House Hunting in Ft. Lauderdale?
Feb 2nd, 2004, 05:52 AM
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House Hunting in Ft. Lauderdale?
We want to move from SW Fla to the Ft. Lauderdale area. Due to tax consequences we have to wait till June to move. But we are starting the search now. What hotel would give us a good location to house hunt? Does not have to be on or near the beach. My BIG QUESTION is, What areas in Lauderdale are the most sought after? I want a city experience with a little water thrown in, does not have to be a single family home, townhome or condo is fine. I have some brochures and have checked out web sites, but nothing beats a locals point of view IMO. Any input is appreciated. Judy
Feb 2nd, 2004, 09:28 AM
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Go travel, that is just a weeee bit too much ;-)! I saw some propertys on some water(lakes or rivers) for about750,000, not bad and doable for us, I think. Saw some townhomes for about that price,,,does not have to be on the water as long as it is close to it. I saw all kinds of refernces to Las Olas. How is Coral Springs, do you know? May even go up the coast a bit to Pompano....I just don't know. You know the old Stones hit "you can't always get what you want"? Well I guess that applies to me, big time. ;-)
Feb 2nd, 2004, 09:31 AM
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Have you checked out Hollywood Florida? It is right between Miami Beach and Ft. Lauderdale just over the Miami-Dade County line into Broward County.
For some reason, real estate is about 30% cheaper in Hollywood.
Ft. Lauderdale is getting extremely popular and real estate prices reflect this.
For some reason, real estate is about 30% cheaper in Hollywood.
Ft. Lauderdale is getting extremely popular and real estate prices reflect this.
Feb 2nd, 2004, 09:39 AM
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I have lived in Ft Lauderdale and the immediate area all my life, so I can probably help you a little bit. First of all, do you have a basic min/max price range? You can go from under $200,000 to upwards of millions.
In Fort Lauderdale proper, the areas of Victoria Park and the section east of Federal Hwy/U.S. 1 and the intracoastal and Las Olas Blvd south to SE 17th Street is a nice section (I can't remember what they call that area.) These areas would have SFR and townhomes, but will be pricey.
A nice city west of Ft Lauderdale is Plantation. You want to stay west of the Turnpike, though, to get the nicer areas, and the farther west you go, the better. The advantage to the Plantation/Davie area is that you are still close to downtown without having to deal with the traffic and lack of good shopping areas. You can also find homes on water, but it's usually a canal or small lake.
I live in the area called "Pine Island Ridge" and it's all townhomes, condos and single family homes. It is adjacent to I-595 and borders Pine Island Road on the east. The advantage to this area is it is close to 3 major malls, good grocery shopping options, good schools, and easy access to either Ft Laud or Hollywood and Miami.
If you want to stay around Ft Lauderdale closer to the beach, the areas off Commercial Blvd and Federal Hwy are nice. I have a friend who has lived in that area for years and she cuold probably give me some info on the area.
You certainly have your work cut out for you! Loads to look at.
In Fort Lauderdale proper, the areas of Victoria Park and the section east of Federal Hwy/U.S. 1 and the intracoastal and Las Olas Blvd south to SE 17th Street is a nice section (I can't remember what they call that area.) These areas would have SFR and townhomes, but will be pricey.
A nice city west of Ft Lauderdale is Plantation. You want to stay west of the Turnpike, though, to get the nicer areas, and the farther west you go, the better. The advantage to the Plantation/Davie area is that you are still close to downtown without having to deal with the traffic and lack of good shopping areas. You can also find homes on water, but it's usually a canal or small lake.
I live in the area called "Pine Island Ridge" and it's all townhomes, condos and single family homes. It is adjacent to I-595 and borders Pine Island Road on the east. The advantage to this area is it is close to 3 major malls, good grocery shopping options, good schools, and easy access to either Ft Laud or Hollywood and Miami.
If you want to stay around Ft Lauderdale closer to the beach, the areas off Commercial Blvd and Federal Hwy are nice. I have a friend who has lived in that area for years and she cuold probably give me some info on the area.
You certainly have your work cut out for you! Loads to look at.
Feb 2nd, 2004, 10:59 AM
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A friend of ours has a nice house on a canal in Pompano Beach. I have also heard Deerfield Beach is nice. Might want to pull up the post on the Naples get together a couple of days ago. There was a fodorite there who lives in Pompano.
Feb 2nd, 2004, 12:43 PM
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Hi, Judyrem! You may also want to go to www.miami.com which takes you to The Miami Herald. Lots of info on FLL area! Good luck House Hunting! Let us know where you end up!
Feb 2nd, 2004, 01:41 PM
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Heartburn, I like the concept of staying closer to the beach, that area off of Commercialand Federal sounds interesting. I'd love to know more about it. I made a mistake thinking I could be happy where I am now...it is too far out and isolated for me. I used to live in the Atlanta suberb of Roswell and I am very use to a city/suburb environment. Ft. lauderdale seems to fit the bill both culturally and socially, plus it has all kinds of pro sports and such for my husband(and Me). I tried to talk him into Ft L in the beginning. but he wanted this area...so we came here! Oh well next week we will be heading there to start our search. I will keep you posted on our quest. ;-) Judy
Feb 3rd, 2004, 11:49 AM
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I just bought a beachfront condo in Pompano as a vacation property. Pompano Beach is about 20 minutes north of Fort Lauderdale airport and as a community is about 100,000 people - however all of Broward County is one town against another against another, so no matter where you live, you can drive to whatever you want to do. Condos between the beach and the intercoastal waterway can run between $200,000 - $1.5 million in Pompano dependent on what you want. We like it because it isn't real touristy, even during "Spring Break" season - it is an area where people really live. You could check out recent sale prices, maps, aerial views etc at the Broward County Appraisers website www.bcpa.net
Do you have a realtor? If you decide on NE Broward county near the beach [Lauderdale by the Sea, Pompano, Hillsboro, etc] I could give you the name of someone reliable - email me at [email protected]
Do you have a realtor? If you decide on NE Broward county near the beach [Lauderdale by the Sea, Pompano, Hillsboro, etc] I could give you the name of someone reliable - email me at [email protected]
Feb 3rd, 2004, 03:30 PM
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Tigerhawk, we are going next week for 3 nights to scope things out. Pompano is definitely doable for us. That is not bad for beachfront! I went to the Sun-Sentinel site and did a pretty good search for properties available. Thanks, I will e-mail you for the realtor's name. I think we would like to get the lay of the land first, then call a realtor. We are staying off the beach, Comfort Suites Airport, cause we won't have time for beachy stuff this time. We are into big time shopping around. ;-) Judy
Feb 4th, 2004, 02:52 PM
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Judy-Found a website for you that may help. http://www.askaresident.com/florida.htm if that doesn't work, try askaresident.com. Good luck.
