Palmer Ranch vs. Rivendell (Sarasota, Riverview: short sales, foreclosures, houses)

[222muchcoffee]

I hope those of you that live in or very near either area can share your thought process in choosing one over the other. (Realtors most welcome, too).

My wife and I have twins that are 16 (and a grown son,22, off at college)and we are considering a move within 6-12 months. We want 2200 -2800 sq ft. and have a price range of 350 -425k. We probably will want to go with a foreclosure to get the most bang for our buck.

My son really needs to be in an active area that offer basketball courts, tennis (is a bonus), swimming in community pool (volleyball, games, etc).

For me personally, I am looking for an area that is good for: walking, biking, and swimming laps for exercise. I do play some golf - like once a month but don't really care about a golf membership to a club. I do like to fish (fresh and saltwater), but not a die-hard and probably won't get a boat for few years, if at all. My daughter and wife really care about nice quality upgrades like in the kitchen, pool - lanai area. We all like really nice landscaping in our own yard and the entire community.-- both areas seem very nice.

Oh yeah, Gated or Non-gated -- no big preference for us. We probably like non-gated since the annual fees are quite a bit lower. It looks like both developments are well kept and 'appear very safe'.

I plan to talk to SoFlGal on this topic tomorrow. I really respect her opinion, but I would love hearing from others, as well. FlBob, please chime in -- your posts are very informative, too. Smiledoc, did you compare the two? You seem quite happy with PR.

Are there any big negatives/caveats to either that we should consider? Your opinion greatly appreciated - don't be shy about thoughtful criticism.

[Peter the Brit]

Used to live in Rivendell
Great place for families There are and will be some foreclosures there

[SoFLGal]

Originally Posted by Peter the Brit

Used to live in Rivendell
Great place for families There are and will be some foreclosures there

There are currently no foreclosures in Rivendell but I agree there might be some in the future since there are several short sales.

I really think both areas are very family friendly. There both in the same general area which is convenient to the beach, the mall, Potter Water Park, etc

222muchcoffee you'd better be ready since we have 25 homes to look at today Lookin' forward to seeing you and Mrs. Coffee this morning

[angelfish]

I highly recommend Palmer Ranch because of it's close proximity to the Potter Park YMCA. Potter Park is one of the nicest YMCA branches anywhere, and on any given day I am there, there are hundreds of kids your sons age either working out, enrolled in activities, or enjoying the huge brand new teen center. When I was in High School I grew up in Palmer Ranch and attended Riverview H.S. If you move to Palmer Ranch and enrolled in public school, your son's will be attending a brand new, state of the art facility opening school year 2009/10. I recently did a walk through of my alma mater and it is unbelievable! Sarasota Family YMCA - Sarasota, Florida (http://www.sarasota-ymca.org/youthAdultFitness/branchDetail.cfm?braID=1 - broken link)

Rivendell is is pretty community, but I think your son's will enjoy the vast amount of amenities in and around Palmer Ranch much more- Mall, Movies, Beach, YMCA, houses of worship.

[SoFLGal]

Originally Posted by angelfish

I highly recommend Palmer Ranch because of it's close proximity to the Potter Park YMCA. Potter Park is one of the nicest YMCA branches anywhere, and on any given day I am there, there are hundreds of kids your sons age either working out, enrolled in activities, or enjoying the huge brand new teen center. When I was in High School I grew up in Palmer Ranch and attended Riverview H.S. If you move to Palmer Ranch and enrolled in public school, your son's will be attending a brand new, state of the art facility opening school year 2009/10. I recently did a walk through of my alma mater and it is unbelievable! Sarasota Family YMCA - Sarasota, Florida (http://www.sarasota-ymca.org/youthAdultFitness/branchDetail.cfm?braID=1 - broken link)

Rivendell is is pretty community, but I think your son's will enjoy the vast amount of amenities in and around Palmer Ranch much more- Mall, Movies, Beach, YMCA, houses of worship.

Nice review, Angel and good points Looks like I gave you reps points recently so it wouldn't let me do it again

[222muchcoffee]

Thanks for the responses. I didn t know that about the HS, Angelfsh. SFG-- I can do a speedy look through houses. So you could actually line up more ...I viewed a parade of homes of 9 very nice homes in 45 minutes once with the mrs. (she didn't care for my haste though). I once bought a 70 yr. old home without seeing the inside, subtract 3 pts from my reputation points.

[Peter the Brit]

Very important to note that the catchment area for Riverview is north of Central Sarasota Parkway so Rivendell would not help you if you decided on RHS
Look at Turtle Rock for kids, YMCA proximity, RHS the Square Mall and beaches