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Old 11-13-2019, 11:08 AM
 
50 posts, read 84,568 times
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We are thinking about moving from Port St Lucie to Ocala. I looked into The Villages and am concerned that this development will be too stressful for me. Too much traffic. Supermarkets packed with people, long restaurant waits. Also concerned about CDD and taxes. I also heard that the local hospital in the villages is inadequate. I am very concerned about the degree that the developer is the de-facto governing body there. Anyway, I considered On Top of the World, but I see similar issues with the developer there. I am not a golfer, but do play tennis.


We sold our home in Broward County and are renting in Port St Lucie. We find it to be very quiet and relaxing here. But have to drive to Stuart to to go to major restaurants, major stores, and our car dealer for service.



We prefer to find a gated development that is not too far from major retailers, national restaurants, car dealers etc.
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Old 11-13-2019, 12:16 PM
 
Location: Florida
6,593 posts, read 7,237,864 times
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I would try an rent in either development.
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Old 01-03-2020, 04:20 PM
 
561 posts, read 1,504,756 times
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Regarding Stone Creek, can someone tell me what their dog policy is? Also, are they like On Top of The World in requiring a 20% downpayment?

Does Stone Creek have CDD/Bond fees? I'm interested in their maintenance-free homes, does anyone have any further information on those?

I'm looking at both Stone Creek and OTOW maintenance-free homes, so any additional info would be great!
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Old 01-03-2020, 04:23 PM
 
Location: Ocala, FL
6,391 posts, read 10,181,986 times
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If nobody responds about the costs you should reach out to a local realtor to inquire on your behalf.
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Old 01-03-2020, 09:01 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bgmiami View Post
I live in Stone Creek and there is no CDD/Bond. You own your lot. Some lots are premium lots and have an extra purchase price. The premium lots of golf or water views, sometimes both.

There is no fee for owning a dog. There are dog parks for large and small dogs. Not sure if the people who use the dog parks pay a fee for using them.

The HOA fee is $612/quarter. If you live in a maintenance free house the fee is higher, but includes landscaping, the roof replacement and painting & power washing of the house. The fee also included the cost of water for the lawn.

Try spending some time in one of the vacation villas so you can try out the lifestyle. There is also sales office with staff that can help you and answer all of your questions.
Great info, thanks! I was inquiring as to dog restrictions, the limit on how many and weight limits, if any? Stone Creek is sounding petty good, I’m also looking into next door OTOW. I don’t mind doing a short rental for a test run if I can have dogs, but definitely plan to buy maintenance-free. Asking the sales office is good, I’ve heard they sometimes will tell you what you want to hear, but I can follow up with them to be sure. Thanks so much for the quick response!
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Old 01-03-2020, 09:35 PM
 
Location: The Bubble, Florida
3,275 posts, read 2,237,271 times
Reputation: 9684
Quote:
Originally Posted by titorivera View Post
We are thinking about moving from Port St Lucie to Ocala. I looked into The Villages and am concerned that this development will be too stressful for me. Too much traffic. Supermarkets packed with people, long restaurant waits. Also concerned about CDD and taxes. I also heard that the local hospital in the villages is inadequate. I am very concerned about the degree that the developer is the de-facto governing body there. Anyway, I considered On Top of the World, but I see similar issues with the developer there. I am not a golfer, but do play tennis.


We sold our home in Broward County and are renting in Port St Lucie. We find it to be very quiet and relaxing here. But have to drive to Stuart to to go to major restaurants, major stores, and our car dealer for service.



We prefer to find a gated development that is not too far from major retailers, national restaurants, car dealers etc.
Your concern about the Villages seems based on very limited information. Around 1/4 of the Villages have had their bonds paid already. The recent tax increase applied to Sumter County homes only, but many of the Villages homes are in Marion and Lake counties.

The local hospital's emergency services are not all that great mostly due to a long wait-time (among other things but mostly that), but most people who use the hospital services for planned appointments and surgeries express satisfaction with the care they receive.

Traffic can be pretty bad, depending on which part of the Villages you're in and where you're trying to go. But if it's 441, 466, or 466A, it'll be bad whether you're in the Villages or Water Oaks or Stonecrest or anywhere else. Those main routes are always busy from Belleview to Leesburg.
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Old 01-03-2020, 09:51 PM
 
1,332 posts, read 2,168,380 times
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There's a new development in Ocala called Trilogy by Shea Homes that is pretty nice. It's not nearly as big as the others so if you are looking for something in a quieter area it might be a good fit. It's surrounded by horse farms but also less than a mile from a nearby Publix and all your basic shopping as well as I75.
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Old 01-04-2020, 11:42 AM
 
561 posts, read 1,504,756 times
Reputation: 805
Quote:
Originally Posted by titorivera View Post
We are thinking about moving from Port St Lucie to Ocala. I looked into The Villages and am concerned that this development will be too stressful for me. Too much traffic. Supermarkets packed with people, long restaurant waits. Also concerned about CDD and taxes. I also heard that the local hospital in the villages is inadequate. I am very concerned about the degree that the developer is the de-facto governing body there. Anyway, I considered On Top of the World, but I see similar issues with the developer there. I am not a golfer, but do play tennis.


We sold our home in Broward County and are renting in Port St Lucie. We find it to be very quiet and relaxing here. But have to drive to Stuart to to go to major restaurants, major stores, and our car dealer for service.



We prefer to find a gated development that is not too far from major retailers, national restaurants, car dealers etc.
Agreed, have visited The Villages and while it is very nice, pretty, and well kept, it is also very, very busy, especially during snowbird season. Sure, there are a lot of restaurants, but wait times can get long during snowbird season as well. These observations were not made during a short stay, but separate 3-month stays. If you want to run to Walmart, do it very early for the best selection; later on the veggies and stuff are pretty well picked over. I'm sure most the people who live there love it, but there are many that do move away. I found it more expensive, too. Locals think that if you live in TV, you've got money and tend to charge more.

I found the price of homes did not support the quality either, lots of stick and vinyl homes; not what I prefer, but some do. More importantly, it's not gated, anyone can get in. For me there's just too many people, cars, and golf carts. Besides, TV does not offer any maintenance-free homes, which is what I find appealing.

There is absolutely no ONE place that will appeal to everyone. So, if you love The Villages, that's good; some of us rather live elsewhere.
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Old 01-08-2020, 10:19 AM
 
Location: Midwest transplant
2,050 posts, read 5,912,122 times
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We are currently renting in The Villages and as snowbirds (used to busy metro areas) have found it tolerable as far as traffic and crowds goes. Many restaurants do take reservations, so planning helps. I don't particularly care for the volume of golf carts that zoom around, many of them recklessly. I'd love to hear about other communities that have active lifestyles (pool, pickle ball, clubhouse happenings, workout facilities) that we might look at for a seasonal stay. Golf and having a golf cart is not a priority if we can walk or ride a bike within the community.
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