Time to put down some roots

April 2, 2007 9:36 AM

Hi all :) I've decided that its time I found a permanent place to rest my head at nights. Apartment living has been fun but acknowledging the fact that I'm knocking on 30's door... its time I bought a home. Now, not a home in a traditional sense. Rather, a condominium. Preferably one with an ocean view :)

I've always been a bit laid back so I don't really want the responsibility of a "home" per se. I'd much rather live in a 1 bedroom 1.5 bathroom condo (or bigger if the price were right) where I can be awakened each morning by the scent of the ocean and drift into slumber with the sounds of the waves crashing.

Ah, thinking of it makes my toes tingle! :)

Unto my question:
*Does anyone know the best sites to search for this. I've tried a few but they are outdated.
*Do you recommend another route in trying to find my "dream ocean-front condo"???
*Know anyone trying to sell theirs and is actively looking for a buyer?

I live in Florida. I'm aiming for the Fort Lauderdale area (Miami is uber expensive) - though, I'm really open if I can find a great property at an even greater price!

Can't wait to hear your input!

posted by seeminglyshy to home & garden (8 comments total)

What's your price range?
posted by that girl at 9:44 AM on April 2, 2007

http://www.floridamoves.com might be a good place to start, if just to get the idea of prices and places and whatnot.
posted by that girl at 9:46 AM on April 2, 2007

Craigslist?
posted by necessitas at 9:55 AM on April 2, 2007

Thanks for the link that girl. I'll take a gander.

I'm thinking I dont want to go over 250K. Preferably substancially lower but 250 is the max.
posted by seeminglyshy at 9:57 AM on April 2, 2007

Btw, Hollywood, Hallendale (sp?) or Lauderdale-by-the-sea might be cheaper than Ft. Lauderdale proper. Also, search on realtor.com. It'll help you get a feel for what you can expect to get at your price range.
posted by necessitas at 10:01 AM on April 2, 2007

Thanks for the input Necessitas.

I've scoured CL, realtor, etc. You are correct, it does give you a feel for things, though it seems that most of the info isn't necessarily accurate. My quest is to find something that reports "real-time".
posted by seeminglyshy at 11:28 AM on April 2, 2007

Realtor.com actually does provide real-time listings. It is just a duplicate of the MLS database listings that realtors use to find their clients homes. It won't provide a snapshot of what things actually sold for, just the listing price. I don't know if that is what you mean by real-time. Also, that will show only the homes listed by realtors. You can also try the by owner site. Possibly byowner.com or forsalebyowner.com?

Also, why don't you meet with a realtor just to get you started. They'll be able to pull comps to let you know what things are selling for, etc.
posted by necessitas at 3:18 PM on April 2, 2007

Oh, and if you do use realtor to check out places in s. fl or any other retirement-friendly area, you need to set the minimum to a reasonable amount. Otherwise, you end up with all the 55+ communities (cheap for whatever reason) and rentals in your search.
posted by necessitas at 3:19 PM on April 2, 2007