PLANTATION or DAVIE ?? (Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Pembroke Pines: fit in, countertops, houses)

[spindoc932]

I'm from New York City and moving down to Florida with my wife. We are in our early 30s, and dont have any children yet. We are looking at homes in Plantation and Davie online and they look great but we are unsure at what each of these neighborhoods/towns are like. Does anyone have any input for us? Our price range for a home is on the higher end from about 800k to $1.2M.

If there are better surrounding areas that you prefer or think would be a better fit, feel free to mention those as well

Thanks so much!

[southfl1]

Both are nice communities. I would vote for Plantation. I find there are much more amenities but really Davie is so close, you have to drive to everything anyways from both! There is no good transportation from anywhere from the West part of Broward.

If you want unique homes (not the same looking mediterranean looking one as your neighbor) and interesting neighborhoods, think about moving east...even the weather is better in the summer. Love the Hillsboro area, Lighthouse Point, Hollywood (Emerald Hills).

Enjoy your move. You'll get a decent mediterrean looking house with a s--tile roof, pool and and maybe 2/3 of a builder's acre for that price. Oh yes, and those granite countertops that every one of those homes have too. Suburbia in Ft Lauderdale!

[namomof3]

Please excuse me for asking but how long do you plan on living in the home and do you plan on having children? The reason I ask is for the schools- it doesn't matter now or even in the near future but for example- I think it's a lot harder to get out from under a high-end home in Plantation/Davie in a situation where you may zoned for a not-so-great school. Think about that not just for your situation per-say but also resale value. Personally for that price range- I would choose Weston unless it's acreage/convienence to big-box stores that you want (then again that's just me "from the outside looking-in"). Good luck.
BTW- why are you spending that much on a home here in South Florida without children (seriously just curious)?

[compelled to reply]

Actually the difference is that you can get at least an acre in Davie for that much, while you are going to get less land in Plantation for the money, but somewhat more upscale of a setting in some areas. The schools are also significantly better in Davie and among the better ones in South Florida, while some Plantation schools are generally below average. There are cookie-cutter Mediterranean-style houses in both but there are actually a lot of different housing styles in both cities, especially in that price range, with really the same level of variation as you would find in Lighthouse Point or Emerald Hills. Plantation and Davie aren't Weston or Pembroke Pines.

[fauve]

I agree with CtR that you'll find some spectacular homes in that price range in both Plantation & Davie (not at all cookie-cutter) on as many as 2 1/2 acres depending on how upscale you want the house...if you're in that price range for houses or anyone you sell to later in a resale situation, you'd/they'd probably be thinking private anyway. American Heritage is in Plantation, and really here (I live in Plantation and kids went to Heritage) it isn't an issue till high school (the elementary schools are A schools and so is Seminole Middle) so I wouldn't sweat so much about the schools.

If you like gated, Med, upscale, look in Hawk's Landing. If you want land, uniqueness, look in Plantation Acres. In Davie, I would look in Whispering Pines for land & cool houses and Highland Ranches if you like the new suburban Med style type. If you want more land (2 acres +), look in Sunshine Ranches which is technically part of the city of Southwest Ranches.

[namomof3]

Originally Posted by fauve

I agree with CtR that you'll find some spectacular homes in that price range in both Plantation & Davie (not at all cookie-cutter) on as many as 2 1/2 acres depending on how upscale you want the house...if you're in that price range for houses or anyone you sell to later in a resale situation, you'd/they'd probably be thinking private anyway.



American Heritage is in Plantation, and really here (I live in Plantation and kids went to Heritage) it isn't an issue till high school (the elementary schools are A schools and so is Seminole Middle) so I wouldn't sweat so much about the schools.

If you like gated, Med, upscale, look in Hawk's Landing. If you want land, uniqueness, look in Plantation Acres. In Davie, I would look in Whispering Pines for land & cool houses and Highland Ranches if you like the new suburban Med style type. If you want more land (2 acres +), look in Sunshine Ranches which is technically part of the city of Southwest Ranches.

