What do you think about Sunrise Lake? (Avalon, Milford: for sale, real estate)

[kaffrin]

I am looking for homes in the area and would appreciate advice on realtors, builders (both good and bad), the different lake communities, schools, crime rates concerns - basically everything a newbie would need to know.

I have seen that website - Concerned Citizens for Sunrise Lake and was concerned myself that the lake dues are potentially being misspent. Also made me sad to hear that alot of the lake ammenities are not being maintained properly and cannot be used. I have never lived in a lake community and was looking forward to more experiences in the "Great Outdoors".

Also, do your homes keep their values - I'm not sure how much to spend and don't want to over invest in a property.

Let me know your thoughts!

[MollyMe]

Where is sunrise lakes--is it by Dingmans?

[ff18wife]

Yes. Near 739 & Log Tavern Road. If you come south on 739, it's on the left before Log Tavern Road.

[BLUEDIAMOND64]

Karin,

I think you need to take time to come up and drive to Sunrise Lake and see it for yourself and if you find people walking around talk to them and ask them what they like and dislike about living there so you get honest feedback from the residents.

The Hat

[AvalonX]

Well you can talk to me, I live there.

I like Sunrise alot. The good thing about Sunrise is there are no rules, you want to put in a pool, remove a tree or whatever its your house. Its really not that much different then living on a street. You can have garbage pickup here as well. The community is open, no gates. That is really a preference thing, I hate gates.

I also attended the first Citizens of Sunrise meeting and get updates all the time. The issue with the dues is tricky, I have a good relationship with Billy Ramagosa who is the owner along with his Brother and also the major Builder here. He has always been great to us but then again he never gave us the impression that there were going to be all these amenities either.

The people having issues with them have some legitimate concerns and they got him to fix the front entrance and such but it isnt the nightmare some think it is. The lakes are fine, he just put a ton of money into them last year. I wish he would open the pool but that pool needs to be torn down so he is trying to find someone to manage it for him.

In the Winter, the roads are cleaned and they do a great job picking up litter and junk from the sides of the road. The community is quiet, I see kids around alot and parents dropping off and picking up from school. The school is 10 minutes away and so is Mr Z's a local supermarket.

If you want a ton of amenities, Sunrise is not for you however keep in mind the neighboring communities have double the dues, each his own I guess. I see signs of a Park being built right around the corner on log tavern so thats good.

Property values is very hard to predict anywhere right now, we bought new in early 06 so of course the value is down but that is everywhere. A house is something you need to stay in for at least 5 years and we are in a real estate adjustment right now. I doubt Milford/Dingmans will be as effected by that as NJ. the schools are great here as well. If you need more info, just ask.

[BLUEDIAMOND64]

What was all the publicity about regarding the heroin busts in Sunrise in the Courier. Is there a drug problem there, or was it just an isolated incident?

[AvalonX]

Heroin? This is the first I have heard of it. I rarely see police there if at all. I know my sister in law who lives in Newton told me that they are having meetings about heroin there but I am surprised to hear about a bust in Sunrise.

[AvalonX]

Ok, I found the article. Seems there was a bust there as posted. Its a shame that these things find their way up here but I guess it does get everywhere. Still I would not say there is a drug problem in Sunrise, that would not be a fair statement. Besides the community is huge, not fair to judge it based on one incident.

I read more about complaints about the dues and it really is still towards the amenities. Would I like to see them cleaned up? Sure but I was not under the impression that these things were there anyway. The bottom line is this, I bought my house 2 years ago and recently had 3 realtor's over to give me an idea of a list price. While I wouldn't make a profit due to realtor and closing costs I really haven't lost any value. The schools are great and I am leaning towards staying even though I drive to Newark 4 days a week.

If you don't want rules dictated by a community than Sunrise is a good option. If you want a ton of Amenities then it is not.

[fugufish]

Hello All,

First post here. We are in the process of looking for a new home and I saw some really nice colonials in Sunrise Lake that we were interested in. My friend, who is building a new house in Gold Key, told me about some of the amenity issues with Sunrise, so it was good to read AvalonX's take on things.

What are the dues/maintenance fees like?

I currently live in Sagamore Estates and pay $600/yr. for a broken tennis court, horrific roads and petty, stupid bylaws (curfew for anyone under 24 years of age, no yard sales, no "For Sale" signs on your house, no trucks over 10 tons in winter, etc.).

Thanks!

[Joeannajes]

I have to agree with AvalonX, I am living here for 2 years now and I love it in Sunrise.