Relocating to South Florida (Miami, Fort Lauderdale: house, good schools, subdivisions)

[4lbrown]

We are originally from Long Island NY, now living near Raleigh NC & relocating to South Florida. We have 4 kids (2 with multiple disabilities) & my father currently lives in our walk-out basement. We need a family friendly area with great schools & would like & in law suite or something as separate as possible for my father. I really like subdivision living & prefer a new/newer home. Our price range is around $900K. We think the move will occur around February. Parkland keeps coming up in our searches, that or a similar area seems compatible. My husband will be working from home & occasionally commuting to different parts of south Florida so we are not tied to one area. Any ideas for cities or subdivisions (doesn't necessarily have to be subdivision I guess) would be greatly appreciated. We also need a realtor that works in several different areas since we haven't narrowed down to one specific area yet. Thank you!!

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by 4lbrown

We are originally from Long Island NY, now living near Raleigh NC & relocating to South Florida. We have 4 kids (2 with multiple disabilities) & my father currently lives in our walk-out basement. We need a family friendly area with great schools & would like & in law suite or something as separate as possible for my father. I really like subdivision living & prefer a new/newer home. Our price range is around $900K. We think the move will occur around February. Parkland keeps coming up in our searches, that or a similar area seems compatible. My husband will be working from home & occasionally commuting to different parts of south Florida so we are not tied to one area. Any ideas for cities or subdivisions (doesn't necessarily have to be subdivision I guess) would be greatly appreciated. We also need a realtor that works in several different areas since we haven't narrowed down to one specific area yet. Thank you!!

Do you know where your husband will be commuting to?

I would say Parkland, Weston or East Boca (east of 95). Parkland offers the ease of Sawgrass Expressway to easily get to Miami or West Palm via 95/turnpike. East Boca is beautiful but not many subdivision types (that’s more west Boca), and you’re pretty tied to 95, which can have a lot of traffic. Still, it’s easier than the LIE. Weston is great but some parts of Weston can feel remote.

[wizrap]

I was also going to add Weston and Boca.

What’s your definition of “new/newer?” Broward County is practically all built up. Botaniko is a brand-new subdivision in Weston but starting price is about $2 million. You will probably need to settle for a 20/30 year old home.

[pierrekid]

Weston, parkland and certain parts of Boca. All great areas, just depends on commute and lifestyle you want.

Also 900k in these areas should be ok, but inventory is incredibly low. Getting a newish house updated in any of these area will most likely run a bit higher on the price.

Schools are a wash, all have great school( again make sure you research Boca a bit, some areas are better than others. Weston and parkland have great schools no matter where you live).

I have preference towards Weston, simply because of it's proximity to so many other major downtowns and local markets. But again, if you prefer being closer to the beach, or want to be a little more secluded, the other 2 may be a better options

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by pierrekid

Weston, parkland and certain parts of Boca. All great areas, just depends on commute and lifestyle you want.

Also 900k in these areas should be ok, but inventory is incredibly low. Getting a newish house updated in any of these area will most likely run a bit higher on the price.

Schools are a wash, all have great school( again make sure you research Boca a bit, some areas are better than others. Weston and parkland have great schools no matter where you live).

I have preference towards Weston, simply because of it's proximity to so many other major downtowns and local markets. But again, if you prefer being closer to the beach, or want to be a little more secluded, the other 2 may be a better options

Agree with most of this, but especially in comparison to Weston, I wouldn’t call Boca at all “secluded”. It’s in the center of pretty much everything and I’d argue the most convenient of all three towns discussed here.

[pierrekid]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

Agree with most of this, but especially in comparison to Weston, I wouldn’t call Boca at all “secluded”. It’s in the center of pretty much everything and I’d argue the most convenient of all three towns discussed here.

The secluded comment was in relation to parkland, and the "close to beach" was meant for boca. Sorry for not clarifying.

In relation to being the center, again depends on what one wants. Weston is closer to Las olas and Brickell, which many would consider to be the center of everything south Florida. Then again, Boca is much larger and closer to places like del ray , west palm City place etc..

