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Old 03-17-2014, 10:51 AM
 
12 posts, read 39,315 times
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Hi All--

I've been lurking on this forum recently trying to gather as much intel as possible. Here's my situation, and I would GREATLY appreciate knowledgeable help and advice as this is a huge decision for me and my family:

My wife will start working in Plantation and West Boca this summer. Initially she will be working mostly out of the Plantation office. I work in Miami, but can make my own hours. We have 2 small children under the age of 4. We just sold our house in Miami and are looking to buy something in Broward.

We do not want to spend more than $750K realistically. So far we've seen homes in Parkland and have wonderful things about the area. We like the area and schools, but are worried it may be "too far out west" and close to nothing, and a little far for my commute to Miami. Therefore we've opened up our search to include Plantation, Davie, Cooper City.

We would like a gated community, around 2700+ sq ft of living area, a decent yard, and nice surrounding area.

Please advise us of your thoughts, observations, and opinions....Many many Thanks!
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Old 03-17-2014, 11:03 AM
 
1,488 posts, read 1,949,833 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by edroberts View Post
Hi All--

We do not want to spend more than $750K realistically. So far we've seen homes in Parkland and have wonderful things about the area. We like the area and schools, but are worried it may be "too far out west" and close to nothing, and a little far for my commute to Miami.
My first vote would have been for Parkland if you did not have the issues you mentioned above. It's quite a few notches above the other cities you listed. But can you clarify something for me? What exactly are you referring to when you mention parkland being "close to nothing?" Because in regards to dining, everyday tasks (grocery, DR, bank etc.) Parkland has it all within 10 minutes. However, you will have to drive 15-30 minutes if you want to go to the nearest mall, movies, beach etc.

Also what part of Miami is your work located? And will your wife permanently transfer to the Boca Office after a while? All of this will affect my answer. As far as what I know now from your post I would recommend Weston. Its maybe slightly a bit below Parkland (if I'm being really picky) but it fits your budget, ideal location in terms of commute, good schools and very safe. The only issue is that like Parkland its out west.

If I was to just pick from your list then it would be Cooper City or certain parts of Plantation. Davie is also nice but is not up to par when compared with the other cities. I leave Parkland as an unknown because of the questions from above.
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Old 03-17-2014, 11:15 AM
 
12 posts, read 39,315 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by griffon652 View Post
My first vote would have been for Parkland if you did not have the issues you mentioned above. It's quite a few notches above the other cities you listed. But can you clarify something for me? What exactly are you referring to when you mention parkland being "close to nothing?" Because in regards to dining, everyday tasks (grocery, DR, bank etc.) Parkland has it all within 10 minutes. However, you will have to drive 15-30 minutes if you want to go to the nearest mall, movies, beach etc.

Also what part of Miami is your work located? And will your wife permanently transfer to the Boca Office after a while? All of this will affect my answer. As far as what I know now from your post I would recommend Weston. Its maybe slightly a bit below Parkland (if I'm being really picky) but it fits your budget, ideal location in terms of commute, good schools and very safe. The only issue is that like Parkland its out west.

If I was to just pick from your list then it would be Cooper City or certain parts of Plantation. Davie is also nice but is not up to par when compared with the other cities. I leave Parkland as an unknown because of the questions from above.
Thanks for your quick reply.

When I said close to nothing, I guess I meant what you mentioned concerning beaches, movies, non-chain restaurants, etc..
Her transfer to Boca is yet to be determined. I have heard good things too about Weston, but hear the properties are very close to each other. Don't get me wrong, I don't need an acre lot, however, I rather not have my neighbor 6 ft from my house.
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Old 03-17-2014, 12:16 PM
 
1,488 posts, read 1,949,833 times
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Originally Posted by edroberts View Post
Thanks for your quick reply.

When I said close to nothing, I guess I meant what you mentioned concerning beaches, movies, non-chain restaurants, etc..
Her transfer to Boca is yet to be determined. I have heard good things too about Weston, but hear the properties are very close to each other. Don't get me wrong, I don't need an acre lot, however, I rather not have my neighbor 6 ft from my house.
Hmm looks like you will have quite a decision on your hands. I think it will come down to what factors you rate higher on your list and then your physical inspection of the specific properties. I think you will find a great home but you will have to make a sacrifice in certain areas. I will rank all the cites based on the different factors important to you from best to worst, I think that will be the best way for you to determine what city is right for you:

1. Best overall city in terms of safety/neighborhood appeal/most instances of great gated communities: Parkland, Weston, Cooper City/Plantation, Davie (just would like to point out again that Davie is a good city, it just comes in last in comparison to the other ones)

2. Best school: To be honest I don't like to make comments on a subject unless I'm absolutely sure that I know all the facts, so I will skip this one. But I do know the Parkland area schools and I can vouch for the fact that everything from k-12 in Parkland are great schools.

