Visited Weston! (Pembroke Pines, Sunrise, Palm City: houses, neighborhood, buying)

[newmommy7890]

Hi All,

I took a drive down to Weston this weekend to check out the area and I am VERY impressed. The town is gorgeous. The realtor showed me around all day yesterday (I'm exhausted) and I had a few questions.

1) I think I really want to focus on looking for a home in Weston Hills CC, however, can anyone tell me about the Isles of Weston? I saw a home in there that was lovely, but it seems out of the way and it's also zoned for Manatee Bay for which I've heard negative reviews. I did also love Tequesta but we're really looking for a newer home and many in there are older and need fixing up.

2) From a resale point of view are we better off paying a little more and buying in Weston Hills CC over the Isles of Weston or another gated developement?

3) Elementary schools: I've researched all 6 elementary schools and although they are all "A" rated, 3 out of the 6 had many negative reviews by parents. Comments like....'teaching to the FCAT', long car pool lanes, stuffy/unhelpful office staff, bullying, student safety concerns, etc. popped up often for:

• Manatee Bay
• Gator Run
• Country Isles

Does anyone have any inside info on these?

4) Where the HECK does everyone shop here (besides Publix)? I drove around we found a Walmart, Sams, Costco in Sunrise over by the Sawgrass Mills Mall. Is that the closest? Someone mentioned Pembroke Pines....is that close to Weston also?

5) Does anyone live in Weston Hills CC? Do you have a membership to use the pool, etc. I've heard there are different levels of memberships. Is it worth it to get it? (We don't golf but might like to use the pool, etc)

6)The realtor wanted to show us homes in "The Landings" but there weren't any available in our price range. Can anyone tell me about this developement? Is it just as nice as Weston Hills or the Isles?

Thanks all! Looking forward to becoming a member of your community!

[tankev]

Hi Newmommy,
Glad you came to look around.
I can't help with any of those developments as I don't live in them and I am too new here to know anything about them. I haven't heard anything bad about them though.
I can tell you that there is a Fresh Market off Flamingo Rd. South of Griffin (not far from Weston). But publix has really got the market for groceries. The Target at Sawgrass Mills has a grocery store with meats and produce. Sometimes I go there. There is also an Italian Market called Doris' that has several locations but none in Weston.
Pembroke pines is just an exit or 2 south of Weston on 75. There are back roads that will get you there also. Just yesterday my husband and I found more shopping in Pembroke Pines to the west of 75 that we didn't know was there. (We only knew of the area's to the east of 75.) The west side has a Walmart and Costco among other stores. I am finding new places every day.
Good luck!

[acegolfer]

Newmommy,

Glad that you liked Weston. It's a beautifully maintained community. I'll try to answer your questions.

1) Isles of Weston is the newest development in Weston. Hence the location is not ideal. I believe it's not developed by Arvida, the developer of the rest of Weston (sans Bonaventure), not that it matters. Yes, it's zoned for Manatee Bay but half of Weston Hills is also zoned for Manatee Bay. If you want to avoid Manatee Bay, then you have to rule out east part of Weston Hills.

2) AFAIK, Weston Hills is more prestigeous than Isles of Weston. Hence you probably found the prices are higher in Weston Hills.

3) No insider information on schools. My kid is 3-yr old and we are zoned for Manatee Bay.

4) For small grocery, Publix. To bulk up, Costco, Walmart or Target. If you live south Weston, then Pembroke Pines shopping will be closer. Otherwise, Sawgrass Mills is closer. The newly built Shops at Pembroke Gardens (just east of I-75 off Pines exit) is also nice. As another poster said, there many shops west of I-75 as well.

5) I have no idea about the membership at WHCC. Perhaps it is worth it, if you want to socialize. If you really want to socialize in Weston, then get membership at the Midtown Athletic Club. Call them to arrange a free tour. But for cheaper alternative for pool, you should consider YMCA. Very close to Weston Hills west gate.

6) Landings is also very upscale community comparable to Weston Hills. It's smaller with homogenous homes in price range (not implying cookie cutter). OTOH, Weston Hills is larger and has more variety in terms of price range.

I hope someone living in WH or Landings can provide you with more inside information. Those two were out of my budget so my information is somewhat limited from occasional visits.

[mooie2e]

What happened to Winn-Dixie? I used to shop there when I lived in Sunrise becuase I found it more reasonable than Publix.

