Young Irish Family of 5 moving to Palm Beach County from Sydney, Advice Badly Needed!! (Miami: real estate)

[Eire19166]

Hi everyone
We are thinking on leaving Sydney as things are simply just to expensive and after being here 4 years, we are no further ahead, so we're thinking on returning to America were we once lived (kid free at the time between 1997-2004 in NYC). I am fortunate enough to be an American citizen so we're good on that end.
What we need to know now is where is the good places to live there? We have a family member moving to Boca Raton soon so i guess this is where i will go tol start out.
Can people recommend where is best to live in Palm Beach County?? Is there plenty of work in that area??
I am a Supervisor/Foreman in the civil construction area. I had also owned a residential property development company for 7 years also. My wife is now a Dental Assistant and is also a qualified Day Care Worker, So had owned her own Childcare centre at one time also
Also i would appreciate pointers on salary expectations?
Our kids are 9,8 & 11months.

We are going to need all the advice we can get here so thanks in advance

Cheers

Paddy

[Fl1150]

As far as your wife finding work she should have no problem because healthcare is all around a pretty stable sector of the economy. Construction is also very big here so I don't think you will have a problem either if the experience. Some areas to check out are Jupiter, Palm Beach Gardens and even West Palm Beach or Boca Raton is nice. Salaries I have no clue what to expect but Palm Beach County can be expensive not like where your coming from but a little above the American average.

[urbandeco]

I can speak for Boca Raton. It's a great town! On the east side, its a bit more urban, cosmopolitan and the downtown area is going through a building boom. Prices are higher in Boca for real estate, but it will be cheap compared to other places in the US. Boca has great shopping, amazing restaurants and some great public schools. I personally like the east, as its near or on the water, more established neighborhoods...although older compared to way out west, more amenities and a younger, more international population. The beaches are all nice, as most are city owned, and dont have development on them as opposed to places like Miami Beach. East Delray Beach is another area you might want to check out. Its got some really nice neighborhoods and is quite a beautiful town. Delray is just north of Boca Raton.

Salaries can be lower in South Florida, but so is the cost of living in many aspects. Don't really know what salaries in your industries.

[Eire19166]

thanks guys,
Thanks for your replies.

[Gibbs Baum]

Hey...I would also stay East. Staying near the ocean helps the heat with ocean breezes. The beauty of South Florida is the number of events and festivals. You can find the annual events and neighborhood posts on Facebook under Discover Boca Raton. I know the area really well because I am in real estate. If you want more info on the area and real estate, you can just google me.

[nina702]

Florida is great and what everyone said seems true enough, but I have been to Sydney twice, and it is one of my favorite cities. You can come to FLA, and hopefully find work etc, (Miami construction is booming again) but you will have culture shock, unless you have been here before. Most everything is done by car. The beaches are great but they aren't Bondi or Manly. There is no decent public transportation. Boca has some of the best schools in the USA, which is a plus.. but it gets pretty hot and humid. I know Sydney can too, but here it lasts much longer. Sydney is an outdoor city, Florida not so much, especially in the summers.
And of course, there is no Syndey Harbor!!

[urbandeco]

True....I would compare South Florida more to the Gold Coast/Surfers area.