Accepted a job in Sunrise (Plantation, Davie: real estate, apartments, renting)

[eeyore13]

Hi all, I've been reading all throughout the forum since I accepted this job, but now I need to begin the search for a place to live.

I'm a single guy, just graduated from UCF, and my budget is.. whatever it needs to be. I'm assuming between 800-1200/mo. I'd be renting apartment, or condo, doesn't matter to me. I'm planning on a 1/1, but depending on price maybe going 2 beds. Basically I'm wide open to any place that's safe and relatively clean.

I've accepted a job in Sunrise, we can basically say it's at the IKEA in Sunrise, because I was told it's near that.
Through reading I've gathered I need to be WEST of University Dr
I will need to get to the airport about every other Monday for traveling, so basically I'm looking for some advice.

How is that commute on Monday mornings, to FLL airport? Should I be looking in Sunrise, or should I be looking in another city (Weston, Plantation)? I'll be going to the office 5 days a week for two weeks a month, and the airport twice a month (average). Any help is greatly appreciated. I'm probably going to hook up with a Realtor at some point, but I don't want to sound like a jackass

[compelled to reply]

Look literally right around the corner in the 84 south section of Sunrise (blends into Weston). Very quiet (assuming you don't live on 75) but very convenient. You should have no problem finding something 2 bedroom for 1200 a month there. Getting on the airport on 595 can be a drag, but I think that would be your best commute option to work. If you can't find anything there, look places in the "Welleby" section of Sunrise. Plantation is nice but if you are single your dollar will stretch further in Sunrise and if you are single it's also not a penalty to live there. Weston is also nice but might be too expensive, although I have seen some people score mid 900s in Bonaventure CC area, and that would be an easy commute.

The number one problem in these areas is social interaction. It's pretty much settled families out here. Welleby has more young people but from any of these areas you are going to want to head east on the weekends for the beach, nightlife, etc. However it's not too big of a deal, you pretty much get on 595 and your there.

[Lithium1330]

If you are younger (assuming you are since you just graduated), you may want to live in Ft Lauderdale and commute to work. You don't want to hang out with friends downtown, only to have another 20+ min drive home after happy hours. Plus, if you live near downtown and work near Ikea.. you'll have reverse traffic. You should be able to find a 1/1 on the east side for the high-side of what you're looking to spend.

[fauve]

Well, if you work in Sunrise, I'm guessing you'll socialize around there (especially during the week) if you're new to the area, coz that's who you'll be meeting. It's not like there are NO young people. There's the Martini bar in Weston and a bunch of nightclubs at the Hard Rock Casino. I'd look around the Sawgrass area (another place with great after work meeting places), maybe along Flamingo Drive or 136th Ave area. And, you'll save a fortune on gas - I'm guessing it will be closing in on $5 a gal by the end of the summer. You don't need to be spending all your time driving when you're just starting to get out and about too. You want to get home before the sun sets and lounge by the pool!

[eeyore13]

Thanks for all of the input, everyone, especially compelled to reply
That's actually something I've been debating, the living in the city vs living near the job. I tend to side with fauve, but you do make some good points Lithium1330, the cab ride home from the bar would end up costing a fortune. But does it even out with the saving of gas to and from work? Some things I need to decide I suppose. I'm going to go down and check out the areas in a few weeks, but I appreciate any continued or additional feedback.
Thanks!

[SuperchargedSS]

Villas De Venezia (spelling?) around the 700 block of SW 148th Avenue is a great option. Close proximity to IKEA and its straight highway to the airport. No matter if you choose Plantation, Weston, Sunrise, etc, you are going to travel 595 to the airport. It's going to be a long commute either way. I personally don't think its that bad of a drive as long as you have some patience and dont mind the stop n go. Commute times play a big part of this as well. Usually when I would head home from work, I would take Flamingo Rd to Davie Blvd and I could do it rather fast in the early a.m., but once it hits 8am and on, forget it! LOL.

