Palm Beach County Neighborhoods (Miami, West Palm Beach: HOA fees, condo, crime rate)

[5deCuatro]

Hi Guys,

We're making a move to the area sometime within the next year. We're planning on buying a home, i'm not totally oppposed to a condo but we'd prefer a house. We don't know where to start as we don't know which neighborhoods are good (to feel safe, raise a family, etc.) and we don't know which are considered neighborhoods we should probably stay away from.

That being said, our budget is small. We're trying to stay under 150k if possible, with either no HOA fees or under 200 dollars at most. As far as houses, we've seen stuff that's available in Lake Worth that seem ok but it brings us right back to not knowing if they are good areas or not. Based on some research we've done anything east of 95 starts to become a little run down/not good. That being said, it seems like there are some inexpensive places in that area. I've also noticed a price difference in houses within the neighborhoods that have letters in the address. ie: K street south area seems very inexpensive but the crime rate seems very bad. N street North seems to have high priced houses and according to crime maps isn't the worst but...how far are these from each other?

How's Greenacres? what are some areas we should look under and what are some we should stay away from?

Are there any up and coming neighborhoods that we should keep an eye out for?

My spouse currently works in West Palm Beach but we live in Miami so the commute is becoming very difficult. We want to make the move before getting pregnant and finding a home that works is top priority.

[wror]

Lake Worth is on the way UP from being a not so nice place. From Not to Hot. I would recommend Jupiter but it would be exchanging one commute for another.
Glad your getting out of Miami. I lived there for a short time during the building of Port Miami. Made very good $$ but the crime was too much.

[BVG_Steve]

Originally Posted by wror

I would recommend Jupiter

good luck finding a home in Jupiter for 150K or anywhere not ghetto for that matter for 150K . Unless you want to live in a not so nice area your budget will need to double to around 300K. Condo vs home 250K will get you out of the ghetto possibly.

[cfbs2691]

Originally Posted by BVG_Steve

good luck finding a home for 150K anywhere not ghetto. Unless you want to live in a not so nice area your budget will need to double to around 300K. Condo vs home 250K will get you out of the ghetto possibly.

Unfortunately I agree.
Strongly.

[Southern Star]

If an area is worth living in, it's worth paying for. If you do not like the crime statistics in an area, why invest in it?
Rent first and check out the areas in leisure.