Miami is a big city and incorporates many little ones. When I talk to you about Miami I am mostly referring to the city of Miami Beach which is incorporated but with its own rules. But then you have Coral Gables, Coconut Grove, Doral, Homestead, Aventura, Hialeah, Surfside, North Miami Beach and I can keep going.
So to simplify things for you when people say: ” I am going on vacation in Miami” most of the times they are referring to Miami Beach. You can read here why people move to Miami. But what no one tells you is that it is not all that easy and there are several things you need to do or not to do first.
Mistake N1
So you got an idea to move to Miami. You heard all about how the economy is growing down here and you want a piece of it. SO you decide to buy a house. You checked Zillow page and loved several houses you found prices low enough. Some of them are far from the beach but you don’t care to drive those 20 mins that the description on the listing is mentioning.
Wrong!
20 min drive will easily become a 40 + min drive and that once you are on a highway because it easily can take you 20 minutes just to get to the highway. You will spend all your free time in traffic.
Solution:
Even if the price is so low that it seems to be a no brainer, you might save more money by moving to a closer location to your job. Drive several times during your real commute hours and find a place to live closer to your job.
Mistake N2
You are a smart person! You decided to come here and rent a place so you can see where you really want to live and to pass on purchasing a home. You read many blogs about Miami and even came for a weekend and fell in love with a specific area. So you went on Craigslist, Zillow, Facebook marketplace and rented a house.
Wrong!
You might experience very cool vibes when visiting a place during a weekend or even a week. However living there is not necessarily will be of your liking. Many people actually hate living in Miami Beach (I personally can’t imagine a better place to live in Miami) for many different reasons.
Solution:
Ask people why live in the area why they like it and people who don’t live in the area who they don’t.
Mistake N3
You rented online so you can save money on a hotel and arrive at an all ready apartment.
Wrong!
This is really the worst thing you can do. As cold as it sounds, Miami is not a place where you should trust people with your eyes closed. Make sure the place exists. and if it is too good to be true it is probably is not true.
Solution:
How to not get scammed? Hire a realtor! In Florida, Tenant or buyer don’t pay Realtor’s commission so you don’t have much to lose. Hire a realtor who is an expert in the area where you are looking to move.
I am a licensed realtor but this is not a sales pitch. I really want you to understand and make fewer mistakes.
once you find a realtor go to the DBPR site (Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulations) and search for your realtor. you will be given information on how long this person has had a license (so you can see how experienced this person is) also you will see realtors current address which is located in the area that you are looking in probably translates to better expertise in the area. also, you can see it this realtor has had or has active complaints. after you’ve done all this you are good to go, trust your realtor.
Mistake N4
You sold all your possessions and are moving to Miami expecting to get a great job and fast because you are very qualified.
Wrong!
While Miami is growing and the logic says there are plenty of jobs, unfortunately, it doesn’t come with the quality of those jobs. most of the jobs are for lower level positions and very underpaid. those jobs that are in management positions are still very underpaid ( a friend of mine at a mid-size corporation just recently was promoted and the salary he was offered was very much under the numbers of similar positions nationwide, but he was explained that Florida doesn’t have state tax so he will be getting more money at the end) plus will require you to perform tasks not related to your position. Higher level positions in corporate business are very scarce as usually people get transferred from other places.
Solution:
Start applying for jobs from your hometown. Unless you are willing to take a lower position while looking for a better opportunity.
Mistake N5
You are thinking of abandoning your idea of moving to Miami after reading all this.
Wrong!
While Miami might be a hard place to start living, it is filled with very warm and wonderful people, mostly immigrants, who are ready and open to help. Miami is a huge melting pot of different cultures that really manage to get mixed and to live together in harmony. A place where the stress level is lower and the sun shines after every storm.
Solution :
So if your love for Miami is real, go for it and become a Miamian.
