Brickell v. SoBe Condo/Area Living (Miami, Sunset: real estate, apartment, lease)

[elchevere]

Hi:

55 year old active single professional who currently works from home and travels out of town once a month hoping to retire in 5 years considering a move from San Diego to Miami and trying to decide between Brickell and SoBe. Just spent 30 days in SoBe and loved it; did not spend as much time in Brickell as I should have:

1. Love SoBe (Sunset Harbour and Belle Isle) but it appears as though I would have to take a bigger mortgage and pay an extra $125-175K for a 2 bedroom condo vs a comparable one in Brickell....debating whether its worth it.....besides those areas, love Lincoln Rd Mall and South Pointe Park in SoBe...besides the higher costs, the gyms all suck in SoBe--including and especially Equinox. Is SoBe worth the extra money and/or taking on additional debt with a goal of retiring within 5 years??

2. Brickell has a good gym I would join, Sports Club at Four Seasons....my biggest fear is, working out of my house, it appears to be all high rises and concrete...are there people out and about on the street besides lunch hour and do people who live there get a claustrophobic or isolated feel where people are in their condo or at work but not on the streets?....is there an area now or in the future where people congregate, as is the case with Lincoln Road Mall or Purdy in Sunset Harbour?--i.e. Mary Brickell Village??...is it a pain in the rear to get to SoBe or other beach areas on the weekend (traffic and parking issues)??

3. Would Brickell Key be a nice compromise between Brickell and SoBe--give me a more relaxed feel yet allow me to go into Brickell for the gym, dinner, etc?...if I did this option, besides joining Sports Club, I might also buy a pool membership at The Standard Hotel on weekends so I could spend some time in the SoBe area and meet different people.

4. If I choose Brickell or Brickell Key, I am hearing stories of some buildings being occupied by noisy college kids and/or poorly constructed....any good buildings you recommend I check out that are well built and not frat houses, as I am a light sleeper?....I prefer to spend around $600K for a 2BR 2BA 1100-1200 sq ft unit but could go higher (up to $700K) for the right building...either in Brickell or Brickell Key. Can be existing condo or new...any thoughts on the Nines Condo going in at Mary Brickell Village??....for perspective, in SoBe I would also consider The Waverly or a nicely remodeled unit on Belle Isle or a deal at The Vistas ('boutique' next to Standard)--though, again, these will be closer to $700K or higher.

5. For my age group, any issues with me considering Brickell area?..again, active and youthful 55YO.

Anything else I am not considering??...Thanks for your help.

[HellaGoose]

How do you feel of the area South of Fifth on SoBe? Have you considered a boutique style building in that area?

As for Brickell...it really is a mix of all kinds of people, Brickell Key is definitely more relaxed, so that might be my recommendation for you out of the choices.

One other option that I don't know if you've considered is possibly a house in The Roads right next to Brickell...this of course is dependent on if you specifically want an apartment, but if not, you could probably find a cute house in a quiet relaxing neighborhood within a few blocks of Brickell for your budget.

[elchevere]

I stayed at Yacht Club in SoFi...besides real estate everything (restos, gyms, coffee) is expensive and overpriced and I do not drive a Bentley or Ferrari...I looked at The Cosmopolitan--not bad and not a bad price if you want to be in that area...Belle Isle and Sunset Harbour more to my liking.

[hurricaneMan1992]

There are gyms in some of the South Beach hotels and resorts too, not just Equinox and Crunch. I'd also look at the Venetian Islands, especially Belle Isle, some of those buildings look like they should have amenities. West Avenue high rises too.

There is no equivalent to Lincoln Road in or around Brickell. Brickell Village is just such a small area and it's mainly the bars that are open late, and I always get the feeling that people who are walking there have just parked their car or left it with the valet guy and are headed directly for the bar or restautant--very few pedestrians and virtually no cyclists on the surrounding roads, and it's not a place you really go to just stroll around for an hour or two.

I always thought, if you live in Brickell Key, it must be a PITA to have to deal with the Brickell and 8th intersection every trip, every day (though you can take the trolley to the heart of Brickell). Plus parking in the heart of Brickell can be tricky. The main garage at Brickell Village has a terrible situation for ingress/egress, I notice many near accidents around there. I'm very surprised 10th hasn't been converted to one-way and a traffic lights put up at 10th and Miami Ave and 10th and SW 1st, since the stop signs are just not working!!! I guess it's not only public transportation that hasn't keep up with development...

[elchevere]

Yes, I am aware some buildings have very nice gyms (Flamingo, Murano Portofino, Sporting Club at Continuum is amazing but has an annual $5K membership--a bit out of my price range)....I get mixed comments as to whether a non resident can buy a gym membership at Flamingo. Besides doing it for physical reasons, a gym is a very important part of my social life since I work from home so I would prefer to also meet people outside whatever building and area I decide to move into....I was unaware that gym memberships could be bought at hotels--if so, would I run into more tourists or is there an ample group of locals?...what are some of the better ones in SoBe.

Again, my first preference would be to move to SoBe but I have to decide if it is worth taking out extra debt to do so over Brickell.

[djmanu]

Originally Posted by elchevere

I get mixed comments as to whether a non resident can buy a gym membership at Flamingo.

I stayed at Flamingo and had to show my lease to buy a gym membership, I don't think they allow non-resident.