Areas in East Boca (Boca Raton, Delray Beach: short sales, foreclosures, condos)

[ntsf]

We're looking to move from West Boynton to East Boca. We'd like a little land and can do without the HOA, so it looks like our best bet is East Boca, due to airport proximity and FAU. What about the areas there? How do they compare? East/West of 95, Near Yamato/Glades/Palmetto? It seems the general consensus is "Boca is nice... just avoid Pearl City". Any advice beyond that?

Thanks!

[joanie55]

Hidden Valley is a very nice area in east Boca where the homes have some land. Tropic Isles on the intracoastal is also very nice but more pricey. Don't know what you're looking to spend.

[bale002]

Hidden Valley is north of Yamato towards the Delray Beach border. Prices there for a non-HOA SFH are more moderate compared to other areas in east Boca. I'm not too sure whether Tropical Isles offers SFHs, I believe it is mostly condos and townhouses.

The SFH subdivision just south of Glades, I believe, also offers older SFHs with land, but is more pricey. In some cases, people have bought the property, demolished the old house, and built anew.

Further south, a bit south of Palmetto, I believe, there is a peninsula with non-HOA SFHs that may be even more pricey. I forgot the name of the subdivision, but the streets have Spanish and other Mediterranean-type names, sort of like Coral Gables.

Under current market conditions, you may want to check out if there are any good deals on short sales/foreclosures, though Hidden Valley is probably your best bet.

A bit further inland but still east of 95 there are other older subsections and streets that have non-HOA SFHs, especially around Palmetto, but particular names of subsections do not stand out, you have to do your research, visit them, etc. The eastern zip codes from north to south are 33487, 33431 and 33432, but they extend inland to around Military Trail.

As joanie55 says, a lot depends on price range.

Good Luck!

[ntsf]

Thank you both for your input... We're looking in the lower (sub-400) price range due to our situation with our current house. We've also been looking at Boca Raton Hills, Palm Beach Farms, and a realtor recommended Boca Raton Square. If we get something that we can renovate/extend, or even live in for a while then demolish, we'd be fine with that.

The realtor we contacted said to avoid short sales... Can you recommend a realtor for that?

[skylinet]

The realtor we contacted said to avoid short sales... Can you recommend a realtor for that?

Most realtors will try and stay away from short sales. They are a real headache for everyone. I have one now where the buyer has waited 4 months to get acceptance just to find out that the property didn't appraise at the value of the offer (which we are re-negotiating), but I've also seen short sales get approved in a month.
If you are patient though and willing to wait around it can be worth it. Researching the background of the sale is important.