Feedback Sought about Heritage Harbour (Sarasota, Country Club: fit in, sale, real estate)

[gardenpearl]

I looked at a villa today in Heritage Harbour's Stoneybrook section. It's about 6 years old, in good shape, and I can get it for less than $100 per square foot. The A/C was not working, so I could not judge how well each room is being cooled when it is on. The fees seem to be reasonable with no golf membership required. Lawncare is not included.

Questions I have for residents and realtors are: would a 56 year old single woman fit in there, or is it mostly families? I have also heard there are a lot of renters there now.

I don't golf, but I would use the pool, gym, and clubhouse. I liked the home itself, but want to pick a good community for me.

Some people have recommended Lakewood Ranch's Country Club communities, but I think they are quite a bit more expensive.

[Iamrita]

Sent you a DM. Good luck on your housing search...

[bbronston]

Not sure which section you are talking about but I expect that you'll find a bunch of renters (which is not a bad thing) and a fairly mixed bag (single, pre-kid couples, families, empty nesters). If you decide to buy, your agent will give you a few inspection company referrals and your offer will be contingent on the results of the inspection, among other things.

[gardenpearl]

Thank you both. Iamrita, I got your message and sent you one also. The home is in Stoneybrook at Heritage Harbour. I see properties that I had on my watch list there from a few months ago are all now pending, so it seems things there are moving.

[gardenpearl]

I note that the house I saw yesterday had an HOA of $437 per month. Other listings I just looked at online mention a CDD additionally, but it was not mentioned on the listing for the one I saw.

Would this not be in effect for all units? I'm wondering if it was accidentally omitted.

[gardenpearl]

I just more info directly from someone at HH and found out the quarterly HOA and CDD fees work out to about $137 per month and include basic cable, but not landscaping around the unit. Does not sound too steep to me.

[Iamrita]

IMO the HOA and CDD fees are worth it. The entire development is well maintained. The landscaping company is always trimming, planting, mulching, etc. daily. It looks beautiful. Community facilities (gym, pool, tennis courts, playground, library, meeting rooms, etc.) are clean and (where appropriate) staffed by friendly people. Residents here seem to take a great deal of pride in their properties either doing their own yardwork or hiring someone. Security is also good. There is a roving patrol at night.

[Sunshine Rules]

Heritage Harbour has a CDD (community development district) so CDD fees will be charged on an annual basis.

Chinese drywall has been found in some homes in Heritage Harbour, but I am not aware of any found in Stoneybrook. Chinese drywall has been blamed for deterioration of AC units and metal fixtures within the affected homes and for health issues for some people living in those homes.

As to Stoneybrook, there is an official web site for Heritage Harbour at
Heritage Harbour Stoneybrook River Strand Lighthouse Cove that can give you a lot more information than I could put in one post here.

I noticed on the site, in a column on the left hand side, a discussion about when Stoneybrook's HOA will be turned over to the residents from the builder. There is a lengthy discussion and link to recommended changes to be made to the bylaws before the hand over. If I were you, I'd read that all carefully and don't be afraid to contact someone and ask questions.

Personally, I like Heritage Harbour. It's well laid out, well maintained and located close to I75 for easy access to and from Sarasota. It also has great amenities. Stoneybrook has been going through the same issues that many of the newer communities have been dealing with - people (especially investors) that bought at the height of the real estate boom, paying little or no money down, that walked away from the homes when the prices starting falling. Stoneybrook is now recovering and prices are stabilizing.

Your agent should be able to furnish you will recent closed sales, a list of sale pendings and what's currently active on the market so you can see for yourself if the villa you are considering is priced properly for today's market.

One more thing, you said the AC is not working? Did you look to see if the outside unit is missing? Sometimes the exterior units get stolen on homes that have been vacant for awhile.

Whatever you decide to purchase, I strongly recommend you get a home inspection on the property and, if the home has sat vacant without air for an extended period of time, you might also want to consider getting mold testing done. Mold sampling is not overly expensive (usually under $300) but mold remediation after the fact can costs thousands of dollars.

[Sunshine Rules]

Update on Chinese drywall:

I went back and looked at some articles I had saved on the Chinese drywall situation, as the situation first became known back in 2009.

According to the articles, 3 builders in our area were found to have used the Chinese drywall in question: Lennar, Taylor Morrison and WCI Communities.

In Heritage Harbour, there were a few homes in River Strand and Stoneybrook that had the tainted drywall, but the bulk of the problems were in Lighthouse Cove, especially Montauk Point Crossing. The builder has been replacing drywall in many of the affected homes. None of the articles I looked through mentioned the villas at Stoneybrook in Heritage Harbour.

Chinese drywall was also found in a small number of homes in Waterlefe, Greyhawk Landing and Lakewood Ranch, according to the articles. Another problem spot was Stoneybrook in VENICE, another Lennar community.

The homes that have the Chinese drywall were all built between 2004 and 2008. I always advise my buyers to include a Chinese Drywall Addendum to their purchase offers and consider having a test done for Chinese drywall if there's any question that the home may have tainted drywall. That also goes for older homes that were remodeled during that same time period.

I would not rule out purchasing a villa in Heritage Harbour based on a possibility of the tainted drywall. I would, however, include having the drywall checked as part of any home inspection, if it has not already been done. Better safe than sorry.

[Iamrita]

Originally Posted by Sunshine Rules

Update on Chinese drywall:

I went back and looked at some articles I had saved on the Chinese drywall situation, as the situation first became known back in 2009.

According to the articles, 3 builders in our area were found to have used the Chinese drywall in question: Lennar, Taylor Morrison and WCI Communities.

In Heritage Harbour, there were a few homes in River Strand and Stoneybrook that had the tainted drywall, but the bulk of the problems were in Lighthouse Cove, especially Montauk Point Crossing. The builder has been replacing drywall in many of the affected homes. None of the articles I looked through mentioned the villas at Stoneybrook in Heritage Harbour.

Chinese drywall was also found in a small number of homes in Waterlefe, Greyhawk Landing and Lakewood Ranch, according to the articles. Another problem spot was Stoneybrook in VENICE, another Lennar community.

The homes that have the Chinese drywall were all built between 2004 and 2008. I always advise my buyers to include a Chinese Drywall Addendum to their purchase offers and consider having a test done for Chinese drywall if there's any question that the home may have tainted drywall. That also goes for older homes that were remodeled during that same time period.

I would not rule out purchasing a villa in Heritage Harbour based on a possibility of the tainted drywall. I would, however, include having the drywall checked as part of any home inspection, if it has not already been done. Better safe than sorry.

Great advice to the OP. We did a ton of research and educated ourselves on CDW before purchasing a FL home via on line "tutorials" about the telltale signs as well as researching the specific builders/locations/developments under consideration. Every home got the "sniff test" and the mirror and fixture examination but since that is not always an obvious or accurate, on the serious contenders (the homes we looked at a second time) we came equipped with screwdrivers and flashlights (good for examining copper coils, ac units, and removing electrical outlet covers to inspect for corrosion). Our realtor did not mind at all. The home inspector we used did not specifically test the drywall for CDW, however he had over 25 years experience in FL both as an inspector and a construction supervisor and had experience with the issue. I agree CDW addendum as a must for any purchase in FL.