For the guys in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale area . I have an opportunity to relocate to Miami/ Fort Lauderdale area . I have 2 weeks to decide whether it would be a good idea or not. I have been looking through different websites at rentals and it seems like it is pretty high. Two bedroom single family homes go for around $2,800 up to $14,000 . Yes,$14,000 per MONTH . Who the hell rents a house for that much per month?

Looking at YouTube videos, floodings seems to be the norm from Miami up to Fort Lauderdale due to heavy rain storms. Is that a yearly thing? If so that would be miserable. Any area within 45 minutes from Miami that is not effected by the floods?

Any decent area surrounding Miami with reasonable housing? Single family home with a fenced yard as I have two dogs. They've been with me since they were 8 weeks old. And they will be with me until the end. Whichever one of us goes first.

Also no floods. I think my boys know how to swim. But treading water is another story.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: SIP2000GLO,

Not in that specific area but Florida real estate is insane at this time. My experience is the flood concerns can be addressed by consulting the Federal flood maps.

I hope you like heavy traffic.

If you like the beach and hot weather, and all the night life, restaurants, water sports, and other amenities, it's an alluring place. But, having lived in Florida for decades and visited that area many times, the financial gain would have to be VERY substantial for me to want to live there. Cost of living and housing is high, crime is higher than other parts of the state, traffic is a nightmare, and you are in Blue Country. But then you sometimes have to go where your career takes you. Good luck in your decision.

I live in Miami Beach and my office is in Fort Lauderdale. Single family house with fenced yard and two dogs as well. But based on your post I can't really offer you much in the way of specific suggestions.

Miami - Fort Lauderdale is an enormous area, spanning two counties. Where will you be working, have you identified any particular communities you want to live in?


I also can't say much about rental houses and costs. But the market generally is high right now driven partly by high property taxes and property insurance costs due to hurricane threats, especially as you get closer to coastal areas.

But here are a few generalized comments.

Traffic can be bad depending on where you live and work. Remember, especially as you go closer to the coast like Downtown Miami or Fort Lauderdale there are only three ways in and our, not four as there would be if you are inland. Traffic also is seasonal, increasing between November - March or so due to snowbirds. Also high rise condos increase population density especially as you get closer to the ocean. Prices for single family homes are generally lower in the western suburbs especially in Broward County west of Ft.L and many are very nice but rush hour traffic is much worse going from there to Miami in the morning and back in the afternoon than it is, say for me, going in the opposite directions. If you live south or west of downtown Miami, same thing.

Flooding is also area specific. Some areas are prone to flooding, even from especially high tide cycles if you are near the ocean as they raise the water table. Some communities are more prone to this than others, some have better drainage or elevation. i do not have a flooding problem at my house even in Miami Beach but would be at risk in a major hurricane. Heavy rain is also seasonal, heavier in the summer, drier in the winter/spring.

Your best bet is to pick a few areas based on your needs and work location, and get with a local realtor for the particular area. He or she could walk you through all your concerns better than I can.

Email me if you have any more specific questions you think I might be able to help with, its in my profile.

ill echo what kho stated.
id start with:
1) offlice/workplace location
2) daily commute (if applicable)
3) travel rate (airport).
4) your rental budget/range

this will dictate a bit of your best locations.
Dade/Broward county are riddled with affordable and insanely expensive areas. they generally have a trend towards the coast, but not always.

crime is also localized. a few square blocks in Dade or Broward can make up 95% of the crime stats. (like many places).

Both counties have some nice suburban sprawls with great properties, but yes some will cost $6K a month at least, some wont.

your commute and daily routine will help pinpoint your preferred rental locations. crossing counties on a daily basis...is not the best plan. traffic here is going to be bad at times, and unbelievable on occasion.

In the past few years, there's been a ton on building and cleaning up of the area surround the MIA airport. I dont know much about it other than it's new. If I had to move to SFL in that area, I'd probably look in Plantation or other western cities because the traffic on 95/595...etc makes me wnat to commit serious violent crimes. Of course, if you're driving in to the city every day, staying closer may be a better option if the money makes sense.

I can also suggest you NOT look at the areas in between 95 and the turnpike in FLL.

I lived there from 2002 until 2009. Key to answering your question is location of your work.

Commute times vary wildly based on where you have to go.

Once you figure that out, we can probably give you some pretty good advice.

For example, I lived in Sunset Lakes, which is out the end of Miramar Parkway to the west. Easy access to the Turnpike and 75. Not so much to 95.

