Moving to Greater Fort Lauderdale: 3 Coastal Towns Compared

Also available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yu8H5FcV_aI

So, you know you want to be somewhere in the Greater Fort Lauderdale area. You have your budget. You have probably already started looking online. And now you are seeing homes in Fort Lauderdale, Pompano Beach, and Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, and you might be thinking, these places are all pretty close together, so how different can they really be?

Well, pretty different. Depending on your budget and the lifestyle you are looking for, you might be surprised by which one ends up being the best fit. This post compares what makes each one unique, the types of homes you will find, what to consider about pricing, and some of the trade-offs that are not always obvious when you are searching online.

Fort Lauderdale: Variety, Waterways, and City Living

Fort Lauderdale gives you a lot of variety. You can be enjoying dinner on Las Olas Boulevard, walking along the Riverwalk, spending the afternoon at the beach, or relaxing in your own backyard, and depending on where you are living, those experiences can feel completely different.

Take Victoria Park, for example. You have an established residential neighborhood with a mix of older homes, newer construction, cottages, apartment buildings, condo towers, and townhomes, all relatively close to downtown and Las Olas. Then you have areas like Coral Ridge and the Landings, where you will find single-family homes, waterfront properties, and access to shopping, dining, and the beach. As you head farther west, you will find other established residential neighborhoods like Lauderdale Isles, Chula Vista, Riverland, and Palm Aire Village with a completely different atmosphere.

That is why, when someone tells me they want to live in Fort Lauderdale, my next question is usually, “Okay, but what part of Fort Lauderdale?” Because that makes a big difference.

If you are shopping somewhere between $650,000 and $1 million, that budget can open up very different possibilities depending on the location, property type, size, and condition. You might be considering a condo closer to the beach or downtown, a townhome, or a single-family home in an established neighborhood. But if you want a newer home, a larger lot, a pool, AND to be close to the water, that is where we may need to start prioritizing.

Just because a property has a Fort Lauderdale address does not mean you are going to have the same experience as someone living near Las Olas or the beach. Fort Lauderdale covers a lot of ground. So I want to know how you spend your time. Do you want to be close to restaurants and entertainment? Do you commute? Do you want to spend weekends on the water? Or would you rather have a larger home and a little more distance from the busier areas? Those answers help us identify which neighborhoods are worth exploring.

Pompano Beach: A Coastal City With a Lot of Options

Now, let’s head north to Pompano Beach. If you have not spent much time in Pompano recently, you may be surprised by what you find. The beachfront has undergone a significant transformation over the years. The area around the Fisher Family Pier and Pompano Beach Fishing Village has become a destination with restaurants, shopping, and places to enjoy the ocean. It is a very different experience from what that area was years ago, and I think that is worth seeing firsthand.

But Pompano Beach is much more than the beach. You have waterfront neighborhoods, established single-family communities, condominium developments, and neighborhoods farther inland, and they are not all going to feel the same.

For example, if boating is important to you, there are waterfront areas like Harbor Village, Cypress Harbor, and Garden Isles worth exploring. But even then, not all waterfront properties are equal. Do you need ocean access? Are there fixed bridges? How deep is the water? Do you need room for a particular size boat? Those details matter, and they are things I would want to investigate before you fall in love with a property.

In that $650,000 to $1 million range, depending on what is available, you may be able to compare single-family homes in established neighborhoods with condos closer to the beach or Intracoastal. Sometimes buyers who initially focus only on Fort Lauderdale discover that Pompano gives them another set of options worth considering. But I would not automatically assume you are going to get more house for your money just because you are looking farther north. It really depends on the neighborhood, the property, and the market.

If you are relocating, I encourage you to spend some time exploring Pompano beyond the beachfront. Drive through the neighborhoods. See where the grocery stores are. Visit the local parks. Figure out how you will get to the places you expect to visit regularly. A beautiful property might look perfect online, but you also need to enjoy everything around it.

Lauderdale-by-the-Sea: A Smaller Coastal Town Experience

Lauderdale-by-the-Sea has a very different personality. It is actually its own town, not just another neighborhood of Fort Lauderdale. It is a smaller coastal community located on the barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway.

One of the things people tend to appreciate here is the more relaxed, beach town atmosphere. Buildings cannot exceed four stories, which preserves the area’s low-rise, seaside village charm. Around Commercial Boulevard and Anglin’s Square, you have restaurants, shops, and the beach within walking distance of one another. You can grab a coffee, walk over to the ocean, meet someone for lunch, or enjoy an evening out without necessarily getting in your car. It is also a popular area for shore diving and snorkeling, with reef areas accessible from the beach.