Yeah I didn't think of that (someone in that price range is probably not thinking public school in So. Fla) See, I'm still learning as I go~

[Momma_bear]

Originally Posted by spindoc932

I'm from New York City and moving down to Florida with my wife. We are in our early 30s, and dont have any children yet. We are looking at homes in Plantation and Davie online and they look great but we are unsure at what each of these neighborhoods/towns are like. Does anyone have any input for us? Our price range for a home is on the higher end from about 800k to $1.2M.

If there are better surrounding areas that you prefer or think would be a better fit, feel free to mention those as well

Thanks so much!

Both are good choices in that price range, especially for younger folks without kids. The schools are ok in both areas through middle school. I prefer Plantation to Davie. The glide path for Fort Lauderdale airport goes over much of Davie. The further west you are in Davie, the less of a problem the planes are. Not all neighborhoods in Davie are affected so you have to check out the individual houses.

If gated communities are important to you, you will find more variety in Davie than Plantation in that price range. In Davie Northstar, Long Lake Estates, Long Lake Ranches, Westridge, Stonebrook, Saddlebrook, Carlton Ranches, Highland Lakes Estates, Blackhawk Estates, The Hamlet, Mystique, Crystal Grove Estates, Emerald Springs, Imagination Farms are all gated and have homes in your price range. I am sure I forgot some.....There is a new community called Woodbridge Ranches in Davie. We looked there, didn't love it, but you might.

In Plantation there are fewer gated communities in your price range. Hawks Landing, and Vintage Creek are the only ones that I can think of. There are others with less expensive homes but those are the ones I can think of. There are a handful of gated streets in Plantation Acres.

Both Plantation and Davie are nice towns but they are different from one another. You really need to get down here and take a look.

You will also find homes in Weston in that price range. Weston homes will be lovely but be on less land and in more cookie cutter gated communities.

[rkumar3]

Agreed with above suggestions...... While Weston is very nice and upscale, I still prefer Plantation and Davie and given a choice I would prefer Plantation as well. Someone mentioned Hawk's Landing, that is a beautiful community with tons of amenities, security etc. Good luck on the move, I am sure you are going to find a really good home for that price.

[ruski]

Originally Posted by spindoc932

I'm from New York City and moving down to Florida with my wife. We are in our early 30s, and dont have any children yet. We are looking at homes in Plantation and Davie online and they look great but we are unsure at what each of these neighborhoods/towns are like. Does anyone have any input for us? Our price range for a home is on the higher end from about 800k to $1.2M.

If there are better surrounding areas that you prefer or think would be a better fit, feel free to mention those as well

Thanks so much!

Weston.

[spindoc932]

Thanks so much for the quick replies everyone! This is a huge decision of ours and all your suggestions are appreciated and noted. If you dont mind,I'm going to be a little more specific about our needs/wants and hopefully things become clearer

Gated Community is a must. Theres a chance we would only live there during the winter months for the first few years while we don't have any kids. We both work from home so that is not an issue. We would love an upscale community thats has a clubhouse, with activities, and great amenities. I'd also love to be near a few golf courses because I really enjoy playing. Our style of home is the luxurious Mediterranean looking ones.

This next part is pretty important as well. Being from New York, we are both city people at heart. We are moving down to Florida for a slower lifestyle and to relax, but we don't want to be in an area that is too slow, or too far from the action or the stores. I'm not sure we would fit in, in some equestrian communities or things like that so finding an area with similiar young professionals, around the same age(30-40) may be the hardest part for us. We have been to Fort lauderdale a handful of times and even though theres alot of New Yorkers and theres a ton of things to do, thats just not our scene either. Too much Rif Raf.

The realtor we are working with told us Hawk's Landing in Plantation is gorgeous, and we just wanted some information on Plantation. We mentioned Heron Bay in Parkland to him and he wasn't thrilled about its proximity to major highways

I hear alot of mentions about Weston. Is it too slow paced for us? Is it slower paced than Plantation or Davie?

Thanks SO MUCH