Positives and Negatives anyone has heard about the Heatherfield Townhomes in South Burlington off Dorset St. (Essex Junction: for sale, real estate) - Burlington, VT - Vermont (VT) - City-Data Forum

PHENOM5 · 07-15-2010, 07:16 AM

hi all, i recently went to the heatherfield community in south burlington and was considering buying a home there...any feedback on the community, pricing, builder's reputation, neighborhood, investment potential, etc would be greatly appreciated....i'm sure some of you might have heard things about this place since it has been an ongoing project for a few years now in the greater burlington area....thanks in advance for all your help.

vter · 07-15-2010, 08:09 AM

The builder/developer has a very good reputation. One of the better ones out there. Homestead Design. Location is great - just down the road from schools, shops, restaurants. Downtown Burlington is 5-10 minutes depending on traffic. Airport is 5 minutes away. Dorset Park is just up the road.

VermontLori · 07-15-2010, 04:59 PM

Hi-
I just looked at the model home on Sunday & decided they're not for us because we're looking for a more family-oriented community and that's very much a commuter community. Although there are several sidewalks around there, apparently no one walks on them much.
They're beautiful and well-built. My realtor told me they're an excellent value right now because there are so many townhomes being built in S. Burl. (Cider Mill, South Village, etc.) & that's kept the prices down. As far as investment potential, from my realtor's point of view, you really can't count on real estate as a viable investment in the foreseeable future.
Personally, I like the street that the current model home is on because you can't hear the highway and you're tucked away from both Spear and Dorset. The setting is lovely, as well.
Are you thinking of buying a new one or one that's already occupied and for sale?

vter · 07-15-2010, 05:38 PM

Good point about the interstate. Some of the units back up to the the interstate so you'll have some noise.

PHENOM5 · 07-18-2010, 11:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VermontLori

Hi-
I just looked at the model home on Sunday & decided they're not for us because we're looking for a more family-oriented community and that's very much a commuter community. Although there are several sidewalks around there, apparently no one walks on them much.
They're beautiful and well-built. My realtor told me they're an excellent value right now because there are so many townhomes being built in S. Burl. (Cider Mill, South Village, etc.) & that's kept the prices down. As far as investment potential, from my realtor's point of view, you really can't count on real estate as a viable investment in the foreseeable future.
Personally, I like the street that the current model home is on because you can't hear the highway and you're tucked away from both Spear and Dorset. The setting is lovely, as well.
Are you thinking of buying a new one or one that's already occupied and for sale?

hi lori, thanks for the response and informative feedback.....you mentioned that it's much more of a commuter community than a family oriented one....if you read this hopefully you can explain this a little further as i'm interested in learning more.....i certainly agree that the homes look really nice and well built....and your point about being away from both spear and dorset streets makes total sense for more quiet.....as for buying, i'm just getting my feet in the water, and like yourself, we did view the model home, but we haven't decided if thats the right place and if we want a new one or one that was previously owned....it certainly is a big decision that can't be decided on the fly as we actually live in another state and would have to do the total relocation process involving jobs and resettling....but we certainly are considering a community like heatherfield.....also maybe you or anyone else reading this might have some knowledge to similar type communities, freshly built, that might have included in it a clubhouse with gym, pool, community rooms, etc....you see that in florida a lot, as they offer gated communities with a lot of these type ammenities for all their dwellers...are these being offered at all in the greater burlington area???......thanks lori and to all who have something to say regarding my questions.

PHENOM5 · 07-19-2010, 12:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vter

The builder/developer has a very good reputation. One of the better ones out there. Homestead Design. Location is great - just down the road from schools, shops, restaurants. Downtown Burlington is 5-10 minutes depending on traffic. Airport is 5 minutes away. Dorset Park is just up the road.

thanks vter, i read your comments on the vermont pages frequently and respect the knowledge and opinions you bring to the site....thanks for clarifying the heatherfield reputation and that the place is solid and centrally located...any other input would be much appreciated if more info pops into your head at any given time.

