moving for new stadium with family (Miami, Kendall: apartment, rent, condominium)

[lbmommy]

Hi
We will be moving this summer from Long Island for my husband's job. He will be working in Miami through 2012. We have a soon to be 2nd grader and a 2 1/2 year old. We are a white, middle class family. I am unsure of areas. We need good elementary schools. We pay 1875 rent now and don't want to go over that. So far, Cooper City looks like our best bet. We will have a narrow window to choose, a 3 day visit to tour and pick, so I need an area that is nice across the board, no "iffy" areas. Please let me know if any other areas are better, worse, any advice would be much appreciated!

[crisp444]

Where will your husband be working, exactly?

[lbmommy]

I believe it's by the Orange Bowl Stadium.

[somebodymiami]

well since they tore that down....... i gues he will be building the new one. which is in little Havana and copper city is far.

[crisp444]

Cooper City is a nice area, but the commute during rush hour will probably be an hour - is that okay with your husband? Do you need a house, or would you consider living in an attached home ("townhome") or condominium? Considering your budget and that you need 2-3 bedrooms and 1.5-2 bathrooms, nice areas with good elementary schools that are closer to Downtown Miami / Orange Bowl area are:
-Kendall (definitely a townhome/condo and you can find small-medium sized detached home for the rent you are currently paying)
-Palmetto Bay (not a lot of townhome/condo inventory exists but you could maybe find a smaller detached home for the rent you are currently paying)
-Coral Gables (I do not think you would be able to find a detached home in your price range but you might be able to find a townhome and should be able to find a condo)
-Miami Lakes (you should be able to find townhomes and condos within your price range and maybe even some smaller, detached houses)
-Aventura (I do not think you will be able to find a detached home within your price range, but you will find some townhomes and a plethora of available condos. Most of Aventura is midrise/highrise condominium/apartment towers that have their own tennis courts, pool, and play areas. An excellent elementary school opened a few years ago to accomodate the growing numbers of families settling in the area from New York, Europe, and Latin America. I elaborated more on this city because many people overlook Aventura due to that it is not "traditional" suburban living.)

To view school performance, I would suggest greatschools.net - you can search for schools by city, zipcode, or address. Keep in mind that many areas of Miami-Dade County are unincorporated and carry a "Miami, FL" address even though they are not in the City of Miami. Kendall and some of the unincorporated, good areas to the north of it are a good example of this. For this reason, if you search for Kendall, try these zipcodes: 33156 (far east Kendall + Pinecrest, which is a pretty expensive area), 33176 (east/central Kendall), 33186 (west/central Kendall). 33173 and 33183 are also options. To search for schools in the other areas I suggested, just use the city name: "Miami Lakes," "Aventura," etc.

[lbmommy]

We would actually rather have a townhome becuase of amenities in the community. He commutes to Queens from LI right now, so a 1 hour commute each way is the norm for him. I am home with the kids, so a TH will be less work around the house for me.

[crisp444]

Originally Posted by lbmommy

We would actually rather have a townhome becuase of amenities in the community. He commutes to Queens from LI right now, so a 1 hour commute each way is the norm for him. I am home with the kids, so a TH will be less work around the house for me.

Great! That means that you could live in any of the areas I suggested to you, including Coral Gables (most beautiful suburb in the Southeastern US, in my opinion) if you look hard enough. It seems that you have very realistic expectations. Some peoople come on here wanting a single family, detached home in a great school district within a 15 minute commute from Downtown - all for $1400/month! Good luck, and let me know if you have any further questions. If you do decide to pursue housing in Broward County (Cooper City and surrounding cities), you should consult forumers "compelled to reply" and "Momma Bear" - they both live in that area and know a lot more about specific neighborhoods and schools in Broward than I do.

[Migsly]

Oh boy folks! That must mean the Marlins new stadium deal went through! Oh, boy! They have a home at long last! Oh, we welcome your husband with open arms, ibmommy! Yes, the new Marlins stadium will be built at the old Orange Bowl site. I'm so excited.

In case you are wondering, the Marlins are a MLB baseball team.

[lbmommy]

Pretty sure anyway. we are finishing up the Mets in NYC.

[diddiyo]

Originally Posted by Migsly

Oh boy folks! That must mean the Marlins new stadium deal went through! Oh, boy! They have a home at long last! Oh, we welcome your husband with open arms, ibmommy! Yes, the new Marlins stadium will be built at the old Orange Bowl site. I'm so excited.

In case you are wondering, the Marlins are a MLB baseball team.

The Marlins New Ballpark Official Site

hooray, it's about time