info please on cherrywood 55+ and sweetwater oaks 55+ MH communities (Ocala: rent, co-op)

[followthegold]

I'm trying to decide which is the best financial choice - a stick built house or a manufactured home. It seems like the MH are more reasonable in price for me initially. But then adding the lot rental, etc it comes to more than what I'm paying now for a stick built house. I'm leaning toward the retirement communities just because I don't want a drug house or bad element moving in like I'm experiencing now in a regular community. I'm also hearing things about the MH villages I didn't think about - the community being sold and you have to move, high water bills, never owing the ground your MFH is on unless you are in a co-op and then there are other problems, so many restrictions in both types of communities. I really feel big brother is too watchful when I hear water is being checked before entering pool areas to make sure it's really water. I want a stress free retirement, even though I'm going to be working until the day I drop, not a constant oh, my - did I forget to bring the garbage can in before noon, or darn, I can't have my pink flamingo flapping in the front yard. The pink flamingo is a joke between me and someone I know living in FL. But I do want freedoms. Maybe retirement communities aren't for me.

There is also the debate of the heat in FL. No doubt it's hot there. But summer is every place in every state. I do like to take early morning and evening walks with my dog. But what I'm hearing is you are almost housebound 24/7 8 mos out of the year. That won't work. The person I know living in FL has said it's hot but have never heard of so many months of being housebound, maybe a couple. They live in the Lady Lake area - isn't that close to Ocala too? And they have never mentioned the oppressive heat 24/7 for months. Then again, maybe they like the heat. I don't particularly care for pounding heat.

Any input would be helpful. I don't have the funds to make trips to check thing out, rent for the winter or a few months different times of the year to see how I like it. Can't leave work that long either. I'm finding RE agents are all about "when you come down, look me up." In other words, feet on the ground, cash in hand or no help. I was told by one RE agent, if you are a snowbird, you have all the time in the world to come down to check things out. I'm not giving free tours. That's just not the case with this snowbird. I almost have to know the house I'm moving to before I can take the time and money to go check things out. Not to mention, since the neighborhood I'm in now has changed to the point, I'm afraid to leave my house for more than a couple of days at a time due to vandalism. I almost feel I need the u haul packed and ready to go before I can check things out. Not all of us have the free and easy leisurely life.

[TheMartianChick]

I've also been looking at the various 55+ communities and while I'm not currently looking at mobile home properties, I had considered Cherrywood in the recent past.

While I liked the price of homes in Cherrywood and the fact that they are cement block construction, a little digging online revealed that there are many issues with the developer that homeowners have been unable to get resolved, both in Cherrywood and in another development called Hardwood Trails. These issues can be found with a Google search and are a matter of public record in the Star-Banner newspaper. Over the past 6 months, I've seen many homes in Cherrywood come on the market, seemingly all at once. That leads me to believe that homeowners just want to get out.

I am especially grateful that someone here at City-Data tipped me off to the issues, allowing me to investigate further!

[followthegold]

I'm a little slow getting back to this thread. Thanks for the input on Cherrywood. I'll have to dig deeper. It's so hard to make decisions when you don't have the time or money to go stay for a lengthy period of time and check things out for yourself. I've found these forums to be so helpful. You get the straight facts from people living in these communities and don't hear all the fluff from agents whose only concern is their commission.