Condos and schools in Doral area (Miami, South Beach: rentals, townhomes, transfer)

[SLK42]

Hello!

My husband is seriously considering a job opportunity in Doral. We'd be moving from a much-lower cost of living area, so I'm feeling a bit anxious about housing prices. We've always wanted to downsize and not have much of a yard or upkeep on a house, so we're thinking this might be the time to look at a condo or townhome. However, we don't want to live somewhere where we're the only owner-occupants. Do full-time residents live in condos/townhomes in this area, or are they mainly used as vacation or full-time rentals?

Also, we have two middle schoolers. Are the schools in Doral good, or should we be investigating elsewhere?

Our budget is $400K tops.

Thanks!

[ruski]

Doral is not really a vacation destination. There are lots of owners who live in their homes. Renters, sure, but again, you will mostly find long term renters.

[Marc Middleton]

Doral is known for good schools and is predominantly latin area. I Remember when I was living in a Marriott there when I 1st got transferred that the cashier's didn't speak English. I thought "wow, this will be a change". We moved to South Beach though as Doral wasn't for us (no kids at the time either).

Doral has grown a lot since then - the 'downtown' is very nice, the 826 expressway construction finally finished, more restaurants are in town (chipotle finally!) and homes are 'affordable' as far as Miami goes. $400k might not get you a single family but it will get you a nice 3 bed townhome with a garage and possible lake view, not far from Dolphin Mall/Ikea/Top Golf!

[SLK42]

Thank you so much to both of you! This is very helpful.