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Lisa (with 4 kids and a dog)... can you comment on the "amenities" for dogs (lol)? Do many people use the dog parks? Is there a place they can swim? My golden retriever is really going to miss our pool... he swims every day it's open.
I don't think any Nocatee Homeowner stands to lose money on their Home, However they may not make much money on their home with the continuance of new home building. JMO
If you say that - you don't know anything about Florida real estate <LOL>. It can be a real roller coaster ride. OTOH - if you like where you live - and don't have to move - who cares what the real estate market does? Robyn
Hi DCH123 - we moved to Nocatee about 18 months ago from intown Jacksonville. Like Lisa, we have four kids and two dogs! Our main reason for moving was the schools....and we have had no regrets in the decision that we made. To be honest, that was the FOCUS of our move - the benefits that have come with living in Nocatee have far surpassed any expectations that we had. Our children are ALWAYS outside playing - there are children everywhere. I remember our first Halloween here, I felt like I was in a Hollywood movie set! They are at the parks, riding their bikes and scooters, boys on skateboards, older kids riding by in golf carts - I regularly have to call them in for dinner, just like our Mom's use to do!
Like Lisa, we actually don't use the Splash Park as much as we should (life is hectic with four kids!), but every time we go, I feel like I am on holiday and a beautiful resort. Music playing, lounging on a chair, breeze blowing, running water - instant relaxation! Nocatee does a lot of family focused activities, such a Breakfast with Santa, Noon Years Eve party, Lighting of a Giant Menorah, Easter Egg Hunts, Family Outdoor Movie once a month, Once a Month Farmers Market which always has a "special" theme, Fourth of July bash as the Splash Park, Holiday Lights in December at the Splash Park. The aslo have all Adult activities such as Octoberfest, Mardi Gras, Superbowl Party, Wine Tastings, Cooking nights, Ladies Bunco, etc.
They have several special interest groups such as a boating club, Mom's groups, Martial Arts groups, Ballet club (for kids), SouthEast Asian Culture Club, just to name a few. It is a VERY social atmosphere if you choose to be social.
All of our neighbors are very social with one another - maybe we hit the neighbor jackpot, but we spend the majority of our weekends hanging out in one of our respective driveways for happy hour while our children run around outside and play. It really is wonderful! A true since of community!
In terms of the Dog Parks - the MAIN dog park at the big Nocatee park area does have a good size lake in the shape of a dog bone. My dogs LOVE going there and everytime we go, they always make several furry friends. They spend ALL their time in the water - and one is a Shih Tzu - no idea WHY that dog loves to swim so much, but he really does! The smaller dog park at Greenleaf has no lake, but at least you don't have to bathe your dogs before you go home. There are two more dog parks at Davis Park which both have lakes and also have little agility task for the dogs to play on. I personally have not been there, but am at Davis Park several days a week for kids sports and there are ALWAYS lots of dogs there.
Nocatee is on fire right now with the home sales...I do think that the builders are taking advantage of that trying to make up for the down time. I feel that some of the prices are a bit out of hand for size lots they are selling and find it kind of irritating as it just seems a bit greedy to me, but I suppose if people are willing to pay the prices, that the prices are not going to change. Housing markets definitely have ups and downs and we are clearly in an "up" right now in Nocatee and it does not look like that will be slowing down anytime soon.
If you are truly looking for a great place to raise a family and be a family, Nocatee definitely fits the bill. Again, we moved for the schools and everything else we have gained from the move has far exceeded our expectations. Yes, we miss the convenience of in town living, but I think for where we are, in this stage of our life, that what we are gaining in return is far worth the price.
I wholeheartedly agree with what Acebab said Kids everywhere, friendly neighbors, simple, peaceful pleasures--that's Nocatee!
As for dogs, we occasionally take ours to the dog park and he absolutely loves it, both the Nocatee dog park and the one at Davis park are both great. However, we have several neighbors with dogs, and we walk a lot and let the dogs run around the cul de sac and just play, so I don't take him to the dog park very often. Ours doesn't swim, but we have our own pool too, so if he did, he could certainly jump in with the kids (my neighbor's dogs do that). So if dog swimming is really important, just put in a pool at your house!
Based on what you have described, I honestly think you would love it here. Not sure what your budget is, but definitely consider Coastal Oaks, I think it's just what you are looking for!
