homestead -- homestead villages? (section 8, apartment, lease)

[airforceranger]

me and my wife are a military couple... we recently got orders to homestead ARB. we found a house in homestead villages, good price, landlords are also military, and it seems like a nice neighborhood (from what we can tell).

now my question for you guys is... anyone know about this area? how nice of a neighborhood is it? we're also moving from NJ, so what kind of differences do we really need to expect?

also, please dont reply with any of that "homestead is nothing but ghetto" or "if you want to live in hell, live in homestead" crap, we've done our research, and we know what we're getting into..

thanks guys

[doggiebus]

Homestead has been growing and changing for the better the last few years. More and more stores and chain restaurants and shops like Kohls, Olive Garden, a movie theater have moved into the area. The area of your apartment though is in a rough area in my opinion. Put it this way i wouldn't take the dog for a walk around your apartment at night. Have you signed a lease already???? If you could of maybe looked at renting a place east of the turnpike in Keys Gate you would of been in a much better area.

[unradical]

If you're going to be working at HARB, look for something in Keys Gate. Its practically less than 5 minutes from the base, and next to all the new stores/restaurants/etc... It's a pretty nice area, by Homestead's standards.

[airforceranger]

Originally Posted by doggiebus

Homestead has been growing and changing for the better the last few years. More and more stores and chain restaurants and shops like Kohls, Olive Garden, a movie theater have moved into the area. The area of your apartment though is in a rough area in my opinion. Put it this way i wouldn't take the dog for a walk around your apartment at night. Have you signed a lease already???? If you could of maybe looked at renting a place east of the turnpike in Keys Gate you would of been in a much better area.

i think you may be thinking of the wrong area... and i was a little dislexic with it... it's the villages at homestead, not homestead villages (not sure if that makes a difference)....

the address is 1215 egret rd... if you guys wanna know exactly where it is. thanks guys

[♥♥PRINC3Ss♥♥]

Originally Posted by airforceranger

i think you may be thinking of the wrong area... and i was a little dislexic with it... it's the villages at homestead, not homestead villages (not sure if that makes a difference)....

the address is 1215 egret rd... if you guys wanna know exactly where it is. thanks guys

Those are the older homes in East of the Turnpike in Homestead. At least for sure you will not get chinese drywall, and they don't look cookie cutter like the new Homestead, I don't they they are gated?. They look pretty nice actually but I'm not familiar with the crime in that area.

[Carlitosway]

Homestead has grown and changed in the last few years, but still remains a poor town. Many migrants workers from Mexico, poor blacks, working class hispanics... Homestead Villages are OK, they used to be better and are not gated. My choice would be Keys Gate, or Malibu Bay. Both complexes have nice landscapings, are gated, and have 24/7 manned security. Stay away from Lakeshore, they are gated and with manned security, but have a whole lot of section 8 people living there. Good luck. It is not too bad, I lived in Homestead near the Villages for almost 16 years and did not have a single problem... I was working as a visitirng nurse and used to travel to all areas, "good" "bad" and in-between... just be aware of your surroundings like everywhere else

[doggiebus]

Originally Posted by airforceranger

i think you may be thinking of the wrong area... and i was a little dislexic with it... it's the villages at homestead, not homestead villages (not sure if that makes a difference)....

the address is 1215 egret rd... if you guys wanna know exactly where it is. thanks guys

Ohhh yes, I was looking at the other place. I had a friend that lived in that a community years ago, seemed like a nice well kept community. Smaller homes tightly packed in, but nice.

[crisp444]

Originally Posted by airforceranger

i think you may be thinking of the wrong area... and i was a little dislexic with it... it's the villages at homestead, not homestead villages (not sure if that makes a difference)....

the address is 1215 egret rd... if you guys wanna know exactly where it is. thanks guys

I didn't know the exact location of the neighborhood you named, but I just looked up the address you gave and that is in one of the nicer sections of Homestead. Home Depot, Publix/WinnDixie, gas stations, new movie theater are not far from there, either. If you have a child, try to enroll him/her in Keys Gate Charter Elementary School, as it is not far and is known as the best elementary school in the area. I am not sure of the non-charter elementary school that serves the area (maybe Air Base Elementary?)

[hurricaneMan1992]

If you want A LOT more space than the newer developments in Homestead, perhaps look at the Redlands, which is a nice mix of agricultural land/ranch-style houses (as opposed to the newer cookie-cutter places) not far from the base. I know nothing about schools there, though.

[plantlover]

I live in an older part of Homestead. I really like the area from SW 296 st. (Avocado Dr.) down to NW 16th Street (SW 303 ST) and up to 3 blocks either east or west of Krome Ave (SW 177 Ave). Most of the homes were built in the 1950's with some 1920's homes, big lots, no cookie cutter type homes. I've lived in the Homestead area since 1978. Any questions, just ask.