Kendall? Dadeland? (Miami, Coral Gables, Jupiter: foreclosure, for rent, houses)

[charlie richard]

My wife and I were thinking about moving to these areas. Which one is better? Schools? Housing?

[somebodymiami]

ummm its kind of the same area... cept dadeland is more towards downtown kendal.

[Dr_Rico]

Dadeland will be the town center of the newly incorporated Kendall. It will also likely be the name of the township (I participated in the charette about this several years ago).

Kendall extends from US1 west to the Everglades and from south of 72nd St (Sunset) to about 160th or so (excluding the part from Sunset to 80th and US1 to about 72nd Ave, which is in South Miami).

Dadeland is the area between US1 and 87th Ave (Galloway) and 80th St and 104th St. I used to own a nice but simple home there in the Continental Park area (made of Large timber Dade County Pine...made it through hurricanes and suchlike for 50 years without a worry), which is great for kids, has a school and park, and has mostly single family homes on larger lots. Sidwalks are spotty, city sewer service is spotty (we had a well and a septic tank), and there are few street lights. The Metro is within walking or biking distance for an easy commute. Lots of English speaking folks, also Spanish speaking, but mostly bilingual. Safe. Shopping is convenient. A nice library is within reach. Its a pretty dull neighborhood, but if you watch TV (I don't), you might like it.

DR

[crisp444]

Originally Posted by charlie richard

My wife and I were thinking about moving to these areas. Which one is better? Schools? Housing?

The Dadeland area is part of Kendall, far east Kendall to be exact. That area is one of the nicest suburban areas in South Florida and offers nice housing, convenience of retail and Metro Rail, and good schools.

[charlie richard]

Are there specific subdivisions or neighborhoods that we should look at? We have 2 kids under 3 so we want kid friendly area that would be a decent commute to my job in Merrick Park

[doggiebus]

To help us, what is your price range and basic things you are looking for other than schools?

[charlie richard]

we are looking to spend around 1600 to 1800 per month to rent a single family home. We would like 3 bedrooms at least and a yard for the kids. We currently live in Jupiter Florida and I would love a community similar to that. Close to fun things for the kids with a good sense of community, great restaurants, etc. I would prefer a newer home with updated amenities. Can we find that in North Kendall?

[charlie richard]

we are looking to spend around 1600 to 1800 per month to rent a single family home. We would like 3 bedrooms at least and a yard for the kids. We currently live in Jupiter Florida and I would love a community similar to that. Close to fun things for the kids with a good sense of community, great restaurants, etc. I would prefer a newer home with updated amenities. Can we find that in North Kendall?

[kevinkagy]

I would stay away from Kendall just because of one thing: distance from Merrick Park. There are a lot of single family homes around Merrick Park that are really nice. Although most of them are quite old, they are all well-kept. I know rent for a house in Kendall would be cheaper than rent for a home in Coral Gables, but for a short commute, I'd suggest looking into its immediate areas such as: Coral Gables itself, Coconut Grove, Coral Way, South Miami, The Roads, and Pinecrest. I'd also suggest the eastern edges of Kendall.

Dadeland's not a bad suggestion since there's a Metro Station at Dadeland and a Metro station at Merrick Park, but there are no single family homes in Dadeland (you could avoid driving to work and take the train instead). All the above areas have a great sense of community and are all really nice (with the exception of the small shady area of the West Grove). Hope that helps!

[Dr_Rico]

The Continental Park area, just south and west of Dadeland (actually, south of Kendall DR and west of US1 and the end of 826) is within easy walking distance of the last metro stop, is safe, is close to shopping and some cafes, has a decent school, has a nice park, and is very kid freindly. I owned a house there for 10 years and would be there still if I had a need for that sort of environment. You should be able to find a home for rent there in your price range, but make certain the owner does not face foreclosure. There was a guy buying a flipping houses in the neighborhood during the boom; I suspect he is in over his head now.

DR