It certainly does sound great. And yes, I think we would have to consider putting in our own pool if we decide to stay and buy. Unfortunately there aren't any rentals with pools - at least that I've seen. And I haven't seen one come up in Coastal Oaks the entire time I've been keeping an eye on the rental market in Nocatee. Well, hopefully the stars will align and a great house will come up just in time. It's looking like our house in PA is going to rent fairly easily so that will definitely help. I was worried we'd be paying high rent and carrying the mortgage/expenses of our house in PA. I booked our next visit for May. I can't wait! OK, off to go find and pack up more stuff we don't want to move!
...In terms of the Dog Parks - the MAIN dog park at the big Nocatee park area does have a good size lake in the shape of a dog bone. My dogs LOVE going there and everytime we go, they always make several furry friends. They spend ALL their time in the water - and one is a Shih Tzu - no idea WHY that dog loves to swim so much, but he really does! The smaller dog park at Greenleaf has no lake, but at least you don't have to bathe your dogs before you go home. There are two more dog parks at Davis Park which both have lakes and also have little agility task for the dogs to play on. I personally have not been there, but am at Davis Park several days a week for kids sports and there are ALWAYS lots of dogs there...
A safety note. What you call "lakes" are man made storm water retention ponds. Designed to prevent flooding. Although they serve an important purpose - the water in them is often pretty nasty. People shouldn't swim in them. E.g., Frequently Asked Questions | Stormwater | Osceola County, Florida. And - if I had a pet - I wouldn't want my pet to swim in one either. Robyn
We'd like to move to PV this summer from PA. We did a move south once before... to a master planned community outside of Charleston, SC. The community had great amenities, great schools, lots of kids, etc. A few years before we arrived, this community was booming... builders couldn't keep up with the demand and prices soared. Sound familiar? Well the bubble popped and values plummeted. About 20% of the homes were vacant and almost everyone was underwater. Homeowners who needed to sell were in a bad situation. The family we rented from paid around $550k for the house (in 2006 or so). It was a 2800 sq ft home on a tiny lot and it was cheaply constructed. Today it's worth about 400k... which is still too much IMO. Anyway, things didn't work out for us in SC (I hated the job I moved for), and we went home. Easy to do since we rented. Now here we are 5 years later and wanting to move south again. We have a home that is of very high quality construction, on 3 acres, with a pool. It's a great house/property. But the weather sucks for most of the year and my kids are bored out of their minds - there are NO kids playing outside, EVER. And there's not much to do in the area, either. I love the amenities in Nocatee... and love that there are a lot of kids and activities. We do plan to rent for a year (if we can find one), but if we decide to stay, will want to buy in the same community. But I am so afraid that Nocatee is experiencing a bubble that is bound to burst (like we saw in SC). I look at homes for sale in PVB that are bigger, nicer, on better lots, closer to the beach (some even within walking/biking distance), and don't cost nearly as much on a $/sq ft basis, and without the high CDD fees. It's very hard to justify the prices in Nocatee. Do most people frequently utilize the amenities? Are the kids really outside playing all the time? Do the adults get together socially? These are the only reasons I am even considering it. It's easy for someone like Robyn to criticize Nocatee, I would feel the same way if I didn't have kids. But we do, and I want the best for them. I want them to live in a safe neighborhood where they have tons of kids to play with and cool things to do (like go to the water park, ride the zipline, explore the nature trails, etc). Is Nocatee REALLY WORTH IT?
Hello. We've been living here in Nocatee for a little less than half a year. For months, we studied the price per square foot that the new home builders were charging in Nocatee vs. the price per square feet for preowned homes that already came with a lot of upgrades on premium lots. After sitting down and adding up all the extra costs associated with building a new home here, we found it to be smarter financially for us to buy pre-owned in Nocatee. We also went with a 3 bed/2 bath home to save money and converted our formal dining room to a 4th bedroom to raise value if we ever needed to sell down the line. Just an idea for you. I would imagine the new K-8 school will attract many new families and inrease property values too once it is open this Fall. Yes, we utilize a lot of the amenities (the gym, the pools, the trail, the parks, events & childrens activities Nocatee holds for their residents). It saves us a lot on gym membership fees we would otherwise be paying. Yes, we see kids playing outside daily. Our neighborhood has "a lot" of children and parents who moved here for the good schools. Yes, the adults get together socially quite often. There are several clubs too for Nocatee residents you can join to meet new people. We have a child and love it here. I feel like Nocatee is worth it if you take advantage of all the amenities here, and if you have children who can take advantage of the good schools here. If you ever have to sell or rent here, properties here tend not to sit long compared to other places. I do have to mention, once you find a rental in Nocatee, jump on it. I know several people who have been looking for awhile for a rental here. Our neighbors around the corner rented their house out in a little less than a couple weeks for 2K/mo. FYI, when we looked in Ponte Vedra Beach we were finding much less square footage for the money and much older homes needing a lot of updating in our range compared to Nocatee. Also Homeowners insurance was ridiculous when we were getting quotes on potential properties. We only pay $50 a mo. here in Nocatee for our homeowners for full coverage for structure and contents. So I would say yes, Nocatee is definitely worth it as a resident here. It is easy for others who don't live here to critize it but we live here and we love it here. If you are worried about a potential bubble, maybe go with something pre-owned w/a decent price per square foot ($122 or under per sq ft. is what we felt like was reasonable in Nocatee when we looked for preowned) w/someone who has to sell (our seller needed to move & we were able to get her to go down 50K) and not the biggest, most expensive house in Nocatee. Also with some of the preowned homes, some of the builders have paid off the homes CDD fees. Ours are partially paid off. When we looked at new homes here, none of the new home builders were offering to pay off the CDD's. Also, I don't see prices with the new home builders here doing anything but going up since we looked. At the time, we felt much more confident buying into an older, more established neighborhood in Nocatee and buying one of the less expensive homes here, with reasonable price per sq. foot and some of the CDD's already paid off. Just something to keep in mind. If you have any other questions, you can message me!
