S. FL freeze !!??!?

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

If someone is anticipating buying real estate in Florida, now is the time to do it.  I cannot see prices being depressed forever and anticipate a rebound by next spring.  If you are thinking of owning long term, it is a no brainer.  

Fastfeat, that price sounds very reasonable.  You can't touch an undeveloped acre in Broward for that.

Jerry

[fastfeat]

(Jerry@TreeZoo @ Sep. 28 2007,13:13)

QUOTE

If someone is anticipating buying real estate in Florida, now is the time to do it.  I cannot see prices being depressed forever and anticipate a rebound by next spring.  If you are thinking of owning long term, it is a no brainer.  

Fastfeat, that price sounds very reasonable.  You can't touch an undeveloped acre in Broward for that.

Jerry

Jerry--

Going to look at another place today in The Acreage. 3/2 on 2+ acres offered at $230K.

I agree that the time to buy is now.

[spockvr6]

I was just visiting some friends down in Pembroke Pines this weekend and the sheer number of houses in foreclosure just on his street alone was staggering.  And, the asking prices on the houses were about the same as the equivalent house would go for up here, which would not have been the case last year.   So, things are certainly looking more in the buyers favor right now than this time last year.    Whether or not things will drop even more going forward is tough to call I suppose.  But, the few articles Ive read have forecast the housing market in FL to bottom late in 2008.  How this can be forecast this is beyond me however.

[NBTX11]

(fastfeat @ Sep. 30 2007,11:33)

QUOTE

(Jerry@TreeZoo @ Sep. 28 2007,13:13)

QUOTE

If someone is anticipating buying real estate in Florida, now is the time to do it.  I cannot see prices being depressed forever and anticipate a rebound by next spring.  If you are thinking of owning long term, it is a no brainer.  

Fastfeat, that price sounds very reasonable.  You can't touch an undeveloped acre in Broward for that.

Jerry

Jerry--

Going to look at another place today in The Acreage. 3/2 on 2+ acres offered at $230K.

I agree that the time to buy is now.

I bet I can get that same property for 130K here.

I saw a 3000 sq ft brand new (2006) 4 BR advertised, with game room, 2 car garage for 139K here.  It was a foreclosure below market, but still, that gives you an idea...

[spockvr6]

(syersj @ Sep. 27 2007,12:51)

QUOTE

(Ray @ Tampa,Sep. 26 2007,08:29)

QUOTE

When Miami's airport dropped to 28 or 29F back in the 80's, 21F for Tamarac was very possible.

I keep hearing Miami got to 29, but why do most sites list 32F as the all time record low for Miami.  Don't they take the official reading at the airport??  And if so, why is 32 listed as the all time record low??

Jim-

I forgot to mention in this thread earlier.....the 32F many sites (like weather.com) use are taken from the official reporting station on Miami Beach.  Their record low (according to the Climate Center) is indeed 32F which was reached on several occasions.    

I believe this may be the only long term official station in mainland Florida that hasnt logged a sub freezing temp?

[BobbyinNY]

Hey guys......

haven't been on in awhile... been real busy with all sorts of stuff, but had to chime in...  I lived in Tamarac for 6 years from 1988-1994, specifically McNab & University drive, and I remember it getting down to 32f at the lowest. Maybe some areas got colder, but 21f? I don't remember anything that cold...

[amazondk]

(surgeon83 @ Sep. 25 2007,21:03)

QUOTE

According to weather.com, 1989 was not a bad year for Tamarac- '95 and '96 seem to have been horrible, though.  But you can't argue with 40' coconuts!

Waykoolplantz- when I saw pictures of your place, I remember thinking how much I wanted to live there- so that straightens things out a bit  ::

I don't WANT a commute, but if it comes down to choosing between location A where I have to worry about getting shot everyday while I'm out watering my plants and location B that's safer but I have a 35 minute commute and a few degrees cooler, I'll take B thank you.  

I don't know if Tamarac to Miami is really a 35 minute commute like yahoo maps says... but even if I wind up moving to the Tampa area, I'll want to live in St. Pete for the climate, so I'll have a commute either way.  They just don't consider microclimates when setting up residency programs, except for Mount Sinai on Miami Beach!!

