Pro/ Con's to lakefront homes in Weston ( or S FLA in general ) (Everglades: appointed, insurance)

[offthetop]

Hello longtime lurker - now with a question..

Possibly looking to relo to Ft Lauderdale area ( Weston in particular ). Can someone give me the pros/cons to a lake front property ( single family ) in a master planned comm like Weston? In general does add value and approx how much (%)? Flood risk? increased ins. premiums?

Thanks in advance.

[City Guy997S]

I'd pay a few % more to not have a neighbor directly behind me but not 50-100K more. Insurance/flood are both moot points since the whole neighborhood is likely the identical elevation and the body of water is not tidal.

To me the only caveat is the wildlife (gators/snakes). If there is a gator in that lake (likely) and you have a loud yappy dog that spends a lot of time in the back yard/patio that gator will end up in your back yard at some point.

Neat trick: Flash a spotlight out on a freshwater lake and look for the red eyes glaring back at you. There will likely be a few sets of eyes (gators).

[Enigma777]

I don't know if the value is higher unless it's a nice view. Either you are in a flood zone or you aren't. The lakes don't rise enough to flood that I have seen--they just go down during droughts. There may be alligators--we had them in our lake--they are everywhere, so if that bothers you...

It really depends on the community. If your plot of land goes into the lake that is good as you won't have boaters etc. or people fishing in back of your home. If it's owned by the community--their rules.

I love water views, so I would always choose to live next to any water.

[BNBR]

There will likely NOT be a few sets of eyes in this area. Gators are around but pretty uncommon. There are no cons to having a waterfront home in Weston or anywhere in that area. In fact, I personally required it when searching. It's great not having a big ugly fence and another home right behind you. No extra flood risk, no extra insurance, etc. Value will be higher, how much would depend on the lake. There are a few communities with usable lakes - you can swim, boat, etc. You will pay quite a bit more in general for waterfront there. Regular drainage canals and small lakes, it won't be too much more.

[offthetop]

Great start all.. my wife is a native Floridian so we are not worried ( or know what to expect ) about the wildlife. I agree with the fact that not having a neighbor directly behind you would be a major plus. Good to know on the ins piece. As a fisherman I kinda like the idea of wetting a line when I want.

[ruski]

Originally Posted by offthetop

Hello longtime lurker - now with a question..

Possibly looking to relo to Ft Lauderdale area ( Weston in particular ). Can someone give me the pros/cons to a lake front property ( single family ) in a master planned comm like Weston? In general does add value and approx how much (%)? Flood risk? increased ins. premiums?

Thanks in advance.

Lake front definitely adds value, how much - depends. But about +30K on a comparable typical $500K Weston house.

Flooding from a lake? Nope. Not even during hurricane Wilma in 2005. Lake levels are managed too, they get drained some in advance of approaching big storms.

You pay flood insurance when you live in many South Florida areas, but it is only ~$500 per year.

Although Weston is not longer in a flood zone as of a few years ago, so technically you don't have to buy flood insurance in Weston.

[BNBR]

Originally Posted by ruski

Lake front definitely adds value, how much - depends. But about +30K on a comparable typical $500K Weston house.

Flooding from a lake? Nope. Not even during hurricane Wilma in 2005. Lake levels are managed too, they get drained some in advance of approaching big storms.

You pay flood insurance when you live in many South Florida areas, but it is only ~$500 per year.

Although Weston is not longer in a flood zone as of a few years ago, so technically you don't have to buy flood insurance in Weston.

I've seen the lake at both of my houses in this area come up enough to warrant the measly $440/yr in flood insurance. Even if they don't require it anymore.

[City Guy997S]

Originally Posted by BNBR

There will likely NOT be a few sets of eyes in this area. Gators are around but pretty uncommon. .

Played golf earlier this week, tee box was next to a tiny lake (75 ft X 250 ft)........not one but 2 gators in the lake (18 inch one in the water and a 4 footer on the bank). This was a 20+ year old course, houses lined one side of the lake. Dark water (not clear) is ripe for the scalely dinosaurs!

With Weston on the border of the Everglades, I'd expect to see them.

Take a tour with the gator boys:
https://www.evergladesholidaypark.co...medium=organic

Spooky place, really deep/dark rim canals loaded with gators!

I can't imagine how many bodies got dumped out there in the 70s-80s!

[offthetop]

Lol- we live on acreage with coyotes, wild hogs, and water moccasins.. we are cool with gators. Sounds like iguanas are the real issue these days..

[wizrap]

We sold our home in Weston about 4 years ago after living there for 20-some years. We noticed through the years, especially when we first bought on the late 90's, that lakefront definitely commanded a premium.

However, by the time we sold, we noticed that the amount of land the house was on came more into play, at least in our development. Depending on your price point, many of the homes in most developments are close together on smaller lots and it's nice to have some space. We were on one of the pie shaped lots, more than 1/4 quarter of an acre, with a pool, and even though we were surrounded in the back by neighbors, we sold for as much as homes on smaller waterfront lots.

I don't know if this is still the case but when we were originally looking in Weston, we were disappointed to find that there was about a 20 foot easement from the lot line to the water. You could fence up to that point, but not beyond, so what appears to be a large lot really wasn't. If we had had the same size lot of usable land, with a pool, on lakefront, I'm sure in that case you're looking at a premium. But there's not many lots like that in Weston, in the half-million price range.