Moving to Miami from NJ (Coral Gables, Aventura: to rent, houses, neighborhoods)

[dcusick]

Hey all. My family is looking to move down to Miami from New Jersey. Our main priority is schools (we have three kids under 5) and then we would like to have a decent lot of land, for the kids to play on. We are looking in the $1.1 million range, or a cheaper place that we can remodel. We have heard all good things about Pinecrest schools and most lots are close to an acre (especially Northern Pinecrest.) We have visited and looked at pretty much every house on the market there that fit our criteria. Unfortunately, we have not been able to find anything there.

With Pinecrest not yielding too many results for us, what other cities in Miami have excellent schools with decent lots( at least 1/2 acre )? My father-in-law lives in Bal Harbour, so we want to stay relatively close to him (within an hour or so.) Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. We have managed to make it down there about once a month or so, for the past few months. So, would like to have some alternatives ready for our next trip down.

[perry335654]

Miami Shores ia a perfect family neighborhood, however not the square-footage property one would find in Pinecrest but it it is closer to Bal Harbour.

Here are a list of private schools in Miami-Dade

Private Schools in Miami-Dade County, Florida

[sellflallday]

There are many great areas you have Coral Gables near by and many other but why give up on Pinecrest I would just get more aggressive and pro-active. There are new properties coming out to the market every day.Gooduck!!!

[Z06Girly]

I would say Pinecrest or trying checking around the Baptist Hospital Area, plenty of house with what your looking for. I live in Baptist area and it's very nice. Most houses are right around 1.1 in my area. Good Luck!

[dcusick]

Hey all. Thanks for the replies. I am definitely not giving up on Pinecrest. We just decided we should expand our search to some surrounding areas, which might help us find the perfect place. We feel as if we concentrate on one town, we will possibly end up settling on a house, since we will be comparing to what we've seen in that same town. So moving to other towns, gives more diversity in neighborhoods, architecture, etc..

Ideally, we would like to keep the kids in Public School, which is why we are looking for towns with really good school districts.

[panamamike]

Originally Posted by dcusick

Hey all. My family is looking to move down to Miami from New Jersey. Our main priority is schools (we have three kids under 5) and then we would like to have a decent lot of land, for the kids to play on. We are looking in the $1.1 million range, or a cheaper place that we can remodel. We have heard all good things about Pinecrest schools and most lots are close to an acre (especially Northern Pinecrest.) We have visited and looked at pretty much every house on the market there that fit our criteria. Unfortunately, we have not been able to find anything there.

With Pinecrest not yielding too many results for us, what other cities in Miami have excellent schools with decent lots( at least 1/2 acre )? My father-in-law lives in Bal Harbour, so we want to stay relatively close to him (within an hour or so.) Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. We have managed to make it down there about once a month or so, for the past few months. So, would like to have some alternatives ready for our next trip down.

For schools, check out these sites:

GreatSchools.org Search: Miami

America's Best High Schools - Newsweek

Mike

[flyers29]

Might want to check out Aventura too. Broward County is another option, though you'll probably get better results asking on the Ft. Lauderdale forum.

[doggiebus]

Originally Posted by dcusick

Hey all. Thanks for the replies. I am definitely not giving up on Pinecrest. We just decided we should expand our search to some surrounding areas, which might help us find the perfect place. We feel as if we concentrate on one town, we will possibly end up settling on a house, since we will be comparing to what we've seen in that same town. So moving to other towns, gives more diversity in neighborhoods, architecture, etc..

Ideally, we would like to keep the kids in Public School, which is why we are looking for towns with really good school districts.

The best thing is to rent a house in the area that you think you want to buy. This way you get to know the area better, see if it is a right fit for you and your family.