3. Commute to work (assuming your wife is in Plantation and your in Miami): Copper City/Plantation/Davie all tied for #1, Weston, Parkland

4. Closest to amenities: Plantation, Davie, Cooper City, Weston/Parkland tied for last place (with a slight advantage to Parkland).

5. Largest lot sizes, for this I'm assuming that you are satisfied with anything larger then 1/2 Acre and I'm ranking the cities based on the ones that have more houses with larger lots in the high end of your budget of 600K-750K: Parkland, Davie, Plantation, Weston, Cooper City.

That covers all the areas you were concerned about. Good luck on your house hunt! If you have anymore questions, feel free to ask.
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Old 03-17-2014, 03:34 PM
 
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If you are planning on using the public schools I would say Parkland is head and shoulders above Plantation, Davie or Cooper City. All of these cities have nice properties available in your price range but the schools will be best in Parkland, with Cooper City second.

Parkland is quite a bit closer to Boca than Plantation, Davie or Cooper City. I live in Plantation now and I love living here but the public schools in middle/high school are not up to the same level as Parkland. My kids are in private school.

I lived in Weston for 10 years. I liked Weston but I wouldn't recommend it if your wife is going to commute to West Boca. It's far. Schools in Weston would be the same level as Parkland and better than Davie, Cooper City and Plantation.
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Old 03-17-2014, 05:36 PM
 
Location: Weston, FL
4,346 posts, read 7,777,722 times
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I would still recommend Weston. You can find homes that are more spread apart. Especially in the $700K price range. Plus there are many more intangibles that Weston offers that you don't notice right away.

Where in Miami is your job located?

Commute from Weston to West Boca won't be worse than that from Cooper City to West Boca. Plus you are saying that West Boca is yet to be determined.
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Old 03-17-2014, 08:10 PM
 
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Thank you all so much so far for you input. I guess the issue i'm having is that for the past 10 years I've been living on the eastern portion of Miami, just west of Downtown Miami & Brickell. I've gotten used to getting just about anywhere in Miami within 10 minutes, i.e. arena, beaches, restaurants, etc. I grew up in the suburbs and got very tired of fighting the commute and dealing with traffic.

A good thing Parkland has going for it is the Sawgrass Xpressway that can get you to the turnpike or 75 relatively quickly. We took a quick tour of Victoria Park and Rio Vista yesterday on the recommendation of friend who lives there. While I love the location, the prices of the homes were outrageous. We can squeeze the budget up to $800K if needed, but you don't get more than a 3/2 fixer upper with a tiny yard for that money in those areas.
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Old 03-17-2014, 08:28 PM
 
3,910 posts, read 9,424,093 times
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The commute from Weston to West Boca is a cakewalk. Its maybe 15-20 minutes on the Sawgrass Expressway with minimal traffic. I would be much more worried about the commute from Weston, Parkland, or Cooper City to Miami. Depending on which part of Miami you're commuting to would make a huge difference. Commuting to Doral is much easier than commuting to downtown Miami or to Kendall or Coral Gables.
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Old 03-17-2014, 08:51 PM
 
11,642 posts, read 23,806,553 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nolefan34 View Post
The commute from Weston to West Boca is a cakewalk. Its maybe 15-20 minutes on the Sawgrass Expressway with minimal traffic. I would be much more worried about the commute from Weston, Parkland, or Cooper City to Miami. Depending on which part of Miami you're commuting to would make a huge difference. Commuting to Doral is much easier than commuting to downtown Miami or to Kendall or Coral Gables.
When I lived in Weston I worked in Coral Springs (right off Sawgrass/Atlantic). It took me 20 minutes to get to Coral Springs. Remember West Boca is a pain because you don't have direct highway route. You have to take 441 or Lyons and stop at every traffic light. It's a PITA.
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Old 03-18-2014, 09:46 AM
 
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My work is located in Coral Gables.
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