tired of snow and cold from Ohio (Fort Lauderdale, Plantation: real estate, apartment)

[jjohnides]

We have just made the decision to head south from Jan-end of Feb. We are sending our youngest daughter to college (Ohio State) this fall, so we feel it is a good time for us to try. We have some family in Ft Lauderdale and Jupiter so we are looking in those areas. Our wants are a pool, close to beach(not walking distance), restaurants and bars(not clubs) We also need to bring our dog. Any suggestions on places to start looking? I have googled but I am not seeing what I want and lots of ads. A real estate company name would be great!!

Thanks...Jenny

[ruski]

Buying ? Renting?

What's the budget?

[zoomzoom3]

Good luck! Jupiter & Abacoa are great areas.

I left the north because I had severe seasonal affective disorder. I lived somewhere far colder and harsher in the winter than Ohio. Keep in mind it's nasty hot here during the summer to most people. Not me, I like it, but many people flee back north in and around April.

[Momma_bear]

Originally Posted by jjohnides

We have just made the decision to head south from Jan-end of Feb. We are sending our youngest daughter to college (Ohio State) this fall, so we feel it is a good time for us to try. We have some family in Ft Lauderdale and Jupiter so we are looking in those areas. Our wants are a pool, close to beach(not walking distance), restaurants and bars(not clubs) We also need to bring our dog. Any suggestions on places to start looking? I have googled but I am not seeing what I want and lots of ads. A real estate company name would be great!!

Thanks...Jenny

What do you want to spend on housing?

Will you rent or buy?

Do you want a single family home, condo, townhouse or apartment?

Where will you work?

How big is your dog?

[Nolefan34]

Jupiter is a great area. The Abacoa section is all new housing built in the last 10 years. The rest of Jupiter is very nice as well. Plenty of good housing options there. I will say Jupiter is a bit quiet compared to Fort Lauderdale, but is almost entirely middle class.

Fort Lauderdale is much more crowded and has far worse traffic. There is much more stuff going on than Jupiter. Fort Lauderdale also has good areas and bad areas. There is a large disparity between rich and poor. The areas east of US1 tend to be upper income and the areas west of US1 tend to be lower income. The middle class areas tend to be in the suburbs.

I would not go south of Fort Lauderdale. If schools are no concern, an area such as Pompano Beach east of US1 near the water might be a good option. Also consider Boca Raton, Parkland, Plantation, Davie, Cooper City, parts of Delray Beach, parts of Boynton Beach (west of 95), Wellington, and Palm Beach Gardens.

[blueherons]

What are you going to do for jobs?

What is your rental budget?

If you don't have jobs and still need to work, don't even think about moving down until you secure good employment.

[Fl1150]

South Florida is not cheap so unless you good savings or good job don't come down expecting everything to be cheaper.

[blueherons]

Originally Posted by Fl1150

South Florida is not cheap so unless you good savings or good job don't come down expecting everything to be cheaper.

Amen.

So many people are get such a culture shock when they move to South Florida.

It isn't like the rest of the US.