In my opinion it really comes down to lifestyle. We chose Weston because we frequent Brickell, coral gables, Las olas, hurricane and Miami heat games, key Biscayne, marlins games now and then, coconut grove , south beach etc... All of which are much closer to where we live in Weston with quick access.

We get the family focused city of Weston with great schools and parks, with relatively quick access to all of the entertainment weve become accustomed to in south Florida. Win win.

[manny118]

Originally Posted by pierrekid

In my opinion it really comes down to lifestyle. We chose Weston because we frequent Brickell, coral gables, Las olas, hurricane and Miami heat games, key Biscayne, marlins games now and then, coconut grove , south beach etc... All of which are much closer to where we live in Weston with quick access.

Weston is probably a 40 minute drive to most of those Miami locations and closer to an hour drive during rush hour. I wouldn't consider Weston a good location for someone who frequents Miami.

[pierrekid]

Originally Posted by manny118

Weston is probably a 40 minute drive to most of those Miami locations and closer to an hour drive during rush hour. I wouldn't consider Weston a good location for someone who frequents Miami.

As someone who lives in weston and commutes daily to downtown miami and coral gables, I wholeheartedly disagree. It may not be something some people like, but i find it is more than acceptable.

Also, OP said they are remote workers, so they wouldn’t commute as much as I do on a daily basis. If their focus is a family oriented place, with access to miami and las olas for entertainment, and nearby shopping, couldn’t think of a better place to raise a family ( again with this specific criteria.)

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by pierrekid

The secluded comment was in relation to parkland, and the "close to beach" was meant for boca. Sorry for not clarifying.

In relation to being the center, again depends on what one wants. Weston is closer to Las olas and Brickell, which many would consider to be the center of everything south Florida. Then again, Boca is much larger and closer to places like del ray , west palm City place etc..

In my opinion it really comes down to lifestyle. We chose Weston because we frequent Brickell, coral gables, Las olas, hurricane and Miami heat games, key Biscayne, marlins games now and then, coconut grove , south beach etc... All of which are much closer to where we live in Weston with quick access.

We get the family focused city of Weston with great schools and parks, with relatively quick access to all of the entertainment weve become accustomed to in south Florida. Win win.

Las Olas is actually closer to Boca than Weston (30 minutes from Boca vs 35 from Weston). Miami is also closer to Boca (48 minutes for Boca vs 50 minutes for Weston). So Boca is more convenient to Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach than both Parkland and Weston. That’s why I think Boca is one of the most centrally located family friendly municipalities in all of South Florida.

[pierrekid]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

Las Olas is actually closer to Boca than Weston (30 minutes from Boca vs 35 from Weston). Miami is also closer to Boca (48 minutes for Boca vs 50 minutes for Weston). So Boca is more convenient to Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach than both Parkland and Weston. That’s why I think Boca is one of the most centrally located family friendly municipalities in all of South Florida.

Again, Boca is massive compared to Weston, so this is highly dependent on where in Boca. Thats like saying Kendall and Brickell are the same distance to Las olas because they are both in "Miami".

Also, it takes me 15-20 minutes to get to Las olas from Weston, and I'm there fairly often. My commute from downtown Miami to Weston takes me up i95 just before Las olas, and then West on 595 to Weston. My total commute time is 38-45 minutes. So unless you are saying it take 8 minutes to get from i95 to Weston... Possibly your times are a bit off? Maybe try using the Express lanes in your search?

Again this is strictly speaking as someone who actually lives in Weston and does this commute daily.

When it comes to Boca, from my understanding the better areas are actually further west from i95, so your commute would be significantly longer to Las olas or Miami, if you are trying to live in the good schools districts. Sure if you live near mizner you may be able to make it to Las olas at the same time as me, but in all likelyhood you probably live west closer to jog.

Final little bit, I want to empathize that Parkland, Weston and Boca are excellent choices regardless. I'm only pointing out the specific reasons why we as a family chose Weston instead of the others.