Tradition Delvelopment in Port St. Lucie (Celebration: HOA, houses, landscaping)

[Love The South]

Anyone live there or have info/opinions about it? We may be relocating to that area and I haven't had much success getting info about this development....ie. housing prices, square footage, etc.

Any info would be greatly appreciated

[SKB]

This area like all areas in Florida is going to a huge market correction. Do not be foolish and buy now. There will be some reasonable properties to be bought a year or so down the road.
Rent until then.

SKB

[in2dadark]

Tradition looks contrived to me. Looks like a movie set or something, or maybe something you'd find at disney (no soul).

Also it's out west away from the beach and the roads to the beach are getting more and more conjested. So if you want to spend a few hours in the ocean one afternoon you may end up spending more time behind the wheel, especially on the weekend.

[jeremiah29:11]

Tradition is a very beautiful area and right off the turnpike. I've never lived there but I have been there a few times and I have family that lives very close (st. lucie west) and they really want to move there. It is very quaint and cozy. I didn't feel it was contrived. I visited a neighborhood similar in idea in Raleigh, NC and it worked out well. People were not sitting in their homes secluded from the world. They were out mingling, talking, riding bikes, flying kites. I think this is the feel they are going for and I hope they succeed. I would also say wait a bit to purchase. A year might be taking a big risk. They builders really seem to be humble and ready to negotiate right now. If any type of upward trend starts, that may not last. I would, however, wait until the end of summer (since it is the slowest season for home buying) and negotiate a deal then - maybe end August? You can get the best deal on a spec/inventory home. You can make an offer and save a lot of money. Just my 2 cents. They have a website (www.traditionfl.com) (broken link). They website will show you the builders and you can go to their individual sites for more info. Also, Tradition has a welcome center that is very helpful and will send you a packet of homes, prices, floorplans, and the whole area. I do know that the area just got a new SuperTarget and a new shopping mall is planned for St. Lucie. I'm sure you can look this up through Google or their newspaper online. FYI, they are also building a Tradition in Bluffton, SC.

[julz]

I too get the feeling of a "Celebration" type town.The homes are packed a little too tight for my own liking and I hear there is more than one HOA fee being paid although I'm not 100% sure on this.It's quaint but not for everybody.

[Love The South]

Originally Posted by jeremiah29:11

Tradition is a very beautiful area and right off the turnpike. I've never lived there but I have been there a few times and I have family that lives very close (st. lucie west) and they really want to move there. It is very quaint and cozy. I didn't feel it was contrived. I visited a neighborhood similar in idea in Raleigh, NC and it worked out well. People were not sitting in their homes secluded from the world. They were out mingling, talking, riding bikes, flying kites. I think this is the feel they are going for and I hope they succeed. I would also say wait a bit to purchase. A year might be taking a big risk. They builders really seem to be humble and ready to negotiate right now. If any type of upward trend starts, that may not last. I would, however, wait until the end of summer (since it is the slowest season for home buying) and negotiate a deal then - maybe end August? You can get the best deal on a spec/inventory home. You can make an offer and save a lot of money. Just my 2 cents. They have a website (www.traditionfl.com) (broken link). They website will show you the builders and you can go to their individual sites for more info. Also, Tradition has a welcome center that is very helpful and will send you a packet of homes, prices, floorplans, and the whole area. I do know that the area just got a new SuperTarget and a new shopping mall is planned for St. Lucie. I'm sure you can look this up through Google or their newspaper online. FYI, they are also building a Tradition in Bluffton, SC.

Thanks for the reply and the info. I had already checked out the websit and thought it looked like a really neat place....I'll get in contact with the welcome center. Thanks!

[Love The South]

Originally Posted by julz

I too get the feeling of a "Celebration" type town.The homes are packed a little too tight for my own liking and I hear there is more than one HOA fee being paid although I'm not 100% sure on this.It's quaint but not for everybody.

Thanks julz....I've read your posts on other topics and you seem to have some good insight. What is your opinion on the best places to live in the area. My wife and I are in our mid-30's with a 2 year old daughter. We are looking for a quiet neighborhood where our daughter can play outside.

Thanks!

[julz]

We did a lot research on the area before we moved here and ended up buying in the Gatlin area which is just East of Tradition.It is very nice with a lot of newer homes being built.There is not a lot of commercial development and there is easy access to both 95 and the Turnpike (my husband commutes).It is very quiet.Saint Lucie West was a nice area as well but a little more commercialized.It has more of a S.Fla feel to me, gated developments(zero lot lines),shops&restaurants.Coming from S.Fla we were looking to get away from all that.You, on the other hand, might feel comfortable in a gated community.When my kids were young I enjoyed being in that close knit kind of community.It really depends on what you're looking for.Read some of PSLOldtimer's posts.He's very helpful and knows this area better than anyone I know.Good luck and let me know if I can help in any way.

[Love The South]

Originally Posted by julz

We did a lot research on the area before we moved here and ended up buying in the Gatlin area which is just East of Tradition.It is very nice with a lot of newer homes being built.There is not a lot of commercial development and there is easy access to both 95 and the Turnpike (my husband commutes).It is very quiet.Saint Lucie West was a nice area as well but a little more commercialized.It has more of a S.Fla feel to me, gated developments(zero lot lines),shops&restaurants.Coming from S.Fla we were looking to get away from all that.You, on the other hand, might feel comfortable in a gated community.When my kids were young I enjoyed being in that close knit kind of community.It really depends on what you're looking for.Read some of PSLOldtimer's posts.He's very helpful and knows this area better than anyone I know.Good luck and let me know if I can help in any way.

Thanks for the info! Being a "Georgia Boy" stuck up here in the Midwest it's nice to have someone be friendly

[pslOldTimer]

Thanks for the kind words, but as an old timer, I didn't initially respond to this thread, because I really don't know enough about the questions the OP asked. I like the entrance and surroundings of tradition, and the town square area -- it gives me a warm and fuzzy, central Pennsylvania kind of feel. I like many of the concepts -- some neighborhoods have alleys behind the houses with separate garage structures that face on the alleys -- that's the way I was raised outside of Pittsburgh. The landscaping is great, the place is incredibly clean and well maintained, and there are more activities than in any other place I've seen. The schools will be local to Tradition, the neighborhoods are sized for interrelations with neighbors, and I think it would be a fantastic place to raise kids.

All that said, I understand some of the less positive statements, also. They have shoe-horned the houses onto tiny plots. I have friends who live in one of the houses with the alley behind; the separate garage takes up so much of the property, they only had room for a tiny pool, not much bigger than a spa. The traditional look is achieved with non-traditional materials, like aluminum railings on the porch, which has a concrete deck. That's great for maintenance, but contributes to the contrived look, as do the metal-roofed porches while the main roof is shingles.

But, that's nit-picking. The important thing is that it's well planned, well organized, well maintained, a good value, a safe neighborhood, and makes a very real attempt to bring back the earlier values of friends, activities, work, education and neighborhoods.

The bottom line, however, is that like Julz, it wouldn't be for me. I want a bit more room, a bit more freedom from rules, a bit less planned activities. Tradition is just a drop-in-the-bucket considering overall PSL, and there are many other choices.