Safest, reasonably priced areas to live in. (Fort Lauderdale, Coral Springs: apartments, foreclosure)

[meltedsnoflake]

I'm going to be moving to South Florida in a few month. I was looking around Plantation to purchase a condo for myself. Is this a safe area and what other areas would you recommend for someon moving from Michigan. I was also looking at Coral Springs and maybe even Pompano Beach. I'm only spending about 100k on a 2 bedroom condo.
Pretty much the only requirement for me is to be within walking distance to the grocery store or supermarket.

[mango23]

Originally Posted by meltedsnoflake

I'm going to be moving to South Florida in a few month. I was looking around Plantation to purchase a condo for myself. Is this a safe area and what other areas would you recommend for someon moving from Michigan. I was also looking at Coral Springs and maybe even Pompano Beach. I'm only spending about 100k on a 2 bedroom condo.
Pretty much the only requirement for me is to be within walking distance to the grocery store or supermarket.

The walking thing to stores may be tough. You will have to look at on google maps what you are interested in and see. Walking distance means different things to different people. To some a mile each way may be short. Some areas are not very nice walking areas. No sidewalks on the roadway and crossing 6 lane roads to get back and forth. Also the $100,000 thing for the condo, you would have to see this in person for sure. Many of these condos since things have gone bad are becoming slums. Even many high end ones with million dollar pent houses.

People can't pay the maintance fees, forecloses and so on. The condo is like a mini economy or city. When bills go unpaid things go bad. I have a friend in a beach front complex where they have not only lost a good $300,000 on the apartment, the place is almost unlivable now. There is no air condition in the building halls and lobby. The carpting in the halls is dirty and is comming up. Whose going to clean it, the place has no money. 30% of the apartments are in foreclosure and many are just empty because they didn't sell in the first place. The building has almost no maintenance at all. From the outside it looks like a place where movie stars must live but it is in reality a fancy slum. All I am saying is just be careful, places can be a lot different then the picture on Realtor.com.

[fauve]

I agree with Mango as far as difficulty finding a place walking distance to a grocery store. South Florida generally isn't set up for walking in most parts other than a few downtown areas, and those areas, while very safe, are more geared toward restaurants and boutiques. A few areas in Plantation near University in the Fountain Shops and Pine Island (just north of Broward) are trying for a new urban - live/shop - feel. The one by University & the Fountains is brand new and they have begun leasing. I don't know their price range, but imagine they'll be somewhat pricey. The apartment building on Pine Island is a condo, but even post-boom is still around $250k for a 2 bedroom (they ran around $500k when they first sold).

In your price range, I would try to find a deal in Jacaranda Country Club in Plantation near the golf course. There have even been townhouses that have gone for around the $100K mark. You will need a car to get to grocery shopping, but the plus side is you wont have to do much walking in the heat!

I think Pompano Beach is an intriguing area. Probably the last neighborhood by/on the beach which is affordable. I would be very careful here, as mango suggested, in investigating condo board finances and chat up people living in the building you're interested in.

Also, decide whether you want to live in the suburbs or by the beach. The lifestyles are extremely different. After 20 years of living in the suburbs, we returned to a downtown area, and feel like we are living in a completely different locale, not somewhere that is just 20 minutes from where we used to live.

[SierraDog]

The OP may want to consider the Coral Ridge area of Fort Lauderdale near Oakland Park and U.S. 1. There are a lot of affordable condos in older buildings, you may not get direct intercoastal or beachfront condos for the $100,000 price range, but there are definitely buildings there in nice areas that are in that ballpark AND in walking distance to shopping (Target, Publix and Coral Ridge Mall) and a bike ride to the beach.