and SJR State has since had the same four teams for the past 18 years: men’s basketball, men’s baseball, women’s softball, and women’s volleyball. See… http://sjrvikings.com

Florida School of the Arts (colloquially known as FloArts) is an accredited arts school under the umbrella of St. Johns River State College. It is located in the F building of the Palatka Campus. It was first opened in 1976, designed to be an intimate setting where students received close and individual attention. Florida School of the Arts offers course concentrations with accredited Associate in Science and Associate in Arts degrees in the fields of Visual Art (Fine Art, Graphic Design/New Media, Photography), Acting, Dance, Musical Theatre, and Theatre Production/Design (Costume Design, Scenic/Lighting Design, Stage Management).

Flagler College just celebrated it’s 50th anniversary and is housed in what was once one of Henry Flagler's most opulent Gilded-Age hotels in St. Augustine, is a private four-year college. The college opened in 1968 and now offers 32 majors, 44 minors, and two pre-professional programs. With an enrollment of 2,500 students, the college draws students from all over the world to study liberal and fine arts in this magnificent setting in the nation's oldest city.

The Ponce de Leon hotel was built in 1887 and is listed as a National Historic landmark. Flagler's Legacy Tours offers guided tours of this architectural masterpiece throughout the year. Visit here for more details.

Flagler College is a private institution that was founded in 1968. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 2,600, its setting is suburban, and the campus size is 49 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Flagler College's ranking in the 2020 edition of Best Colleges is Regional Colleges South, #4.

Santa Fe College is in Gainesville and was established by the state government in 1965 to offer wide access to quality higher education. Since then, the college has established programs and services that fulfill its mission of educational opportunity, responsiveness to the community, economic development and innovation in the public interest.

The philosophy of the college has been, and continues to be, student-centered. Santa Fe College is home to a planetarium, nationally-recognized teaching zoo, geological (underground caves) field laboratory and state-of-the-art fine arts hall, and annually produces the Spring Arts Festival, the largest cultural and arts event in Alachua County, FL.

University of Florida is a public institution that was founded in 1853. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 35,491, its setting is suburban, and the campus size is 2,000 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. University of Florida's ranking in the 2020 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, #34.

The University of Florida is about two miles away from downtown Gainesville, a college town bolstered by the school’s more than 50,000 students. The Florida Gators sports teams compete in the NCAA Division I Southeastern Conference, and are supported by mascots Albert and Alberta the Alligators. The Gator football team, which competes in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium – commonly called the "The Swamp" – is particularly notorious. The team became the namesake of popular sports drink Gatorade in 1965, after freshmen Gators participated in an experiment with the novel beverage. The annual Gator Growl, held each Homecoming weekend, has been called the largest student-run pep rally in the nation. About 15 percent of students are involved in the school’s 60-plus fraternities and sororities. Freshmen do not have to live on campus, though more than 75 percent opt to do so. All students can partake in Gator Nights, held every Friday, which offer free late-night entertainment and midnight snacks.

The school has well-regarded graduate programs through the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering, Warrington College of Business, Levin College of Law and the College of Medicine. The university is also integrated with retirement community Oak Hammock, where students can work, complete internships and find mentors. Famous graduates of the University of Florida include home repair television sensation Bob Vila, Heisman Trophy winner Steve Spurrier and former U.S. Sens. Bob Graham and Connie Mack.

Apply Now!

Currently there are NO LONG TERM rooms available. If you would like to apply for the future though, here is how to move forward:

Call with any questions or just to chat with Sue: 407-443-0348

Come and see the home and meet Sue and Chris (or just Sue if Chris is out of town) by making an appointment. Availability 9 am to 7 pm most days.  To make an appointment, please send an email with the following information...

EMAIL US at... WealthBuilderGPS@gmail.com

Include:

Your full name

Phone

Age
Current address
Previous address

Job/Employment, with supervisor and phone
Previous Job/Employment 

Status (student?), full time employed, part-time, etc.

Average monthly income

Tell us about yourself!  Hobbies, any other info you want us to know about you? For instance, how might you "contribute" to our family fun? Do you like to cook, play a musical instrument, like fishing, have boating experience, enjoy art, crafts, games, etc. If you are an introvert and just like to hang in your room and read... that's perfectly fine too... we want everyone to feel comfortable.

Include 2 dates and times you would be available to come by. I will text or call you a confirmation.

Lease Terms: All leases are technically on a month to month basis with a "lock in" for rent amount of a 1 year term. This means you simply need to give 30 days notice if you are leaving and, if there is no damage to your room, and you don't owe us money, your security deposit could even serve as that last months rent.

To move in: First months rent
and security deposit equal to a months rent.

Community Code: As you saw previously, we are very welcoming. We love all kinds of people so are an ethnic, culturally, and LGBTQ friendly home. Everyone is welcome, except jerks. We strongly encourage certain behaviors such as you would find in "polite society" and in line with "Southern hospitality" such as: ... have empathy and compassion for others, be kind, practice the "Golden Rule" of treating others the way you would like to be treated AND, lastly, while we want everyone to consider this their home, we do hope people will treat it BETTER than their own home, such as leaving things the way they were found (if not better), keeping rooms neat and tidy (we do weekly housecleaning so need floors and surfaces uncluttered), maybe offering to help others if needed, being considerate of volume levels, etc.

Additionally there are some other rules...

KEEP ROOM TIDY AND ORGANIZED! 
(I will enter periodically to shampoo carpet and clean, so can't have things laying around on floor. If you need additional storage, we can work it out, no problem).

Absolutely no overnight guests on a regular basis (ask first)
(other tenants will not appreciate strangers in and out)

No smokers. (it's old, it's wood)

(due to home being old and wood, and because smoke odor will transfer from clothes into home, we cannot accept smokers, sorry.)

No drugs

No drinking unless you are 21

(even so, excessive drinking could result in you being asked to leave immediately)

Please be very careful with cooking, especially in upstairs kitchen.

Parking is on the side of the house. There are spaces for about 5 vehicles there and there is a streetlight for security. Recommend you keep car locked though, just in case. Any overflow is on the street or parked in the lot on the other side of Bronson. If you have a bike to store... ask where that would be. We will figure out a spot that is safe from theft inside the back yard... but you might still want to use a bike lock.

Any concerns... just ask!