Lakewood Ranch 2019 - One of the Best Places to Retire (Sarasota: apartments, rental)

[sarasotalaw52]

Originally Posted by bbronston

Your link for the census shows an estimated 880 "kids" between 15-17 yrs of age and another estimated 2,757 kids aged 5-14 yrs of age, just in 34202. How many kids did they need?

Maybe they were all sent to the "designated play areas" or are being told that they cannot be outside by the Lakewood Ranch HOA?

There's quite an age difference between This area and Gainsville. As a realtor, do you tell your clients that it's such a young and vibrant community? Do you tell your 20-30s that there's so much for them to do here?

Is there a night club within a reasonable distance? I can only think of Beach Club and some pseudo lounges. Does Lakewood Ranch have a "nightclub" and I'm not talking about BINGO. Does Lakewood Ranch have a "young" hotspot?

Just curious?

[bbronston]

Maybe they are playing basketball in their front yards. Or, they could be busy riding bikes over the 150 miles of trails. They might be playing at the Greenbrook Adventure Park, Summerfield Park, Bob Gardner Park, Heron's Nest Nature Preserve, or any of the other small parks. They could be playing tennis, basketball, using the playgrounds, swings, soccer fields, baseball fields, playing frisbee (or frisbee golf), inline skate hockey, taking their dogs to the dog parks, playing on the gravity rail, or hanging out at the pavilions. I don't know....maybe they were busy at Boofest, Holidays Around the Ranch, at the Youth Fishing Tournament, Community Campout, the Irish Celtic Festival, or Eggstravaganza. If they live in Central Park, they might be playing at the splash pad. Or, I suppose they might be at the cinema or playing miniature golf or working on art projects at Main Street. They could be playing organized field sports at the Premier Sports Campus, dancing at one of the several dance academies here, playing at the Supergym or the YMCA, playing at the trampoline place, or participating at one of the golf or tennis camps. It's hard to say.

The moms, though, could be busy with the LWR Mom's Group. I think there are over 300 members and they arrange play groups, kid-free spa nights, wine tastings, book clubs, share DIY ideas and recipes, and participate in fundraising efforts.

When buyers ask me questions about LWR, they get honest, truthful answers. And, they know they can rely on me for those answers just as those who read my answers here can know that they can rely on my answers.

[kombuchaluchador]

Im glad Lakewood Ranch is getting press, but to me it is pretty much the epitome of the worst aspects of Florida "development". ugly McMansions, sprawl, housing in a planned community aimed primarily at retirees. Lots of HOA fees and rules and neighbors who watch you like a hawk to try to catch you parking a car on the street after 9 PM.

You can sell it however you want. It just is so manufactured. I would never want to live out there.

I agree that it is mostly working age families, though. Even though I think the aim was for even older residents. What are you going to do, this is the retirement coast, such is life.

My opinion doesnt mean much though, people are desperate to escape the cold and live in a big house in the burbs like they did "back home". This area is perfect for that. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

[sarasotalaw52]

Originally Posted by bbronston

Maybe they are playing basketball in their front yards. Or, they could be busy riding bikes over the 150 miles of trails. They might be playing at the Greenbrook Adventure Park, Summerfield Park, Bob Gardner Park, Heron's Nest Nature Preserve, or any of the other small parks. They could be playing tennis, basketball, using the playgrounds, swings, soccer fields, baseball fields, playing frisbee (or frisbee golf), inline skate hockey, taking their dogs to the dog parks, playing on the gravity rail, or hanging out at the pavilions. I don't know....maybe they were busy at Boofest, Holidays Around the Ranch, at the Youth Fishing Tournament, Community Campout, the Irish Celtic Festival, or Eggstravaganza. If they live in Central Park, they might be playing at the splash pad. Or, I suppose they might be at the cinema or playing miniature golf or working on art projects at Main Street. They could be playing organized field sports at the Premier Sports Campus, dancing at one of the several dance academies here, playing at the Supergym or the YMCA, playing at the trampoline place, or participating at one of the golf or tennis camps. It's hard to say.

The moms, though, could be busy with the LWR Mom's Group. I think there are over 300 members and they arrange play groups, kid-free spa nights, wine tastings, book clubs, share DIY ideas and recipes, and participate in fundraising efforts.

When buyers ask me questions about LWR, they get honest, truthful answers. And, they know they can rely on me for those answers just as those who read my answers here can know that they can rely on my answers.

hahaha, too funny.

I can't wait to retire there when I'm old.

[bbronston]

Good for you! Maybe by then, there will more than one 55+ community in LWR to choose from.

