May find myself relocated to Miami (Kendall, Jupiter: real estate market, foreclosure, big home)
MiamiMiami-Dade County
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. A middle class neighborhood in my suburban MN town has lots of 4, 5 and 6 bedroom homes for 250-350K and they all are 1/3 acre or more.
I wish...that doesn't exist here.
Yes, I'm the kind of parent that supports a high dollar private school even if all the little rich kids go there.
A private school doesn't necessarily guarantee a great education. Don't base all your decisions on test scores. There's more to a school than a test score.
All that garbage about driving Mercedes and whatever... who cares???? Let them!!! My kids don't think those things are important and neither do I!!!!
When they're ragged on and ostracized by their peers for NOT having a Mercedes (or a Hummer...BMW....Maserati...etc...and it had better be a brand new one!)...and for being on scholarship...and for not living in Gables by the Sea/Cocoplum/Key Biscayne/Old Cutler Road/Coral Gables/Coconut Grove, they will care.
All this stuff that I've been asking for help finding is not important!!! ok??? I'm way more concerned about my family's relationship with Christ than any of this worldly stuff.... but wow... I never expected this thread to turn so badly... I'm just a middle class guy wanting to move up in this society.... if anyone in Miami has the life I'm looking for, you can DM me to help point me in the right direction.
I totally respect that...and I admire you for sticking to your guns and not settling for anything less, but you will not find the life you are looking for on a $70K salary here in Miami. It's just not possible. $70K is a VERY middle class income. If we were talking about a $300K salary, then you'd have more possibilities to get what you want. It's just the way things are here.
I think this thread has reached a critical point where I'm not going to get any more assistance. Thanks to those that were willing to help without stereotyping me and bashing my standards. It's pretty sad when I can't freely contribute my thoughts without being accused of totally missing the point to life...
I think you already received the assistance you needed. The only thing I recommend you is next time you visit a city forum to avoid comments like the following if you don't want people to get defensive. Once that happens people will stop helping you.
I am moving for my family. Read my other thread sometime. My wife has depression and I need to get her out of this frozen wasteland. The ocean is just a perk, not the goal.
You've been the biggest help for me on here and I don't mean to offend anyone but - yikes - I can't see why people think this is impossible. All I'm asking for is upper middle class... not truffle-and-Dom-Perignon-soaked-filet-mignon everyday but that does sound nice.
Oh well... we'll see what happends....
I'm in TN and my husband and I have been thinking of relocating our family of 5 to Florida for a couple of years now. We are coming to Miami in April and will be looking at Sarasota in June. My preference is Miami as I like living near a more Metropolitan area.
While I love the look of Coral Gables and would dearly love to live there, our daughter will be about to start high school when we make this move in another year. Because I'm not sure we can afford Coral Gables AND a private school, we are looking at Pinecrest and Palmetto Bay.
The reason I am stating this is because you have to make compromises. If your children's education is that important to you, you may want to consider homeschooling. I homeschooled our daughter until 6th grade, then she wanted to go to "regular" school. When she tested to go back to school, some of her rankings were Post High School level and she was just finishing 5th grade.
All of my children are straight A students (my boys are in elementary school) and a lot of that has to do with parental involvement and working with teachers to ensure they get the most out of school.
As far as the 3500 square foot house, I will be leaving a yard that is 1 1/2 acres and a home that is 3680 square feet with 5 bedrooms and 3 baths. I know I will be moving to a smaller house and smaller yard and I'm willing to sacrifice for the weather and the close proximity to the beach.
You might want to pick up a book entitled "The Not So Big House". It was an eye-opener for me. You really do not need as much space as you think you do.
Hi, as a nearly broke college student who knows nothing about having and raising a family(other than what i hear from my brother) I'd say that a lot of people on here are right. That you are asking for too much for what you alledge you make. Ok fine. Figure out what you are willing to compromise!
