Advice on these Communities

[Jkgourmet]

Thanks, Stonecreek. You've made some valid points. We will be looking at SJP as well as other communities.

Just to make sure I understand : to purchase a meal or a drink at one of the restaurants or bars, I have to pay this membership fee? To use the community pools, billiard room, card room, exercise facilities, I have to pay this fee? (remember, we don't play golf.)

But For folks who don't play golf, a $15, 000 fee upfront is pretty hefty. Does this convey if we buy a resale? Are the monthly HOA fees substantially lower to offset this a bit?

[Stonecreek67]

JK, this has been discussed "at length" on the other forum thread several times, my suggestion to everyone is to contact St James, or ANY community that you may be investigating to "possibly live in for the rest of your life", they will be more than happy to explain how it all works and send all the options to you in detail in writing..... the short answer is no, anyone can play limited golf and utilize the restaurants without extra fee, keeping in mind that we are not big golfers, we do have golf clubs but have not yet played golf in almost 7 months.... they tell me that even though it has 81 holes of golf that over 60% of homeowners here do not ever venture onto a golf course to play golf.

[goldenage1]

Originally Posted by Jkgourmet

But For folks who don't play golf, a $15, 000 fee upfront is pretty hefty. Does this convey if we buy a resale?

If the homeowner had paid the fee, it could be a negotiable item when you purchase. I looked thru the resales on the stjamesplantation.com website for lower priced homes. There is one listed at $239K about 1700-1800 SF which does say the membership conveys. However the are more in that range where it says "membership available", meaning you would have to pay the $15,000.

BTW, It is worthwhile looking thru Zillow.com to see what homes have actually sold for in the past year. I looked at single family houses in the $200-275K range, and their price per square foot ranged from $105 to $123, which makes them price competitive with other developments. If you are interested in St. James, my advice is get a good buyer broker and negotiate hard. There are some short sales available.

Frankly, I would look seriously at Magnolia Greens. I am 99% sure that the HOA fees cover the use of indoor/outdoor pools, fitness center and tennis *without* have to join the golf club. I looked at some actual 2011 sales on Zillow , and for several houses selling $205K to $318K, the price per square foot figurees were $106-$135/SF, so I would call them similar to St. James. There are also bank-owned and short sales in MG.

[Stonecreek67]

I would suggest that ANYONE looking in the area should visit all of the different communities that are of interest IN PERSON as we did.... believe me, there are every range of communities down here and they are all as different as night and day.... they ALL sound simply wonderful on the internet and in print.... AND they ALL, yep EVERY one of them say that they are the most sought after and top selling place in the world. The fact is though.... there's an old proverb that applies, now I'm not 100% positive but it might be from my main man "Confuscious"..... it goes something like this..... "YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR" !