[Sunshine Rules]

The HOA/deed restrictions vs no HOA/deed restrictions has been argued in multiple threads over the years on this forum.

Some people hate deed restrictions, they feel they restrict what they can do with their property. Others like deed restrictions because they do give an overall standard for the subdivision that all homeowners must maintain, thereby keeping up the property values as a whole. Homes in deed restricted communities tend to sell for higher prices than homes in neighborhoods without deed restrictions.

The alternative to deed restrictions is to buy in a non deed restricted neighborhood, which is governed by county or city property standards. We have people moving to our area from literally all over the US and quite a few other countries. As a result, people have quite the diversity of lifestyles, which is often reflected in the exterior of their homes and lawns.

Yes, you can park an RV or boat on your driveway. But so can your neighbors, who may have an older RV or boat that has seen better days. Your neighbors can store junk in their carports, string laundry on back yard clothes lines, leave cheap plastic play toys all over the front lawn. You can get creative in your choice of paint colors for your home. So can your neighbors. In Sarasota I have seen purple, pink, school bus yellow, red, orange, bright blue and multi-color paint schemes on homes. There was one home in my previous non deed restricted neighborhood that had a different color for each side of the home (he was making a point with the next door neighbor who complained about his car project in the carport).

Unless the governing entity has ordinances covering parking on front lawns, you can turn your front lawn into a parking lot if you wish.

Do not assume the beautiful street of well kept homes you see today will stay that way in the future in a non deed restricted neighborhood - the potential is always there that one of the neighboring homes will change ownership and the new neighbor has different points of view than yours on lifestyles.

That is why people should carefully weigh the positives/ negatives of deed restricted vs non deed restricted and decide which will work best for their individual situation.

Many of the newer neighborhoods will have 30 pages or more of deed restrictions. Most will require you to get permission before making any changes to the exterior of your home and/or landscaping. Most will have restrictions on what you can and cannot place in your yard, restrictions regarding parking, etc. I cannot stress enough how important it is to get a copy of the deed restrictions BEFORE you make an offer on a home in a deed restricted community and read them carefully. If there are rules that don't mesh with your lifestyle, then don't buy in that community -- find one that better matches your needs and wants.

The older deed restricted neighborhoods tend to have much less in the way of restrictions, most will not tell you what you can and can't do with your landscaping, they generally have basic rules about parking in yards, not having farm animals as pets, not living in RV's parked on your property (if RVs are allowed). However, you will also be choosing older homes that may need updating and major maintenance, such as roofs and AC systems. It's a trade off.


So there are a multitude of neighborhood options for everyone's needs. Having lived in a non deed restricted neighborhood for 20+ years, then a deed restricted neighborhood for 14 years, I can see the pros and cons of both sides of this argument.

One size certainly does not fit all.

[sarasotalaw52]

My opinion is that Lakewood Ranch is a retirement community and is akin to a 55+ community and receives recognition for being so and is not fun for children as is represented by that one video that was taken down for COPYRIGHT VIOLATION, which it wasn't. Here's a link to the video which doesn't violate any copyright. If it did, it wouldn't be on YOUTUBE.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtwIGDfaUyw

It's ok to have a difference of opinion. We can't all be realtors.

[sarasotalaw52]

Originally Posted by Longwood Golf

Lakewood Ranch is a massive mixed-use planned community - retail, service, office, corporate/commercial, isingle family residential, condominium, mutli-family apartment and even some agricultural. To assert that "Lakewood Ranch" as a development is a "retirement community" defies logic, truth and common sense. It's a distortion, ergo a flat-out misrepresentation, thus a lie.

My opinion is a lie? I personally think that "Live, Work, Play" is a Lie?

Look, I've lived there. I've experienced what is "Lakewood Ranch". I've moved out of Lakewood Ranch because it was Sterile and not fun for my children.

My opinion. It may not be yours. I'm pretty sure that this is a forum of an exchange of ideas?

[Nancy in Nokomis]

I drive through Lakewood Ranch every day and it is pretty but also bland and boring and is mostly old people - that is what I see - maybe I miss the part where the kids are out playing -

[HackerBacker]

Originally Posted by Longwood Golf

Lakewood Ranch is a massive mixed-use planned community - retail, service, office, corporate/commercial, isingle family residential, condominium, mutli-family apartment and even some agricultural. To assert that "Lakewood Ranch" as a development is a "retirement community" defies logic, truth and common sense. It's a distortion, ergo a flat-out misrepresentation, thus a lie.

Correct. Lakewood Ranch is MIXED USE, even with medical facilities. How does anyone think that this huge development is singularly a RETIREMENT COMMUNITY? that's just dumb.