Then go from there. I come from a nice neighborhood in northern virginia with great schools. Outside of class, the kids i hung out with were pretty well-rounded etc.. However here in Miami, even if you send them to a nice private school. Unless theyre hanging out with those millionare kids(in which they'll be hanging out at their houses and not at home) and the neighborhood has bright kids they will be with children that aren't as well-rounded. Potentially involving them in risky situations. The pervasive culture around here idealizes all the bad things with youth. I'm talking about things you see in hip-hop/rap videos. That said, i'm not from here so i apologize if i'm generalizing all miami youth as mischieveous.
All im saying, is if you live in Miami and you want your kids to be super-children you will be a helicopter-parent. just my two-cents. Decide what you want to compromise on. Your colleective lifestyle or perks for your children, or wife.
And the heat here is no joke! You'll be indoors in MN from october-april. Here you want to be indoors from April(march can get hot)-October/November. Good LUCK!
I'm in TN and my husband and I have been thinking of relocating our family of 5 to Florida for a couple of years now. We are coming to Miami in April and will be looking at Sarasota in June. My preference is Miami as I like living near a more Metropolitan area.
While I love the look of Coral Gables and would dearly love to live there, our daughter will be about to start high school when we make this move in another year. Because I'm not sure we can afford Coral Gables AND a private school, we are looking at Pinecrest and Palmetto Bay.
The reason I am stating this is because you have to make compromises. If your children's education is that important to you, you may want to consider homeschooling. I homeschooled our daughter until 6th grade, then she wanted to go to "regular" school. When she tested to go back to school, some of her rankings were Post High School level and she was just finishing 5th grade.
All of my children are straight A students (my boys are in elementary school) and a lot of that has to do with parental involvement and working with teachers to ensure they get the most out of school.
As far as the 3500 square foot house, I will be leaving a yard that is 1 1/2 acres and a home that is 3680 square feet with 5 bedrooms and 3 baths. I know I will be moving to a smaller house and smaller yard and I'm willing to sacrifice for the weather and the close proximity to the beach.
You might want to pick up a book entitled "The Not So Big House". It was an eye-opener for me. You really do not need as much space as you think you do.
I don't really understand why you think you need a private school when living in Coral Gables. The schools are well-regarded and the high school is fine. Yes, Palmetto High (for which Pinecrest and Palmetto Bay are zoned) is known as the "best" non-magnet public school in the county, but I have known a few people who went through the Coral Gables schools and they did just fine there. What will your housing budget be? Most 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom homes with 1500-1800 square feet cost around $500,000 in Coral Gables. My sister and I grew up with my parents in a 1070 square foot home, and though it was tight at times, as an adult I now see how ludicrous it is that some families think they need a 3000+ square foot home.
Hi, as a nearly broke college student who knows nothing about having and raising a family(other than what i hear from my brother) I'd say that a lot of people on here are right. That you are asking for too much for what you alledge you make. Ok fine. Figure out what you are willing to compromise!
Then go from there. I come from a nice neighborhood in northern virginia with great schools. Outside of class, the kids i hung out with were pretty well-rounded etc.. However here in Miami, even if you send them to a nice private school. Unless theyre hanging out with those millionare kids(in which they'll be hanging out at their houses and not at home) and the neighborhood has bright kids they will be with children that aren't as well-rounded. Potentially involving them in risky situations. The pervasive culture around here idealizes all the bad things with youth. I'm talking about things you see in hip-hop/rap videos. That said, i'm not from here so i apologize if i'm generalizing all miami youth as mischieveous.
All im saying, is if you live in Miami and you want your kids to be super-children you will be a helicopter-parent. just my two-cents. Decide what you want to compromise on. Your colleective lifestyle or perks for your children, or wife.
And the heat here is no joke! You'll be indoors in MN from october-april. Here you want to be indoors from April(march can get hot)-October/November. Good LUCK!
