Be honest.  When you think of Miami, you think of beach, right?  Beautiful blue waves softly lapping the white powdery sands.  

Looking at a map makes it seem like the beach runs forever in Miami.  It does.  However, most of the beach cannot support dwellings - literally.  Most of the land in South Florida is marshy swamp land and it's difficult to find the appropriate building blocks for beach front homes.

If living on the water is a priority for you, you have a few options.  You can pay millions of dollars for a home that is really on the beach, or you can pay less for a home in the suburbs that is still on the water - a nice lake most likely.

Miami area lakes have many benefits as opposed to oceanfront property.  First and foremost, lake water doesn't cause the damage that the ocean does during a storm or hurricane.  Considering that Miami has a six month rainy/hurricane season, this is certainly something to think about.

If the 'burbs aren't really your cup of tea, there are oceanfront properties always up for sale.  Many are palatial mansions, but most are condos in gorgeous high rise buildings where you have private beach rights and spectacular views. 

Just prepared to pay.   Adding "Miami Beach" to your address adds costs you never thought about!   House insurance is outrageous simply because it's only a matter of time before your beautiful new home is demolished or heavily damaged by a storm.  Property taxes also have even the rich and famous almost fainting when the tax bills come in.  Ask your new neighbor about power outages and he'll tell you where to have your new all house underground backup generator installed for about $40,000. 

If living on the beach is still your dream, you can usually have your pick of locations and buy according to your needs:  condo, house, corner, boat slip, easy access to airport - it's all there for the taking...and big bucks.