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If you want to look closer to Amex, you also might want to look at renting in the Pine Island Ridge development -- mostly condos, some townhomes & villas & single family homes. It's a mix of retirees (because there is a country club & golf course), young families & singles. When I was single, I rented a 1/1 for about 5 yrs. and liked it so much I bought a 2/2 (later sold at a sweet $20k profit). I felt very safe my entire time there. I overlooked "the ridge" which was so beautiful & peaceful. The community is well-kept. If you google Pine Island Ridge rentals (Davie, FL) you should be able to find listings from owners.
Pine Island Ridge is a nice area about 8 minutes away and rentals for that can be found HERE.
Another one in that area is WhiteHall Davie condos HERE.
Lots of choices once the op knows what she wants to pay and finds her way around the area.
The reason I like Veranda is that there is a coffee shop, Publics supermarket and places to eat right across the street and it is walking distance to the hospital, malls, Broward Blvd which is loaded with places to eat and also to work for her if she also likes that place and then they also have a pool in the middle of the complex but rents are higher, yet that also keeps out a lot of people who might be undesirable as neighbors. My wife and I almost bought a place there but found something better and bigger for not much more money.
Rent.com is only good for rental communities that have leasing offices. Typically apartment complexes and highrise condos. You will need to look elsewhere for private rental listings. You will need to check the MLS listings. There is another site, I believe Realtor.com or Realty.com. My suggestion is to narrow your search by first deciding which city or specific area to look in, then your search will be much more simple. This area is huge and there are thousands of options.
Seeing that you're from Washington and wanting a quieter area, I would strongly recommend living in Broward County instead of Miami-Dade. Miami-Dade County is crazy and is a zoo. It is very densely populated and there are 2-3 times as many people per square inch than Broward. The traffic there is terrible and crime is high. The Latin culture dominates and the people are rude and materialistic. The drivers are crazy and car insurance rates are extremely high. There are fewer desirable areas in Miami-Dade that are affordable to live down there. Miami Beach, Brickell, Coral Gables, and parts of Kendall are good areas, but are expensive. Renting a highrise condo in Brickell or on South Beach would be fun for a year, but you probably do not want to settle in Miami long term due to the issues I pointed out.
Broward County has many more affordable rental options and is a better long term option for buying later on. Broward County is medium density and more spread out, so you have breathing room unlike Miami. The traffic in Broward can get bad at times in some areas, especially on 95 and 595, but is nothing like Miami traffic. The roads in Broward County are very modern and well laid out. The main highways tend to be congested much of the day. Generally speaking, there are far more "safe" areas of Broward compared to Miami.
If you chose Broward, you have 2 main options to decide on. Option 1 would be to look for a beachfront condo somewhere along the coast or possibly a downtown condo in Las Olas. Option 2 would be to look for a rental in a suburb of Broward County. Suburbs like Plantation, Davie, Sunrise, Coral Springs, Weston, Parkland, Cooper City and Pembroke Pines are nice. Almost every suburb (except Weston) has some mixed areas of good and bad. This is why you need to be thorough on your research.
The other FL cities you mentioned- Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, are very different from South FL. Those cities are much more Southern feeling and are laid out differently. It would be a mistake to group all FL cities into the same category when making your decision.
You seem to be relating to buying condos and not renting them, which is a different world. Yes you are correct that area is expensive to buy but there are bargains to be found to rent even some of the larger homes off Las Olas have guest houses for rent on the property.
I have walked around Las Olas many times since we have a few friends who live there and have never experienced the things you seem to have experienced. My friends have lived in the area for over 20 years and totally love it, so different strokes for different folks.
Where to live is a hard choice but roads in South Florida are good so any place is a hop from work and I always find it is nice to at least start out living close by work to save time, fuel and wear and tear on ones vehicle and then branch out and find a place where to live once a person knows there way around.
