Looking to retire (Ocala: real estate, HOA fees, houses)

[John M. Williams Jr.]

Looking to retire in the near future. In your opinion, what is the best 55 over community in the Ocala area? Looking for a home around 90k to 105k.

[rjm1cc]

OTOW will have some resales in this price range in the older part of the community. The monthly fees are high because they take care of most of the outside maintenance.

If your budget is tight be careful of the location of the home you purchase. Utilities can very by significant amounts, even in the same community because the vendor is different. Also irrigation for grass can be expensive.


I think you want to look in Marion County and not within the city limits.

[kmarc]

Originally Posted by John M. Williams Jr.

Looking to retire in the near future. In your opinion, what is the best 55 over community in the Ocala area? Looking for a home around 90k to 105k.

rjm1cc has covered On Top of the World, where there are homes in your price range, but as suggested, please take into account the fee arrangement.

Other communities that would have homes in your price range would be Marion Landing, the original Spruce Creek (there are four Spruce Creek developments in Ocala: Spruce Creek, Spruce Creek Preserve, Spruce Creek South and Del Webb Spruce Creek) Palm Cay, Pine Run (modular) and Oak Run. You might find something in Cherrywood, but again, check the fees there.

Bear in mind that in your price range, the homes are mostly frame and siding, not concrete, with the exception of Cherrywood.

[SFrost]

Pine Run, Palm Cay and Oak Run are all good choices in that price range. The homes are generally older, but well maintained, and all 3 communities have decent amenities. Palm Cay and Oak Run are arguably the most popular of the three, with Oak Run having the most amenities to offer.
Cherrywood is nice, too, but the HOA fee is almost twice as high, with no real benefits to show for it, IMHO. The links above will give you an idea of the type of homes you can expect in each community in that price range, along with the current HOA fees.

[rjm1cc]

You might try is site. https://www.55places.com/?msclkid=e4...%20%5Bexact%5D

They do the top 50 places in the US but also list a lot of communities. You can drill down to Ocala and a few places are described.

[FloridaHappy]

Pine Run homes are NOT modular. I own two in there. They are stick-built wood frame and originally had metal siding. Price range in there now is about $50K for a fixer-upper to $150K. Amenities fee is $102 a month.

[kmarc]

Originally Posted by FloridaHappy

Pine Run homes are NOT modular. I own two in there. They are stick-built wood frame and originally had metal siding. Price range in there now is about $50K for a fixer-upper to $150K. Amenities fee is $102 a month.

That's what I originally thought, but one of my neighbors saw a couple of the houses going up back in the day and told me she saw them putting two halves together. Maybe some are modular (or pre-fab).

[airics]

Originally Posted by FloridaHappy

Pine Run homes are NOT modular. I own two in there. They are stick-built wood frame and originally had metal siding. Price range in there now is about $50K for a fixer-upper to $150K. Amenities fee is $102 a month.

is pine run in OTOTW?

[FloridaHappy]

Originally Posted by airics

is pine run in OTOTW?

No, it's a separate subdivision of about 880 homes. There's two pools, hot tubs, a library/community center, shuffleboard, and tennis court. Amenities fee includes basic cable and weekly garbage pickup.

[kmarc]

Originally Posted by airics

is pine run in OTOTW?

A reasonable question if you are looking at home locations on a real estate map. I think Pine Run does back up to an area of OTOW. But as Florida Happy has mentioned, it is its own separate community.