Villas of Ocean Dunes in Jupiter (Fort Pierce, Palm Beach Gardens: bank owned, foreclosure, renting)

[flipflopgal]

Hey everyone! This is my first post although I have been enjoying this forum for many months while my husband I relocated from NJ to the Jupiter area.
I was wondering if anyone could offer any advice regarding the Villas of Ocean Dunes townhouse community in Jupiter. Has anyone lived there?
More specifically:

How is the HOA? We noticed HOA fees cover the insurance on the exterior of the buildings. If there was damage (let's say during a hurricane) or flooding, what does the insurance cover?

Any thoughts on the construction? We have been seeing a combo of CBS and wood frame, with the older models leaning more toward straight up wood frame. I am curious how this holds up so close to the ocean.

Does the community have a lot of families?

Any feedback is much appreciated! Thanks!

[gonersgirl]

I don't know any of the details about the community, but the attorney I worked for for many years (I just left recently) has a second home in the Villas of Oceans Dunes in Jupiter. He's been very happy with the community and the property management company!

[twilight999]

Hi ! Good to hear that you have been enjoying it so far in the Jupiter area. We are in the early stages of a move from NC. My husband has been offered a job in Stuart and we thought that Fort Pierce or Jupiter would be a better fit (being a little larger).

Do you have children ? We have a 5yo .... so schools are important. Have you been happy with actvities/community/schools etc. since you arrived ?

Thanks
T

[nanay4u]

Hi Flipflopgal!

Just wanted to welcome you to Jupiter. I'm from NJ and moved to NC last year and now we're in Jupiter (moved here 1 month ago). We love the town and the people are friendly! I am glad that you like living here

Cheers!

[nanay4u]

Hi twililight999!

My family moved to NC (Cary) last year but due to work, my hubby had to move to Jupiter and we really like it here. Ofcourse we do miss the mild winter of NC however this beach town is just awesome! My kids discovered skimboarding and there's a lot of things to do around the town and in neighboring areas as well.

I have older kids but they are still adjusting in their respective schools, though they say that they like the teachers a lot they do miss the year round sched of NC.

The community we settled into is a new development with a lot of young families. Anyways, if you have any questions PM me. Have to go and take the kids to the local surf shop.

Gosh I miss fall, especially how color and the scent of the leaves as they change color.

Where in NC are you from?

Cheers,
Nay

Originally Posted by twilight999

Hi ! Good to hear that you have been enjoying it so far in the Jupiter area. We are in the early stages of a move from NC. My husband has been offered a job in Stuart and we thought that Fort Pierce or Jupiter would be a better fit (being a little larger).

Do you have children ? We have a 5yo .... so schools are important. Have you been happy with actvities/community/schools etc. since you arrived ?

Thanks
T

[flipflopgal]

Thank you so much for all of the responses and for the very nice welcome.

We have loved living in Jupiter so far; our quality of life has improved drastically in a very short time. We are renting while we house hunt (about a half mile from the beach) and now we can't really imagine living much further west. Everyone is in flip flops or barefoot, kids are everywhere, the beaches are pristine, the restaurants are fantastic and there is a lot of activity. The locals are all very friendly-I have made friends while fishing on the beach and even in the supermarket. We love riding our bikes along the ocean and up into Tequesta/Jupiter Island. Plus all of the services on PGA are only a short drive away.

In our exploring we also enjoyed the unspoiled beauty of Hobe Sound, mainly the gorgeous dunes and beaches and lower priced housing options. Unfortunately we just feel too removed from the action down in Palm Beach Gardens to consider a move there, as well as the small downtown having a slightly depressing vibe. I'm not sure about living in Martin County as well. If anyone has a different opinion, by all means let me know.

There is nothing I miss about living in NJ-not even the leaves changing! Before we moved to NJ my husband and I were in Manhattan for 15 years. I don't miss a single thing but of course, I was really burned out from NYC. Between the congestion, the tolls, the taxes, the poor school situation, the weather...I am so much happier now that we're unplugged.

We do not have children yet but expect to down the line so in all the research I have done it seems the schools in Jupiter are decent-to-good. I have heard mixed reviews about the high school situation but there are at least alternatives whether they be private school or charter schools.

All in all our only regret is that we didn't move here sooner.

[jdinisio]

Originally Posted by flipflopgal

Thank you so much for all of the responses and for the very nice welcome.

We have loved living in Jupiter so far; our quality of life has improved drastically in a very short time. We are renting while we house hunt (about a half mile from the beach) and now we can't really imagine living much further west. Everyone is in flip flops or barefoot, kids are everywhere, the beaches are pristine, the restaurants are fantastic and there is a lot of activity. The locals are all very friendly-I have made friends while fishing on the beach and even in the supermarket. We love riding our bikes along the ocean and up into Tequesta/Jupiter Island. Plus all of the services on PGA are only a short drive away.

In our exploring we also enjoyed the unspoiled beauty of Hobe Sound, mainly the gorgeous dunes and beaches and lower priced housing options. Unfortunately we just feel too removed from the action down in Palm Beach Gardens to consider a move there, as well as the small downtown having a slightly depressing vibe. I'm not sure about living in Martin County as well. If anyone has a different opinion, by all means let me know.

There is nothing I miss about living in NJ-not even the leaves changing! Before we moved to NJ my husband and I were in Manhattan for 15 years. I don't miss a single thing but of course, I was really burned out from NYC. Between the congestion, the tolls, the taxes, the poor school situation, the weather...I am so much happier now that we're unplugged.

We do not have children yet but expect to down the line so in all the research I have done it seems the schools in Jupiter are decent-to-good. I have heard mixed reviews about the high school situation but there are at least alternatives whether they be private school or charter schools.

All in all our only regret is that we didn't move here sooner.

Hey there! So awesome that you love Jupiter! My wife and I have lived in Jupiter for about a year and a half. She owns a condo that we lived in down in WPB before.. Jupiter is awesome though, and we feel the same way you do! We moved here for the family atmosphere and the good schools for our future children!!

Where are you looking for homes? SFR or a townhouse? There is a lot available, depending on budget!

[flipflopgal]

Our broker has been showing us everything interesting that comes up on the MLS in our price range. We have seen so many houses, townhouses and condos at this point we're just waiting for the right thing in the right community.

[jdinisio]

Very cool! Good luck with that! If I could, I recommend a single family home... Or if you're looking into a condo, definitely check out the association rules... Some of them have some ridiculous rules...

[flipflopgal]

You know, it's funny you wrote that ^^...because we are leaning away from Ocean Dunes because we don't feel really comfortable being attached to our neighbors who might foreclose in the future and the HOA doesn't keep up the units that go into foreclosure. So a rook can leak, a front porch can fall apart, etc..and the HOA won't fix a bank owned property. Problem is, if you're attached to the unit, their messes become yours. It just seems too risky. I also don't like the thought of a relatively high HOA fee that never goes away. I think a single family home with a low or no HOA is the way to go after all. I'm sad about having to move off the beach. But finding a home 2 miles away isn't such a big deal.