Owning a home in Miami Lakes remains a good investment: prices on residential properties continue to rise, crime rates are low, and elected officials have pledged to manage growth and maintain the town’s charm and lifestyle.
Those were some of the takeaways for 100 real estate professionals who filled a ballroom during the MIAMI Association of Realtors’ City Spotlight event held April 30 at Miami Lakes Hotel on Main.
Jonathan J. Alfonso, Residential President of the realtors group, posed questions to Council members Alex Sanchez and Juan Carlos Fernandez.
About keeping a small town charm, Fernandez brought up Miami Lakes’ history of code enforcement.
“Our forefathers, The Graham Companies, were the ones that really founded our town and their vision for the town was to live, work and play in the same place. They had strict deed restrictions in place that actually helped guide us to create our ordinances and policies [and we’re] going to continue that same vision.”
Councilman Alex Sanchez described the town’s image.
“We are 33,000 residents, we are 6.5 square miles, but we are a small town. It is a jewel within Miami-Dade County,” he said. “It’s movement forward in a moderate fashion, not making it so dense that we lose sight of what is Miami Lakes, the small town that we are. The aesthetic that is Miami Lakes is safety, where kids can play outside and not worry about a speeding car coming down the street.”
About Optimist Park, and the council’s recent vote for $500,000 to improve it, Fernandez said, “My commitment to this town is to beautify our parks. Optimist Park is my highest priority.”
They were asked about how The Graham Companies’ $12 million renovation of the Miami Lakes Golf Course set to finish in November, where the First Tee Miami program teaches the game to kids, will impact recreation. Alfonso also asked about the company’s planned $110 million Residences & Shops on Nine that will bring 278 apartments to the golf club.
Sanchez called the golf course “one of the main amenities that draws people into Miami Lakes. … It’s very exciting, what’s coming to the golf course. [For] the homes at Loch Lomond, it will increase their property values and increase the visibility of Miami Lakes. It will be a competitor with Top Golf.”
Fernandez said the Residences & Shops on Nine “will have retail with high ceilings, sort of a Brickell or Design District feel with that height, and a 250-person [ballroom]. It will be a very nice thing.”
The new apartments “will increase the demand for homes because of the tenants coming in,” Sanchez said. “It will create more of an awareness of the lifestyle we have here.”
Also discussed were the planned 2025 groundbreaking in the Northwest 59th Avenue bridge project to connect Miami Lakes Drive and Northwest 167th Street, and code enforcement goals for the business and warehouse district west of Northwest 67th Avenue.
“The east side, right now we’re having a few issues with code compliance and we’re working with them to bring them up to the standards we have in Miami Lakes,” Sanchez said. “Connection to 59th Avenue will help bring businesses up to code.”
Added Fernandez, “We have rules that are in place and it’s something the folks who wanted to live here and have businesses here appreciate, and we’re going to continue for the owners to adhere to them.”
Realtor Alfredo Pujol is 2026 chairman-elect for the Miami Association of Realtors. He grew up in Miami Lakes and coaches baseball at Optimist Park. He brings buyers to look at properties “all the time” who want to live in Miami Lakes because of its small-town culture.
“Every major city has a park, and I think that Miami Lakes Optimist is such a central and amazing park that with the [new] facilities, it’ll bring people here who have never seen Miami Lakes,” Pujol said. “I think that would be a signature piece for the residents and it would give them pride.”
Realtor Sherryl King-Weathers, Governor, Broward-Miami Association of Realtors, noted the councilmen’s stated goals to preserve the Miami Lakes lifestyle.
“Definitely, [I have brought buyers]…because people want a place where they can live, work and play and we see that in a lot of municipalities, where [buyers say] ‘I want to walk to Publix’ or ‘I want to walk to my favorite restaurant’ or ‘I want a top park where my kids can play,’” she said.
Realtor Albert Vasquez, on the Residential Board of Governors with the MIAMI Association of Realtors, presented statistics about Miami Lakes, including:
Pocketbooks Median incomes in town are near $100,000, versus $60,000 in the City of Miami and $68,000 in Miami Dade County. Also, 50% of adults who moved into town in 2024 are younger than 45. Sixty-five percent of newcomers earn $75,000 or less, Vasquez said.
The Home and Condo Markets Miami Lakes single family median home sales prices rose 94% in the past six years to $910,000 this year; condos and town homes increased 70% in that period to $485,000, Vasquez said.
The Rentals Market Rents have risen since 2019. Multifamily asking rents are up 25% and range from $2,229-$2,350; single-family properties asking rents rose 30% and cost $3,049 - $3,683. Despite rising rents, Vasquez said Miami Lakes is still a good place for real estate agents to show apartments to people who have jobs nearby.
“Rents in town are competitive to a city comparable to Miami Lakes, and offer a better value,” Vasquez said. “Because of the location, amenities, walkability and perks you’ll find in a Graham rental property, like a gym discount. “It doesn’t make sense to me for someone who works in Miami Lakes to rent elsewhere. They’ll make up any rent difference in what they pay for gas.”