Plantation is a decent neighborhood but does have a mix of people living in that area since there is a hospital right around the corner and shopping malls within blocks, so I think the op should at least look at the area and then work out from there. There are a number of rental complexes right on Broward Blvd just west of Pine Island and as you say all around that area, as well as condos for rent, so pretty easy to put in the zip code from where she will be working into yellowkeyrealty.com and see a wide choice of places to rent close to work and then work her way out from there.
I am now retired, so I live where my wife and I wish to but when working I always tried to live within 20 minutes of work and I would have been very happy if I could have lived right across the street but most times that was not possible yet it could be for the op if she wants to live close to work.
Thank you ... My commute to work here right now is over an hour each way, and I really dislike it.. I agree to being 15-20 minutes max of a commute.. if I can bring it down even to maybe 10 minutes, then that would be ideal
I moved to Las Olas 2 years ago knowing one buddy here. Visiting seemed fun, and after 60 days of looking, I bought a small 1BR Condo on 4th street behind Mangos on Las Olas. Living here now 2 years, I am growing weary of all the strange international tourists that frequent Las Olas Blvd. They walk around with complete disregard for stop lights, traffic signs, etc and few understand or speak any english. Homes closer to the beach in the isles are $2M and up, and high end condos here start at $400k. Plantation is dicey at best, and traffic is hellish at all hours. I looked at Aventura, around Turnberry Golf and some thing; expensive small condos. The areas north of Las Olas mentioned here is hit and miss. Galt Ocean Mile is clean and people are older - I'm looking there now but it's scary expensive. The L Ambiance Condo, I like a lot, but at $500k 2/2 condos hard for me to pull the trigger. People here seem aloof, even rude. I see trash on streets. Once I get up to north Palm Beach, things seem to get cleaner, people have better manners.
My advice is put in the time and loo around before you pull the trigger and stay.
Now I am kinda stuck. Saving for another move but not sure where.
Best of luck to you.
Thank You.. And yes, I deffinitly agree on renting first.. I will for the first couple of years
If you want to look closer to Amex, you also might want to look at renting in the Pine Island Ridge development -- mostly condos, some townhomes & villas & single family homes. It's a mix of retirees (because there is a country club & golf course), young families & singles. When I was single, I rented a 1/1 for about 5 yrs. and liked it so much I bought a 2/2 (later sold at a sweet $20k profit). I felt very safe my entire time there. I overlooked "the ridge" which was so beautiful & peaceful. The community is well-kept. If you google Pine Island Ridge rentals (Davie, FL) you should be able to find listings from owners.
Pine Island Ridge is a nice area about 8 minutes away and rentals for that can be found HERE.
Another one in that area is WhiteHall Davie condos HERE.
Lots of choices once the op knows what she wants to pay and finds her way around the area.
The reason I like Veranda is that there is a coffee shop, Publics supermarket and places to eat right across the street and it is walking distance to the hospital, malls, Broward Blvd which is loaded with places to eat and also to work for her if she also likes that place and then they also have a pool in the middle of the complex but rents are higher, yet that also keeps out a lot of people who might be undesirable as neighbors. My wife and I almost bought a place there but found something better and bigger for not much more money.
Rent.com is only good for rental communities that have leasing offices. Typically apartment complexes and highrise condos. You will need to look elsewhere for private rental listings. You will need to check the MLS listings. There is another site, I believe Realtor.com or Realty.com. My suggestion is to narrow your search by first deciding which city or specific area to look in, then your search will be much more simple. This area is huge and there are thousands of options.
Seeing that you're from Washington and wanting a quieter area, I would strongly recommend living in Broward County instead of Miami-Dade. Miami-Dade County is crazy and is a zoo. It is very densely populated and there are 2-3 times as many people per square inch than Broward. The traffic there is terrible and crime is high. The Latin culture dominates and the people are rude and materialistic. The drivers are crazy and car insurance rates are extremely high. There are fewer desirable areas in Miami-Dade that are affordable to live down there. Miami Beach, Brickell, Coral Gables, and parts of Kendall are good areas, but are expensive. Renting a highrise condo in Brickell or on South Beach would be fun for a year, but you probably do not want to settle in Miami long term due to the issues I pointed out.
