Relocating to Miami Area (Hialeah, Hollywood: sales, for rent, insurance)

[mt2002]

Hi Everyone,

We are going to be relocating to the Miami area in a few months. My husband is starting a new job with a major Restaurant in Miami. We do have a toddler and I am half Spanish. I am not fluent in Spanish but can get by.
I wanted to see what areas would be best for our family. We are looking to spend 1500 to 2000 a month for rent. I will be looking for a job as soon as we move. The area we were looking at to live were Pembroke Pines, Miramar which are north of Miami. We are going to rent a house. Are these areas OK, any suggestions. Is going south of Miami better? Any advice and/or suggestions are welcome.

Thanks

[bale002]

Depending on exactly where in Miami your husband's job is and the time of day, it may be one hell of a commute from Pembroke Pines or Miramar which are well west of downtown Miami. In any case, both areas are generally relatively safe and pleasant. But why there? Do you have relatives or friends?

At $1500-$2000 per month, you should be able to rent something decent in some of the better neighborhoods of southern Dade County such as Brickell and Roads, Coconut Grove, Coral Gables, and South Miami.

By the way, congratulations for the good sense to rent initially instead of rushing into it with some ridiculous notion of buying, overpaying for some POS.

Finally, brush up on your Spanish, you will need it.

All the best and good luck.

[mt2002]

Is south of Miami a better area? We don't know anything about Florida. He will be training in Hollywood and then going to a Restaurant on Biscayne Blvd. near Bayside Marketplace. I work in Marketing so I am figuring I should be able to find something in Miami.

[mommytwice]

I live in Southern Miami (near the Univ. of Miami) and I cannot wait to leave Miami.

Moving to Miami--what a BIG mistake! Have you seen the Time magazine article--Paradise Lost from just over a week ago? That is totally accurate, and is JUST the beginning. I have been in Miami (moved from New York) since 1985. Back then living here was like being in Paradise, people still spoke English, you could afford a decent 3 bedroom home because taxes were low. Since 2000 more people leave Miami than come from other states, and for every person who speaks English that moves out 5 who don't speak a word of English and have no intention of learning it come in from Latin America. Rudeness is the highest in the country, and politics are dominated by one group of people that is as corrupt as they come. The headline of the paper at least once a week is about how many millions a politician or a city govt office stole from tax payers.

My husband and I both work for fortune 500 companies and make higher than average salaries and we still struggle to pay our insurance and taxes on our home each year.

Be prepared to spend the money on private schools for your children as Miami comes dead last in public schools in the state, and if you do find that "magnet" school you think will give her a better education, well your chances are low of getting in since most of the kids that go there are the children of board members and politicians--they call it a "lottery system" of admission, I call it something else. If you venture to public, prepare yourself for your child becoming a pile of trash by the time he/she is 10 years old because the only people who send their kids to public school are the trailer trash/ghetto people who will have a lot of influence. I have seen this happen to too many people I know, sad.

Finally, get ready to pay through the nose on taxes and insurance, the yearly taxes for an average 1800 sq. foot home are over $8,000 per year, PLUS your insurance which is close to that amount depending on the area. Basically your insurance and taxes will be twice the amount of your loan.

DO YOUR HOMEWORK! Don't move here until you are completely satified with what you have found out. I guarantee you that you will look at another place to live, maybe even elsewhere in Florida, but Miami is a tremendous mistake.

[bale002]

Originally Posted by mt2002

Is south of Miami a better area? We don't know anything about Florida. He will be training in Hollywood and then going to a Restaurant on Biscayne Blvd. near Bayside Marketplace. I work in Marketing so I am figuring I should be able to find something in Miami.

It appears that Bayside Marketplace is right downtown.

Generally speaking the good neighborhoods and cities are the ones I mentioned above: Brickell and Roads are neighborhoods just south of Miami; Coconut Grove is a neighborhood just further south, but be careful because it's a mixed bag; Coral Gables and South Miami are separate municipalities further south and a bit west. You may also consider living downtown itself: there are plenty of new luxury condo buildings that are not fully bought or rented and at the rate you mentioned you should not have a significant problem.

Are they better than Pembroke Pines and Miramar? It depends on what you expect, what you value, and whether you want to risk a hellish commute. Coral Gables might be your best bet if you want a relative balance between proximity to Miami and some semblance of a suburban domestic life, also better schools, generally speaking, and you might find your marketing job in Coral Gables itself: lots of multinationals have major sales offices there, but brush up on your Spanish!!!

In any case, if you don't know anything about Florida and have no relatives or friends in Miami, you really need to come and check it out for yourselves.

At any rate, most people on this board will mention the same neighborhoods and municipalities as being the best bets for a decent quality of life in relative safety in and around downtown Miami. I would live in one of them myself if I had an economic opportunity that would justify it.

