Where to buy home/condo around Lake Mary. ~$250,000 (Sanford: lease, HOA fees)

[vanquishedagain]

Hey Everyone,

So I moved down to Florida from Massachusetts last summer. Been renting a place right near the Westin and I like it a lot. I'm not a nightlife kinda guy I like peaceful crime free and well maintained. My lease ends in August so I was hoping to buy a house rather than resign or go m-to-m. I'd like to spend no more than $250k on a house or condo, looking for new construction or within 6 years old. I've found a couple in DeBary that fit the bill, I have a coworker who lives there (country club) and she says it's fairly nice and close enough to Lake Mary where we work. I think my other coworker said longwood is okay too. I've kind of been sticking to west of I-4 upon suggestions on here for when I moved down here. Lake Mary prices are all over the place, ranging from 200k for not-so-great houses to well over a million. I think I'm okay with a condo/townhome if it has a garage but even those in Lake Mary are $280k+

Unfortunately, my price-range is pretty firm in the $250s or less.

I currently spend $1,300 a month on rent (includes TV) so I'm trying to get a mortgage around that

I fear that I've missed the boat here, seems like homes have doubled over the last 5 years.

I'd like a gated community (or at least a developer neighborhood), don't really care about communal amenities but need High Speed internet. I currently have 100mbps spectrum in Lake Mary so I'd hope something similar can be found in DeBary.

[bmw335xi]

Size?

[vanquishedagain]

Not as important as the other factors. It's just me right now, might get a dog soon but... Probably anything over 1700 SF works for me.

Thanks!

[bmw335xi]

What about something like these?

https://www.redfin.com/FL/Winter-Spr...m_content=link

https://www.redfin.com/FL/Sanford/11...m_content=link

[vanquishedagain]

Hey Everyone,
So I'm considering a few places.

Has anyone lived in Timacuan Park (the TownHomes)? I'm looking at one that was built in 2008 for around 260k, I'm also considering Savannah Park, built in 2011 for the same price and much more expensive I'm sort of considering Grande Oaks and Fount Park. They're both $300k and have much more expensive HOA fees than Savannah Park, which is in Sanford technically and Fountain Park.

Wondering if the construction at Timacuan Park is good and how bad the bugs might be. I know some of these places have built in pest control lines but I don't know if Timacuan does.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by vanquishedagain

Hey Everyone,
So I'm considering a few places.

Has anyone lived in Timacuan Park (the TownHomes)? I'm looking at one that was built in 2008 for around 260k, I'm also considering Savannah Park, built in 2011 for the same price and much more expensive I'm sort of considering Grande Oaks and Fount Park. They're both $300k and have much more expensive HOA fees than Savannah Park, which is in Sanford technically and Fountain Park.

Wondering if the construction at Timacuan Park is good and how bad the bugs might be. I know some of these places have built in pest control lines but I don't know if Timacuan does.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

Personally I would opt for the Timacuan Park option. It's very established, well-built and unlike the others you're considering, the area surrounding it has long been built out. The others are in places where construction is ongoing and areas surrounding are filling in with more homes/businesses and the roads becoming more congested/loud. Savannah Park is across the street from the new level-II Trauma Center ER Central Florida Regional Hospital is building. Grande Oaks is wedged into a increasingly busy stretch of SR46-A next to a 24 hour McDonalds. Fountain Park is right off of busy Rinehart Road and will be impacted further by the new home community being built on the other side of Rinehart. Timacuan Park is part of the planned community of Timacuan and set far off from Rinehart yet still quiet but you can actually walk to a nice Publix as well as a couple of restaurants in the same plaza. Bugs aren't typically bad in most FL homes and with routine (quarterly) pest control service should never really have a problem.

[Arcenal813]

Kyle stole my words.

[vanquishedagain]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

Personally I would opt for the Timacuan Park option. It's very established, well-built and unlike the others you're considering, the area surrounding it has long been built out. The others are in places where construction is ongoing and areas surrounding are filling in with more homes/businesses and the roads becoming more congested/loud. Savannah Park is across the street from the new level-II Trauma Center ER Central Florida Regional Hospital is building. Grande Oaks is wedged into a increasingly busy stretch of SR46-A next to a 24 hour McDonalds. Fountain Park is right off of busy Rinehart Road and will be impacted further by the new home community being built on the other side of Rinehart. Timacuan Park is part of the planned community of Timacuan and set far off from Rinehart yet still quiet but you can actually walk to a nice Publix as well as a couple of restaurants in the same plaza. Bugs aren't typically bad in most FL homes and with routine (quarterly) pest control service should never really have a problem.

Thanks,

I keep forgetting about the Trauma Center across from Savannah Park. The unit I'm looking at is at the back of the property so it shouldn't be that loud but... I live at Colonial Grand Town Park so I'm very well acquainted with the area. My personal preference of location would be Grande Oaks since it's within walking distance to the shops at Town Park. I liked the price of the Timacuan Park Townhouse but I looked up the builder and it's made Centex Corp which god poor to mixed reviews from my findings (granted they were reviews from all over the country). It's also a late 00's build vs the Savannah Park one was built in '11 and the other two were build after '16.

I know the area is safe but the Timacaun one does not have gated entry either where the other three do. It's still surrounded by a perimeter fence but no gate.

Appreciate the help. I fear if I don't move quickly I'll be paying crazy mortgage rates.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by vanquishedagain

Thanks,

I keep forgetting about the Trauma Center across from Savannah Park. The unit I'm looking at is at the back of the property so it shouldn't be that loud but... I live at Colonial Grand Town Park so I'm very well acquainted with the area. My personal preference of location would be Grande Oaks since it's within walking distance to the shops at Town Park. I liked the price of the Timacuan Park Townhouse but I looked up the builder and it's made Centex Corp which god poor to mixed reviews from my findings (granted they were reviews from all over the country). It's also a late 00's build vs the Savannah Park one was built in '11 and the other two were build after '16.

I know the area is safe but the Timacaun one does not have gated entry either where the other three do. It's still surrounded by a perimeter fence but no gate.

Appreciate the help. I fear if I don't move quickly I'll be paying crazy mortgage rates.

I wouldn't let the idea of newer construction fool you into "better", especially if you've lived in the area and watched many of these being built like I have. Furthermore, you're right...the area is quite safe generally speaking though a gate offers a false sense of security given the fact a local resident was car-jacked from a gated community about two months ago.

[vanquishedagain]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

I wouldn't let the idea of newer construction fool you into "better", especially if you've lived in the area and watched many of these being built like I have. Furthermore, you're right...the area is quite safe generally speaking though a gate offers a false sense of security given the fact a local resident was car-jacked from a gated community about two months ago.

Oh I know that newer doesn't necessarily mean better but I'm thinking of stuff like appliance life and general wear and tear. I also know that the area was hit very hard during the economic downturn so I'm a little leary of buying a home that was built right before it happened.

Grande Oaks is Kolter Homes now, Fountain Parke is DR Horton, the Timacuan townhouse is Centex and I'm not sure who the builder for Savannah Park is. I drove through the Timacuan community the other day, it's a bit small (makes me nervous that should another downturn happen the property management company would go bankrupt.) and I noticed they had plastic covering the exterior of a few buildings which looked terrible, I know when I drove through a month ago there was a building with the black plastic on it as well but I can't remember if it was the same one.