Thoughts on Weston (Miami, Davie: landscaping, neighborhood, to buy)

[sbkim]

Originally Posted by BNBR

What is your price range? Weston is more expensive than Davie, but Davie has quite expensive neighborhoods (like where I live). The schools are quite good in Davie as well (I have school aged children). For schools, it's pretty straight forward. Davie, Weston, and Cooper City is where you want to look.

Trying to stay under $1M given near 2% property tax and HOAs.

[ruski]

I used to make it from Weston to FLL airport in 15-20 minutes, back when I lived in Weston.

[WrongStreet]

Not sure how people can really talk bad about Weston, it's one of the nicest cities in South Florida. I work there and find it very peaceful and despite the fact that it is about as far west as you can get in Broward, the commute is totally manageable.

The only drawback is that it seems a little boring (for me), but the communities tend to have loads of amenities, so I'm sure living in Weston is rather enjoyable. Plus you can drive 25 minutes to Fort Lauderdale if you want to go out or to the beach. But Weston does have some nice restaurants to check out, along with the usual chains and sports bars.

There's also virtually no crime to speak of in Weston, I never hear or see anything serious happening there. You can also look at some the surrounding areas of Weston, there's a nice part of Sunrise that borders to the North. You also have Southwest Ranches and Cooper City, and of course Davie is also an option.

[sbkim]

Originally Posted by wizrap

Don’t want to derail OP’s thread but yes, it’s probably been 10 years or so the last time I flew out of FTL. Last flight was 3 years ago out of Orlando. Drove down from Gainesville as we couldn’t get a direct flight. One thing I do miss is being close to a large airport.

To the OP, we lived in North Lakes and always found the drive to FTL pretty quick, usually 30 minutes or so. Just go a couple of blocks north on Indian Trace, jump on I595, and straight shot, you are there.

Good to hear. Given proximity to the airport, is airplane noise an issue around Weston?

[BNBR]

Originally Posted by sbkim

Trying to stay under $1M given near 2% property tax and HOAs.

I would look in Davie with that budget. Look at Riverstone and Imagination Farms, plus some other similar communities. Plus there are some acreage houses (non-HOA) that may interest you in the same area. You'll get a heck of a lot more for your money than Weston. The elementary school is even in Weston... the Middle and High are also quite good. You could actually come in well under $1M and get what many would consider a "million dollar house." And note, these communities are barely a block from everything in Weston.

If these houses are "more" than you wanted (space, land, etc.)... then you should lower your budget quite a bit and go with the more mid-range Weston homes... $600k - $700k.

The good news is that while housing is becoming unaffordable in South Florida... that hasn't included the luxury housing. In fact, luxury housing hasn't really budged in 15 years. You can get a lot for $750k - $1M in west Broward, considering it's still in a major metro area.

Not sure where you are coming from, but consider that insurance may be more costly here and you may need to factor that in to budget. If the houses are in the a newer subdivision, the insurance can be in the $4K - $6K range for a large home. Maybe even a tad less. In an older one, can run much higher, easily. The key is to look for houses built, I believe, after 2002 or so (maybe someone can correct on the date, but it's around there). There was a major change to the building code in response to Hurricane Andrew. So houses built after that date are using the new codes. Which also means they are much safer, of course, but also the insurance is much cheaper. Any competent realtor you work with should be able to easily show you homes built to the latest codes. We prioritized it for savings as well as safety.

[BNBR]

Originally Posted by sbkim

Good to hear. Given proximity to the airport, is airplane noise an issue around Weston?

No. Where Weston is located, the airplanes are still high enough to not be a bother, plus many turn in to final before Weston. It's when you get closer to the airport it's a disaster. This was a huge consideration for us when shopping in the same area (plus I'm a pilot), so we know it quite well. As soon as you get much closer than Western High, expect more airplane noise with a significant increase just another mile or so.

[sbkim]

Wow - you are amazing! Thanks so much. I didn't even think about insurance coming from the Midwest!


I see that Cooper City and SW Ranches look promising in terms of bang for the buck.

