Homestead real estate

About Homestead

Homestead is a city at the southern end of Miami-Dade's urban area, roughly 35 miles southwest of downtown Miami, where the Turnpike ends and US-1 continues toward the Florida Keys. The city was founded in the early 1900s along the railroad and was historically an agricultural town; the surrounding Redland remains one of the most productive farming areas in the state. Homestead Air Reserve Base, Homestead-Miami Speedway, and the entrances to Everglades National Park and Biscayne National Park are all nearby.

Since Hurricane Andrew struck the area directly in 1992, Homestead has been rebuilt and then expanded with large planned subdivisions such as Keys Gate, Waterstone, Malibu Bay, and Portofino, mostly east and south of the historic downtown along Campbell Drive and SW 312th Street. Krome Avenue, US-1, and the Turnpike are the main routes north. Homestead and neighboring Florida City are separate municipalities, and large unincorporated areas surround both.

Housing in Homestead

Homestead has three distinct housing markets: the historic downtown and older neighborhoods with 1920s to 1970s homes on standard lots, the large post-2000 planned communities with single-family homes, townhomes, and condos under HOAs and in some cases community development districts (CDDs), and the Redland agricultural area with homes on acreage, groves, and nurseries. Prices per square foot are among the lowest in the county, which is the main draw. Many of the newer communities have gated entries, clubhouses, and strict rental rules.

Who Homestead tends to fit

Homestead tends to fit first-time buyers and families priced out of Kendall and Cutler Bay, people who work at the air base, Turkey Point, Baptist Homestead Hospital, or in agriculture, and investors seeking lower entry prices and rental demand from those same employers. Buyers who want land for horses, a nursery, or a grove look to the Redland. The trade-offs are the longest commute in the county to downtown Miami or the airport, hurricane and flood exposure, and in newer communities the combination of HOA dues plus CDD assessments on the tax bill.

Due diligence in Homestead

• Ask whether the community has a CDD (community development district) in addition to the HOA; CDD assessments appear on the property tax bill and can run for decades.
• Confirm the FEMA flood zone, elevation, and wind insurance quotes early; much of southern Miami-Dade is in mapped flood zones and insurance is a major part of the monthly cost.
• In the Redland and other rural areas, verify well water, septic, agricultural zoning, and what uses and structures the zoning allows.
• Time the commute at rush hour before buying; the Turnpike and US-1 are the only practical routes north and both back up.

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