Paragraphs would be nice - they're easier on my older eyes
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Originally Posted by mld22
Hello. We've been living here in Nocatee for a little less than half a year. For months, we studied the price per square foot that the new home builders were charging in Nocatee vs. the price per square feet for preowned homes that already came with a lot of upgrades on premium lots. After sitting down and adding up all the extra costs associated with building a new home here, we found it to be smarter financially for us to buy pre-owned in Nocatee. We also went with a 3 bed/2 bath home to save money and converted our formal dining room to a 4th bedroom to raise value if we ever needed to sell down the line. Just an idea for you.
IOW - you were looking for the most bang for your price for square foot buck. Makes sense to me. OTOH - people have to consider the consequences/implications. Like what will happen with increasing Hispanic migration up here from south Florida? Your cramped 4 bedrooms (with the converted dining room) will certainly be very attractive for Hispanic families with 3-6 kids moving in with grandparents too. But is it the kind of neighborhood most prospective buyers in Nocatee want?
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Yes, we utilize a lot of the amenities (the gym, the pools, the trail, the parks, events & childrens activities Nocatee holds for their residents). It saves us a lot on gym membership fees we would otherwise be paying.
How many recumbent bikes does the gym at Nocatee have (that's our favorite equipment at the Y). How often is it replaced?
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Also Homeowners insurance was ridiculous when we were getting quotes on potential properties. We only pay $50 a mo. here in Nocatee for our homeowners for full coverage for structure and contents.
What's the name of your homeowners' insurance company? And what is your "full coverage"? Note that there is nothing like "full coverage" in Florida today - minimum 2% deductible in terms of windstorm coverage.
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Also, I don't see prices with the new home builders here doing anything but going up since we looked.
You've lived in Florida for 6 months. I've been here for 40+ years. Prices go up - and they go down. If you want to insure your financial future when it comes to Florida real estate - you don't buy cookie cutter houses on old pine tree farms. You buy waterfront. That said - if you like your house - and can afford it - so be it. Just don't confuse a house you like with a good investment. Robyn
It certainly does sound great. And yes, I think we would have to consider putting in our own pool if we decide to stay and buy. Unfortunately there aren't any rentals with pools - at least that I've seen. And I haven't seen one come up in Coastal Oaks the entire time I've been keeping an eye on the rental market in Nocatee. Well, hopefully the stars will align and a great house will come up just in time. It's looking like our house in PA is going to rent fairly easily so that will definitely help. I was worried we'd be paying high rent and carrying the mortgage/expenses of our house in PA. I booked our next visit for May. I can't wait! OK, off to go find and pack up more stuff we don't want to move!
A coupe of observations. Our pool season here is a lot shorter than in south Florida. Pretty much April (at earliest) to October (and you'll need pool heating for some of that period too). A lot of houses in our neighborhood have pools - but I'm not sure they make any dollars/sense in terms of the weather here. Pool construction techniques are important. If the sub-surface isn't prepared 100% correctly - you're going to wind up with a pool with cracks (not a pretty sight).
Also - why are you renting your house - as opposed to selling it? People in my family - like my BIL - have had bad experiences renting their houses when they moved. The rentals were long distance trouble and wound up costing them a bunch of money. Robyn
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Kids everywhere, friendly neighbors, simple, peaceful pleasures--that's Nocatee!
