Pinecrest vs Weston (Miami, Doral, Richmond Heights: apartments, townhouses, tile)

[valicky]

Originally Posted by ruski

It depends on the neighborhood. Usually the larger the development, the smaller the HOA fees.

I used to live in Savanna, which is probably the largest development. The HOA fees were (and still are) $320 per Quarter.

That's not too bad.

[Beach and Tree Lover]

I personally live in Miami and have never been to Weston, but I think that Broward County is known to be more family oriented for sure. My realtor specializes in relocations and has great communication/customer service. If you want, send me a private message for her contact info and you can call her to get more information on the area.

[MacbookAir]

Living in Miami for the last 15 years, here's what I can tell you.

I would stay far away from Weston. If you're going to buy a house for 800-900k, you would want to see your home appreciate in value over time. Compare the home values in weston vs. pinecrest and miami in general. You'll realize that Weston's home values didn't appreciate as much as miami's home values did over the last 10 years.

Secondly, I would try to stay in a gated community. A lot of homes on pinecrest are not in gated communities and can be robbed very easily. Richmond heights (ghetto) is right next to pinecrest. Most of the homes in the 800k-900k range in pinecrest are pretty old. The houses require a lot of maintenance as well.

I would look more into Doral. Doral is not as bad as people make it to be on this forum. Look into Doral Isles and Doral Estates. You'll be very impressed and won't have to drive as much to work. Regarding schooling... gulliver, ransom everglades, and pinecrest are all overrated and way to pricey. They're many great private schools around Doral for half the price and send their students to Ivys.
Hope this helps

[ruski]

Yeah, right. Weston suffered the Least during the crisis.

And when the market started to pick up, Weston was rated $1 housing market

Weston Rated No. 1 Housing Market In US | News - Home

[ruski]

Anyway, if you buy a 900K house in Miami now, how much do you think it will appreciate?

[valicky]

I would NEVER pick Doral over Pinecrest. Or over Weston for that matter. If you really need the gates, put your own gates up and get a good security system.

[MacbookAir]

Weston was least affected by the crisis, but it's values have not come back to the pre crisis levels. Miami Dade on the otherhand was affected by the crisis more so but many of the homes have come back to their original levels. Keep in mind the original poster is looking for homes in the 800k+ range which generally attracts a different set (upper middle) of buyers, which makes these homes a whole different area to study

The issue with pinecrest is not pinecrest itself but the homes there. For 900k you'll probably get a 1960s house near Richmond heights on the street with a small lot. If the original poster had 1.5 million to spend, then yeah he could get a home deep inside pinecrest, closer to the ocean (which is generally safer) with nearly 1 acre of land. You don't want your house flooding during a hurricane because its too old. Dorals home values have nearly doubled over the last ten years and the values are still increasing because of the high Latin American demand. I do strongly feel that a 900k home will be worth at least 1.3 million in 5 years in miami. Miamis market is strong compared to browards.

[himain]

Originally Posted by MacbookAir

Weston was least affected by the crisis, but it's values have not come back to the pre crisis levels. Miami Dade on the otherhand was affected by the crisis more so but many of the homes have come back to their original levels. Keep in mind the original poster is looking for homes in the 800k+ range which generally attracts a different set (upper middle) of buyers, which makes these homes a whole different area to study

The issue with pinecrest is not pinecrest itself but the homes there. For 900k you'll probably get a 1960s house near Richmond heights on the street with a small lot. If the original poster had 1.5 million to spend, then yeah he could get a home deep inside pinecrest, closer to the ocean (which is generally safer) with nearly 1 acre of land. You don't want your house flooding during a hurricane because its too old. Dorals home values have nearly doubled over the last ten years and the values are still increasing because of the high Latin American demand. I do strongly feel that a 900k home will be worth at least 1.3 million in 5 years in miami. Miamis market is strong compared to browards.

What?? You obviously aren't familiar with the houses in Pinecrest. The house next to my parents is less than 900K on one acre and is fully updated.

[flyers29]

Originally Posted by MacbookAir

Living in Miami for the last 15 years, here's what I can tell you.

I would stay far away from Weston. If you're going to buy a house for 800-900k, you would want to see your home appreciate in value over time. Compare the home values in weston vs. pinecrest and miami in general. You'll realize that Weston's home values didn't appreciate as much as miami's home values did over the last 10 years.

Secondly, I would try to stay in a gated community. A lot of homes on pinecrest are not in gated communities and can be robbed very easily. Richmond heights (ghetto) is right next to pinecrest. Most of the homes in the 800k-900k range in pinecrest are pretty old. The houses require a lot of maintenance as well.

I would look more into Doral. Doral is not as bad as people make it to be on this forum. Look into Doral Isles and Doral Estates. You'll be very impressed and won't have to drive as much to work. Regarding schooling... gulliver, ransom everglades, and pinecrest are all overrated and way to pricey. They're many great private schools around Doral for half the price and send their students to Ivys.
Hope this helps

Give me a break. Not to mention that Doral is proximal to some lower-middle class neighborhoods as well...

[Alex =]]

Originally Posted by newyork47

New Yorker who is thinking about accepting a new job in Doral. Family with two boys, 12, 14. We do not speak Spanish. Concerned that we will not find a nice family neighborhood. Can anyone tell me about the neighborhoods and commute? Wanted the boys to attend good schools and heard Ramson and Pine Crest were two to consider. So I thought about Pinecrest and Weston neighborhoods. Is Fort Lauderdale safe? Do any of the beach communities offer family environment? Thanks so much.

A nice family neighborhood.... there are plenty.

If you have an income greater than 100k/year, Pinecrest and Doral are good options. I like Doral better, it has beautiful and modern recreational parks.

if you have an income greater than 1 million/year, Key Biscayne is the place to live and Mast Academy is the best school in the state of Florida and one of the best in the nation.

Avoid charter schools and private schools.