Here is where we need to talk about your budget again. If you are considering Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, I want you to be realistic about what you are prioritizing. Maybe having more square footage is not your biggest concern. Maybe you would be perfectly happy with a condo because you want to spend your mornings walking along the beach and your evenings enjoying local restaurants. Or perhaps you are looking for a smaller property that does not require as much hands-on maintenance. That might be exactly what you are looking for.

But if you want a large single-family home, a spacious yard, a pool, and multiple bedrooms, the options within your budget may be more limited. And because this is a smaller town, the selection of available properties can be limited compared with a much larger city, so finding the right property here sometimes requires patience and flexibility.

There is also a difference between visiting Lauderdale-by-the-Sea for a weekend and living here full time. The areas close to the beach attract visitors, especially during busy seasons. For some people, that is part of the fun. Others may prefer a quieter residential setting. Neither is right or wrong. It depends on what kind of environment you enjoy.

What Your Money Really Buys

Whether you are shopping at $650,000, $800,000, or $1 million, I do not want you comparing properties based on the asking price alone.

Let’s say you are comparing three homes. One is a single-family home in Fort Lauderdale. Another is a condo near the beach in Pompano. And the third is a condo in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. All three might fall within your budget, but the cost of owning them could look very different.

With a single-family home, you are generally taking responsibility for things like the roof, landscaping, exterior maintenance, and maybe a pool. Depending on the property, insurance and flood coverage can be significant considerations.

With a condo, you may have less exterior maintenance to handle personally, but you are also going to have association fees, rules, and other financial considerations. In Florida, especially with older condominium buildings, I want buyers paying attention to reserve funding, structural inspections, and potential special assessments. A condo with an attractive purchase price does not necessarily mean it has the lowest overall ownership cost.

So when we are comparing properties, I want to look beyond what you are paying to buy them. I want to know what they are going to cost you to own and maintain. Your budget should support the lifestyle you are trying to create, not just the purchase itself.

The Question I Want Relocating Buyers to Ask

What does your normal Tuesday look like? Not your vacation. Not the long weekend you come down to visit South Florida. Your normal Tuesday.

Are you getting up and heading into an office? Are you working from home? Do you want to walk to a coffee shop in the morning? Are you picking up groceries on your way home? Would you love to take an evening walk on the beach? Or maybe you would rather come home, sit by your own pool, and enjoy some peace and quiet.

Those everyday routines tell us a lot about where you might enjoy living. For one buyer, being close to Las Olas, downtown Fort Lauderdale, and the surrounding neighborhoods may be a priority. For another, Pompano Beach might offer the combination of home, neighborhood, and coastal access they are looking for. And someone else may fall in love with the idea of living in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, where they can enjoy a smaller beach town atmosphere.

Even within those communities, the exact location matters. Walkability, traffic, parking, neighborhood atmosphere, and access to the places you visit most can vary considerably. That is why I encourage relocating buyers to experience an area beyond just touring the homes. If possible, visit at different times of day. Drive your potential commute. Explore the neighborhoods. See what it feels like to actually spend time there. Photos and videos can tell you a lot about a property, but they cannot tell you everything about living there.

So, Which One Would I Choose?

If you are looking for a wide variety of neighborhoods, property types, restaurants, entertainment, and access to the city’s waterways, Fort Lauderdale gives us quite a few directions to explore.

If you want to consider another coastal city with a revitalized beachfront, boating opportunities, and established residential neighborhoods, I would absolutely include Pompano Beach in your search.

And if that smaller coastal town atmosphere is high on your priority list, especially if you enjoy walking to the beach, restaurants, and local shops, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea deserves a closer look.

But I would not choose based solely on the city name, and I definitely would not choose based only on the listing photos. I would start by figuring out what is most important to you. How much space do you need? What kind of property do you want? How close do you really need to be to the beach? How much maintenance are you comfortable with? And what does your overall budget need to accomplish?

Once we understand those things, we can start narrowing down the communities and neighborhoods that make the most sense for you. And remember, these are just three of the many communities we have here in South Florida.

If you are thinking about relocating to Greater Fort Lauderdale and you are not quite sure where to start, I would love to hear from you. Tell me a little bit about what you are looking for, your budget, and what is most important to you. We can put together a plan and start exploring the areas that might be a good fit.

Julie Harris, P.A., REALTOR®, Broker Associate, Century 21® Hansen Realty

• Call or text: 954-240-8074
• Email: julie@julieharrisgroup.net
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