moving to miami area (Miami Beach, Homestead: lease, loan, high school)

[t5654]

If you want to live in Homestead you should work around there because of the traffic (there's a lot of schools and the city is growing). Most of the people that couldn't buy here in Miami bought in Homestead, so is a mixture of people and circunstances, but... only a few schools there are really good (like the one in Redlands and a Naval one).
I just to live in zipcode 33175 and it was besides the florida turnpike (latin neighborhood though).
Let me know iof you need help (my sister is also a teacher) and she's looking for a job in another schools so her school is going to have a space open

[Chelito23]

The more you write what you dislike about Jville, the more I see you will hate South Florida....

If you dislike cookie cutter homes, Weston is NOT the place for you. If you are in over your head with an expensive home in Jacksonville, the prices in South Florida will really overwhelm you.

If its all about living in Florida...check out one of the smaller cities or towns in the middle of the state...coastal Florida is very expensive. I understand that the job offer is in South Florida, but you have to take into consideration the dramatically higher cost of living here...and then realize that we have our own host of problems, plus the Jville ones times 3. Hopefully you will find solice in the warm weather and palm trees, when you see how financially strapped you will be even with an "excellent" salary compared to Jacksonville.

[CiXeL]

yeah i know very wealthy people in pinecrest looking to move since its getting so expensive.
noone who doesnt want a lower quality of life and government subsistance cant afford to live here

[vpcats]

Chelito... did you get your posts mixed up? I think this poster asking here is a teacher in Philly... I didn't see anything about Weston or Jax.

[Angelrocks]

Originally Posted by bonks427

ok, so i know other threads have been posted about this because i've read them. i was just wondering if there was anything to be added by me asking this. but i'm a teacher, and i'm moving down to the miami area this summer. i have no family or friends there, so its just me and my dog. what areas would you recommend me living in? i've been checking out a bunch of places, but the rent is so high. i'm visitin april 5-6 and i would like to have some areas to add to my list. any help anyone could give would be appreciated. otherwise i'm just moving without any info at all. thanks!

Unless you speak fluent Spanish you are going to feel OUT OF PLACE.

I would suggest moving someplace else: St. Augustine, Daytona, Jacksonville, Orlando perhaps Gainesville, but Miami? I never liked Miami.

Oh, and if there is ever a threat of a hurricane you are going to be tripping out. I remember everytime I tried to find gasoline it's like mass hysteria breaks loose. You may want to find another place to live.

[nothingman]

Originally Posted by bonks427

I guess I was choosing Miami because that's really the only city I know anything about. Is Homestead nice? I was looking at some places there online and the rent is a lot cheaper. I can rent a 4 bedroom house for what an apartment costs in Miami. What are some areas that are outside Miami that are on the beach but closer to the Keys? That are decent areas of course. Just me looking at a map tells me nothing. And yes, rent in the Keys is really high. I already nixed the idea of moving down there for right now.

Homestead is about as far from "nice" as you can get. It's a wasteland....it never really recovered after Andrew and parts of it are seriously ghetto/rough. Also, commuting from Homestead to Miami every day will suck, traffic wise. If you love spending a lot of time in your car, you're in luck. Oh and there's really nothing to do in Homestead unless you like hanging out at gas stations and strip malls.

[bonks427]

thank you so much for all your advice. this is really looking like an even more difficult decision than i thought. what about sunny isles beach? i've been looking at a lot of apartments there too, and i have a couple interviews up in that area. is northern miami nicer than southern miami?

[Chelito23]

Miami is so mish mash I wouldn't generalize and say one area(north south or west) is better than the other. The northeast area tends to be older, some more character, becoming more desireable and slightly less of a chaotic suburban atmosphere as it slowly trends toward becoming a semi urban city environment.

Nothingham said it well when he said in Homestead there is nothing but strip malls and gas stations LOL. I think they built (finally) a movie theater down there...and it is actually becoming a Miami suburb vs the poor agriculture satelite city it used to be. I am sure a regional mall can't be too many years in the future...but for now it mainly exists for slightly less outrageous housing for the people who commute to Kendall.

[Mirtina]

I will move out of Florida next week after almost 10 years. I used to live in Coconut Grove, there is a very cute dog park we used to go, you can walk around the neighborhood, walk to the marina, beautiful area! But we could not afford to buy a house (5 years ago...) so we moved to North Miami which was very cheap (now I could not even afford my own house!!!). I think you might still find decent rent in Coconut Grove only if you shared an apartment! South Florida is insanely expensive these days, why would you want to move down here???

[nothingman]

Originally Posted by Mirtina

I will move out of Florida next week after almost 10 years. I used to live in Coconut Grove, there is a very cute dog park we used to go, you can walk around the neighborhood, walk to the marina, beautiful area! But we could not afford to buy a house (5 years ago...) so we moved to North Miami which was very cheap (now I could not even afford my own house!!!). I think you might still find decent rent in Coconut Grove only if you shared an apartment! South Florida is insanely expensive these days, why would you want to move down here???

Besides, not far from Coconut Crap is a true ghetto...a place where tourists and visitors have been mugged or even shot. There are places where you'll get some sort of value for money here, but not for long...prices keep going up, up, up.