Good luck at IKEA, I worked their grand opening and its a beautiful store!

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by SuperchargedSS

Villas De Venezia (spelling?) around the 700 block of SW 148th Avenue is a great option. Close proximity to IKEA and its straight highway to the airport. No matter if you choose Plantation, Weston, Sunrise, etc, you are going to travel 595 to the airport. It's going to be a long commute either way. I personally don't think its that bad of a drive as long as you have some patience and dont mind the stop n go. Commute times play a big part of this as well. Usually when I would head home from work, I would take Flamingo Rd to Davie Blvd and I could do it rather fast in the early a.m., but once it hits 8am and on, forget it! LOL.

Good luck at IKEA, I worked their grand opening and its a beautiful store!

700 block of SW 148th avenue? That's Villas De Tuscany. That's a rare example of a complex that actually got better when it went condo. I have been in there very recently and it's looking pretty good. Actually I looked at places in there. They have NO STORAGE and (as typical) lot of investors who couldn't flip the places bought them out, so carefully check out your landlord. Otherwise they are nice. However when they were apartments, that place looked deceptively nice but was full of gangs and crime. Now that neighborhood is pretty quiet and I didn't hear anything from there, as they seemed to be taking the background process thing very seriously, so if you have any criminal history whatsoever forget about that place. I believe they have a Davie address whereas you get a Weston address on the other side of 75, but both are technically Sunrise. That's a very very good commute option though. You could literally bike to work in 15-20 minutes, they have a bike lane on 84. Oh and one other thing. The 84 South master association hates them. Why? I don't know. But they do. But I used to live in 84 south, and you are going to have to deal with a lot of condo politics on that side of 75 unless anything has changed, even as a renter.

However if he can deal with that, nice recommendation! Very safe and convenient.

[SuperchargedSS]

Originally Posted by compelled to reply

700 block of SW 148th avenue? That's Villas De Tuscany. That's a rare example of a complex that actually got better when it went condo. I have been in there very recently and it's looking pretty good. Actually I looked at places in there. They have NO STORAGE and (as typical) lot of investors who couldn't flip the places bought them out, so carefully check out your landlord. Otherwise they are nice. However when they were apartments, that place looked deceptively nice but was full of gangs and crime.

Apologies about the Villas de xxxxxx, wasn't sure what it was called now. When I worked for Sunrise, specifically that part of Sunrise, I never had any gang related crime in the entire neighborhood?? That was the quietest part of the city. The biggest problem I had was someone feeding ducks in excess of 15ft of a waterway, lol. That and people having sex in the corporate park off Shotgun Rd after the sun went down.

[compelled to reply]

How long ago? If it was still called Heather Glen, than I'm surprised. That part of Sunrise is very quiet but they had that whole place on lockdown about four years ago! I don't remember why though, but it was like the local slum. Nowadays, completely quiet. Gang related crime does not effect most people which is probably why you didn't have any problems, but there were definitely gangs and drug dealers living there. That neighborhood next door to it was having burglaries too. Burglary sporadically happens everywhere but they were having a spell of them. Shenandoah across the street (Davie) had some too. I'm not saying it was like Deepside or anything but it was an unsettled little pocket and crime is way down now as well as in the surrounding area.

Feeding ducks in excess of 15 feet of the waterway? LOL!

The reason I stressed it being Villas De Tuscany is because they have a Villas De Venezia in Sunrise too, off of Nob Hill, and that one sucks.

[fauve]

Everytime I hear about gang related crime it makes me want to stay on my private, gated 2 1/2 acres, or look for another one just like it closer to the kids' school. I'm just leery about continuing to invest large sums of money down here on real estate. I was actually thinking of getting a house in Mexico (to vacation in and eventually retire to - the ex-pat areas like San Miguel de Allende are dropping in price becoz many are American second homes purchased with home equity loans), along with a small house here till the kids are out of high school in 2 years. What an odd time with the market declines and home declines and inflation hitting all at once. Makes me want to jump ship to another country altogether.