We're relocating: Need family-friendly areas south of downtown Miami?? (Pembroke Pines: rent, insurance)

[crock99]

Hey everyone!

We currently live in Milwaukee, WI and it looks like we may be relocating (AGAIN!!!!!) to South Florida.

My husband works out of the office, and his area covers everything from downtown Miami, all the way down to Key West. His potential new boss said ideally he would be located in the northern Keys. So we're looking for any suggestions that may accommodate that request, as well as including any South Miami areas.

I'm actually from South Florida (grew up in Pembroke Pines), but I'm not familiar with these areas at all. I very rarely ventured south of Miramar and I moved away in 2002 so it's been a while now.

We have a 4 year old and a 5 year old, so we're looking for a family-oriented community. We don't speak any Spanish, so the more english-speaking areas are what we're after (I know it can get VERY spanish south of Miami--not that there's a problem with that--I'm half Cuban--just don't speak the language unfortunately). Schools don't have to be great because we've considered sending them to private school, but obviously a good public school would be icing on the cake.

Not sure if we would rent or buy. We're willing to do both depending on the place. A house budget, realistically, would be around $250k or less. Monthly rent, no more than $1300.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!!

[StarfishKey]

There are a number of threads here about the Keys, check them out for lots more info. I live in the Upper Keys so can give you some info there. All of the Keys are English-predominant, so that will not be a problem. The school district has one of the higher marks in the state, so you may feel comfortable sending your kids there. There are a ton of things for a family to do, IF you like water sports and outdoor things. It's a small-town environment with a strong tourist economy, and perhaps half of the residents only live here half the year. There are more 50-somethings than young families, but there are certainly many families here, and the schools seem to be growing all the time.

Your budget might make things difficult, though. The Keys are in demand and expensive, and owning here means factoring in very large and possibly ever-increasing costs for flood and wind insurance, which you cannot get a mortgage without. You can find houses for 250k or less, but many of them are below flood and so would not qualify for a mortgage. It's not impossible though, but you'd need to be flexible. Some islands are cheaper than other - so for instance a small house inland on Tavernier might work. Prices are going up again though, so it just depends. Renting might also be possible, but again, you'd have to be flexible, as there is a definite shortage of affordable housing here. You're probably be looking at a really small space, and again, possibly an illegal below-flood dwelling - if it's on the first floor, ask them if it is X Zone/above flood. You don't want to have to worry about losing all your stuff every hurricane season.

Homestead is much cheaper for more space, but is less desirable, and I don't think the schools are so good there. Spanish will be much more prevalent, too. It's not terrible, but it's sort of a run-down agricultural community with a lot of Caribbean and Mexican immigrants who cannot afford Miami proper, and although there are a few fun things to do there I wouldn't generally think of it as super family-friendly.

You could try living in Kendall or West Kendall, which are good for families and cheaper (as suburbs really just meant for commuting from and shopping in strip malls on the weekends), but Spanish speaking increases to about 50% (not a problem in stores but possibly in communicating with some neighbors), and the commute might be too much - although if you're right off the Turnpike it might not be as bad.

Some areas of the Lower Keys like Pine Island might be cheaper in terms of housing, but again you are going to get into an issue with below-flood housing - usually, newer safe construction that is on stilts is going to cost a lot more.

Still, a call to a good Keys realtor might give you a chance to flesh out if anywhere in the Keys is reasonable for you to consider. If you like the water and can handle living in a small town, I think the Keys are wonderful, but you may need to find an extra income source. Or, ask the new employer where they recommend or if they know of available housing on your budget.

Maybe if you don't need to pay for private schooling, you can afford to stretch the budget a little more? I don't want you to leave your family vulnerable, but it's going to be tight unless you can deal with living in very small quarters.

[crock99]

Originally Posted by StarfishKey

There are a number of threads here about the Keys, check them out for lots more info. I live in the Upper Keys so can give you some info there. All of the Keys are English-predominant, so that will not be a problem. The school district has one of the higher marks in the state, so you may feel comfortable sending your kids there. There are a ton of things for a family to do, IF you like water sports and outdoor things. It's a small-town environment with a strong tourist economy, and perhaps half of the residents only live here half the year. There are more 50-somethings than young families, but there are certainly many families here, and the schools seem to be growing all the time.

Your budget might make things difficult, though. The Keys are in demand and expensive, and owning here means factoring in very large and possibly ever-increasing costs for flood and wind insurance, which you cannot get a mortgage without. You can find houses for 250k or less, but many of them are below flood and so would not qualify for a mortgage. It's not impossible though, but you'd need to be flexible. Some islands are cheaper than other - so for instance a small house inland on Tavernier might work. Prices are going up again though, so it just depends. Renting might also be possible, but again, you'd have to be flexible, as there is a definite shortage of affordable housing here. You're probably be looking at a really small space, and again, possibly an illegal below-flood dwelling - if it's on the first floor, ask them if it is X Zone/above flood. You don't want to have to worry about losing all your stuff every hurricane season.

Homestead is much cheaper for more space, but is less desirable, and I don't think the schools are so good there. Spanish will be much more prevalent, too. It's not terrible, but it's sort of a run-down agricultural community with a lot of Caribbean and Mexican immigrants who cannot afford Miami proper, and although there are a few fun things to do there I wouldn't generally think of it as super family-friendly.

You could try living in Kendall or West Kendall, which are good for families and cheaper (as suburbs really just meant for commuting from and shopping in strip malls on the weekends), but Spanish speaking increases to about 50% (not a problem in stores but possibly in communicating with some neighbors), and the commute might be too much - although if you're right off the Turnpike it might not be as bad.

Some areas of the Lower Keys like Pine Island might be cheaper in terms of housing, but again you are going to get into an issue with below-flood housing - usually, newer safe construction that is on stilts is going to cost a lot more.

Still, a call to a good Keys realtor might give you a chance to flesh out if anywhere in the Keys is reasonable for you to consider. If you like the water and can handle living in a small town, I think the Keys are wonderful, but you may need to find an extra income source. Or, ask the new employer where they recommend or if they know of available housing on your budget.

Maybe if you don't need to pay for private schooling, you can afford to stretch the budget a little more? I don't want you to leave your family vulnerable, but it's going to be tight unless you can deal with living in very small quarters.

Thank you so much for your response! It was very informative--I really appreciate it!

[Cubanchic]

Key largo would be my best guess, ok Op you are my grandchildren, half Cuban and can't speak Spanish, but I bet you at least understand a litte bit :-).

I would not recommend homestead.

[valicky]

I just don't see Key Largo or any Keys really, on a $250K budget or $1300 a month budget for a family of four. That's difficult to do in West Kendall, let alone the Keys.