Retirment at Champion Gate in Orlando (Weston, Poinciana: rent, HOA fees, condos)

[MonicaBL]

I'm going to retire in Tuscana Resort. Only a few people live there long term. It is most a vacation place. i 'm 60 year old and my concern is that i don't know wherev to meet people of my age and find place to take for example art class, study a language etc. i want to be very active and not to be boried. Most place near this location are activities for children and Disney World theme parks. Is there in this zip code 33896(champion gate) a library o where to study English and other interesting classes? I don't like golf. Thanks.

[kyle19125]

It sounds not so ideal, so why did you choose there specifically?

[bmw335xi]

That's really in the middle of nowhere...

I think you should rethink where to move in Orlando. That is going to be tourist central and pretty much ZERO locals.

Maybe check out meetup.com... I'm sure there are various meetups that interest you

[lovfl]

Originally Posted by MonicaBL

I'm going to retire in Tuscana Resort. Only a few people live there long term. It is most a vacation place. i 'm 60 year old and my concern is that i don't know wherev to meet people of my age and find place to take for example art class, study a language etc. i want to be very active and not to be boried. Most place near this location are activities for children and Disney World theme parks. Is there in this zip code 33896(champion gate) a library o where to study English and other interesting classes? I don't like golf. Thanks.

Monica, You could probably get all of this at a 55 and over community. They have Many activities. Did you check out Del Webb or King's Ridge or the Villages?

[BrokerHarry]

The MLS says those condos at Tuscana Resort in Champions Gate currently have almost 10 months of unsold inventory, with a whopping 64% vacancy rate, with barely 21% owner occupied.

That means they're a hard sell for anyone looking to get out, down the line.

Plus, there's a quarterly HOA fee of $594 and a condo maintenance fee of $796. That works out to approx $463 per month on top of the purchase price / mortgage (if any).

If you were a golf fanatic, or a tourist looking for a quick come & go before flying out of town again, there might be something to say for Champions Gate.

But you say you're much more interested in meeting people your (retirement) age, & being involved with art classes & study groups, etc. & you seem concerned with making friends, long term.

I think you might get a lot more bang for your buck by considering some of the smaller homes offered in Solivita, which is now very convenient & almost directly connected to Championsgate & I4 due to the completion of the new Poinciana Parkway.

http://www.avhomesinc.com/communities/solivita/

Solivita's monthly HOA fees are less costly than Tuscana Resort (you're not required to pay the additional HOA fees to join the golf club), & I think you'll find a lot more activities & folks with similar interests.

You'd likely pay a little more for a single story 2 bdrm-den-2 ba resale home in Solivita versus a 2 bedroom condo in Tuscana Resort...but the exterior landscape maintenance is included in the HOA, so there's not much work required other than periodic power washes & exterior repaint once every 7 years. And for that, you get your own little house in a lushly landscaped 24 hour security gated community, & you don't share a wall with what might be a noisy vacationing neighbor.

If your budget allows, there's lots of brand new offerings, as well as resales (for a cheaper price).

It really might be worth checking out Solivita more closely, before you take a financial leap into a vacation condo in Champions Gate...

[bmw335xi]

Tht sounds awful both lifestyle and investment lol

[BrokerHarry]

Originally Posted by bmw335xi

Tht sounds awful both lifestyle and investment lol

What sounds awful to someone who maybe hasn't even hit 30 yrs old yet, & only recently purchased his 1st home, is understandably much different from that of an adult who is approaching retirement age.

[071402]

I've been there (vacation) a few times. Not sure I'd want to live there full time and in retirement . There is a community in , near orlando I keep hearing about - fantastic... fun... lots to do. I'll post back if the name comes to me. Damn , Apparently it's really popular.

[bmw335xi]

Originally Posted by BrokerHarry

What sounds awful to someone who maybe hasn't even hit 30 yrs old yet, & only recently purchased his 1st home, is understandably much different from that of an adult who is approaching retirement age.

Don't be so sensitive you silly goose! I said that sounds awful as in the current situation with the community in question such as properties sitting for a year not being sold and the vast majority not owner occupied.

I actually purchased 2 homes so far

[MonicaBL]

Hi
I bought a condo in Tuscana in 2007. It was a very bad investment since the value at that time was very high and now with that money you could buy three similar departments I have a mortgage in and when i rent it short term , most of the time it doesn't cover the Hoa. Every month i have to pay my mortgage, electricity and hoa and this is a lot of money that come from my pocket. I have a big house in Weston Fl. This is a 20 year old community family oriented. I don't have young children any more and my housband is still working but he has a home based work and travel a lot. We can live anywhere and this not interfere with his job. To keep my house updated cost a lot of money. So we think that we are approching to an age that we should be more cautious finantially to be in good shape for our retirment. We can rent our house , pay the mortgage and save money too. Unfortunally we don't have many options. This is the reason why we choose Tuscana to live. Do you have any sugestion? Sorry for my English. I'm still working on it.