Miramar or Pembroke west of I-75 best commute to dowtown Miami? (Pembroke Pines: apartments, renting)

[ferkelly32]

I am currently here working for a law firm downtown for the summer, and only have one year of law school left in Denver. If I get a full-time offer we will be moving down full time next summer. Having done quite some research on the issue, I thought I would ask you all. I think if we had our choice purely for the type of community we would like to live, we would choose one of the Southwest Broward communities (west Pembroke Pines, west Miramar, Weston, etc..) I have two small children and have found that area to best fit our needs in terms of being able to afford a nicer home, have a nice family environment, and be in a newer safer area. My main concern obviously is the commute to downtown Miami. I have batted around several options for where to live to have the easiest commute possible.

Option 1. Living close to the Florida Turnpike near the Dade/Broward county line, hopping on the Turnpike heading east, then head south on the Turnpike Extention and meet up with I-95 at NE 163rd. Then take 95 into downtown (I know that rush hour on the 95 stinks)

Option 2. Living anywhere east of I-75 in a nice area. Getting on the 75 South and then taking the Gratiney Parkway over to the 95 then down to downtown. I wouldn't dream of taking Palmetto to the Dolphin Expressway.

I know that either way my commute will be around an hour (maybe a bit more). I would appreciate any comments on alternate routes that may be faster. I am dreading the commute each day, but find that the quality of life for my family will be worth it. THANKS ALL!!!!!

[runswithscissors]

How old are your children? Is another parent home with them? If they really small maybe the over two hour a day commute really isn't worth it and you could find something closer still to a family oriented neighborhood? They really don't care about their school so much at that age but they do care about time spent away from their parents. jmho. Sorry, I am unfamiliar with Dade, just Broward. (I'd suggest try and get a different offer actually)

When my son had to write a paper about his mom in third grade it (for Mothers Day) it began..."My mom works for XXXX".

I immediately changed everything I was doing that may have been negatively impacting him regarding my job from that day on...cut travel, hours, b.s. phone calls at home...everything. It's the sort of thing that really hits home.

[crisp444]

How much will your budget be? I would recommend living much closer to downtown Miami in Kendall, Pinecrest, Palmetto Bay, Coral Gables, or Doral. Most of west Broward isn't really even "nicer" than these nice areas of Miami-Dade.

[fauve]

Instead of 95 to downtown, you might try NW 27 Ave south after the Gratigny runs out....still a bear but it's not 95...

Also, check out Surfside and mid-Miami Beach as alternative places to live. MB especially is a terrific commute to downtown.

[ferkelly32]

Thanks for the replies so far. My wife will be a stay-at-home mom with the children who are 3 months and 2 years old (more probably coming within the next 5 years). I will probably be making about 110,000 first year with about a 10,000 dollar raise each year thereafter. One of my favorite places is Pinecrest area, mid Miami beach, and those areas, but we do not want to live in apartments or condos anymore. Pinecrest, Coral Gables and areas such as those are out of our price range if we want anything bigger than a 2 bedroom home, which we do. We would like a yard, and a garage and those things that come with a home. I would love to be in some of those desirable areas in Dade closer to downtown, but do not feel like we can afford with the home goals we have in mind.

[fauve]

Dont know what your budget is, but houses havent been this low in years in MB (and they will be the first to rise when market turns around). Consider the value of your time and the amount you will spend in gas. Also, interest rates are still low. You might also consider renting first before making a decision becoz you may have to live with it for awhile. I've made the commute from Weston to the Civic Center (courthouse), and it was a bear and that was before West Miramar existed and gas was $4+ a gallon. Id aso rule out Pinecrest becz US1 in the morning is horrible atho the metrorail is great if it's going your way...

Single Family Home - 4726 Alton Rd, Miami Beach, FL, 33140 - Realtor.com

[crisp444]

You can buy a nice 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom home in Kendall or (if you look hard, the deals are out there!) Palmetto Bay for $350,000, for which you should qualify with your income. You might even be able to find a nice, detached house in Miami Lakes for that price as well. All of these areas have good elementary schools. Being open to living in an attached townhome will also allow you to buy in Doral, where there is a plethora of townhomes available in your pricerange.

[crisp444]

The Alton Road house you posted above is nice, but with a $110,000 income you could never qualify for a mortgage on a $600,000 home! I think his price range is more around $300,000-350,000.

[fauve]

LOL....oh yeah, qualifying...that's so 1990's...

Wow...Surfside has crashed....walk to the beach....

Single Family Home - 9508 Abbott Av, Surfside, FL, 33154 - Realtor.com


ooooo...this is cuter and cheaper...

Single Family Home - 9340 Abbott Av, Surfside, FL, 33154 - Realtor.com

the above are also walk to downtown surfside and the bal harbour shops mall...nice for mom and baby...

[crisp444]

HOLY... wow!!! Those are cheap houses for that area. Surfside is a really nice place too!!