Neighborhood and apartment suggestions near Calusa/Omni (Boca Raton, Delray Beach: apartment complexes, renter)

[cariocagirl]

We’re moving from Texas to Boca Raton this Summer. I’ve done some research online and it seems that the area served by Calusa and Omni would be a good fit for my family. We’re going to be in town at the end of the month and plan to check out some places. We will need to rent an appartment for a few months and then buy a house, and I would prefer to be in the same school and try to make it a smooth transition for our soon to be 3rd grader.

I’d appreciate any suggestions and input on:
1) Family friendly apartment complexes
2) Family friendly neighborhoods with low hoa
3) Any thoughts on the area, since I only know about it from online research.

Thank you!

[DaniellaG]

How much are you looking to spend and what size of a place? What do you consider low HOA

Finding an apartment for just a few months is going to be hard and it will cost way more. You may find a condo from a private renter especially off season who will rent for a few months.

[SoFLBreeze]

Texas to Boca?!?! Big move! My dad is from Texas (Lubbock). He lives in a Calusa zoned neighborhood with no HOA- Do you want HOA benefits? What is "Low" for your family? Are you planning to rent because you won't have time to look? And why Calusa? It IS a great school but there are others. How many options do you want? Delray Beach has some good schools too. Feel free to send me any questions! Sorry I seem to have more questions for you than answers LOL!

[cariocagirl]

Thank you so much both for your responses.

Those are really good questions. Budget is a really big thing for us as cost of living is low here in TX, we don't want to arrive and start splurging!

So, for rent I would like to stay under $2K for a 2-bedroom apartment. I said a few months, but it may take several months to know exactly where we want to be. I saw some areas that have 7-month term leases, which is about the time we think we need. I like the condo idea, but husband thinks it will be easier with a property management company.

For houses, I would like to stay on the $400s, maybe $500s if it checks all the boxes. I realize that limits our options in Boca. I do like HOA, but more than $200 is too much. We pay about $500/year here in TX - the community is not gated, but it has a pool and a playground, and we're walking distance to 4 other playgrounds.

I liked Calusa, Verde, and Del Prado, but I also wanted great middle and high schools, so for the combination of Elementary with Omni and Spanish River, Calusa was the school with more options of houses that we can afford. I think there were only two houses in Del Prado/Omni/SR area that I can afford.

Having said that, we also started to look at Wellington and Parkland as options. We both work from home, so commute is not an issue.