Teacher needs help! (Miami, Coral Springs, Madison: apartment, rent, condos)

[Dorischulz]

Hi, I am a good teacher and have returned to Miami, a year ago after a most difficult divorce and 30 years away. It feels so wonderful to be home but I so desperately want to own a home/condo/townhome. Unfortunately, even with assistance (grant money) I can only qualify for 203,000. Association fees seem to be way too high! Anyone know of anything affordable for a very good special education teacher?

[Chelito23]

MDCPS does have a program, where they have a handful of reposed homes that only local teachers can bid on, but of course, you have hundreds of teachers bidding on maybe 2 or 3 homes a year....and yes, there are other programs, but most of the homes are over 300K (even in the bad areas) and out of a teacher's salaray range.

You could find a liveable one bedroom condo in Fontainebleau for under 300K, and a really run down condo for 200K in an area you probably wouldn't want to live in....try renting for a while, see if you can adjust to DCPS, and see if the market improves for buyers.

[miamiblue]

I would say rent for now and ride it out. The bottom is just beginning to fall out of the condo market so you will start to see prices coming down a bit. I'd personally stay away from condo conversions because you'll just be getting apartment quality for a condo price. Things also depend on where you will be working an what area you want to live in.

It is very sad that DCPS can't pay teachers enough to find decent housing. If Miami desperately needs one thing, it is good teachers!

[Mike in TN]

I'm not sure if anywhere in Miami qualifies as a "revitalization area", but the the federal government offers the Teacher Next Door (TND) Program.

Through this program teachers can bid on a home, usually in rougher areas. They are only required to pay 1/2 of the cost of home, provided it is their only residence for 3 years. After those three years they may do as they wish for the property.

The TND program is part of the Good-Neighbor Program which also offers homes for firefighters and police officers. The idea is to add good members of the community to rougher areas.

You should be able to get started here:

Moderator cut: cut as link didn't work

[Chelito23]

Yes, that is it, the TND program. Many areas qualify: Allapathah, Liberty City...basically from 1-95 on the east, to Flagler St. on the South, to 37 Ave on the west...all the way north to near the county line. HUGE area, pretty undesireable though...

[stat3man]

For $203K, you might be able to get yourself a 1/1 condo somewhere in the suburbs. Do you know at what school you'll be teaching?

[ivcceo]

There are nice condos for under 200,000 in Coral Springs and I think there are lots of teaching jobs in Broward. Do you want to work in Miami specifically?

[gymbuff]

have you purchased a home or condo yet? try the teacher next door program if you have not bought anything yet. if you have , please let us know how you are adjusting to home ownership.

[Mcsmith0210]

Lots of condos in my building 185,000 or less- theyre looking to fill them Check the Madison downtown.

[tallrick]

Don't settle for a condo. If you hold out another year there will be plenty of homes under 200K especially if a hurricane hits the state.