[Nolefan34]

Winn-Dixie caters to lower-income shoppers. There aren't many lower-income people living in Weston, hence no Winn-Dixie's there. Publix dominated higher-income markets. You can find other examples of this around the state. If you've ever been to Palm City, FL the same is true. Its a high-income area so there are no Winn-Dixie grocery stores. If you travel 5 miles east to Stuart, there are 2 Winn-Dixies within 4 miles of one-another because there are lower-income residents in that area.

[Mattie]

I hate the lack of supermarket competition in So. FL. I was never a fan of Publix meats, so I would make the drive from Weston to Pembroke Pines for Fresh Market, or go to BJ's and stock up.

Newmommy, We lived in the Landings. It is smaller than most developments in Weston, but that made it easier to meet our neighbors. There are three different "Landings", Egret, the least expensive, followed by Mallard in the middle, and then Pelican. Most homes have pools, there isn't a neighborhood pool to join, just a central park with a playground and basketball courts. The nice part about it was the ease of getting in and out, as compared to Weston Hills. There can be quite a bit of a wait at the gate for the bigger developments, at least for guests.

[Mattie]

I should have added that the Landings was not built by Arvida. Consequently, we felt the houses were better constructed.

[newmommy7890]

Originally Posted by Mattie

I should have added that the Landings was not built by Arvida. Consequently, we felt the houses were better constructed.

Interesting. Thanks for the info!! Good to know.

[newmommy7890]

Originally Posted by tankev

Hi Newmommy,
Glad you came to look around.
I can't help with any of those developments as I don't live in them and I am too new here to know anything about them. I haven't heard anything bad about them though.
I can tell you that there is a Fresh Market off Flamingo Rd. South of Griffin (not far from Weston). But publix has really got the market for groceries. The Target at Sawgrass Mills has a grocery store with meats and produce. Sometimes I go there. There is also an Italian Market called Doris' that has several locations but none in Weston.
Pembroke pines is just an exit or 2 south of Weston on 75. There are back roads that will get you there also. Just yesterday my husband and I found more shopping in Pembroke Pines to the west of 75 that we didn't know was there. (We only knew of the area's to the east of 75.) The west side has a Walmart and Costco among other stores. I am finding new places every day.
Good luck!

Hi Tankev,

Oh I'm glad to know there is a Target somewhere!! I was getting worried. Thanks for the info on the stores. I will have to come back to explore some more. Oh and that map you sent me is WONDERFUL! It was so helpful to get a feel for how Weston was laid out.

[newmommy7890]

Originally Posted by acegolfer

Newmommy,

Glad that you liked Weston. It's a beautifully maintained community. I'll try to answer your questions.

1) Isles of Weston is the newest development in Weston. Hence the location is not ideal. I believe it's not developed by Arvida, the developer of the rest of Weston (sans Bonaventure), not that it matters. Yes, it's zoned for Manatee Bay but half of Weston Hills is also zoned for Manatee Bay. If you want to avoid Manatee Bay, then you have to rule out east part of Weston Hills.

2) AFAIK, Weston Hills is more prestigeous than Isles of Weston. Hence you probably found the prices are higher in Weston Hills.

3) No insider information on schools. My kid is 3-yr old and we are zoned for Manatee Bay.

4) For small grocery, Publix. To bulk up, Costco, Walmart or Target. If you live south Weston, then Pembroke Pines shopping will be closer. Otherwise, Sawgrass Mills is closer. The newly built Shops at Pembroke Gardens (just east of I-75 off Pines exit) is also nice. As another poster said, there many shops west of I-75 as well.

5) I have no idea about the membership at WHCC. Perhaps it is worth it, if you want to socialize. If you really want to socialize in Weston, then get membership at the Midtown Athletic Club. Call them to arrange a free tour. But for cheaper alternative for pool, you should consider YMCA. Very close to Weston Hills west gate.

6) Landings is also very upscale community comparable to Weston Hills. It's smaller with homogenous homes in price range (not implying cookie cutter). OTOH, Weston Hills is larger and has more variety in terms of price range.

I hope someone living in WH or Landings can provide you with more inside information. Those two were out of my budget so my information is somewhat limited from occasional visits.

Ace-Thanks for the info.

Have you heard any negative comments on the elementary schools? Are you concerned that there are negative reviews for Manatee or will you send children to private? Just trying to get a feel for what other parents are saying. My information was found on greatschools.com.

Also, what is the difference between the YMCA and Midtown Athletic Club? (besides that the Y is brand new)

Thanks again!