Broward County has many more affordable rental options and is a better long term option for buying later on. Broward County is medium density and more spread out, so you have breathing room unlike Miami. The traffic in Broward can get bad at times in some areas, especially on 95 and 595, but is nothing like Miami traffic. The roads in Broward County are very modern and well laid out. The main highways tend to be congested much of the day. Generally speaking, there are far more "safe" areas of Broward compared to Miami.
If you chose Broward, you have 2 main options to decide on. Option 1 would be to look for a beachfront condo somewhere along the coast or possibly a downtown condo in Las Olas. Option 2 would be to look for a rental in a suburb of Broward County. Suburbs like Plantation, Davie, Sunrise, Coral Springs, Weston, Parkland, Cooper City and Pembroke Pines are nice. Almost every suburb (except Weston) has some mixed areas of good and bad. This is why you need to be thorough on your research.
The other FL cities you mentioned- Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, are very different from South FL. Those cities are much more Southern feeling and are laid out differently. It would be a mistake to group all FL cities into the same category when making your decision.
Thank you so much for yout advice. Yes, Those other cities I mentioned, are different. and you are right, Miami does feel crazy, even when I just had to drive through a couple of times, I was stuck downtown for over an hour... BUT such a "Fun" place to visit, once and a while... I think for me, Broward county sounds like a much better place to begin at.
All those areas you mentioned, have been areas other people have also talked about...SO now, the narrowing down part begins..... I wish I could get the time off to come down.. unfortunatly, I just cant. I have gotten some wonderful feed back on here, I appreciate it. Thank you, and ALL
I moved here this summer. I am single too now and I was also interested in a quiet, safe place with no need to be near "the scene" When I was researching, I spoke to a realtor and described the type of place I was looking for. I also have two cats, so I needed a place where I could have them. The realtor was helpful in finding me a small condo where I feel very safe and the rent is reasonable. I agree with the advice to rent first. After being here for 6 months, I have had a chance to explore and decide where I would like to eventually buy and it wouldn't have been the same as if I had decided from online research alone. I live in Broward and I'll be staying in North Broward or West Palm Beach. Miami Dade is not for me (something else I learned mainly by being here and talking to people). It is fun to visit though and I make my guest appearance there every now and then. lol I do work closer to Miami so my commute is kind of long and can be hairy. The first couple of weeks it was pretty bad, but I learned the best route and got used to it. The traffic and the construction can be annoying, but it's worth it if you like where you live.
Also I was addicted to my Garmin for the first few months I lived here. It really is a must when relocating for simple things like finding the post office. Google maps is also great. I always like to check out restaurants and see where there is any parking so I know where to park before I get there. Good luck with your move!
I moved here this summer. I am single too now and I was also interested in a quiet, safe place with no need to be near "the scene" When I was researching, I spoke to a realtor and described the type of place I was looking for. I also have two cats, so I needed a place where I could have them. The realtor was helpful in finding me a small condo where I feel very safe and the rent is reasonable. I agree with the advice to rent first. After being here for 6 months, I have had a chance to explore and decide where I would like to eventually buy and it wouldn't have been the same as if I had decided from online research alone. I live in Broward and I'll be staying in North Broward or West Palm Beach. Miami Dade is not for me (something else I learned mainly by being here and talking to people). It is fun to visit though and I make my guest appearance there every now and then. lol I do work closer to Miami so my commute is kind of long and can be hairy. The first couple of weeks it was pretty bad, but I learned the best route and got used to it. The traffic and the construction can be annoying, but it's worth it if you like where you live.
Also I was addicted to my Garmin for the first few months I lived here. It really is a must when relocating for simple things like finding the post office. Google maps is also great. I always like to check out restaurants and see where there is any parking so I know where to park before I get there. Good luck with your move!
Thank you very much!
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... My commute to work here right now is over an hour each way, and I really dislike it.. I agree to being 15-20 minutes max of a commute.. if I can bring it down even to maybe 10 minutes, then that would be ideal 
BUT such a "Fun" place to visit, once and a while... I think for me, Broward county sounds like a much better place to begin at. 
