[Misschris86]

Hi everyone, my boyfriend and I are considering moving to Florida in the near future, but we are not sure where to go. We currently live in NY, and do not like the long cold, snowy winters anymore. I would like to go to college in Florida and there are only a handful of schools that offer the program I am interested in. The colleges are located in Tallahassee, Gainesville, St. Augustine, Miami Shores, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, and Fort Myers. We love the country, and would not like to live in a community where the homes are on top of one another so to speak. However we dont need to live in a very desolate town either. Another factor, my boyfriend would like to become a police officer as well, he would like to make at least 40K a year. Broward County police officers make good money, however I have not come across any rural/suburb areas, because I dont think there are any. Any advice on where to go? If you could help us out with some info, we would greatly appreciate it. Thankyou. : )

[compelled to reply]

If you got the cash, check out far west Davie and SW Ranches. Exactly what you are looking for. Check out the area in Davie between SW 14th street to the north, Orange Dr to the south, Flamingo Rd to the east, and Shotgun Rd to the west. You will completely forget you are in South Florida. The areas in Southwest Ranches are even more rural but also very expensive. The location is actually very convenient since once you leave the rural areas you have restaurants and shopping in Pembroke Pines and Weston and also the school districts are known to be good. Every house in the areas that I mentioned is on at least one acre of land, and it will remain that way by law.

Seriously, check out those areas. I honestly can't possibly think of anything else you could ever want out of a place. Space between your neighbors, fairly diverse (you won't believe the variety of houses of worship in that area), Florida climate (yeah people acutally like that), clean air, zoned for good schools, not much crime, you are likely to have friendly neighbors, still not far from the beach, not congested, yet your never more than 5 minutes from shopping and dining. I honestly can't think of one thing wrong with that area, except that you sure pay for it...

[Misschris86]

How much cash are we talking about.... lol

[compelled to reply]

Minimum 500 grand for an older 2,000 square foot home on an acre+ of land, plus the property taxes for owning that much land in South Florida...

Single Family Home - 5310 SW 188Th Av, Southwest Ranches, FL, 33332 - Realtor.com

And in Davie
Single Family Home - 2691 SW 122Nd Te, Davie, FL, 33330 - Realtor.com

Like I said, it seems to be a little less expensive for what you get compared to SW Ranches.

Here is more "typical" South Florida in that price range. Probably not your style.

Single Family Home - 4021 TURQUOISE TR, WESTON, FL, 33331 - Realtor.com

[Misschris86]

Wow, yea we dont have anywhere near that... Thankyou for your help though... Can you think of anywhere else we might enjoy?

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by Misschris86

Wow, yea we dont have anywhere near that... Thankyou for your help though... Can you think of anywhere else we might enjoy?

Check out Loxahatchee and "The Acreage" in Palm Beach County. It is very similar to the areas that I showed you except a good deal cheaper. A lot of it also doesn't have paved streets, well water and has pigs running around, whereas SW Ranches is almost country living for sissies. However in 10 minutes, your at Wellington Green Mall. The schools also aren't as good although still not bad, but you can actually find a house there in the low to mid 200s.

And obviously, you are going to find much more affordable options near Tallahassee and North Florida, but I don't know about specifics. Maybe someone else can chime in?

[Misschris86]

Thanks for all your help.... : )

[LOXFL]

I don't know about "Pigs running around". People who own these types of animals keep them contained on their properties. Actually Loxahatchee and the Acreage are very nice areas. Having lived in Pembroke Pines and Davie for a total of 9 years, we moved up to Loxahatchee in Sept. 2001. There are alot of homes for sale this way (just like everywhere else I guess). The size of the lots vary from 1.15 acres to over 10 acres. Most homes (both new and older) are on 1.15 acres. The properties range from just under $200k for older smaller homes to really high in the $1-2M range. However the average home can be bought for approx. $300k-$400k. My friend next door has her house on the market for $369k, her property is a 1.58 acre corner lot, block construction house built in 2001. It's 1,930 feet under air 3 bdrm/2 bath and tiled throughout. It really is a lovely house. We also have our home up for sale, however, our asking price is $639k. It's funny because our neighbor across the street is a Broward Sheriff. In case you're wondering why we're selling its for no other reason than my husband's job wanting to relocate him to Georgia and the reason my friend is selling is because she's coming up to GA with us. She actually lived in Miami all of her life and we bought our current adjacent properties and used the same builder to build our homes here. I am providing you with a link to view our property as well as a link to view my friend's property. Good luck in your search.

Loxahatchee FL property for sale - 3532 - 168 Terrace North

Single Family Home - 3506 N 168TH Ter, Loxahatchee, FL, 33470 - Realtor.com

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by LOXFL

I don't know about "Pigs running around". People who own these types of animals keep them contained on their properties. Actually Loxahatchee and the Acreage are very nice areas.

They are VERY nice, but when you down some of those back roads! I have seen free roaming pigs MORE than once upon visiting. There is nothing wrong with that really, I kinda like it actualy lol.

[TD*]

Dont listen to all these people, Tallahassee, has the perfect balance of rural surrounding counties, and city life. The weather people and universities are wonderful..

Look no further.

Come to Tallahassee.