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We didn't care for new construction mainly because your lot is like a postage stamp and you can shake hands with your neighbors without going outside. We almost bought a new house in SW Florida and thank goodness we didn't because we wound up with a nice large parcel on an existing home 30+ years old. If you don't mind neighbors really close that you can hear when you sit outside in your lanai then certainly consider new construction replete with CDD fees and small yards. Go check out TPC while you are in town and see for yourself. We liked Beacon Lake because it has a nice amenity center and isn't a zillion miles from the ocean. To me, the lot and location are far more important than dealing with old house issues. You can always fix things but you can't change your lot and location.
While I do prefer and have always purchased a brand new home, I totally agree that the lots these days are way too close to each other. I also don't like being packed in like sardines, and this is yet another reminder of why I regret selling my house. I bought new construction in 1992, but I was lucky to get one of the largest lots in my little neighborhood/village. It's very private because I had a wall of Viburnums and tons of other beautiful flowering shrubs and trees between me and my neighbors. It was quiet there until a big mouth moved next to me a few years before I left. People down the street could even hear him and his family, and they didn't care that they disturbed the neighbors.
I loved that yard, but I unfortunately created a monster and a lot of work for myself because of my love for gardening way back then, which is one of the reasons that I unfortunately sold my house.
CDD fees also cause me heartburn because I didn't have to pay them in the upscale, gorgeous community where my house was located. And it bugs me beyond words when I think of how builders say that the CDD fees are $X, but they try to make you think that you're getting a bargain when they also say the HOA is $61 a year (as an example). Unfortunately, HOA fees are subsidized initially by the builder so it makes potential buyers think they'll be that forever, which is not the case. I guarantee that those HOA fees will skyrocket and be significantly higher once the builder is done with that community. It's very deceiving and gets on my nerves. I've always said that after I find my new home and things settle down for me, I'm going to write a letter to Congress or the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau or whoever I feel will possibly do something about this deceptive practice.
I'm thinking that I'm going to take a trip up to SJC immediately after the holidays are over because I need to know ASAP if it's going to be a fit for me. I certainly have nothing to lose by checking out TPC while I'm there so I'll probably do that just to see what you're talking about. I agree with your words of wisdom about how important the lot and location of a property is. I regret now that I let old house issues stress me out, which was mostly related to my pool, because I wouldn't be in the mess that I'm in today if I looked at it differently.
Another point, when new developments are built, most of the vegetation is cleared. I don't know about you but I like to see trees and lots of green plants. Come for a visit and see for yourself. Since you moved from a house that was 28 years old it must have had lots of lush green spaces as land costs were a fraction of what they are today.
I know what you're saying, but large trees can cause major headaches in Florida. The community that I lived in was extremely popular because the common areas and all the 20 plus neighborhoods in our gates had beautiful oak trees that lined the streets and main boulevard. People always commented when they drove through our gates about how much they loved how the trees created this gorgeous canopy. It was like you're in a different world and looked very peaceful when you passed those gates. The landscaping company worked daily there planting flowers and maintaining the community. As much as I loved its beauty, it wasn't so fun when there was a hurricane. Our community looked like a war zone afterwards because of all the large oaks and tons of landscaping. The oak trees there also caused issues with driveways and sidewalks on a regular basis.
And yes, my yard had all kinds of flowering shrubs and beautiful plants everywhere that I planted over 28 years. People sometimes said that my yard looked like a park, but gardening was my hobby forever. I was always planting or digging up something that birds and butterflies are attracted to. But I had four huge oak trees that were way too close to the front of my house, and an enormous Golden Raintree, two really big Drake Elms and other large trees in my back yard that grew to be way too close to my screen enclosure and pool, which made hurricanes even more stressful. As much as I love all that beauty, I don't want large trees in my new yard. I have pictures of when I first bought my house, and the oak trees were like sticks.
I see nothing wrong with CDD fees. Why should the taxpayers be stuck with infrastructure costs for new developments that do nothing except for those who will be living there. I think its a great idea. Roads, electric, water and gas are needed for those new developments as well as mitigating damage to wildlife habitats. There are too many now and more on the way. I think the rising interest rates will put a damper on the runaway development in SJC. Getting back to the OP, I would rather live in a place that needs a ton of work than in a postage stamp lot in a new development. The new houses are built perpendicular to the road, long and narrow with 40 and 50 foot lots. A bigger lot gets you a bigger house. You are required to only have certain size houses on each lot. The new developments squeeze as many houses as possible in the space. Land costs are astronomical and builders and developers are in the business of making money.