Originally Posted by BNBR

I would look in Davie with that budget. Look at Riverstone and Imagination Farms, plus some other similar communities. Plus there are some acreage houses (non-HOA) that may interest you in the same area. You'll get a heck of a lot more for your money than Weston. The elementary school is even in Weston... the Middle and High are also quite good. You could actually come in well under $1M and get what many would consider a "million dollar house." And note, these communities are barely a block from everything in Weston.

If these houses are "more" than you wanted (space, land, etc.)... then you should lower your budget quite a bit and go with the more mid-range Weston homes... $600k - $700k.

The good news is that while housing is becoming unaffordable in South Florida... that hasn't included the luxury housing. In fact, luxury housing hasn't really budged in 15 years. You can get a lot for $750k - $1M in west Broward, considering it's still in a major metro area.

Not sure where you are coming from, but consider that insurance may be more costly here and you may need to factor that in to budget. If the houses are in the a newer subdivision, the insurance can be in the $4K - $6K range for a large home. Maybe even a tad less. In an older one, can run much higher, easily. The key is to look for houses built, I believe, after 2002 or so (maybe someone can correct on the date, but it's around there). There was a major change to the building code in response to Hurricane Andrew. So houses built after that date are using the new codes. Which also means they are much safer, of course, but also the insurance is much cheaper. Any competent realtor you work with should be able to easily show you homes built to the latest codes. We prioritized it for savings as well as safety.

[sbkim]

Sorry for so many questions but I see quite a few homes near retention pond. While I love the idea of not seeing your neighbors in your backyard, common sense tells me this may be an issue during a sever storm. Should I just stay away from these homes with water so close?

[BNBR]

Originally Posted by sbkim

Wow - you are amazing! Thanks so much. I didn't even think about insurance coming from the Midwest!


I see that Cooper City and SW Ranches look promising in terms of bang for the buck.

SW Ranches, no. That's a very expensive area. Maybe you are looking at the bits of Davie that is practically within Southwest Ranches?

Cooper City, I'm not sure I'd say a lot of bang for your buck. In fact, the middle class homes have shot up in value because of the good schools. A $300k house in Cooper City will run you $500k nowadays. Monterra is about the only thing new in Cooper City. It's nice, not great "value" but it's a beautiful neighborhood and the houses are practically new construction. It's within your budget. The rest of Cooper City is older homes, nothing people would have considered fancy, and they aren't cheap! The "newish" style homes would be in Embassy Lakes. Rock Creek is a phenomenal family neighborhood with a lake you can actually boat (electric motors only)/swim in, believe it or not, one of the only I am aware of.

You may very well be able to find something in the $500k range in Cooper City that you are thrilled with, especially if you just want a more "normal" house. And the schools are all outstanding, and the city is maybe the most family oriented city in Broward, though Weston is right up there, too.

[BNBR]

Originally Posted by sbkim

Sorry for so many questions but I see quite a few homes near retention pond. While I love the idea of not seeing your neighbors in your backyard, common sense tells me this may be an issue during a sever storm. Should I just stay away from these homes with water so close?

Nothing to worry about. The ponds are part of the drainage system, with the houses actually elevated. In fact, that's why the ponds generally exist, they dig them out and raise the foundations for the homes surrounding it. The ponds feed to the canals, that feed to the ocean, and it's all managed. I've been here nearly 40 years and some crazy storms and raising water... it's just not an issue. The lots are designed with that in mind. Flood insurance is also only about $450/year, if the peace of mind is worth it to you, it's cheap. The ponds, as you can see in that picture, are a great way to get water to water your lawn and will save on your water bill, too.

Remember, Florida is flat. And these homes sit well above the water level. So even if the water did rise, it's unlikely it would flood these homes as it would just spread out to other neighborhoods before reaching that level. Flooding is actually more common in old neighborhoods that are NOT on the water! They lack the drainage infrastructure, the homes aren't elevated, etc. You'll notice newer areas are all built with elevated homes and TONS of ponds. That's from lessons learned.