Ford's Colony Notes and photos (Richmond, Williamsburg: for sale, HOA fees, condos)

[Mr Williamsburg]

To give those from out of the area a feel for our different neighborhoods I wanted to share some info on Ford's Colony a 3,000+ acre residential master-planned community offering three championship golf courses designed by Dan Maples. Nestled in rolling woodlands four miles from Colonial Williamsburg.



The community offers 1/4 to 1/2-acre home sites from $50,000. Those seeking homes or building lots can choose from a variety of golf course, lakefront or wooded lots.
With lot prices so low one can build a custom home at prices starting at $400k. Resale homes range in size from 1700 to 8000 square foot McMansions.


Note: the average home size is appox 3500 sq feet and the average resale price last year was $484k. Custom homes in Ford’s Colony offer designs reflecting the Greek revival, Georgian, Federal and Colonial styles.


Currently, about 5,000 residents call Ford’s Colony home, living in nearly 2,500 homes and townhouses. By the time the community is completely established, it will number more than 7,000 residents in 3,250 homes



Of the 2384 homes built in FC. 2280 are detached 80 are townhomes, and 24 are the condos at Eaglescliffe. It might seem like there are an enormous quantity of homes for sale in the community @ 104 active listings but that's only 4.5 % of the existing homes. Last year 3.5% of the homes sold. Many are on the market due to sellers downsizing or upsizing. Homes were built in Fords Colony from the late 1970's to current day with 27 currently under construction, 99% of the twenty seven are custom built for the low owners. ( not spec homes) The avereage age of the resale home sold last year was 14 years old.

HOA fees run $130 a month for detached homes. ( for all but Nottingham Place and Eaglescliffe) The $130 fee covers the costs of security, use of pools, tennis, clubhouse and maintenance of roads, and all community areas and amenities.

Membership in the country club is not mandatory . About 30% of the residents are members.

Demographics of the residents of FC is heavily dominated by retirees but, more and more familes with children are moving in.

Other Housing options in Fords Colony include:
Townhomes priced from the $250's, with a very colonial flair. Sited around the golf course their one shortcoming seems to be the lack of garages. HOA fees for these are approx $325 Monthly.



St Andrews Village in FC gives you a feel of a colonial village. The homes were modeled after traditional Williamsburg designs. St. Andrews Village was unveiled in 1988 as a planned Colonial "courtyard home" community. The small lots are easy to maintain. Great for empty nesters or second homes.


Nottingham Place is a sub-neighborhood of Ford's Colony with 73 home sites. Nottingham Place homeowners have all exterior maintenance services ranging from lawn mowing ,hedge trimming to exterior repair and painting taken care of for them.This maintenance-free lifestyle affords residents the opportunity to participate in and enjoy golf, tennis, swimming, hiking, or club activities rather than being occupied with maintenance chores around the exterior of their home." HOA fees here are approx $380 monthly.


Ford’s Colony has an incredible number of amenities including a club house, restaurant ,multiple tennis and swimming facilities, 13+ miles of walking trails, 24 hour gated security and over 50 active resident clubs and social groups.


One of two tennis areas



Ford's Colony is a gated community with access to the residential areas being permitted through manned and electronic gates. The main security gate is manned 24 hours a day. Overall, there are seven resident entrances conveniently located around the perimeter of the community. Home owners are issued electronic gate cards that will open all unmanned gates.


The Ford's Colony security staff patrols the community 24 hours a day They also manage a house check program which is very popular with residents. Owners who are out of town can request that their home be put on "house check" where a security officer does daily walk arounds of their home during their absence. The security staff is trained to assist local fire and EMS departments with any emergencies that may arise within the community. They typically respond to emergencies before James City County responders get there.

Part of the 13+ miles of trails in FC.




Ford’s Colony features several different dining venues and options. Both Harry’s Tavern and The Dining Room are open to the public. Harry's features casual cuisine and a comfortable atmosphere. The Dining Room offers an upscale cuisine in a Georgian-style dining room.

[Caladium]

Thank you for doing this! Very nice to see what this area looks like, especially since we weren't allowed to just drive in there to take a look for ourselves. Do you have any photos of the townhouses there? I'd also love to take a look at the areas in FC that might be less expensive, and maybe a shot or two showing more of the sidewalks or walking trails (love the one showing a typical street, and the one going by the lake is also very helpful; looks like a nice smooth & paved pathway).

[Mr Williamsburg]

This is a shot of the Links Townhomes


I will post some more later

[Caladium]

Thanks. OK Ford's Colony is now my new favorite. I definitely like the variety and style of the homes there. And I like the paved walking paths. The loose pebbles used for the walking trails in New Town are something that makes me think twice about choosing a place there. I walk a lot, so things like that matter to me. Loose pebbles are fine for young people but not so friendly to seniors.

[Caladium]

I was reading through the HOA newsletter today and was surprised at the number of clubs listed. For those of you who live there, are these popular? For example, does the tai chi group have 5-6 people who show up or is it just one guy who put a listing in the newsletter? If you want to to start a club, is it difficult to do? Do you just contact the newsletter or maybe get permission from an HOA board, or is it a PITA to start something?

[macalan]

Caladium, FC is beautiful. Very diverse, very colonial, and much more updated than Kingsmill. If you get an end unit townhouse, it looks like a regular house (see the photo of the white "house" with the white picket fence - that's a townhouse).

They are very large and have beautiful golf course views. As Mr. Williamsburg mentioned, the one drawback (to some people) is the lack of a garage.

St. Andrews is the least expensive area of FC and the area that my husband and I like best. It reminds us of Colonial Williamsburg. Very quaint. I think you'd like it.

There are rolling hills (small hills) and it's much more open than Kingsmill as well. Worth a look on your next trip.

[Caladium]

Since the property has rolling hills, does that mean some of the homes might have basements?

[Mr Williamsburg]

Some of the detached homes in Ford's Colony do have basements, but you normally only see then in the upper $400's and up price range. None of the townhomes have basements.

J

[loveautumn]

what a gorgeous area...is FC 4 mils north, south, east or west or Williamsburg?

[Caladium]

Northwest, which is actually a selling point IMO. That seems to be one of the nicer sections of town, at least as far as I can tell. You're away from the tourist areas, yet close to 199 and Sentara. You're also closer to Richmond and the airport--I'm starting to think I would spend more time in Richmond than taking the tunnel to VB, so that's a selling point for me. You're not walking distance to a beach, though. Not a bad drive to Jamestown Beach, but you do have to drive. On the other hand, the closer you are to a beach the more you're likely to have insects.