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I see them in my parents golf community in Tampa. They usually try to get them out young, also. And I do see the ones that have "regular" spots. One time, my (northerner) DH went fishing in a big pond...caught a fish, and all of a sudden these EYES are chasing the fish, and come out onto the bank and swipe the fish, pole and all, from him! Obviously he was not alligator savvy...but it scared the heck out of him!
I have seen in the paper, occasionally, about gators in a residential pool. And I do see cottonmouth snakes occasionally, so the screened in porch would *hopefully* keep most of that out...and bugs.
...(Question - can a healthy 40-something like me/dh get appts there also?)...
Sure you can get appointments. The issue is whether your insurance will cover it (and - if so - to what extent). Mayo isn't "in network" in terms of a lot of plans. You'll have to check out insurance plans that are available to you.
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5 BR / 3 BA is my husbands' preference, I am hedging at 4 BR / 2 BA. Either one would work. We are used to extra space in houses in the north (basement, attic) for storage so that is why my DH thinks bigger. But then again, it is not that long til we'd be empty nesters and I'd rather be mortgage free; plus there are HOA fees and possibly Beach Club fees (how much are the Beach/Pool Clubs?).
The pool at Marsh Landing is part of the Country Club - not the HOA. You have to belong to the CC to use it. All of the clubs have different fees (both initial and monthly). Fees will generally be higher for full memberships that include golf - lower for "basic social memberships". Some have minimum dining costs as well. You'll have to check them out.
Perhaps a broker can help me out - but 5/3 and 4/2 houses are *very* old fashioned IMO. You're looking for 5/4 or 4/3.
You've forgotten CDD fees. I hate CDDs and wouldn't buy into one. But YMMV.
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*Excellent* point about Nocatee. That is a huge strike against it for us. Plus I think as nice as it is (!!), and we'd LOVE the aquatics/recreation facilities, it is further from beach/civilization AND we'd want to be sure we are in a good place for resale (just financially sound thinking). Plus we like more vegetation / landscaping so an established community probably better that way, right?
Vegetation is a 2 edged sword. It looks nice - but it's expensive to maintain (you don't want to ask me how much we spend on landscaping each year). All depends what you're looking for - a very personal decision.
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We do all know how to play golf, but the kids are so busy w/ their other sports and school, that realistically we wouldn't play much (DH would like to golf when friends visit and I do want kids to learn...perhaps play occasionally, but no big deal).
I personally think that golf is a more useful sport than most. It's something a family can do together - and something children can do as adults. I like tennis as well for the same reasons (plus you get more exercise playing tennis). And I personally wouldn't want to spend most of my life ferrying kids around to sporting events. But - again - it's your call.
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I'm ok with purchasing the flood insurance, but having lived there 20yrs, do you think it's a REAL risk, ie, is it a matter of time before we have water in the house (ie, not right on beach but say TPC Sawgrass area).
It is a real risk - and I've seen it quite a few times. Most flooding here (and in other parts of Florida) isn't caused by hurricane storm surges near the ocean. It's caused by lots of rain (often but not always caused by slow moving tropical storms) in areas that are prone to flooding as a result of being too low - having inadequate storm water drainage - etc. Those retention ponds you see aren't built because they're pretty. They're designed to catch rain water and prevent flooding. And - when we get too much rain - they can overflow and storm water drainage systems can back up.
There are parts of town that flood fairly often (like parts of San Marco and Jax Beach). But sometimes there is *so* much rain that areas that are usually ok get swamped. Here's a famous picture of the Island Green during Tropical Storm Debby:
I only recall flooding in Marsh Landing once - at the north end. Maybe 10 years ago or so during a super wet tropical storm (I think we got about 15 inches of rain in 2-3 days). The retention pond for that area got full - and the water backed up. Flooding a few "slab on grade" houses. IOW - you need the insurance. And - the higher you build - the lower the chance that your place will get flooded no matter how much rain we get. Robyn
...Also, it is personal preference, but I am very glad that I have a screen enclosure.
Just to clarify things - it isn't a choice between having a screen enclosure and doing nothing. Florida laws/building codes require owners to do something to insure the safety of their pools. I'm not familiar with the current options - but people building pools have to check them out.
Also - some older pools may be "grandfathered in" - but it is often difficult/impossible to get homeowners' insurance if your pool isn't secure.
Also - many insurance policies don't cover damage to things like pool enclosures (screens/fences/etc.) or similar. Something for homeowners to check out in their insurance policies. Robyn
It's basically neighborhood development dues... it's kind of like HoA. But here, HoA is really, really cheap (~$50/yr), and they lump everything into CDD, which is expensive (~$200/mo).
That's an out-of-towner's explanation, I'm sure someone else has something better, but if you live in a new or new-ish neighborhood, you'll be paying it. Some builders will pay it off for you (Taylor Morrison is a good example) which is actually a really good selling feature, saves you 360 months of paying $200/mo.
A CDD is a community development district. It used to be that when developers did communities - they borrowed money themselves to make necessary site improvements/install utilities/etc. And - as they "built out" and "sold out" - their borrowings got paid off.
