Pet Restrictions? Acre Lots? (Jacksonville: condo, townhome, neighborhood)

[bcherod]

We're actually interested in the same thing, but a home rather than townhome or condo.

Don't the gated communities have some restrictions on pets? We currently have 4 cats. We also would like a larger lot, preferably an acre.

[riveree]

Originally Posted by bcherod

We're actually interested in the same thing, but a home rather than townhome or condo.

Don't the gated communities have some restrictions on pets? We currently have 4 cats. We also would like a larger lot, preferably an acre.

Gated communities are usually Homeowner Association communities, and Homeowner Association communities almost always have some restriction on pets. Just for clarification, gated communities are not very common in Jacksonville. We have them, but not in large numbers (South Florida, by comparison, has a lot of gated communities). We DO have a large number of Homeowner Association communities though (sans gates).

Your 4 cats would probably not be a problem if they are indoors-only. Most homeowner communities restrict the number of pets to 3 or 4. If your cats go outside, you might have huge issues in a Homeowner Association and you could risk loss of your cats and I'm not being dramatic.

An acre changes everything. Yes, you can find acre-sized lots in Homeowner Association communities. They of course come at a premium price. Most average lots in new communities are tiny. You can pay extra for a bigger lot, or a lot with a view. It used to be quite reasonable to do so, and extra $2000 or so. In recent years, builders seemed to have caught on to the fact that they could charge a lot more for these lots and I've seen tiny lots with a view have a premium price tag of an extra $20,000 in recent years. If you're buying a resale home, this cost has been absorbed in the price of the home though, so that's one way to save $.

Truly though, unless your budget is also oversized, an oversized lot is more easily found in a "traditional" neighborhood with no Homeowner Association. You can find acre lots spread throughout the city - even close to downtown - you just have to ask your realtor to hunt a little harder .