Why do you prefer the Miami airport over Ft. Lauderdale or even Melbourne?
My dad lived for years in Tropical Haven in Melbourne.
The park is on land leased from the Melbourne airport. Most of the park was within 6 minutes of the departure gates and about 16 minutes from the ocean beach.

I think the "why" is as important as the "where".

Retirement? Getaway? Golf or tennis?

The most.important.single.thing is a thorough reading of the condo docs and financial statements. The docs contain all the rules and regulations: can you have a pet, can you rent the condo when you are not there, can you be assesses when others don't pay their condo fees, pool hours, age restrictions, unrelated people living together in condos (group houses) etc.

The financial statements tell you whether the association has the assets to cover damages in an emergency and make normal repairs and replacements to common systems. MANY condo associations in Florida have had so many people walk away that they do not have reserves.

Thanks for the reply. Miami airport is needed for international visitors who are afraid to make airline connections in the U.S. due to language barriers. We would meet my in-laws as they exit customs in Miami. Ft. Lauderdale would work because it's only about an hour from Miami Airport. Any other suggestions.

Thanks for the reminder about checking the condo rules and finances. Definitely need to be able to bring the dog. She has higher status in the family than I do.

Have you seen this thread?

http://www.fodors.com/community/united-states/florida-condo-seeking-general-advice.cfm

Thanks, ekscrunchy. The thread had lots of good info plus a website to check out. Also - any comments from anyone on Florida real estate values? From the info I can find it seems like they are starting to recover a little bit (as are many areas of the country). Any thoughts?

From what I know, and my wife knows lots more, prices are beginning to rise/have started rising/have risen in desirable places, not so much or at all in places that shouldn't have been built at all.

If I were you, and I might be someday again, I find Miami Beach, Coral Gables, and Cocoanut Grove very attractive, with the first near beaches and with easy access to the airport. The other two are not close to beaches but I find them very attractive, rather lush places with good shopping and food.

I've been perusing some of the real estate websites this morning and it appears that Boynton Beach provides a little more value for the money than communities further south. Any reason for this?

Boynton Beach is a quiet area without much of an attractive "downtown" area for strolling. (There is a pretty marina area, though).

I happen to be quite familiar with the town because I am spending time near there this winter. For restaurants, we have been driving to other towns, either south to Delray or north to Lantana. But other than the shortage of good places to eat (as compared to our hometown of New YorkCity!!) it is a nice, safe area and condo prices are, indeed, very reasonable. There are lovely condos for sale in "country club" type communities away from the ocean, for well under $200,000.

It takes about 20 minutes to drive to the West Palm Beach international airport from BB. We drove to Miami the other day; the drive was about an hour.

I will be more than happy to discuss the area based on my recent experience.