River Hills Question? (Tega Cay: for sale, HOA fees, new house)

[NCtwins]

My husband & I are looking at properties in River Hills. We have 2 small children and were wondering if there are any families that live there. We've been in there about 4 times now to look at homes and have not seen any children. Unfortunately, we have had 2 different situations where it was made clear to us that they do not want children living there. I really don't want to buy a house that we are planning on raising our children in and find out that we are not welcome by our neighbors. Thank you for any feedback you can offer.
Melissa

[SatTerra]

Forget about it then! Bring your kids over to Tega Cay, and let them play with here. My daughter who is 3.5 needs more girlfriends in our neighborhood to grow up with, and my son who is 6 can always use one more boy in his age group. Several homes for sale in Windsong Bay area!

[reneecarpenter]

We didn't look too hard in River Hills before we moved in The Landing (www.thelandingonlakewylie.com) because we didn't like the style of the houses. We are new house people and our realtor told us that there weren't many families. After living here now for 4 years, that could be nothing farther than the truth. Most of my oldest sons (he's soon to be 11) live there and I have met (through the River Hills Preschool) so many more friends who live there. The tough part about living there is to have access to the amenities (pool mainly), you have to become a social member at the club. Their HOA dues do not include the pool. You pay mainly for grounds maintenance and the security personnel for the gate.

I still think we would've ended up where we did but many times we have questioned why we didn't look more. A lot of the houses have been redone but at the time we looked, for our price range, it would've required more work than we care to take on. We're not handy...

River Hills also has a swim team which has 120 kids on it. Not all kids on the team live in River Hills, but a majority of them do. You should stop in the HOA office which is a small house next to the church closest to the ball fields. They used to have a list of families with names/ages of kids. Not sure they would give you a copy but I"m sure they would let you look at it to see that it is infact the other way.

Renee

[Belmarin]

We have lived in River Hills for 5 years and totally disagree with the fact that it is not a child friendly environment. As I am writing this I can see 8 children playing and swimming from their docks (oops - make that 10 as 2 more just came down the stairs). Our young population has increased dramtically in the time we have lived here (One of our former neighbors in The Landing [no offense Renee] recently moved here with their 7 children.

Some of the activities that come to mind are:

The swimming pool now has a "pool only" membership and does not require a country club membership.
They have recently upgraded the playground and basketball courts.
There is a waterfront park with a beach that is enjoyed by famlies (it is also a great place to view the 4th of July fireworks and the Christmas boat parade.
Behind the HOA office is a baseball and soccer field.
There is an easter egg event, 4th of July bike parade, and a Christmas event.
There are ice cream socials in the park during summer months.
There are movies in the park during the summer.
Father/daughter dance at the club (non members welcome).
Excellent swim team.
Junior golf clinic (I believe it is free).
Fishing from the marina area.
Camp Thunderbird is located at the entrance and is a great place for children to learn about nature (not a River Hills facility, but located close by).

There is more, but I have to leave for the River Hills Yacht Club (a very enjoyable, low cost, social group) scavenger hunt on the water followed by a barbeque. Yes, there are activities for adults too.

All-in-all it is a great place for children.

My wife and I would be happy to entertain you and your realtor and give you an insiders look at River Hills. Let me know if this would help.

[reneecarpenter]

I assume you're talking about the Hahn's who have 6 children and they moved to be on the water. They had simply outgrown their house and fell in love with the house they bought. It had nothing to do with their experience in The Landing.

It all boils down to what criteria you establish on your wish list. Just wanted you to know that River Hills has lots of families with children and that shouldn't be a deal breaker for you.

[Belmarin]

Originally Posted by reneecarpenter

I assume you're talking about the Hahn's who have 6 children and they moved to be on the water. They had simply outgrown their house and fell in love with the house they bought. It had nothing to do with their experience in The Landing.

It all boils down to what criteria you establish on your wish list. Just wanted you to know that River Hills has lots of families with children and that shouldn't be a deal breaker for you.

My apologies Renee if it appeared thet I was comparing the 2 communities. Both communities have an abundance of activities and opportunities for families to thrive in their environment. Yes, I was referring to the H@@@s (I do not believe we should be mentioning individuals by name on the forum). But you have to understand that I'm getting older (my eyesight and math skills are fading) and probably counted the dog when I would see them walking. I was using their move into River Hills as a reference point for it being a place for children.

We loved our experiences in The Landing and only moved to have access to the lake (All of the homes in The Landing were too large for us [myself, wife, Lili (retriever), and Buster (22 lb. maine coon cat)]. We have personally been involved in over 10 transactions in The Landing and I can attest that the families have never regretted moving into the community.

[Bette Fletcher]

We have lived in River Hills for 3 years and instantly fell in love with the neighborhood because it had children for my son to play with. My son was 5 when we first moved here and he has several friends to play. I'm sure he will look back years from now to say that he had a wonderful childhood growing up in River Hills. It warms my heart to see so many kids playing outdoors and going from house to house to play. I have noticed more and more families moving into the neighborhood with young children. There are a mixture of age groups in the community, but, quite honestly, I like the diversity. River Hills is also a very safe community.

The only drawback is that you have to join the pool separately (i.e., the membership is not included in the POA dues). Last year the "social fee" to join the pool was $750 which deterred many families from joining. This year, they reduced the pool membership to $500. River Hills' POA dues are relatively low as compared to other communities ($400/year), but I would be willing to pay more if the they included the pool membership in the dues at a lesser fee than what they are charging separately. I think they would generate more revenue that way too.

[Belmarin]

"River Hills' POA dues are relatively low as compared to other communities ($400/year),"

Actually River Hills HOA fees are $1,356 per year. But for all the perks, it's worth it.

[Belmarin]

"River Hills' POA dues are relatively low as compared to other communities ($400/year),"

Actually River Hills HOA fees are $1,356 per year. But for all the perks, it's worth it.

[Jerry.Knode]

The River Hills Community Church is also the center for the Scouting Programs in our community. I was the first Scoutmaster of Troop 333 back when we started the Boy Scouts in 1993. We had 17 Eagle scouts out of the first three years of boys joining the troop. They continue to have a great group of volunteer leaders with exception support of the neighborhood. If your children are inclined towards the scouting groups, they will love the community. We have been here 18 years. We would not live anywhere else.