I just don't know about this. I'm not that old (mid-20's) and I grew up between so-called () big-money-flashy-sex-and-drugs Miami and get-drunk-and-smoke-pot-all-day Key West, and I turned out just fine. So did most of my childhood friends. There are good people and bad people, productive people and destructive people, everywhere you go. I don't think Miami or Key West are necessarily bad places to raise children, but I guess if by-the-Bible, early-to-bed-early-to-rise, green-lawn, "Midwestern values" suburbia is what you think is best for raising children, you're probably not going to like South Florida. Your children will be exposed to all different kinds of people down there, and I think that's a good thing.
I'm in TN and my husband and I have been thinking of relocating our family of 5 to Florida for a couple of years now. We are coming to Miami in April and will be looking at Sarasota in June. My preference is Miami as I like living near a more Metropolitan area.
Good luck with your visit to FL and I hope you find what you're looking for. Have fun in Sarasota. It has a small metropolis of it's own and it's not far from Tampa for even bigger city opportunities. I've lived in TN for a few years too. It's beautiful country.
I understand many people think I'm asking too much. I would argue forever about that but it's not important. What is important is finding a home and a school that meets my interests and this thread has shown me it's going to be a whole lot harder in Miami than other parts of the country. Why that is I can't say for sure, but it is. I don't think I need to go on defending it - I'm sure many people agree that it shouldn't be a focus of mine but it will be nonetheless. I can afford it all (like I'm asking for) right now on my income, let alone on this new job, both here and in some parts of Florida, but downsizing every area of my life just to live in Miami??? Doesn't seem worth it.
Whatever makes Miami so expensive isn't important to me right now... a person just has to acknowledge it's ridiculously expensive no matter what - and I hope that if I get the job I can also find a way around all of that spend hype, because that's what it is, hype.
I'll be back on the thread once I find out if I'm bound for Miami.
Good luck with your visit to FL and I hope you find what you're looking for. Have fun in Sarasota. It has a small metropolis of it's own and it's not far from Tampa for even bigger city opportunities. I've lived in TN for a few years too. It's beautiful country.
I understand many people think I'm asking too much. I would argue forever about that but it's not important. What is important is finding a home and a school that meets my interests and this thread has shown me it's going to be a whole lot harder in Miami than other parts of the country. Why that is I can't say for sure, but it is. I don't think I need to go on defending it - I'm sure many people agree that it shouldn't be a focus of mine but it will be nonetheless. I can afford it all (like I'm asking for) right now on my income, let alone on this new job, both here and in some parts of Florida, but downsizing every area of my life just to live in Miami??? Doesn't seem worth it.
Whatever makes Miami so expensive isn't important to me right now... a person just has to acknowledge it's ridiculously expensive no matter what - and I hope that if I get the job I can also find a way around all of that spend hype, because that's what it is, hype.
I'll be back on the thread once I find out if I'm bound for Miami.
Whatever makes Miami so expensive isn't important to me right now... a person just has to acknowledge it's ridiculously expensive no matter what - and I hope that if I get the job I can also find a way around all of that spend hype, because that's what it is, hype.
I'll be back on the thread once I find out if I'm bound for Miami.
To what "hype" are you referring? It's not "hype" - but rather a reality - that you're asking for a standard of living that is far beyond what the average person can afford, and quite frankly, well beyond what your $70,000/year household income can afford in Miami... and Miami is quite a bargain when compared to metro NYC, Boston, San Francisco, and LA. Compromise on your part isn't optional; it's absolutely essential. You can have a happy, healthy life with your family in Miami, but you need to let go of the idea that someone like you is entitled to a McMansion and 99th percentile schools, or you will never be happy down there.
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but that does sound nice.
) big-money-flashy-sex-and-drugs Miami and get-drunk-and-smoke-pot-all-day Key West, and I turned out just fine. So did most of my childhood friends. There are good people and bad people, productive people and destructive people, everywhere you go. I don't think Miami or Key West are necessarily bad places to raise children, but I guess if by-the-Bible, early-to-bed-early-to-rise, green-lawn, "Midwestern values" suburbia is what you think is best for raising children, you're probably not going to like South Florida. Your children will be exposed to all different kinds of people down there, and I think that's a good thing.