Traffic 12 years ago was hellish. I don't want to imagine what it's like now. BUT - commute to Sunrise, Coral Gables, Ft. Lauderdale or Hialeah wasn't that bad, nor would be going south to Homestead area, (but homestead would be a LOT of miles daily). Miramar would not be fun if office was in Miami downtown or on the beach.

Another idea is how far is work from the train? I live in Miami Beach, I may move to Boca, but I don’t spend summers in S FL.

“Normal” houses have gone up, incredibly, in the last 5 years.

If you can rent a house for $2500, and it’s not in an active war zone, that sounds like quite a deal.

That 45 minutes is BS down here. You need to go online during drive time and see what 45 minutes gets you. It can take me 30-40 minutes to get to work and that is only 8 miles on 1 road.

Then price from there.
The dogs and yard are going to make it very hard on your search.

If you can narrow down to a certain area, I can get you a good real estate agent to find a place. Most good rentals are not on the market due to agents wanting both sides of the deal. That causes a lot to hit MLS and show as gone in 10 minutes. they hold the listing, find a tenant and then drop it on mls and rent it to their own person 10 minutes later. by the time it hits MLS and your rent.com its already gone and in reality never was available to you.

quote:

Originally posted by ArtieS:
I lived there from 2002 until 2009. Key to answering your question is location of your work.

Commute times vary wildly based on where you have to go.

Once you figure that out, we can probably give you some pretty good advice.

My office will be about 5 blocks north of Miami International Airport . I would preferred to be about 25-35 miles inland from the coast .

Yes, it would be nice to be close to the beach as I do some salt water fishing. And Florida fishing is some of the best in the country. But hurricane and high tides would be a problem . It would not be fun coming home to water up to your knees. I would rather drive from inland 30-45 minutes to the coast.

I've looked at Pembroke Pines, Hollywood, Fort Lauderdale, Kendall, Coral Gables . Rentals are high in those areas with the exception of Fort Lauderdale which is a little bit cheaper.

quote:

Originally posted by SIP2000GLO:

quote:

Originally posted by ArtieS:
I lived there from 2002 until 2009. Key to answering your question is location of your work.

Commute times vary wildly based on where you have to go.

Once you figure that out, we can probably give you some pretty good advice.

My office will be about 5 blocks north of Miami International Airport . I would preferred to be about 25-35 miles inland from the coast .

Yes, it would be nice to be close to the beach as I do some salt water fishing. And Florida fishing is some of the best in the country. But hurricane and high tides would be a problem . It would not be fun coming home to water up to your knees. I would rather drive from inland 30-45 minutes to the coast.

I've looked at Pembroke Pines, Hollywood, Fort Lauderdale, Kendall, Coral Gables . Rentals are high in those areas with the exception of Fort Lauderdale which is a little bit cheaper.

13 years ago, I'd say Pembroke Pines or Sunset Lakes and Rt. 27 all the way in. Last few miles will be ugly, but not too bad.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Timdogg6:
The dogs and yard are going to make it very hard on your search.QUOTE]

Indeed . Places that allow dogs mostly want lapdogs. My boys are 65 and 75 pounds.

With kids school district is widely different across Miami Dade and Broward. I-95 has HOV lanes with tolls from West Palm Beach To Miami International. 25 miles inland puts you in the Glades. Flooding has more to do with what the local community has done to mitigate it. I’m very close to the ocean. Don’t flood unless their is a hurricane with a King tide. And if there is a hurricane I leave. Look at the flood maps, each community has them. To the North consider Lighthouse Point if you are wiling to drive a bit and pay the price. Also consider Homeatead to the south of Miami. Get quotes for car insurance. Don’t be surprised if the quote comes back at 4 times what you pay now. When the kids can drive, double that. 5 years ago, living in Miami, four cars, 2 drivers under 21, home insurance, flood insurance, and hurricane insurance a friend was paying 25k a year.

You really have to want to be here.

quote:

Originally posted by DC3S:
With kids school district is widely different across Miami Dade and Broward. . To the North consider Lighthouse Point if you are wiling to drive a bit and pay the price. Also consider Homeatead to the south of Miami.

Get quotes for car insurance. Don’t be surprised if the quote comes back at 4 times what you pay now. When the kids can drive, double that. 5 years ago, living in Miami, four cars, 2 drivers under 21, home insurance, flood insurance, and hurricane insurance a friend was paying 25k a year.

You really have to want to be here.

.

