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Old 03-08-2015, 03:20 PM
 
27 posts, read 68,756 times
Reputation: 40

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Hi,

I posted this question yesterday and it was suggested that I ask the same question for Grand Palm residents.
So here it is with a bit of a tweak...

We currently own a vacation condo in Venice, but are looking to purchase a larger single family home in the area. It will most likely be used as a vacation property, but we are seriously researching relocating in the summer of 2016. Either way we specifically are looking for something with 3+ bedrooms in a resort-like community that is very family friendly as we have 3 children (ages 5-9). Based on that criteria we spent a lot of time on a recent trip at Stoneybrook and Grand Palm. We like both for different reasons.

We have a nice network of friends here in the Northeast and my children have good friends. Moving south would mean "starting from scratch."

Grand Palm appeals to us because everyone is new.

Stoneybrook appeals to us because there appears to be so many school-aged children already living there.

My question is for those who are familiar with Grand Palm. I would love to know more about "the vibe" there.

Has it been easy to meet people?
Are there many elementary-aged children there?

We spent A LOT of time of the property over President's Day weekend. In addition to touring the models we took the time to walk around the neighborhoods and spent some time at the playground and walking the paths on the island. We did this over the course of the 3 days and while we did see people coming and going from the dog park and a few middle-age bikers, we NEVER saw a child. Granted it was an unusually (by FL standards) cold weekend, but the playground and pool was deserted. Do you think it will grow into the type of community Stoneybrook has become over time?

I can get stats about all of the communities online and see the activities calendar, but I would really love to hear from people who are familiar with the neighborhood and can provide insight on the dynamics of the people who make up the community.

Thanks in advance. Much appreciated.
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Old 03-08-2015, 07:40 PM
 
1,905 posts, read 2,788,740 times
Reputation: 1086
I think Venice could be a great place for families if people just got passed the fact their not as many young families their versus other parts of the county. It has great schools and what it seems like nice activities so I would advise you to recommend this area to any families you know that want to move away from the cold and can afford to move to come visit the area. If the word spreads that this area offers a family friendly environment then I think the number of couples with kids would rise substantially. To be honest with schools as good as Venice you think it would be a more popular destination for those seeking that. Sorry I couldn't help with the specifics of what your looking for however I just wanted to share my perspective.
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Old 04-03-2015, 08:03 AM
 
4 posts, read 7,283 times
Reputation: 23
My wife and I have owned and lived in Grand Palm for nearly a year now, and have wintered in Venice for over 10 years. Venice would be a great place to live for a young family. You must remember that Venice is primarily a "destination city" for the over 55 demographic (tourists -> great beaches; retirees -> none of the traffic woes of Ft. Myers, Bonita Springs, Naples to say the least), and you'll have to learn to put up with snowbirds. That said, schools are very good (wife is a teacher), business opportunities are rife; employment opportunities will likely require you to cast a wider net. Compared to the Atlantic Coast areas, Venice is quiet, friendly, laid-back, local drivers are courteous and patient. Medical facilities are top notch and the personnel in them are professionally top notch and people-oriented. Grand Palm was built and planned for families and communities. Affordability in a hot market means buyers will have to deal with limited exterior design options and space. Grand Palm has six models that Neal builds, but a little-known fact is that Neal will build you the model you choose from any model that Neal builds and they are many - check out the several communities that Neal builds in the Venice-Sarasota-Bradenton area.
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Old 04-04-2015, 05:57 AM
 
Location: Sarasota Venice Englewood
707 posts, read 1,051,541 times
Reputation: 268
Grand Palm will appeal to folks with kids because of the floor plans and prices they offer. They built a small water park and it wasn't for people in walkers....
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Old 07-18-2015, 07:22 AM
 
4 posts, read 10,969 times
Reputation: 10
We have sold our CT house and have a condo in Venice. Looking to build a new home there. So far we're leaning toward Liberty 2 in Grand Palm. I also liked Island Walk. Venetian Golf and River Club nice too but fees seem high. Reservations I have about Grand Palm are living with ongoing area construction (short-lived tho), lots of small children (love but this is our retirement destination) and allowable site for this model. It appears from these postings that others have been in our boat. Would love comments/suggestions. I like the location of the community. Not busy area yet access to shopping, beaches etc. Thanx for any responses.
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Old 07-18-2015, 08:49 AM
 
2,407 posts, read 3,187,271 times
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dlking58 lives in IslandWalk and can give you an idea of how many children are in that community.
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Old 07-18-2015, 04:47 PM
 
3,650 posts, read 9,499,932 times
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You must - remember that in general - there are not many children in this area - mostly over 55 snowbirds - I think that is slowly changing - to me - it seems the planned, gated communities have less children - we have two young boys and looked all around and we live in a nice HOA but non-gated community and love it - they even let us have basketball hoops here!

Good to hear there are children in Stoneybrook - be careful buying there - I have read that there are flooding problems in some peoples patios
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Old 07-21-2015, 05:40 PM
 
4 posts, read 6,511 times
Reputation: 13
We are looking to relocate from Oregon to Venice and I too have wondered about the Grand Palm community and how "kid friendly" it is. My son is turning 13 next month and I worry being in a community with no boys his age to pal around with. And I want my son to be in a good school district!

Could I ask if anyone has any recommendations on an appropriate area for my family? I take care of my widowed mother who is 60 and am a single mother of a teen boy (I'm 34.) I'm mostly worried about finding a place for them to have activities they will enjoy - my son loves a pool, riding bikes, fishing, video games, etc. My Mom is trying to be more active and wants to experience life again! And I just want to be a beach gypsy! :-P lol! But really, I am happy at the beach, doing my crafts for my etsy shop and website, playing with my 2 boxer puppies, riding bikes, would like to get kayaks, shelling, etc. All this made me think Venice and a community that has a pool, activities, etc.

Any advice would be great!!! Sorry if that was too much!
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Old 07-26-2015, 10:15 AM
 
Location: Palm Island and North Port
7,511 posts, read 22,914,037 times
Reputation: 2878
Quote:
Originally Posted by misscher27 View Post
We are looking to relocate from Oregon to Venice and I too have wondered about the Grand Palm community and how "kid friendly" it is. My son is turning 13 next month and I worry being in a community with no boys his age to pal around with. And I want my son to be in a good school district!

Could I ask if anyone has any recommendations on an appropriate area for my family? I take care of my widowed mother who is 60 and am a single mother of a teen boy (I'm 34.) I'm mostly worried about finding a place for them to have activities they will enjoy - my son loves a pool, riding bikes, fishing, video games, etc. My Mom is trying to be more active and wants to experience life again! And I just want to be a beach gypsy! :-P lol! But really, I am happy at the beach, doing my crafts for my etsy shop and website, playing with my 2 boxer puppies, riding bikes, would like to get kayaks, shelling, etc. All this made me think Venice and a community that has a pool, activities, etc.

Any advice would be great!!! Sorry if that was too much!
One of my agents just moved to Grand Palm and he loves it. His wife is a teacher and he has a 13 year old boy.

I would say to go and visit the various communities and talk to the people who live there and get first hand opinions. I also suggest you check out Stoneybrook at Venice.
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Old 07-26-2015, 05:29 PM
 
4 posts, read 10,969 times
Reputation: 10
You are a plant.
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