68vette · 07-19-2010, 04:36 AM

You may have seen this site already Condos for sale in South Burlington, Vermont, Heatherfield Townhomes, Burlington, Vermont Condominiums for sale in South Burlington, Vermont, Homestead Design, Essex Junction, Vermont, South Burlington Real Estate for Sale If not there is info on estimated property taxes, membership to Vermont National (they waive the $2700 fee, but you will still need to pay an annual fee), other fees or rental fees are also listed.
The only other gated type community I know of in the state is in Quechee which is 1.5 hrs southeast of the Burlington area.
I'm not sure if anyone else wants to chime in on the traffic around Kennedy Dr and Dorset St, but I have always thought it was one of the more congested sections in the area. Pay attention to where the unit you are interested in is located. I-89 passes close to one area of the development and I-189 passes close to most of the northern sections of the development. There is or is going to be a recreation path as well. The recreation path will run its entire length, east to west, and eventually it will link the recreation paths running along Spear and Dorset St.
I have a friend that lives in a very nice development in Williston. I can't remember the name right now. I will ask him when I see him if you are interested. The prices are similar and possibly lower than the townhome prices, but you actually get a single home. It's a very family friendly development as well and I don't think there are all of the fees involved like the Heatherfield community. Don't hold me to that, but I don't think there are additional monthly fees.

VermontLori · 07-19-2010, 05:00 PM

Phenom5-
I find that Heatherfield is quite small and isolated compared to some of the other townhome communities in S. Burlington. Most of the others link up to established neighborhoods with houses with more opportunity for kid play. That's kind of what I meant by family oriented. Also, I think because it's so close to the highway and major roads in S. Burl., it has a different (commuter-oriented) feeling than the other townhome neighborhoods. We walked around Heatherfield the other day and talked to a woman who was walking her dog. She said there aren't that many families living there, but that the neighbors seem friendly. Her husband is a state trooper and they wanted something close to the interstate so he could get to work more easily.
There are quite a few townhomes for sale right now on the golf course in S. Burlington. They are generally priced higher than the ones in Heatherfield, but the location is unbelievable, as are the views. There is open land all around with well established bike/walking paths. We looked at one of those the other day, as well.
You might consider using the services of a local realtor. You could tell him/her what you are looking for and a knowledgeable one could really narrow it down for you and give you loads of inside information that may not be accessible to the general public. We just had one recommended to us and we're really happy with her. I'll PM you with her info, as I don't know if the forum rules allow for me to recommend her personally. She knows the Heatherfield sales rep (as well as almost all the realtors and sales reps in the area) and has worked with him before and knows how far you can take the negotiations (they often want to keep the sale prices at a certain level for public record, but will throw in upgrades to keep the process moving along. They can't build in new ones until they've sold a certain amount.)

PHENOM5 · 07-20-2010, 02:14 AM

hi lori, i also went to go look at rivercrest in shelburne...i was not that impressed with the development, but shelburne is a nice area if you can somehow overlook the extremely high taxes....also since heatherfield is situated right off the highway, could it be a place that is susceptible to crime and home thefts since criminals like spots right off interstates?...i've heard they do because once they are done doing their business they hit the highway quickly and within minutes they are many miles away from the crime scene....i'm currently in new york and some people have that point of view down here....

also as you mentioned with the golf course homes, i like the idea of a lot of land around a home and heatherfield has minimal grassy open space surrounding the homes as they are bunched together in styles of 3 or 4 attached units.....i wonder if you can make an offer on a new one, lower than their asking price....from what you said, i guess they will only give upgrades but no price drop....i like the idea of a gated community with a guard at the front for safety, but it doesnt seem like they do it that way in vermont.....florida has many gated communities with lovely community pools, tennis courts, and gym spaces....i wish they did that style of a development in florida....thanks for all your input lori and let me know more about anything you want to pass along as there is so much to think about when making a move.

notfriedkasei · 07-20-2010, 05:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PHENOM5

i like the idea of a gated community with a guard at the front for safety, but it doesnt seem like they do it that way in vermont.....florida has many gated communities with lovely community pools, tennis courts, and gym spaces....i wish they did that style of a development in florida.

From my experience in Vermont, people like it that way ... I know one thing I enjoyed while driving around the state was the significant *lack* of subdivisions. Made for a much prettier - and much more useful - landscape, and kept the cities more 'city-ish.' Plus, who needs a pool with all the beautiful lakes and rivers everywhere?