Buy in Doral? Future of RE market? (Miami, Miami Lakes: renters, HOA fees)

[rnc2mbfl]

My office is in Doral and I live on the beach. If your wife hates commuting, she isn't going to like commuting to Doral from outside of it. Keep it as local as you can.

[BNBR]

Originally Posted by projectmaximus

Haha thanks. Actually in the sense of environment it is not our cup of tea at all. We live in a charming, walkable, historic neighborhood adjacent to downtown Jax. And even that has only been tolerable (well I'm being a bit harsh) because we've spent close to 40% of the year elsewhere...usually in cities like DC, NYC and HK. So this will be a big change, though probably not a culture shock since we know what it's like already. At the very least we will hopefully avoid traffic, as she will commute around 7a and 3p and I'll mostly stay home.



Thanks, Ann! I've been waiting for you to chime in. So Doral is mostly an immigrant population? Makes sense. For what it is, Doral seems alright to me. We have a nice park to walk to right outside our neighborhood and the general landscape doesn't seem too unattractive lol. I'm coming from Jax so it's already the same or better than 75% of that city.

Doral is completely hispanic and Spanish speaking. Completely.

Doral is just "off" - it's that sense of environment as you put it. There are a few redeeming qualities, but it's not a place people flock too. Hence the over abundance of homes per Ann's comment. They could probably spend more energy focusing on infrastructure than approving more and more complexes on 2 lane roads...

The thing about Doral, is that usually you have the option to NOT live in Doral.... and that is usually the better option As my wife worked there, the new employees that would come over would think "Hey, I want to be near work" and get a place in Doral... I think every single one of them cut and ran when the lease ended. Most all ended up in Broward - apparently, a 40 minute drive each way, twice a day is worth not living in Doral.

[projectmaximus]

Originally Posted by rnc2mbfl

My office is in Doral and I live on the beach. If your wife hates commuting, she isn't going to like commuting to Doral from outside of it. Keep it as local as you can.

Thanks.

Originally Posted by BNBR

Doral is completely hispanic and Spanish speaking. Completely.

Except for our little enclave of Cantonese-speaking Chinese. Well, there are a few relatives who speak Spanish too lol. Thanks for sharing your thoughts as well. I guess if in a year or two it looks like we'll stay much longer, and we don't like Doral, then we'll look at other parts of Miami. But for now, I think we're set on Doral just wondering whether the RE will hold up or not.

[Ms. Intelligence]

Living very near Doral, I can tell you it is the last place on Earth I would live. Tons of illegals in Doral and nobody speaks english. How strange none of us want to to converse about this. The elephant in the room.

[AnnRyan]

As usual, the good folks of this forum forget that as a native English speaker I live and work in Doral quite happily. And I know a bunch of Americans who do.

[Blackie777]

As someone who lives in Doral, I can tell you the majority of the hate comes from people who want to live there, but can't afford it (I used to be one of them until I sacrificed and finally bought a house in Doral).

It's very green. Tree's everywhere. Great for people who like outdoor activities like biking, walking, sports, etc.

There is little traffic after rush hour ends, as with all of Miami. There is no traffic on the weekends, zero (you can't say that about Kendall).

While the majority of people who work at places like Publix and restaurants are mostly Hispanic, you'll find they are always cheerful and happy to help you (unlike crapentura (Aventura).

You have quick access to the Turnpike, 826, and 836.

Awesome food everywhere.

The quality of life is great.

As someone who has lived all over Miami, with most recently 5 years in Kendall and 1.5 years in Aventura (we refer to that as the year we don't speak of) I can tell you Doral is a great place to live.

I like Miami Springs too which isn't too far down the road from Doral.

Good luck.

[BNBR]

Originally Posted by projectmaximus

Thanks.



Except for our little enclave of Cantonese-speaking Chinese. Well, there are a few relatives who speak Spanish too lol. Thanks for sharing your thoughts as well. I guess if in a year or two it looks like we'll stay much longer, and we don't like Doral, then we'll look at other parts of Miami. But for now, I think we're set on Doral just wondering whether the RE will hold up or not.

