Finding the right development in Boca (Sunrise, Boca Raton: 2014, HOA, houses)

[sinyor19]

Hi There

Will soon begin our search to move down to Boca from NJ and we will start looking at prospective developments. Initial search yields lots of places with High HSA/Membership fees. Any help finding a development:

- In boca
- Jewish neighbourhood
- House price 400-450
- Minimal HSA fees
- No membership fees. This is an unnecessary expense for us.

Does such a place exist???

Thanks!

[Mattr82]

Hi sinyor19,

My wife and I went through this same search (and budget) back in 2014 when we relocated to Palm Beach County from New Jersey. We ended up buying in Wellington as we felt we were getting better "bang for the buck" there, however Boca was our top choice due to location, schools, restaurants, etc. We also wanted to avoid equity interest golf course communities as we are not golfers and didn't see much value in the lifestyle.

We were looking to move to West Boca. Our top choices were:

1) Boca Falls-HOA is around $325 a month, bit newer homes, around late 90's. This development was a bit out of our budget but we were considering a smaller home.
2) Mission Bay-HOA varies from 200-350 a month depending on what subdivision you're looking at. We saw some really nice houses but concluded that many needed new roofs (having been built in the early 90's) and a ton of updating.
3) Boca Winds-lower HOA around $160 a month. Boca winds offers what we felt was the best bang for the buck as far as size and location, however is not gated.

Best,

Matt

[sinyor19]

Originally Posted by Mattr82

Hi sinyor19,

My wife and I went through this same search (and budget) back in 2014 when we relocated to Palm Beach County from New Jersey. We ended up buying in Wellington as we felt we were getting better "bang for the buck" there, however Boca was our top choice due to location, schools, restaurants, etc. We also wanted to avoid equity interest golf course communities as we are not golfers and didn't see much value in the lifestyle.

We were looking to move to West Boca. Our top choices were:

1) Boca Falls-HOA is around $325 a month, bit newer homes, around late 90's. This development was a bit out of our budget but we were considering a smaller home.
2) Mission Bay-HOA varies from 200-350 a month depending on what subdivision you're looking at. We saw some really nice houses but concluded that many needed new roofs (having been built in the early 90's) and a ton of updating.
3) Boca Winds-lower HOA around $160 a month. Boca winds offers what we felt was the best bang for the buck as far as size and location, however is not gated.

Best,

Matt

Thanks Matt! This is really helpful. Will take a look at these online. We would happily consider areas outside of Boca, I think we are just fixated with the schools there (we currently have young ones), so thats a top priority.

[Mattr82]

Boca has great schools, no doubt. Other areas with great schools include: Parkland, Wellington and Jupiter.

[City Guy997S]

Originally Posted by Mattr82

We were looking to move to West Boca. Our top choices were:

1) Boca Falls-HOA is around $325 a month, bit newer homes, around late 90's. This development was a bit out of our budget but we were considering a smaller home.
2) Mission Bay-HOA varies from 200-350 a month depending on what subdivision you're looking at. We saw some really nice houses but concluded that many needed new roofs (having been built in the early 90's) and a ton of updating.
3) Boca Winds-lower HOA around $160 a month. Boca winds offers what we felt was the best bang for the buck as far as size and location, however is not gated.

Best,

Matt

Note NONE of these communities are actually in the City of Boca Raton. They are all in unincorporated Palm Beach county. The "west of 441" corridor is the least desirable area.

[Mattr82]

For op's budget/requirements, the Boca area west of 441 is a great choice.

[sinyor19]

Originally Posted by City Guy997S

Note NONE of these communities are actually in the City of Boca Raton. They are all in unincorporated Palm Beach county. The "west of 441" corridor is the least desirable area.

Could you elaborate on "least desirable". In terms of??

[Mattr82]

I am curious too as my wife and I almost bought in Boca Falls in 2014 and thought it would be a great place to raise a family.

The zoned schools for the area: Elementary; Water's Edge, Sandpiper Shores, Del Prado and Sunrise Park are very good to excellent. Middle; Logger's Run, Omni and Eagles run are all excellent;
High: Spanish River (best) with West Boca and Olympic Heights as other options.

This location, close to the turnpike, 441 and all shops/restaurants on Glades made it very appealing. We ended up in Wellington as we were able to get more house for the money. We do go to Boca and Palm Beach Gardens a lot as Wellington has far less options for restaurants and shopping.

[cfbs2691]

Originally Posted by City Guy997S

Note NONE of these communities are actually in the City of Boca Raton. They are all in unincorporated Palm Beach county. The "west of 441" corridor is the least desirable area.

Great post

[City Guy997S]

Originally Posted by sinyor19

Could you elaborate on "least desirable". In terms of??

Easy......it is build up against the Everglades, the furthest location from the beach possible and the traffic out there is ridiculous. Look at it on an aerial map, you will quickly see why it is the least desirable area.

When you get to town, try to drive from lets say the mall (Glades Rd west to 441) at 4-5 pm on any weekday. Map says 8 miles, 20 minutes. I'd bet on a weekday afternoon it will be a solid 45 minutes to get home (without an accident making it worse!).

I lived in East Boca from 1984 to 2001. I was 1.2 miles from the beach, usually rode my bike to not have to deal with the hassle of parking. I could probably get to Ft Lauderdale faster than getting to Glades, West of 441.

Biggest hassle of East Boca is the trains/bridges over the intracoastal.


Look into the benefits of being an actual city resident vs. a west Bocur poseur! City police/fire, library/beach/golf access. It is no accident that the most expensive communities are all inside the city limits.