Favorite place to live in Broward (Pembroke Pines, Coral Springs: relocate, real estate, insurance)

[AJ1972]

Which city do you consider to have:
lots of families, LOW crime, great schools


The husband and I live in Broward for many many years, have been looking to relocate to NC, but incase we were to stay here......where should we buy?
We live in North Coconut Creek now ... but need to upgrade our home (need a bigger one with more space so we have to move regardless).

[eufo]

Try Parkland, its not that far from you.

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by AJ1972

Which city do you consider to have:
lots of families, LOW crime, great schools


The husband and I live in Broward for many many years, have been looking to relocate to NC, but incase we were to stay here......where should we buy?
We live in North Coconut Creek now ... but need to upgrade our home (need a bigger one with more space so we have to move regardless).

#1 is a 3 way tie
Parkland
Weston
Cooper City
4. Davie (well, the west half is low in crime, read the police report in the Herald, it's all stuff getting stolen out of unlocked cars, if anything at all).
5. Coral Springs
6. WEST Pembroke Pines
7. WEST Miramar

Also consider WEST Boca Raton even though it's in Palm Beach County, tie it #1. You might also want to consider Jupiter and Martin County if you are tired of that crowded "Broward" feel and you can get a job up there.

[Musclehead]

Originally Posted by compelled to reply

#1 is a 3 way tie
Parkland
Weston
Cooper City
4. Davie (well, the west half is low in crime, read the police report in the Herald, it's all stuff getting stolen out of unlocked cars, if anything at all).
5. Coral Springs
6. WEST Pembroke Pines
7. WEST Miramar

Also consider WEST Boca Raton even though it's in Palm Beach County, tie it #1. You might also want to consider Jupiter and Martin County if you are tired of that crowded "Broward" feel and you can get a job up there.

I like Cooper City , but I would make it a two way tie between Parkland and Weston .... but I am liking the area of North Palm Beach County ( Palm Beach Gardens , Jupiter , Juno Beach , Tequesta and Martin County ( Stuart ) more every day !!!!

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by Musclehead

I like Cooper City , but I would make it a two way tie between Parkland and Weston ....

It's the schools that get it up there to me. Waaaay less crowded than Weston or Parkland schools but the ratings are similar. But yeah everything else is exceeded in Weston or Parkland.

[FLtoNC]

Originally Posted by AJ1972

Which city do you consider to have:
lots of families, LOW crime, great schools


The husband and I live in Broward for many many years, have been looking to relocate to NC, but incase we were to stay here......where should we buy?
We live in North Coconut Creek now ... but need to upgrade our home (need a bigger one with more space so we have to move regardless).

I lived in Broward County for 28 years and moved to NC about 9 months ago. If you stay in Broward, I recommend Cooper City, Davie, Weston, or Pembroke Pines. How much research have you done about NC? We did extensive research before moving here and we are happy with our decision. We were able to afford a much larger home here with lower homeowner's insurance premiums and lower taxes.

[compelled to reply]

FLtoNC, how are the income taxes? How do the brackets work? How does that automobile tax work? Whats sales tax like? If the income tax doesn't take a big enough bite to make up for the lower real estate taxes and prices (and HOI which took a major decline before I sold, although I doubt it's as low as up there where the only thing you really need it for is burglary/theft risk and basic damages I would think), then you are right that it really doesn't pay to stay here. I am really curious.

[Momma_bear]

Originally Posted by AJ1972

Which city do you consider to have:
lots of families, LOW crime, great schools


The husband and I live in Broward for many many years, have been looking to relocate to NC, but incase we were to stay here......where should we buy?
We live in North Coconut Creek now ... but need to upgrade our home (need a bigger one with more space so we have to move regardless).

Not necessarily in this order

Weston
Parkland
Cooper City
West Davie
West Pines
West Miramar
West Sunrise (near Sawgrass)
Parts of Plantation

Schools are sticky in Sunrise/Plantation. You need to be careful.

Weston, Parkland and any of the nice parts of Davie are expensive.

[FLtoNC]

Originally Posted by compelled to reply

FLtoNC, how are the income taxes? How do the brackets work? How does that automobile tax work? Whats sales tax like? If the income tax doesn't take a big enough bite to make up for the lower real estate taxes and prices (and HOI which took a major decline before I sold, although I doubt it's as low as up there where the only thing you really need it for is burglary/theft risk and basic damages I would think), then you are right that it really doesn't pay to stay here. I am really curious.

I haven't filed a return yet for state taxes, so I can't answer how that will impact me yet. Since I have lived in FL all my life & never dealt with filing a state return, I don't know whether I will be able to claim deductions to help me out a bit. Automobile tax: we paid approx. $165 for the year for our 2 cars worth about $25K combined according to the county we live in. This amount will vary depending on the tax rate for the county you reside in. I think the county estimate for the value of our cars was high, but I did not dispute it. You also have to pay a one time highway use tax/fee when you transfer your tag. I think that was $150 per vehicle. Sales tax will also vary, depending on where you live. I am in Union County, and it is 6.75%. In Mecklenburg, it is 7.25%, an they also tax food here - I forget whether it is 2% or 3%. There are other things that are cheaper here - car insurance is less than half the cost with much better coverage. Homeowner's insurance is substantially cheaper, and I don't have to have flood insurance here either. I think food costs a little more, depending on where you shop, and the cost of childcare is much more expensive here IMO. Without including state income tax, I did a comparative analysis on my overall expenses, and it is cheaper for me to live here, and I got a much bigger home on a large lot - something I would not have been able to do in FL. I didn't hate FL - I was just looking for a change and it has been great so far.

[FLtoNC]

Compelled to reply -

So as not to hijack this thread, I posted a new one comparing cost of living in S. FL with NC. Check it out:

S. FL cost of living comparison