Moved to Doral from California - Disappointed beyond belief (Miami: for sale, home)

[HellaGoose]

Doral actually is not really much cheaper than a lot of the more urban areas of the community...so why don't you move east? How much are you looking to pay and for what sized property?

[go-getta-J]

Originally Posted by Jon Connor

Thanks for taking the time to advise me. It means a lot in this difficult time

I took one look at Morgan Levy Park and almost fell asleep at the wheel. No thanks. Its just not good enough for me and my family. I need a place with MANY parks with a grocery store around the corner to buy Gatorade when I'm thirsty instead of hopping in the car again wasting gas on my leased car. It is my conclusion that Doral only has the Dolphin Mall going for it.

My deepest sympathies for your first-world problems

Grab a brown bag, take deep breaths, and just move out east to the above mentioned areas we recommended. Crisis averted.

[StreetLegal]

OP: I am really surprised you are surprised. You moved from the SF Bay area to South Florida and are complaining about the sprawl?

I live Calif. and have considered making the move to So.Fla. But I think it is important to have reasonable expectations when you move to a new area. No less important is to make several trips so you are sure you will be comfortable in your new surroundings.

I agree with others that Coral Gables and Coconut Grove are among the best bets for what you are looking for. Both are quite nice. Good luck.

[Jon Connor]

Looking to pay up to $500k for a 2000-2500 sq ft home

I did have expectations this would be like this, but it was worse than I thought. I could take some hits, but this was a knockout. I will check out Coconut Grove on Redfin now

[HellaGoose]

For that price/size, look in Coconut Grove, East Little Havana, The Roads, Shenandoah, Silver Bluff, Buena Vista, Miami Shores, Normandy Isle, North Beach, Edgwater, South Miami, plenty of options.

[perry335654]

Originally Posted by Jon Connor

Thanks for taking the time to advise me. It means a lot in this difficult time

I took one look at Morgan Levy Park and almost fell asleep at the wheel. No thanks. Its just not good enough for me and my family. I need a place with MANY parks with a grocery store around the corner to buy Gatorade when I'm thirsty instead of hopping in the car again wasting gas on my leased car. It is my conclusion that Doral only has the Dolphin Mall going for it.

you're not to smart if you did not check these things out over the computer, I do not feel sorry for you at all. Check Google Maps, Zillow etc. Yea nothing happens here except Miami is only about the number 1 tourist destination, so hopefully you see it as a tourist. I all I can do is laugh at you.

So why is it nice to meet us all, because this is supposedly a rude city, should have checked this out also

[Enigma777]

Originally Posted by Jon Connor

I dont want it all. Is a downtown too much to ask for? In the Midwest (Indiana, Illinois), you have rock bottom prices and downtowns and cheap prices all around. At least a Main Street! There is not even a main street here. Why cant this be the same?

Florida cities are all very spread out--they are not going to be like SF, NYC or Chicago. There are no really 'walkable' larger cities in Florida. Frankly, I would never have even considered Doral--it's a no man's land and it has always been that way. It used to be a boring golf community. Now it's just a lot of new developments. If you live closer to downtown, midtown or the beach, you will find there are cafes and grocery stores around the corner. But I have no idea why you thought it would be cheap to live near an urban area in a popular city. Have you been to Mary Brickell Village, Midtown, Edgewater, Wynnwood or Morningside? I think they are as interesting, or more interesting than the Grove which used to be a lot better than it is now.

BTW, I've been to Indiana and was totally unimpressed. Indianapolis has racing and that is it--otherwise--boring, boring, boring. South Bend was ten times worse. The thing is, Indianapolis does not have beautiful beaches and a diverse multicultural population made up of people from all over the world who want to live in Miami. I live in NE Miami and find there are many things to do, but yes, you will have to drive and if you want to live around the corner from amenities--it will cost more. There is a reason land and amenities are cheaper in the midwest.

[Jon Connor]

Originally Posted by perry335654

you're not to smart if you did not check these things out over the computer, I do not feel sorry for you at all. Check Google Maps, Zillow etc. Yea nothing happens here except Miami is only about the number 1 tourist destination, so hopefully you see it as a tourist. I all I can do is laugh at you.

So why is it nice to meet us all, because this is supposedly a rude city, should have checked this out also

Do you live in Doral?

[doggiebus]

Originally Posted by Jon Connor

I know these are the suburbs, and I expected somewhat this, but for gods sakes, Doral strikes out in every imaginable criteria possible. At least have a downtown area, a spirit, a soul, some place where you can walk from bar to bar.I did not expect this at all. I thought there would be a centralized place where people can hang out, like a Coconut Grove Coco Walk or something.

Is Coconut Grove, Pinecrest, Coral Gables , etc. my only hope?

The City of South Miami probably is closer to what you are looking for. It has shops, bars and restaurants a great place to meet friends for drinks. There is a mall as well. Pinecrest is just South of there, it doesn't have a downtown, but it's close enough to South Miami.

Coral Gables and Coconut Grove also has what you are looking for with a downtown area with restaurants, shops and bars. Be careful which part of coconut grove you look at, as there is a not so nice area on the west side, which will have cheaper homes for that reason.

Your not going to find anything in these areas for $500k though.

[joeymags]

And I'm sure a lot of people prefer not to see guys walking around in denim short shorts, high heels and belly shirts, nor enjoy the homeless capital of the USA, thus would not enjoy San Fran.

You moved across the country. Did you think about visiting for a little bit so this wouldn't be a shock? But I suppose with that innovative Silicon Valley and things like google maps, why would that be necessary?