Miami a good place for us? (Kendall, Boca Raton: environment, property taxes, insurance)

[StoneOne]

I'm seriously considering the possibility of moving to Miami with my wife and four-year old in the next couple of months. All of this hinges on my ability to negotiate a contract. I've been to Miami once in my life (for about 3 days) and loved it, although I certainly could see the problems that people keep bringing up over and over again.

Will Miami be a good place to live for me and my family? Keep in mind the following that apply to our situation:

1) Income - total family gross family income (if the deal works out successfully) will be about $100K per year.

2) Job - I will basically be working from home for at least 6 months or so, and then I will open a small office (since I'm running the business, I can choose where it will be located). My point here is that the traffic and road rage that people bring up won't really apply to us on a daily basis.

3) Rent/own - until I know how the business will turn out and whether we really like Miami, we're going to rent. I've basically discovered that for $2-2.5K per month (what we're willing to spend), one can get a very nice 3/2 apartment in places like Sunny Isles Beach, Aventura or Coral Gables.

I guess what my question comes down to is the following: If I have the job flexibility to work from home in a place like Aventura, Sunny Isles Beach or Coral Gables (i.e. no real commute), have access to quality preschools/schools in those areas (I've heard they're much better than the rest of Miami) and will not have issues like property tax and insurance to deal with - is Miami a good place for us?

A few other things. We like the warm weather. We don't know Spanish, but we don't really mind learning it (given that I can set my own hours workwise, learning Spanish is very doable for me). We don't let rude people get to us.

[Lilybeans]

Just keep in mind that vacationing in Miami is completely different than living in Miami.

[yakfish75]

Miami is a wonderful city! I guess you need to learn how to live here. All the little quirkinesses and nuances of this melting pot will consume you. Positively or negatively is up to you. Good Luck with your move and job!!

[doggiebus]

No one can say that moving to Miami or not moving here is going to right for you, as we don't know you. I can tell you that the 5 people that I know that have moved here in the last 3 years, have all already moved out of the state. They all thought Miami was much different than they actually found it to be. Remember visiting a city is different than living daily in that city. I have to say, some of my friends have left Miami, to raise their children in a better environment than we have here in Miami. So way all your options before you make the leap.

If you do move to Miami, rent first like you said you were going to. This way you can get to know the areas better and you would not have to pay the astronomical property taxes and home insurance rates we are paying today. $400k home in Kendall payes $8000 in property taxes. This way you would only have to pay for two outragous rates your car insurance and renters insurance.

As another poster said to me on another thread, the Public Schools that Coral Gables kids go to don't have high ratings, they are not great she said (they are not the worst however). If you are looking for quality schools Florida isn't known for quality schools overall, Pinecrest has the best overall public schools (with the exception of some charter/magnet schools around the county). However if you can swing 15k-20k a year there are great private prep schools located in Pinecrest, South Miami, and Coconut Grove.

Hope this helps!

[blackklight]

Moderator cut: cut the areas you have in mind are all very safe and good communities. if you are open minded miami can be a very good experience and if your kids have a good head on their shoulders they will do fine.

[PBCboy]

Originally Posted by yakfish75

Miami is a wonderful city! I guess you need to learn how to live here. All the little quirkinesses and nuances of this melting pot will consume you. Positively or negatively is up to you. Good Luck with your move and job!!

I would not consider Miami a melting pot, the different cultures of people live away from each other.

In my opinion learning a second language is not easy at all, but it can be achieved through lots of work and dedication.

Areas in Miami-Dade I would recommend are Kendall, Village of Palmetto Bay, Coral Gables, Aventura, the new unincorporated sections of SW Miami, and a few other sections.

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by StoneOne

I'm seriously considering the possibility of moving to Miami with my wife and four-year old in the next couple of months. All of this hinges on my ability to negotiate a contract. I've been to Miami once in my life (for about 3 days) and loved it, although I certainly could see the problems that people keep bringing up over and over again.

Will Miami be a good place to live for me and my family? Keep in mind the following that apply to our situation:

1) Income - total family gross family income (if the deal works out successfully) will be about $100K per year.

2) Job - I will basically be working from home for at least 6 months or so, and then I will open a small office (since I'm running the business, I can choose where it will be located). My point here is that the traffic and road rage that people bring up won't really apply to us on a daily basis.

3) Rent/own - until I know how the business will turn out and whether we really like Miami, we're going to rent. I've basically discovered that for $2-2.5K per month (what we're willing to spend), one can get a very nice 3/2 apartment in places like Sunny Isles Beach, Aventura or Coral Gables.

I guess what my question comes down to is the following: If I have the job flexibility to work from home in a place like Aventura, Sunny Isles Beach or Coral Gables (i.e. no real commute), have access to quality preschools/schools in those areas (I've heard they're much better than the rest of Miami) and will not have issues like property tax and insurance to deal with - is Miami a good place for us?

