Which one - SummerGlen or Stone Creek? (Golf: lease, home)

[JohnG_NYC]

Jeanniebeans,

Sorry for the time it took to reply. Usually I get a notice when folks reply to my original post but I did not in this case.

I bought in StoneCreek back about 1 1/2 years ago and am very happy there.

I stayed at both SummerGlen (first) and Stone Creek. The prices were cheaper at SG and I almost bought there without even visiting SC. What stopped me was the morning of my last vacation day at SG. I was awoken at about 4am by a constant droning noise. Since they had put me up in my prospective neighborhood, I asked a possible neighbor what it was. He said it was the noise of I-75. As you may know, SG is right off that highway.

I then visited SC which had no such problem and was much closer to shopping. It was a bit more expensive but was a much more positive experience.

I will tell you what I tell everyone. If you can, try both (and any other community you may have in mind). Decisions like this are too important to not check up on your own.

Good luck on any decision.

JohnG

[chrisp160]

Is the restaurant closing for three days a week at Stone Creek

[Ocalagala]

I believe The Stone Creek Grille has always been closed on Sunday, Monday and Tuesdays for dinner as long as I have been here (1 1/2 yrs). They are open for breakfast/lunch those days; and Happy Hour on Monday & Tuesdays from 4:00-6:00 pm. We go there about once every two weeks for dinner. I think the food is just o.k.; but it is convenient when we don't want to really drive anywhere for dinner. They have a website with their menu/hours, etc.

Stone Creek Golf Club - Grille -

[Delores_IL]

Hi, everyone: My husband and I will be in Ocala Feb. 21 and staying until Feb. 26. We have an appt. with a sales rep in Stone Creek on the morning of the 22nd. We have already toured and stayed at SummerGlen twice and really enjoyed it. But before we make up our minds, we wanted to stay at Stone Creek to compare. We've been communicating with a realtor in Ocala to view some resale homes while we are there too.

My question is because of the housing meltdown the past year or so, why aren't the resale prices going down? We have been monitoring a realtor's website for resales in both SummerGlen and Stone Creek. The prices listed are not much less than the new houses or spec homes. I don't get it.

We will be retiring the end of 2011. On March 1 we will be listing our home in Illinois. As soon as our IL home sells, we will be able to buy something in Florida. I am sooo ready since we have about 8" of snow on the ground right now. Thanks for any information you can give.

Delores

[staywarm2]

Originally Posted by Delores_IL

Hi, everyone: My husband and I will be in Ocala Feb. 21 and staying until Feb. 26. We have an appt. with a sales rep in Stone Creek on the morning of the 22nd. We have already toured and stayed at SummerGlen twice and really enjoyed it. But before we make up our minds, we wanted to stay at Stone Creek to compare. We've been communicating with a realtor in Ocala to view some resale homes while we are there too.

My question is because of the housing meltdown the past year or so, why aren't the resale prices going down? We have been monitoring a realtor's website for resales in both SummerGlen and Stone Creek. The prices listed are not much less than the new houses or spec homes. I don't get it.

We will be retiring the end of 2011. On March 1 we will be listing our home in Illinois. As soon as our IL home sells, we will be able to buy something in Florida. I am sooo ready since we have about 8" of snow on the ground right now. Thanks for any information you can give.

Delores

I have noted (here in the Atlanta area) that the 55+ prices seem to be holding steady without reducing the prices, even though some are not selling. Maybe retired people can afford to hold on?

[sprintrps]

Originally Posted by Delores_IL

Hi, everyone: My husband and I will be in Ocala Feb. 21 and staying until Feb. 26. We have an appt. with a sales rep in Stone Creek on the morning of the 22nd. We have already toured and stayed at SummerGlen twice and really enjoyed it. But before we make up our minds, we wanted to stay at Stone Creek to compare. We've been communicating with a realtor in Ocala to view some resale homes while we are there too.

My question is because of the housing meltdown the past year or so, why aren't the resale prices going down? We have been monitoring a realtor's website for resales in both SummerGlen and Stone Creek. The prices listed are not much less than the new houses or spec homes. I don't get it.

We will be retiring the end of 2011. On March 1 we will be listing our home in Illinois. As soon as our IL home sells, we will be able to buy something in Florida. I am sooo ready since we have about 8" of snow on the ground right now. Thanks for any information you can give.

Delores

I am not sure where your information is coming from but the resale prices at Stone Creek have gone down substantially in the past 12 months. Stetsons that sold for 200K 2 years ago are in the mid 160 range, and the other models have equal reductions. Just check Ocala.com where they list, via public records, the sale prices of homes closing.

[JohnG_NYC]

I agree with Sprintrps.

A few notes:

1. Someone can price their house for sale at whatever price they want. It doesn't mean they are going to get it. Nor does it mean that they will not accept a lower one. Most folks deliberately price their house high (but not too high) to get better offers.
2. In a lot of cases, folks have made substantial improvements to their homes. If these improvements appeal to you or are ones you would want to do, it might be worth some additional outlay. (The converse may also be true. You may be put off by "improvements" that have been made.)

The important thing to realize is that prices for both new and resale prices are negotiable. I am sure your broker will tell you this if (s)he is your broker and not a seller's broker.

JohnG

[Jeanniebeans]

JohnG, which neighborhood did you stay in that you heard the noise from I-75? Just curious as we were looking where the Model Homes were located at? We did not hear any noise coming from Phase 6 (I believe it's Phase 6)?

[JohnG_NYC]

Jeanniebeans,

I believe at that time (over 1 1/2 years ago) it was Phase 5. Not sure what SummerGlen does now but then you stayed in a spec home in the area where you planned to live. I did not hear I-75 much until the morning of my last day (a Monday). Then I heard it quite early (4-5am) and it was continuous for hours. I did not even try to get back to sleep.
A prospective neighbor told me that the sound level varied based on the prevailing winds. If youv'e driven to SummerGlen, it is clear why there could be noise issues as you enter off a service road from I-75.
At that time Phase 6 had not started. Perhaps it is further from the highway or they have built up the berms to cut out more noise.
The noise plus the lack of shopping nearby were deciding factors for me. Otherwise, I loved the homes (especially the prices) and my prospective neighbors there.
If I were you (and if you haven't already done so), I would stay at both communities and draw your own conclusions. Make sure to get around the neighborhood you plan to live in and talk to your future neighbors.

Good luck.

JohnG

[Jeanniebeans]

JohnGNYC ~ thanks for getting back to me so promptly. We loved the Bal Harbor but still have to sell our home here in NY. After that, we will make a 3rd trip to Summer Glen and also to Stone Crest as that was our other pick. Stone Crest is right down the road from SPANISH SPRINGS in the Villages. We liked it a lot but not sure as it is a much older community, therefore a lot older people whereas in Summer Glen they were on the "Young" side of 55+. I just retired this past December, 2010 and am putting our house on the market this May and we'll go from there. Thank you so much for all your input.