I lived in East Fort Lauderdale off and on from 1980 to 2000. I had a house the whole time, but spent may half of it living in Brazil.  During the time l lived and worked in South Florida I always worked in Miami,most of the time either at MIA airport or just west in the cargo areas between 826 and the turnpike.  That was approximately a 40 mile drive from my house.  I believe the fastest I ever made this trip, very early in the morning or at night would have been around 35 minutes.  And, the longest was about 2 hours.  If you work in the daytime and use either I95, 826, or the turnpike there is no way the commute is 35 minutes.  If you are going to Miami Beach you still have to put up with most of the I95 traffic to Miami anyway.  So, I would say you would have at best a 1 hour commute from Tamarac.  One constant as far as I have noticed since 1980 is that the traffic in South Florida has gotten progressively worse.  The best thing is to live close to where you work in any urban area from the way I see things today.  The only good thing about the commute I used to have was that I did get to think a lot en route.  As to your odds of getting shot in Broward County vs Miami Dade I don't know if that makes much difference, you are proabably more likely to get shot in traffic than watering your plants.

dk

[KonaDave]

Hey Surgeon83...

Planning a move to south florida huh? Well, I will do what I can to help regarding the climate and the surrounding areas.

1. Its always about 5 degrees cooler near the beach than inland and regarding the RECORD LOW of 21, it was just that, a record, but I have not even been able  to verify that info yet.

If it is going to be that cold, you usually have some notice. Usually turning on the sprinklers or placing some flood lights around the cold sensative palms is usually enough to get them through the cold spell.

2. As far as coconut and adonidias, the specimans in my neighborhood, most of which are 20 years old or older grow like weeds. The worst problem I have seen since being a home owner for the last 10 yrs is being slammed by a hurricane. I lost 3 Vetchias during Hurricane Wilma and what was wind burnt came back. My Foxtails and Cocotrinax survived like champs, most just had to flush back out.

3. In this day and age in south florida, commuting from Tamarac to Miami daily would be INSANE. Its about 35 miles each way, but the traffic would kill you.

I have lived in Tamarac for the last 10 yrs. Just over a yr ago I upgraded from a 1600 sq ft house with almost no yard  to a 3400 sq ft house on a 1/3 of an acre on a double fairway at a private country club. Tamarac generally caters to the older crowd and has many retirement communities some of which have become starter homes for the young. There are a few places to find decent homes for around $400,000., or maybe less, depending on what you are looking for.

Let me know if I can help with any further info.

David

[surgeon83]

Thank you for the input DK and David.  I don't know what I was expecting to hear about the commute; the last thing in the world I would need on top of working 12-hour days would be spending 3-4 hours total in the car every day!  

Congrats on the upgrade, David.  It will be at least a good decade before I can think about a property like that, and even then only if I'm lucky.  

$400k for a decent house?  That settles it- living that far south is just a pipe dream at this point in my life.  Be that as it may, I am interviewing at 2 programs in the Miami area and will be visiting from 12/8-12/11.  

Anyone have a spare bed for a few nights in exchange for yard work/cleaning? (as long as I still have some time to visit Fairchild)  ::   ???   Or maybe just Saturday night and then I can get a cheap hotel near Jackson Memorial on Sunday to be close to my interview...   ???

Just throwing it out there

-Brian

[galveston1602]

talking of housing in FL.

http://money.cnn.com/2007....dex.htm

this is a Great article, of course if your an owner your screaming about this article....  

miami is looking for a 40% correction and tampa a 32% correction.  Youd have to read the article but, thats not saying that the home prices are going to fall that far just that rents and home prices have to get closer together...

St pete sure does seem to be a nice place with a decent palm climate, the biggest thing I noticed in Fl is you cant go anywhere near a city without finding gridlock traffic...  around here you can get on an interstate and not be lined up for miles no matter what time it is.  of course theres traffic but theres plenty of alternates and the traffic doesnt last for hours and hours...  its almost like there was very little planning on how to move people around.  of course, maybe its just been the timings of my trips to FL.

On a palm note, having traveled extensively around the tampa st pete area recently looking at housing (and palms) , the climate there is about a notch above here, where I plan on loosing most of my yard every 10 years (or less) there youd not plan on loosing it, and when it did happen it'd be a large event.....  The sheer fact that you can replenish your yard with whatever palm species youd like (from homestead) makes the climate there even better, its such a challenge around here to find palms that Im not sure I could handle having so many "candy stores" nearby.