I didn't think about the automobile hurricane surcharge. Financially, I would make about the same in Miami . But higher living cost plus more natural disasters seem like it won't be beneficial for the few years that we will be there.

FWIW - if you go to west Broward County your comment to and from work is going to be awful. To work you would be on I 75 which feeds into the Palmetto Expressway which is the most congested stretch we have. Same on the return trip. People do it but I would not if I could avoid it. I would focus more - at least first to see if its in your budget - on communities west of MIA like Miami Springs or Doral. If you do look there you should also consider flight path noise.

Don't go. Broward County is now the new Date County. Traffic, crime. I moved into Pompano in '93 and witnessed the increase of crime and traffic. It got so bad that Broward County Sheriff's Office helicopters were above all the time. I could not answer my front door. I had a car full of home boys drive up to my house asking me for a light.....back peddled into the garage. When gardening in the back, I had to lock the fence. Many more stories but, you get the ides.

Thanks for all the suggestions gentlemen. After what I've learned from here and through talking to a couple of guys currently working there, I think I'll stay put. I thought Florida would be better than California but in a sense it's about equally the same. High housing cost, traffic, natural disaster, insurance cost, and crime are not too appealing. It would be a waste of time and resources for us to make the move. Since it's only for a couple of years

I’ll be the contrarian here.

I love Miami, and have lived in other parts of the world, but moved back here for a reason. Addressing point by point:

1. If your work is a few blocks north of the airport, then Miami Springs is a fantastic, and safe neighborhood to live in. I believe it only has a handful of entrances that are well patrolled, and single family housing (what you need for the pups) is predominant.

2. Traffic is a non-issue if you live near your work, and (gasp!) avoid driving in the direction of rush hour traffic during rush hour. Miami has very well defined traffic patterns, during off times (or contra traffic) you can make excellent time.

3. Natural disasters/flooding… that’s not going to be an issue where you work, and where you will likely live. I live 100 yards from the water, and the worst thing that happens during king tide here is that the street gets about 12” of water. That’s umm… a couple times a year, and normally has to coincide with rainfall to flood. Non-issue for most of Miami. Natural disasters? I’ve lived in Miami for every single hurricane including Andrew, which coincidentally was the last really BIG one. Katrina/Wilma/Charlie etc did some minor damage, but that’s like a day without power and you grill food (the weather is normally GREAT after a hurricane). It’s the world’s best version of a snow day. Also… Andrew was 30 years ago.

4. Crime is quite low in Miami, with the exception of petty theft from unlocked cars at the beach etc. Avoid the 10 blocks that are “up and coming” in a county that is 300 blocks wide, and you will be fine. Uninsured motorists are a pain, get good insurance.

Miami is paradise, and definitely ideal for someone who will come for a few years. That’s the perfect time to either fall in love with the city, or decide it’s not for you but enjoy the most unique place in North America.

quote:

Originally posted by SIP2000GLO:

quote:

Originally posted by ArtieS:
I lived there from 2002 until 2009. Key to answering your question is location of your work.

Commute times vary wildly based on where you have to go.

Once you figure that out, we can probably give you some pretty good advice.

My office will be about 5 blocks north of Miami International Airport . I would preferred to be about 25-35 miles inland from the coast .

Yes, it would be nice to be close to the beach as I do some salt water fishing. And Florida fishing is some of the best in the country. But hurricane and high tides would be a problem . It would not be fun coming home to water up to your knees. I would rather drive from inland 30-45 minutes to the coast.

I've looked at Pembroke Pines, Hollywood, Fort Lauderdale, Kendall, Coral Gables . Rentals are high in those areas with the exception of Fort Lauderdale which is a little bit cheaper.

Who the hell is telling you this complete and utter nonsense about flooding and hurricanes?????? My house was built in 1966 and 1/2 mile from the beach in Pompano Beach and my mothers house was built in 1953 and 1/4 mile from the beach in Lauderdale By the Sea. Neither have ever been flooded, nor destroyed by a hurricane. If you want to live 25-30 miles inland, you will be knee deep in water or more all of the time because that's the Florida Everglades.

Yes you have to be prepared for a hurricane, but I've never feared of my roof flying off or anything serious happening.

Yes, there are a few neighborhoods that flood for a few hours when it rains really heavy in May/June. When I say flood, some streets may have 12" of water on them.

There are plenty of good neighborhoods, pricing is higher in South Florida but for many good reasons.......no snow, the beach, great restaurants, great activities, etc. etc. Some deals can be found in Miami Lakes, Hollywood, Pompano Beach, and other towns.