When I looked at a map last week and before I saw your post, it also seemed to me that E-town is too close to major highways so thanks for confirming what I was concerned about and for your additional insight. I'm also really not interested in Duval County unless something really wonderful changes my mind, and the Del Webb community there is the only reason that I even somewhat looked at it. I'm going to research all the new communities that people have been nice enough to mention on my thread, but I'm curious what it is that you like about Beacon Lake because it's on my list. I really want a new home so I doubt very seriously if I'd ever consider a foreclosure. I'm starting to see a glimmer of hope in the housing market because I'm definitely starting to see prices fall so I truly appreciate you reminding me that I should be patient. It's very difficult because I feel like I've been on a painful roller coaster to nowhere for two years, but I force and tell myself every day that I need to continue to be patient.
Beacon Lakes is mostly built by Dream Finders, and they are getting the crap sued out of them for construction defects in that community. The other builder I remember in their was Mattamy, and they too were doing horrible construction as well. Beacon Lakes is not a community I would ever consider, I know too much about the construction quality in there and the problems that are starting to surface via lawsuits.
Your obsession with finding a "healthy non-smoking" county is a little weird though. Unless you're moving into a trailer park, or somewhere in West Virginia, the ability to stay away from smokers in virtually any city is really easy to do these days. We get it, you want to be healthy. Planning your whole life and home around smokers is just bizarre though.
Beacon Lakes is mostly built by Dream Finders, and they are getting the crap sued out of them for construction defects in that community. The other builder I remember in their was Mattamy, and they too were doing horrible construction as well. Beacon Lakes is not a community I would ever consider, I know too much about the construction quality in there and the problems that are starting to surface via lawsuits.
Your obsession with finding a "healthy non-smoking" county is a little weird though. Unless you're moving into a trailer park, or somewhere in West Virginia, the ability to stay away from smokers in virtually any city is really easy to do these days. We get it, you want to be healthy. Planning your whole life and home around smokers is just bizarre though.
I'm very grateful for your wealth of information not only about Beacon Lakes, but I also stumbled across your incredibly helpful thread about 2022 Top NE Florida Builders. I can't wait until you post your update for 2023, which hopefully will be soon. Not only is your good deed saving buyers like me from a potential disaster with their new home purchase, but I hope that by you exposing these builders will force them to be honest and make them start building quality homes instead of trying to rip us off with their excessive greed. I'm sure every buyer out there is as appreciative as I am so thank you, thank you, thank you!
Now, as to the whole smoking thing. First of all, I'm not just looking for a healthy non-smoking county. There's a lot more to health and wellness than smoking. Here's the link that shows St. Johns County ranked #1 in the state health-wise, and the many different areas of health that they take into consideration.
However, St. Johns unfortunately didn't thrive well with factors like smoking - 16% of the population still smokes, which is actually higher than the state average (15%) and where I used to live in Seminole County (14%). There are other factors that I also wasn't crazy about in SJC, like air pollution, etc., but overall it appears to be a healthier place to live than other counties in the state. Heck, who knows if this report is even accurate, but I personally can attest to the fact that Seminole County (#3 on the list) is a healthy area to live, so that gives me some hope.
It's true that not wanting to be around smokers is at the top of my list because I can't stand it. I simply want to live in a county again where the majority of the people care about their health like I do. I don't find that weird at all, and I need to be around people again that I have something in common with. And, I wouldn't have emphasized smoking so much had I not had such a horrible experience here in Venice for the past two years. Your statement "Unless you're moving into a trailer park, or somewhere in West Virginia, the ability to stay away from smokers in virtually any city is really easy to do these days," is absolutely not true, at least here in Venice. In the 28 years that I lived in Seminole County, I was next to never exposed to second-hand smoke. Since I moved to Venice, it's next to never that I'm not exposed to it. I can't do anything or go anywhere on a daily basis without it affecting my life and health in a negative way! In Seminole County, I could open my sunroof on beautiful fall or spring days to get fresh air as I was driving down the street. This is impossible to do here because either the car ahead of or behind me or to my left or right or all four surrounding cars have people smoking with their windows down! I used to be able to open my sliding glass doors at home on nice days, but I can't open a window here because someone nearby is smoking, and it permeates the air. Even worse, the building where I live has smokers, even though the landlord insisted before I moved in that that wasn't the case, and my lungs and health are being destroyed because of it. I almost never can walk into a Publix or any other store without someone standing directly in front of the entrance blowing smoke in my face as I enter. The same with going to a doctor - someone is either smoking as I get out of my car or when I'm walking in the door. I can't take a walk without smoke entering my lungs. I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture.
My point is that it's EVERYWHERE here, and I hate it with a passion. I've honestly never seen so many smokers in my life combined as I have since I sadly moved here.
Again, I'm not planning my whole life and home around smokers, but it's important to me to live in a healthy community and environment. Another reason that SJC appeals to me is because there's a possibility (I hope) that some day one of my closest friends and her husband will move back to the JAX area, but I'm not holding my breathe on that one.
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