Dade or Broward County (Miami, Orlando: real estate, insurance, low crime)

[SgtAJC]

Hello everyone, the information provided on this message board is invaluable. I'm considering relocating to Florida from NYC and working in Miami Gardens. Any recommendations on Cities/Neighborhood/Communities taking the following into consideration listed in order of importance for my family and I:
1) Great Schools
2) Low Crime
3) Commute Time
4) Prices of Homes (Looking at 400,000 for 4 bedrooms-can it be done?)
5) Job opportunties
6) Not too close to the water (hurricane concerns!!)

Thanks in advance.....

[FLGANATIVE]

Hi SgtAJC you can get a 4 bdrm townhome for about 300,000 in the Miramar area good schools and about 10-15 mins from Miami Gardens. I noticed in todays New York Post under the Florida real estate a couple listings for this area. You should check that out. Good Luck.

Forgot to add crime of course is every where but it's lower in this area compared to the other surrounding areas.

[Weston_in_the_Pines]

Not to be a bummer here but...

1) Great Schools - This is Florida. Not the greatest public schools
2) Low Crime - There are pockets but you need to research.
3) Commute Time - Good luck!
4) Prices of Homes (Looking at 400,000 for 4 bedrooms-can it be done?) - With the way the market is collapsing, it wouldn't surprise me.
5) Job opportunities - Depends on what you do
6) Not too close to the water (hurricane concerns!!) - You cannot escape this in Florida. So if this is a concern, I would not move here. It's part of the life and being "inland" in Florida is not like being inland elsewhere.

[chisoxfan]

Your best bet's probably the I-75 corridor in west/southwest Broward. Check out Pembroke Pines, Miramar, Cooper City, Sunrise, Plantation and Davie. All of these towns have areas that are more desirable than others, but the commute to the Miami Gardens area should be somewhat tolerable and there may be housing in your price range. I'd add Weston to this list if you don't mind spending a few more bucks -- it's very nice.

Weston in the Pines quite accurately spells out the school situation here, so I'd advise researching the schools carefully in any areas you're interested in.

Keep in mind that just because a home is inland does not automatically equate to safety in a hurricane. Most homes built in eastern Broward, closer to the water, were built from the early '50s until about 1970 (a period when hurricane activity was frequent in South Florida) and are capable of withstanding strong winds, especially when equipped with hurricane shutters or impact-resistant windows. Many of the homes in west Broward were put up in the '80s and early '90s -- people had become complacent about hurricanes by then as the frequency of South Florida landfalls tapered off, and many of these homes weren't built as well as the older homes. The building codes changed after Andrew devastated the area south of Miami, so anything built from about 1994 on would be a better bet for hurricane safety.

[SgtAJC]

Hey Chisox,
Thanks for an informative answer.....

[Weston_in_the_Pines]

I agree and would put my 1977 built home against any modern "code" home!

[HGONZ001]

1) Great Schools: the best school are in the expensive areas. Avoid Dade.
2) Low Crime: high crime is every where. Avoid Dade.
3) Commute Time: it will take at least 40 minutes to move any where. Avoid Dade.
4) Prices of Homes: $400K buys you a normal house in the regular areas. In pricy Coral Gables $400K buys nothing. Avoid Dade.
5) Job opportunties: non existent in all of South Florida. Avoid So.Fl.
6) Not too close to the water (hurricane concerns!!): there is no such thing as being inland in FL. All major metropolitan cities in FL are in the coast, except Orlando. Being too close to the water is only a concern if you own a beach house, and that's more than twice $400K. Avoid FL all together.

[lionking]

go for Broward.Many Dade residences after Andrew moved to Broward.Mny wish they could now.Think that says something.

[FNM]

Hi there, I live in Davie (Broward) and work on Miami Gardens Drive, east of
I95. The commute is not that bad, 30 minutes average. I would suggest miramar, P Pines, Cooper City or Davie also for your price range and less crime. As far as good schools go (I only know HS's), Cooper City HS, Western HS, Cypress Bay are the better schools in Broward. There is also a good one in coral springs (Coral Glades?) but that is quite a bit further of a commute for you.
I've been here 30 years, and ready to leave next year for NC, sad to say...

[tallrick]

Don't forget that the 400,000.00 house will cost you 8,000 per year in property taxes and 3-4,000 per year in insurance. So about 1,000 per month IN ADDITION to mortgage! Oh and the median salary is less than 40,000 a year. Do you really want to waste your hard-earned money like that??