What are Pinecrest and Sunset Condos like? (Miami: mortgage, house)

[ISOnewplace]

We have lived in Miami for 4 years (from the Northern Virginia area) and our son will be entering Kindergarten next year. Like many parents, we are now hoping to move to the Sunset Elementary or Pinecrest school district. I am still shocked at the rental/purchase prices of homes in these areas even in this market. I was wondering what the condos are like i.e. villas of pinecrest, the valencia and others. They look slightly okay but I have heard that a lot of the UM crowd lives there and it can be noisy and not very family friendly. I'm still not sure if we can stomach "condo" living but I'm not sure what else to do (other than mortgage or tuition our future away). I wish we could leave here but it just isn't an option right now so we are looking for the best alternative for our son and our family . Thank you!

[franjaja]

Good evening. I have been looking at Pinecrest myself due to the school system's ratings and the fact that it looks (from what I can gather) much like Northern Virginia. I, too, lived in Northern Virginia and still have a house there (rented out until the end of April) - in Alexandria, near Kingstowne.

Where in No. Va. did you live prior to moving to Miami? My thought is that a single family home in Alexandria is also going for about $500k, even in this market. I have looked through properties and saw a few homes with a pool in Pinecrest for right around the same amount.

Have you found a place yet? I am hoping I can draw from your experience regarding the area as I am considering moving to Miami within the next few months.


Thanks in advance for your response.