What do you think about the Kendale Lakes area? (Miami: condos, townhouses)

[Wordsmith12]

I may be moving here (near SW 137th ave, between Miller and Sunset) and was wondering what you guys thought of it --pros, cons, notable sites and attractions, etc. I've been there a few times and it looks like it'd make a nice place to live.

Thanks!

[shamrockfisher]

Heavy traffic, heavy accents. No attractions.

[Cubanchic]

Where are you moving from.
What are your budget options.
Area is heavy Spanish and how comfortable are you with that.
Where are you working at since THAT might be a big factor in this area.

[Wordsmith12]

Originally Posted by Cubanchic

Where are you moving from.
What are your budget options.
Area is heavy Spanish and how comfortable are you with that.
Where are you working at since THAT might be a big factor in this area.

Moving from the Coral Way area (east).
I knew the area has Spanish speakers, but I was told it isn't as bad as, say, Little Havana or Tamiami.
I work near Sunset and 68th.

[straight shooter]

Originally Posted by Wordsmith12

Moving from the Coral Way area (east).
I knew the area has Spanish speakers, but I was told it isn't as bad as, say, Little Havana or Tamiami.
I work near Sunset and 68th.

That is because it isn't. It is better than Little Havana and Tamiami. The area is not bad, it is what I would consider an average middle class neighborhood. The only thing is that it is not what it use to be, 20-30 years ago it was better. When the area was developed there were a lot of jewish families moving in that were fleeing Westchester.

[Wordsmith12]

Originally Posted by straight shooter

That is because it isn't. It is better than Little Havana and Tamiami. The area is not bad, it is what I would consider an average middle class neighborhood. The only thing is that it is not what it use to be, 20-30 years ago it was better. When the area was developed there were a lot of jewish families moving in that were fleeing Westchester.

What's the best way to navigate traffic on weekdays? Is it is bad on weekends?

[Cubanchic]

Originally Posted by Wordsmith12

Moving from the Coral Way area (east).
I knew the area has Spanish speakers, but I was told it isn't as bad as, say, Little Havana or Tamiami.
I work near Sunset and 68th.

Your commute will be roughly 50 mins to an hour on a good day during rush hour if you live there and work on sunset and basically 67th ave.
Basically because of all the schools on sunset drive I would consider miller road for the commute.

I use to live on Miller and 102 and hubby's commute from there to the metro station on 67th was exactly 50 mins and we are much closer to it then Kendal lakes.

As far as Spanish in this area, yes you will hear it but you will also have no problem finding a clerk that speaks English. It is not like little Havana or Tamiami that almost all the signs are Spanish, and you can't find anyone that speaks English.

If it were up to me I would look closer to work or even more of a eastern nieghborhood like, west Miami, south Miami.

[hurricaneMan1992]

Originally Posted by shamrockfisher

Heavy traffic, heavy accents. No attractions.

Pretty much summarizes it. And no, there isn't much relief on weekends. Too much density given the transportation infrastructure--too many townhouses, condos, and zero-line lots which should really all be houses on large lots more like "horse country." The only real plus is probably the schools and proximity to some golf courses and the Everglades.

[Wordsmith12]

Originally Posted by Cubanchic

If it were up to me I would look closer to work or even more of a eastern nieghborhood like, west Miami, south Miami.

That's the first thing we did, but areas like South Miami, Coral Gables, Pinecrest, and Brickell/The Roads come with very high price tags. I would have loved to find something in Downtown Dadeland, but those new high rises are out of my price range (my range is 140-180k).

If you happen to find condo units in these areas (east) priced more reasonably, either:

- The building is in a shady neighborhood
- The unit needs a lot of work
- The building is older and lacks modern touches (washer and dryer in the unit)

We ran into these issues several times while looking for condos in Miami.

It seems you get more bang for your buck the further away you are from the action (beach, The Grove, etc.), which would be the case with West Kendall/Kendale Lakes. The condos further west also tend to be newer with more/better amenities.

I guess it's a tradeoff. I wish we could find something better in East Kendall but no dice.

[Cubanchic]

Sorry but on your budget that might be your best bet, but for new condos and maybe a slightly less commute ( going against traffic) Doral might be a better fit and would have newer condos.