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Old 06-20-2008, 09:32 AM
 
7 posts, read 30,787 times
Reputation: 15

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Florida Fever View Post
Wow! $3000-$5000 just for them to check for sinkhole activity? Sheesh! That guy sure has a good paying job! Probably takes him 2 hours!
They actually do a very thorough investigation, believe it or not. And if your house does have activity, your insurance should pick up the cost of the investigation. It took a couple/few days for them to do our inspection. They have to test the interior of the house and then take soil samples all around the exterior. Ours tested positive, so the work didn't end there. In fact, it's been over a year and we've just now had the exterior repaired and are getting ready to do the interior. It's been a long, drawn-out process, but I feel better knowing we've dealt with the problem and now have it repaired.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Florida Fever View Post
Are the sinkholes happening on the newer built homes? I know that Spring Hill is a young town, there aren't any really old homes but, is this problem just a matter of builders not checking that the ground that they build on is secure? Or is it that there is just no way to tell. My point is, if an inspector can come in and find sinkhole activity, why don't the builders know that they are building on land that could potentially have these issues before they build on it?
Sink holes happen all over and they do not discriminate between old and new houses. It's just not cost effective for a builder to do a sink hole investigation before building, so they don't do it. You can always have your own lot tested yourself, but it'll be expensive. Most people just build on their lots and if a sink hole pops up, they deal with it. Just make sure you have adequate insurance coverage! If I were moving again, I would ask specifically for a home with a repaired sink hole, but that's me. I hate the unknown and would rather know my house had one and had it repaired. Several friends of mine moved into repaired sink hole homes years ago and haven't had any problems. Plus, if it's had a sink hole, maybe it will cost less. Just a guess. I've never been in the market for one before.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Florida Fever View Post
Does anyone have a link for homes that may be for sale in "The Oaks"?
Here's their HOA link: www.oakshoa.com - The Oaks of Spring Hill Homeowners Association Inc.Â*Â* I don't have a link for homes that are for sale, but I'm sure a good realtor can help you with that.
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Old 06-20-2008, 10:09 AM
 
Location: Hernando County, FL
8,488 posts, read 20,545,766 times
Reputation: 5397
Quote:
Originally Posted by Florida Fever View Post
Wow! $3000-$5000 just for them to check for sinkhole activity? Sheesh! That guy sure has a good paying job! Probably takes him 2 hours!

Are the sinkholes happening on the newer built homes? I know that Spring Hill is a young town, there aren't any really old homes but, is this problem just a matter of builders not checking that the ground that they build on is secure? Or is it that there is just no way to tell. My point is, if an inspector can come in and find sinkhole activity, why don't the builders know that they are building on land that could potentially have these issues before they build on it?

They should be made to check out that kind of thing and then be held liable if a house starts to sink. Or maybe there really is no way to tell. What a shame for those families!

Does anyone have a link for homes that may be for sale in "The Oaks"?

Another question, does the bank really take less than asking price for short sale houses? or foreclosures? I know they are trying to get rid of these places but you would think that the asking price is pretty close to the minimum they would accept. However, I have heard that they are accepting bids at far less than asking. Is this true?
As stated by Billy, the do a thorough test which includes soil samples and radar to find the void.
The thing is they can still show up anytime. Especially after periods of drought followed by heavy rain.
A home inspector can not determine if there is sinkhole activity, they can only see if there are indications but those indications can also be caused by other things.

As far as short sales and foreclosures. They do take less than list in some cases. The one I am closing in The Oaks today did come off list but not by too much.

Last edited by Keeper; 06-20-2008 at 10:34 AM.. Reason: send them a DM.. Mike.. Thanks
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Old 06-20-2008, 10:41 AM
 
5 posts, read 24,712 times
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Wow.. you guys rock! Thanks again for the info.
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Old 06-20-2008, 12:57 PM
 
41 posts, read 203,043 times
Reputation: 14
Default For Tom in Spring Hill -

[quote=

We left Orlando 3 years ago. Lived there 17 years. I work in the legal field. Havent seen a sink hole here as big as the Winter Park Sinkhole. Goggle it. Lots of Florida as well as other states are sink hole prone. Correct, house is usually habitable throughout the repair process. Yes, quite a few sink holes (really land depressions) in Spring Hill. Seems some areas more than others.