A few other things. We like the warm weather. We don't know Spanish, but we don't really mind learning it (given that I can set my own hours workwise, learning Spanish is very doable for me). We don't let rude people get to us.

To answer your question; no.

How about settling your business and residence in one of the upper two counties like Broward or Palm Beach? Definitely a better choice for a family to locate in the upper two. 100k a year is a pretty sustainable income to rent a nice home purchase a small,decent home in Boca Raton, Weston, Cooper City, and some of the other safer, cleaner, more family friendly cities. The benefits are numerous- the traffic isn't gridlocked in most parts of the upper two, especially in Palm Beach County, the crime rate is signifigantly lower, particularly in Broward (although Palm Beach County is safer as well),the schools are much, much better in both counties, although there still are many issues in some of the schools in many areas, but I will name some areas where they are good if you request. If you can set up in Broward or Palm Beach, than it could potentially be a good idea if you research your areas wisely.

[Chelito23]

"I can make common areas of the building dirty because I pay rent too...rude as in I can have a party at 1AM on a Monday because you don't own me...well this isn't run of the mill rudeness from a small town where someone gives you a mean glare...this is fist fight, give the middle finger, curse you out kind of rudeness. I know you won't be commuting too much, but you will HAVE to go out and about for errands...in any event, you personally may not be bothered by lack of human decency, but do you really want to expose your kids to this as well as community apathy?

Financially it is doable, and it is plenty warm...but the quality of life is not here. I recommend a community farther up the coast like Boca Raton or north to the Treasure Coast, mainly for the kids.

If you are dead set on Miami, just invest in private schooling, and yes, there are nice condos in Aventura, Sunny Isles and the Gables...

[go-go gringa]

Aside from getting along on a day to day basis, the other factor you have to consider is hurricanes. Sure, you have many days to prepare for it and you have insurance to cover your belongings, etc... Here is the reality... between June and November you have to be on guard. Every weather event has the potential of becoming a major storm. Look what recently happened in Texas. If you have some time to prepare for it just remember that everyone else in town is doing the same thing. The lines at the stores get terribly backed up, everyone is in panic mode, the traffic gets crazy, you'd think a meteor is headed for Earth. Then you have to bring all your stuff inside, plants, patio furniture, trash cans, animals. Now your entire backyard is in your living room, possibly for days. Then you have to cover your windows. If you don't have shutters, you have to put up panels or plywood. I have 7 windows to cover, that's not too bad. Imagine if you have 20. Then maybe the storm doesn't hit, so you have to take them all down. Oh but next week there's another hurricane scare, so you have to put them all up again. Some people end up leaving them up for months, but if you live in a community will rules against that, you have to remove them. Then you have to suffer through the storm. This could be a life-threatening experience. If you have property loss, you have to deal with the insurance, and so is everyone else. It's hard to get an adjuster, there's no electricity or phone service, trees down everywhere you can't get around, the city is in chaos, lots of drama everywhere. If you need repairs to your house or car, you'll have to get in line waiting for a contractor or repairman. You might even get desperate and hire someone without a license just because you need it done now and not wait 6 months. If you don't speak spanish you will be even worse off. There are hardly any english speaking contractors here anymore. Will your business suffer if winds of 130 miles an hour blow on your house for 4 or 5 hours? If the window breaks and the winds come inside your house at 130 miles per hour, will it ruin your business? Do you have nice furnishings? If someone came into your house with a garden hose and sprayed down the inside of your house and destroyed everything, would this upset you? If so, then you won't like living through a hurricane.

I've been through several of them and I am on a mission to move away. I do not want to live through another hurricane ever. I'd rather live in the snow. At least I know that snow is not going to destroy everything I ever owned. It doesn't knock out your entire wardrobe, it doesn't pick up the boat from the driveway next door and place it on top of your car, it doesn't suck your money dry from re-building again and again. Lots of people that live here don't care about it, but really they've just learned to live with it. Can you?

[bale002]

I disagree with the above poster that hurricanes per se are a major issue. Yes, there was a series of hurricanes that ripped through Florida in 2004-2005, but that may prove to be a once-in-a-century phenomena, we just don't know.

In my view, the real issue is whether you really want to spend $2000/$2500 on rent every month and possibly $15-$20k a year on private school. As you have already surmised, being a property-owner in southern Florida, under current conditions, is probably financially disastrous (in this sense, the hurricanes are important because of insurance rates), but spending $2000/$2500 a month on rent is no bargain either.

Is there any reason why it has to be Coral Gables or Aventura? As mentioned, you will get more house and quality of life for your money in selected areas further up north. Boca Raton, for example, features some relatively excellent public schools, so that's $15-$20k a year you could allocate to a 401(k) instead, not to mention more house for the money, more safety, less traffic, etc.

Think about it carefully and ...


Good luck!