I hope this helps.

[bale002]

Originally Posted by mommytwice

I live in Southern Miami (near the Univ. of Miami) and I cannot wait to leave Miami.

... you could afford a decent 3 bedroom home because taxes were low. ... struggle to pay our insurance and taxes on our home each year.... get ready to pay through the nose on taxes and insurance, the yearly taxes for an average 1800 sq. foot home are over $8,000 per year, PLUS your insurance which is close to that amount depending on the area. Basically your insurance and taxes will be twice the amount of your loan.

??????

The original poster very clearly stated the highly common-sense intention of renting; the possibility of buying is not even mentioned. Only the super-rich or someone with self-destructive tendencies would consider buying right now, especially in Miami. Renting is another, money-saving, story, though there are risks with renting too: best bet is to rent directly from owner in Coral Gables or Roads (or Pembroke Pines/Miramar).

I agree with you 100%, however, concerning schools: private school or home-schooling are by far the better options, though I have heard that Coral Gables is not that bad, if you can ensure that the child will go to a school there.

In any case, concerning schools, the following link may help:

http://www.greatschools.net/city/Miami/FL

Agree also that, in any case, you really need to research before making any decision, including coming to see for yourself and visiting both southwest Broward and downtown/south of Miami, investigating neighborhood by neighborhood, and getting to know a prospective landlord.

Good luck.

[serene_soul]

Miami Is Hell!!!!!! Why Do You Think It's Hot And Humid Everyday Of The Year? Bad Jobs, High Prices, Criminals Running A Muck, Bad Weather , Worse Traffic, Ghettoes, Pollution, Hurricanes And No Escape. Please If You Have Any Compassion For Your Family, Please Do Not Come Here, You Will Live To Regret It.

[lee16240]

I have lived in Miami since Dec 1966 (when I was born in Westchester) and I find all the comments very interesting about Miami. It is true about the traffic being bad. Commute time is approximately 40-60 mins (sometimes more) coming from all directions (West - Kendall, South - Homestead, East - Gables to Downtown, and North - Pembroke Pines, Hialeah, North Miami, etc). And, it is true that there is crime, but one thing you have to take into consideration is that moving to a big city like Miami, there will be crime, overcrowded schools, overcrowded living, overcrowded roads, and if you like the hustle and bustle of a big city, well Miami is for you. This city is very diverse with Latins (Cuban, Central/South America, Mexico), Blacks, and Whites. You say you are half Spanish? Well, I myself am White American (gringa as the Latins put it) and I speak Spanish fluently. So, lots of Latins here. If you don't mind your children learning Spanish, then Miami is for you. If you don't mind multi-culture, then Miami is for you. You say your hubby is going to open a major restaurant here in Miami? I don't know what kind of major restaurant, but he will probably do well. I myself am getting tired of the commute and high homeowner's taxes and high insurance taxes and am looking to move out, unfortunately, after 40 years of being here. We just need a slower pace of life and a better place to raise our little princess (4 1/2 months only). So, good luck if you come to Miami. P.S. Kendall is great, has great schools, but very crowded, as is Westchester, South Miami, and the Gables, although the Gables is expensive and extremely beautiful. I currently live in Homestead (Nice Neighborhood), but commute to Doral everyday for Work because the work in Homestead doesn't pay well enough to cover the living expenses in Homestead. Best of luck to you!

Oh, and one other thing I forgot, where-ever there are crowded cities, you'll have crowded hospitals...like waiting 8-12 hours before being seen. . Yeah, something else to take into consideration when moving to a big CROWDED city like Miami (or South Florida for that matter).

[ready2move]

You said Pembroke Pines and Miramar...do you mean east or west, because there is a huge difference across the board. Schools, housing, etc. You also said you were in marketing and would work in Miami, How about going to work in Ft. Lauderdale, which has some major companies. YOu could not pay me to drive to Miami everyday but going to Ft. Lauderdale from those areas is much more doable and safe. Oh, and most definately wherever you go, hone those spanish skills, you will need it!

[CiXeL]

ive been here 2 years now and with the drop in the economy all the jobs im eligible for to support myself have dried up. you experience racism in many places being a white person down here too.
if you dont already have family down here you will not survive
the natural beauty is wonderful but everything else is soooo horrible.
its like you got all the rudeness, selfishness, etc. all the bad elements and distilled them here.
im from los angeles and i cant wait to get out of here.
we figured the cubans would be like the mexicans in california (ie. hardworking and friendly) but it was nothing of the sort.

EVERY SINGLE friend we've had out here from california notices it.

im in homestead and ive contemplated suicide on and off for months because we spent all our savings to move out here after the dotcom bust hoping we could make a new future out here and it is a hell on earth.