Woo Hoo, its official we're moving to SoFl (Pembroke Pines, Davie: apartment complex, condo)

[trekker954]

I'm just so excited. My son started a job in Lauderdale on Monday, my daughter got notice that she's been picked up with another fed. agency upon a favorable background and I just received my transfer notice. We are all so excited. We love So. Fla. I play golf, my daughter scuba dives, we both love to cruise, my son loves to jet ski, so what the heck took us so long. All you neysayers I'll trade you DC for Fl anytime. We are looking at Cooper City, Weston, Davie, Miramar and pembroke pines to live. All those areas look lovely to me. I am not crazy about the hassle getting into those gated communities. While I'm sure they are safe, are they really all that necessary?

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by lshoupe

While I'm sure they are safe, are they really all that necessary?

No. There really aren't all that many of them except in Weston. Davie only has a handful of small ones where the gate is mainly for pseudo-exclusivity and Cooper City mainly has Embassy Lakes. I'm not sure about Pines/Miramar. IMO the boost in "safety" is only perceived and I would rather pay less in dues than to take the extra .05% risk of having my home burglarized and the .01% risk of being robbed in my driveway. While there are a lot of gated communities, the majority of them are ungated and the gates are mainly there for property values/ perceived exclusivity and often aren't even guarded. If we were talking about Palm Beach County area, it would be a different story where guarded, gated communities are truly dominant in "nice" areas, the crime rate is higher, and the few middle class non-gated neighborhoods tend to be (with exceptions) heavily frequented by burglars and other unwanted guests. I would want a "real" guarded gate if I lived up there too as opposed to the mechanical plastic sticks and toy guardhouses they usually have down here. Only the really ritzy areas seem to have "real" gates and for everyone million dollar house behind a gate, there is one without a gate in SW Ranches or Davie.

[fauve]

There's not really a hassle getting into the gated communities - you put a sticker on the side of your car and one gate opens automatically. There's another gate for visitors which can be a hassle. I think I'd definitely go gated right now. It was a bit overkill when they put in all these communities 10 years ago, but now not so much.

[trekker954]

i'm thinking more about friends visiting and friends of my kids (early to mid 20s). when recently looking at a home with a realtor, we were in line for over 15 minutes and this was midday that would drive me nuts.

[casualobserver]

Says something positive about the job market too.

[fauve]

Depends on whether you want a newer home or not too. I can't think of a new home subdivision in any of these neighborhoods that doesn't have a gate. We put a gate on our property (we don't have a million dollar house), and to tell you the truth, it's become one of my favorite things about the whole property. Just a matter of how much peace of mind it would give you - since our house is kind of isolated and yet only blocks from downtown Davie, it has provided me with huge peace of mind.

Separate subdivisions will have different gate hassles too - I know for instance that in Grand Palms in Pembroke Pines it can be a nightmare because there's only one gate for about 10 different subdivisions, yet other gated communities are much smaller, like the Tequestas in Weston, and it's no issue at all.

[taylorsmom]

I remember taking my little one to a pool party on a Saturday afternoon at a home in Pembroke Pines (when we lived down there several years ago) and there was a huge line at the guard house. They were recording each person's Driver's License and Tag numbers and where you were going. It took about 30 minutes to get in. It was crazy....I would not want to put friends through that. On the other hand, I lived in a gated apartment complex where the gate was just a major nuisance. It held you up going in/out and was no security at all because all you had to do was follow the car in front of you and the gate would stay open.

P.S. Edited to add....Congratulations on your move! I'm sure you will love in S. Fl.

[SouthAfrica75]

There is a great area in Davie called Forest Ridge. This is off of Pine Island Road between I-595 and Griffin Road.

It is a non-gated community and very family oriented.

I've seen homes going from the upper $200,000 and higher.

If I had just waited a year before buying my condo I would be living there.

Both my brothers lived there and loved it.

[heydade]

Originally Posted by lshoupe

I'm just so excited. My son started a job in Lauderdale on Monday, my daughter got notice that she's been picked up with another fed. agency upon a favorable background and I just received my transfer notice. We are all so excited. We love So. Fla. I play golf, my daughter scuba dives, we both love to cruise, my son loves to jet ski, so what the heck took us so long. All you neysayers I'll trade you DC for Fl anytime. We are looking at Cooper City, Weston, Davie, Miramar and pembroke pines to live. All those areas look lovely to me. I am not crazy about the hassle getting into those gated communities. While I'm sure they are safe, are they really all that necessary?

Avoid Miramar....kill, death, murder everywhere. Seriousely....I warn you..stay away from Miramar

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by heydade

Avoid Miramar....kill, death, murder everywhere. Seriousely....I warn you..stay away from Miramar

How many murders have there been in "Murdamar" so far this year? Doesn't that mostly apply to the east side and the areas that are an inch close to Dade?