Back from another Delaware Visit! (Dover: homes, school, property taxes)

[from PA]

I do not live in a +55 community, am not a realtor, and have a genuine interest in helping those with queries in the area. I get no referral fee for this.

I love the community where I live and if you were looking to move to a community of single family homes I would suggest you look in my neighborhood.

We may at some point in the distant future move to a + 55 community. It was through this forum that I learned about Roesville and out of curiosity, we took a look. Just that I feel this particular community has so much more to offer than the others cropping up.

I have learned a great deal from this forum, some may have personal motivation behind their posts but for the most part, posters here just want to be helpful and share their experiences.

[house123]

Thank you for your response.

Robe

[RWH]

House123, I can verify for you that Joycie was not be in Delaware last weekend and has no confirmed plans for when the next trip will be. I can't speak for Charley as I have not spoken to him in awhile.

We have visited Roesville a few times and I am watching it with great interest to see how it developes. This is a 55+ community where you own the land. This makes the prices somewhat higher than a land leased community. I hope you had a chance to see it while you were there last weekend and would be interested in hearing your views.

Ron

[susieC]

RWH, this post is a long time coming but my husband and I visited Roseville this week. We loved the homes and thought the monthly fees were very reasonable. However, construction on the clubhouse won't begin until this September and is not expected to finish until 2011.
We have been looking at communities in DE for over a year and found this to offer the most amenities.
Would love to hear from anyone who has purchased a 55+ home recently. We are having great difficulty in making a decision.

[Charley]

Originally Posted by susieC

RWH, this post is a long time coming but my husband and I visited Roseville this week. We loved the homes and thought the monthly fees were very reasonable. However, construction on the clubhouse won't begin until this September and is not expected to finish until 2011.
We have been looking at communities in DE for over a year and found this to offer the most amenities.
Would love to hear from anyone who has purchased a 55+ home recently. We are having great difficulty in making a decision.

Hi Susie,

When I last spoke to Kathy Engel, she said that the estimate on the clubhouse is a year to a year-and-a-half, which would confirm a September 2010 to March 2011 time frame.

I like Roesville very much and my wife and I are planning to order our home March 2010 with a move-in target in Fall 2010. If we have to wait a little for the clubhouse and the pools, I think it will be worth the wait.

Aside from Roesville, are there other communities you've seen in which you have an interest?

[susieC]

sorry Charlie, haven't been on in a while....we have looked at Spring Meadow (another top contender), Champion's Club, Independence, Heritage Shores and Odessa National. The homes at Roesville are wonderful; their attention to detail is incredible. Now if we could only make a decision! It sounds as if you have decided...I know you have been looking for a long while also. Next hurdle is to sell our house
Keep us posted as to what you decide.

[Charley]

Originally Posted by susieC

sorry Charlie, haven't been on in a while....we have looked at Spring Meadow (another top contender), Champion's Club, Independence, Heritage Shores and Odessa National. The homes at Roesville are wonderful; their attention to detail is incredible. Now if we could only make a decision! It sounds as if you have decided...I know you have been looking for a long while also. Next hurdle is to sell our house
Keep us posted as to what you decide.

Hi Susie,

I'm sorry I didn't see this message until now.

Yes. We've made the decision. It will be Roesville and if all goes according to plan, we'll be ordering our home in the first quarter of 2010.

Our biggest hurdle will also be selling our current home. I don't need to tell you about the market! Hopefully our timing will be right.

[Frank44]

Hi Charley, Glad you've made your decision. I'm going down to Delaware again this weekend and Roesville is one of the places I am looking at. What sold you on Roesville? Also, I'm not sure that a 55+ community is what I want. Any thoughts? And, finally, did you ever get the feeling that the 55+ communities were higher priced and less flexible in dealing with price than regular communities? I just have a feeling that they can charge more to retired folk who are selling another home, especially the "rich ones" from New Jersey. Is this just my cynical self coming out? Thanks for your answer, Charley and anyone elso who wants to comment?

[elizamary]

Hi Frank,

Charley is off line recovering from surgery. He should be back in the pink soon, we hope.

He will have to tell you exactly what sold him on Roesville. I do know he loved everything but i'm sure he will be specific when he returns.

You are correct........55+ communites do sell for more. you can get a really good deal in an all age community more so than 55+. We found this out but decided on 55+. The reason being....it's quieter, people are own age, activities that 55+ers enjoy. It is a great life. DH and I have lived in one for 2 1/2 years and LOVE it. Best decsion we ever made. This is the life and we enjoy every day to the fullest.
Finding the right community is the trick.
DE is a great place to retire. Low taxes and no sales tax.
We finally found the one for us with a pool, clubhouse, gym, close proximity to the beaches and at a price we can afford.
Roseville is very very nice but out of our price range. The homes are great and I love the idea of them having an indoor pool. Wish we had that.
I'm sure Charley will answer your post as soon as he is able.
Take care

[Frank44]

Hi Elizamary, Thanks for your thoughts. I thik we are leaning toward a 55+ because of the quiet and security but are still looking around. We have seen Spring Meadow a few times and like it. We liked the layout of some of the homes in Willowwood, a quarter of them are 55+ but read some nightmare stories on line about Ryan Homes which builds the 55+. I wonder how much is real problems or just someone's bad luck but I'm not thrilled when the workmanship is questioned and the builder won't make things right. Any thoughts anyone on Willowwood and/or Spring Meadow?