Tom in Spring Hill[/quote]

Tom (any anyone else with information)
Can you compare the Tampa area with the Orlando area? I lived in Orlando for 15 years before - and really liked living in Longwood (specifically Sweetwater area), but prefer the West Coast so I will be moving to the Tampa area. Is there a suburb of Tampa within 30 minutes commute, with larger lots with trees, good schools, not a lot of crime, etc., not rural either. Thanks for any info!!

Lives 4 the water
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Old 06-21-2008, 07:33 AM
 
Location: Spring Hill (West coast) Florida
34 posts, read 119,915 times
Reputation: 21
[quote=Lives 4 The Water;4173721]Tom (any anyone else with information)
Can you compare the Tampa area with the Orlando area?


I could not comment on the Tampa Bay area at all as I really never go down there. When I have been down that way I found it to be quite nice in Brandon.
Wesley Chapel looked like a nice growing area. I would think the majority of those who have experienced both would take Tampa over Orlando at this point in time.

We wanted a more rural experience and that is why we avoided anything much more south of Hernando County.
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Old 06-21-2008, 12:49 PM
 
41 posts, read 203,043 times
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Ok - Thanks for the info Tom!
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Old 06-21-2008, 01:47 PM
 
137 posts, read 543,549 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Florida Fever View Post
Thanks so much for all the info. We definately want 4 bedrooms minimum. We have been all over realtor.com and the many, many houses can make your head spin. I am just a bit scared of the home owners association fees.. are they really high? All of the houses I saw in Sterling Hill didn't really have pools (we definately want one in the back yard) and we have a dog so we would need to have a fenced yard. It seems that the houses, while they are gorgeous, are kind of right on top of each other and the lot sizes are a bit smaller than what we are aiming for.
I live in Sterling Hill. I know if one home that is going to forclose that is 3000+ sq ft home, 2 stories with an inground, screened in pool with brick pavers..no fence, corner lot. Deed Restricted in Sterling Hill means you have to get approval for anything you do on the outside of your home and you also have to maintain the appearance of home...green grass, trimmed shrubs, can't park in the street, no boats, trailers or commercial vehicles in drive way..etc. Let me know if you'd like the address to the home. My advise to you right now is to try & buy forclosure...the prices are unbelievable. G/L
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Old 06-21-2008, 03:13 PM
 
Location: Hillsborough County
126 posts, read 536,683 times
Reputation: 50
Here is a story in today's St. Petersburg Times about Hernando County, where Spring Hill is located.

Housing slump slams Hernando economy - St. Petersburg Times

It might help you understand the economic situation in the area. I wouldn't let that discourage you, though - it seems like a nice area to live and buy a house.
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Old 06-21-2008, 06:27 PM
 
137 posts, read 543,549 times
Reputation: 70
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sandyt View Post
Here is a story in today's St. Petersburg Times about Hernando County, where Spring Hill is located.

Housing slump slams Hernando economy - St. Petersburg Times

It might help you understand the economic situation in the area. I wouldn't let that discourage you, though - it seems like a nice area to live and buy a house.
Jeeze- That was a depressing article. Salary is ridiculous here and driving to Tampa at $4 a gallon seems isnt always the answer anymore. Well like they say What goes up; Must come down but....it will go back up again; just a matter of time.
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Old 06-22-2008, 09:25 AM
 
5 posts, read 24,712 times
Reputation: 11
Wow.. I just read the article and all I can say is, Wow. It's really unfortunate that people are losing their homes. They must be terrified, I know I would be. I wonder what the answer is. It's really a shame that instead of building homes they aren't building places for people to work. I guess that would really defeat the purpose of the area though, if you build up all these businesses, soon enough it is no more the quiet, nice area it once was. I think much of this is due to the horrible gas prices. They are a killer. We are paying $4.00 per gallon up here in NJ too and it's awful. Maybe some of the refugees from NJ and other places that are too ridiculously expensive to live in, will buy some of those houses and that will help.

Sange - I would love to take a look at that house if you know the MLS number and thanks!

We are waiting to hear back from my husbands company regarding the transfer and we'll see what happens! We really wanted to be down there before school began again for the kids but that isn't looking good. We shall see!
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