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05-16-2008, 08:20 AM
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Junior Member
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Join Date: May 2008
2 posts, read 3,693 times
Reputation: 10
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Buying a house in West Palm Beach?
Hi everybody,
I'm planning to buy a house in WPB, located in Lakeside green
(copy/paste to map it) Lakeside Green West Palm Beach, FL 33417, USA - Google Maps
I have some questions about this place:
- Is it a safe place?
- Why prices are so attractive in this area (around 150K$ for a 1300 square house with swimmingpool and near the lake... )?
Thanks in advance for your replies
(This is my first post on this board.  ) |
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05-16-2008, 08:40 AM
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Humanitarian Vigilante
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Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Broward County
2,082 posts, read 1,737,730 times
Reputation: 562
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Last edited by heydade; 05-16-2008 at 09:22 AM..
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05-16-2008, 11:48 AM
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Junior Member
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Join Date: May 2008
2 posts, read 3,693 times
Reputation: 10
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Hey thanks for your reply heydade.
I have read and followed all links you posted. So this is probably a main reason why prices are so low in this area.
Quote:
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is it a wood frame house ?
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Yes absolutly
Not mentionned on the add
I think, I must now looking for another place to find my "little paradise"  |
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05-16-2008, 11:51 AM
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Humanitarian Vigilante
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Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Broward County
2,082 posts, read 1,737,730 times
Reputation: 562
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Yeah...I was going to purchase a wood frame house in Palm Beach as well...my father strongly recommended against it and many people here on this forum did as well. If we ever get hit by another Category 5 like Hurricane Andrew did....it would blow the house away. I hear people talking about that CBS homes have wood roofs just like wood frame houses and that it's the ROOF you need to be concerned about...and that the rood is the failing point. Very true indeed, but they are forgetting one important thing....flying debris. If you get a nice piece of steal flying 120 MPH at your home and it's a wood frame home, there is good chance that it will penetrate your exterior wall. Once this happens, pressurization occurs. Once you compromise the "seal" of a home in a bad hurricane, the roof WILL fly off. That why CBS (concrete building structure) homes are SUPERIOR in homes when compared to frame homes. Not only that, but frame homes are MUCH more expensive to insure compared to CBS homes. I shopped around asking for insurance quotes when I was about to buy that frame home I mentioned and was shocked to here some of the prices. Not only do hurricanes pose a problem, but termites as well. Frame homes are just too darn expensive to maintain over the life of the house.
Check the other post near yours about "expert opinion" I recommended Wellington....which truly is a nice little paradise in the western area of Palm Beach. I listed some apartments for rent and houses for sale., including a house that looks to be a real steal to me. Good luck !!!
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05-16-2008, 05:41 PM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: May 2008
Location: South Florida
933 posts, read 297,319 times
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You do need to be careful in West Palm though there are many wonderful areas here. Look to the Western communities (west of the Turnpike). There are several wonderful communities here and the prices have come down considerably.
Your best bet is poured concrete if you can get it (that's what we have), CBS is your next best bet, and it's especially good if you get a house built since 2001 or so when new building codes went into effect. The reason this is particularly important is homeowners insurance which can run very high. However, if you have all the "extras" like hurricane shutters, plywood/OSB roof sheathing, roof straps, preferably a hip roof, you can save a bundle on your insurance costs.
Agree with Heydade that Wellington is beautiful and the schools are better than West Palm if that's an issue for you.
Also think about Royal Palm Beach which is just west of West Palm. Sometimes costs there can be a bit lower.
Another consideration is how the community irrigates its community areas. Ours is from our lakes, but if you need to pay for irrigation of your lot it will be very costly to use city water. Sometimes you're offered the option of having a well for irrigation, but that water is smelly (like rotton eggs) and stains the walls of your home.
Lots to think about in Florida if you're not from the area!!! But when you find the right home, it is absolutely "paradise"
Much good luck to you!
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05-16-2008, 08:43 PM
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In Limbo
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Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Flamingo Park - West Palm Beach
6,240 posts, read 4,064,523 times
Reputation: 1679
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Here's the rule for living in West Palm Beach:
Stay away from the NE portion of the city.
West Palm Beach ghetto is bad where it borders Riveria Beach. Stay close to the water, and in the "Southern" neighborhoods (Grandview Heights, Flamingo Park, etc.), South of Okeechobee Blvd. for good single family, non-cookie cutter neighborhoods.
People act like all of West Palm is ghetto. It's not.
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05-16-2008, 09:47 PM
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Junior Member
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Join Date: May 2008
3 posts, read 4,403 times
Reputation: 10
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Watching those YouTube videos was alarming. I had no idea. Does the crime branch out to areas surrounding Riviera Beach? I will probably be moving to the area this summer...thinking about Jupiter, Boca Raton, or Wellington.
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05-17-2008, 01:30 PM
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In Limbo
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Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Flamingo Park - West Palm Beach
6,240 posts, read 4,064,523 times
Reputation: 1679
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Here is a map of the murders in Palm Beach County in 2007:
Homicides in the Palm Beach County for 2007 |
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05-19-2008, 11:00 AM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Palm Beach County Florida
482 posts, read 531,667 times
Reputation: 70
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lifeisgood21
Watching those YouTube videos was alarming. I had no idea. Does the crime branch out to areas surrounding Riviera Beach? I will probably be moving to the area this summer...thinking about Jupiter, Boca Raton, or Wellington.
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Unless you want or can afford to live on Palm Beach (the island) I would look west of Jog Road. Granted there are areas, pockets of safer areas east of Jog.
I live in Wellington so if you have any questions let me know. |
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05-25-2008, 03:18 PM
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Member
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Join Date: May 2008
17 posts, read 18,858 times
Reputation: 11
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Can you tell me how long it would take to commute from Wellington to N Flagler every day?
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