Then - fairly recently (like within the last 10-15 years) - developers didn't want to do this on their own. They started to borrow money and issue (mostly junk grade) intermediate and long term municipal bonds to do this stuff. The bonds are a lien on the land (in some way/shape/form). All that stuff in Nocatee - the water park - the roads - the landscaping - etc. has been paid for by the CDD/CDD bonds.
My main objection is that CDD borrowing has been huge. I don't know how the bonds will get paid off. And also I - even though I'm a lawyer - don't know how things will shake out when there are defaults on the bonds. There have been defaults as of today:
And there will most certainly be more in the future.
Also - I don't know how places like Nocatee will pay for some of these "toys" once developers stop subsidizing them (even if the developers don't go bankrupt). Even though I've lived in condo/homeowners associations since 1973.
FWIW - if you don't know what a CDD is today - you are in no position to buy a place. Rent for a while. Robyn
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FWIW - if you don't know what a CDD is today - you are in no position to buy a place. Rent for a while. Robyn
We may rent first, but can I ask a question without a condescending response? Sorry, haven't owned in FLA before. However, I'm sure my lawyer, banker, and finance professionals in the family (all with real estate experience) can help once the time comes. As you know, I live in a state where this is not relevant, as everything is old, but we pay SUPER HIGH property taxes...so in the end with CDD, it is probably still much cheaper. I just have more time than my husband or parents for looking online and asking questions. Sorry they seem naive to you, but I thought that is what the forum was for. I am also researching as much as I can in advance of my visit, which is the smart thing to do.
Last edited by snuffybear; 12-30-2013 at 06:09 PM..
We may rent first, but can I ask a question without a condescending response? Sorry, haven't owned in FLA before. However, I'm sure my lawyer, banker, and finance professionals in the family (all with real estate experience) can help once the time comes. As you know, I live in a state where this is not relevant, as everything is old, but we pay SUPER HIGH property taxes...so in the end with CDD, it is probably still much cheaper. I just have more time than my husband or parents for looking online and asking questions. Sorry they seem naive to you, but I thought that is what the forum was for. I am also researching as much as I can in advance of my visit, which is the smart thing to do.
There are quite a few CDD threads here in the JAX forum and other Florida forums too. I suggest finding them and reading them.
And - at least IMO - the time to learn about CDDs (HOAs - condo associations - etc.) is before someone starts looking at specific properties. If you decide you don't want to live in a place with a particular legal structure - then you'll rule out all properties with that legal structure.
For example - although we didn't explore CDDs when we were looking here - there weren't (m)any - we ruled out the Plantation because living there would mean we'd be forced to join/remain members of/pay for the equity golf club there. We also ruled out "historical" areas that had nit-picking "architecturally correct" rules about renovations. We didn't want to be forced to join an equity golf club. Or replace deteriorated windows with historically correct ones that weren't energy efficient. I think that CDD issues are much more complicated than these.
IMO - it isn't only an issue of money (although money is part of it). If a CDD/HOA budget is based on a build-out of X houses over the course of Y decades - and only 1/4 X wind up being built during that time-frame - who's going to pay not only for the bonds that were issued to build the infrastructure - but the operation and maintenance of that infrastructure? A similar issue arises when association owners default on their mortgages (like many did during the housing crisis) and those who aren't in default are left to shoulder the cost of paying the lighting bills and cleaning the swimming pool. Many HOAs wound up in pretty dismal shape in terms of maintenance as a result of the recent housing bust.
Another complication is that it's very hard to get public information about this stuff. HOAs are required for the most part to act "in the sunshine" when it comes to owners - but not when it comes to strangers (OTOH - HOAs that are still under developer control sometimes don't comply with these laws). For example - the only public record way you can find out about owners in default on fees is by looking at liens a HOA files (assuming a HOA has its act together and files liens). Also - IIRC - a CDD isn't required to act in the sunshine at all. You can find some information about CDDs by exploring the public disclosures relating to their municipal bonds (on the EMMA website). But it isn't easy even finding the names of those bonds. Not to mention that CDDs that are in trouble may not be fastidious about filing required public disclosures.
One thing I do know is the IRS recently ruled that CDD bonds aren't tax-exempt (which was a major sales feature):
Whether this ruling will hold up - who knows? In the meantime - it casts a pall over CDD developments.
FWIW - I sometimes run across local gossip about this development - or that development. But it's hard to verify (or disprove) any such gossip.
I actually did a lot of reading about this CDD stuff when people here started asking questions about them. And - in the end - I pretty much concluded that CDDs are a very complicated "pig in a poke" - too complicated for me. And the time for potential home buyers to explore them is well before they even start to look at model homes. Just my 2 cents. YM and those of other people MV. Robyn
P.S. I doubt most people know much/anything about this area unless they're expert in/experienced in municipal finance in Florida.
Exactly why I am asking questions. Thank you. Remember, we are in beginning stages here. I live in a state/county where CDD's don't really exist.
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Obviously he was not alligator savvy...but it scared the heck out of him! 
I am also researching as much as I can in advance of my visit, which is the smart thing to do.