So many people flock AWAY from Doral.... honestly, you should seriously consider renting for that year or two. It tends to be much more desirable to live in west Broward, just up the turnpike/75. But that doesn't mean you'll hate Doral, it may be just right for you. Give it some time before jumping in.

Real Estate, in general, has held up in South Florida the last few years. Much of it seems to be up quite a bit since the 08 crash, and many properties are back at those 08 levels - not all.

It's not a bargain right now, if that's what you are looking for. But decent deals can always be had. I own 5 properties. All have increased in value quite a bit except for one, that I bought in 08 - it's back to the price that I bought it for, though.

I'm not a Doral expert when it comes to investing, so take my thoughts as just that. I know Broward reasonably well. But my impression is that Doral is continuing to expand and grow. It's one of the "newer" areas in Miami which can end up being quite desirable as much of Miami is kind of dumpy. People with money tend to flock to the newer, cleaner areas. Similar to Weston, Cooper City, west Pembroke Pines, etc. in Broward. My general thought is that Doral would be a healthy investment if you are looking for a long term rental property without too much risk of that market crashing. But I'm not sure if the properties are currently overpriced That's best left for someone else to answer.

[projectmaximus]

Thank you to all the latest contributors. Still plenty of time for things to change but at the moment we will plan to just stay with the in-laws and scope out properties after we move down. Probably try to find something like Ann advised, older SFH that we can upgrade, but also open to condos if it seems like the market for them has stabilized by then. I'm kinda scared and kinda excited.

[Ms. Intelligence]

Originally Posted by Blackie777

As someone who lives in Doral, I can tell you the majority of the hate comes from people who want to live there, but can't afford it (I used to be one of them until I sacrificed and finally bought a house in Doral).

It's very green. Tree's everywhere. Great for people who like outdoor activities like biking, walking, sports, etc.

There is little traffic after rush hour ends, as with all of Miami. There is no traffic on the weekends, zero (you can't say that about Kendall).

While the majority of people who work at places like Publix and restaurants are mostly Hispanic, you'll find they are always cheerful and happy to help you (unlike crapentura (Aventura).

You have quick access to the Turnpike, 826, and 836.

Awesome food everywhere.

The quality of life is great.

As someone who has lived all over Miami, with most recently 5 years in Kendall and 1.5 years in Aventura (we refer to that as the year we don't speak of) I can tell you Doral is a great place to live.

I like Miami Springs too which isn't too far down the road from Doral.

Good luck.

Lol, sounds like we have another shady real estate agent like Bob Dreams! Lol. It is truly amazing what some folks will say to gain a new (and gullible) customer. I live on a cute Farm in the Everglades very near Doral and the people I know living in Doral are fed up with the hispanics who refuse to speak english or assimulate in to the American way of life, and want out. Many are moving to North Florida. There seems to be quite a few shady real estate agents trolling City Data forum that will say anything for a quick sale lol.

[Blackie777]

Originally Posted by Ms. Intelligence

Lol, sounds like we have another shady real estate agent like Bob Dreams! Lol. It is truly amazing what some folks will say to gain a new (and gullible) customer. I live on a cute Farm in the Everglades very near Doral and the people I know living in Doral are fed up with the hispanics who refuse to speak english or assimulate in to the American way of life, and want out. Many are moving to North Florida. There seems to be quite a few shady real estate agents trolling City Data forum that will say anything for a quick sale lol.

I never said I was a realtor, nor did I ever offer any type of services. You're just trolling as usual. But lets for a second say you are not: the only "farm land" near the Everglades and close to Doral is on 58th St West of the Turnpike, or on 41st st West of the turnpike. As someone who has biked down both of those roads, you are full of $hit. There is absolutely NOTHING "cute" out there.

It was only a matter of time until someone who actually knows what they are talking about and knows the area you are talking about caught you trolling. You can troll others, but you can't troll a true Miami native.