Citrus County ..Tera Vista

[nancy707]

Well, we just got back from our visit and were very impressed with the area and the community, we have a few concerns..the distance from the airport, the beach and shopping.
is there anyone who looked at other areas and decided on Terra Vista or not and what were your reasons
We really want to hear from those living in the community rather than a sales person for real life perspective

Thanks
Nancy

[in-limbo-lilly]

We live in Citrus Hills (we're not retired,relocated on military orders, moved here in may 2010) we did not like the area at first, b/c as you mentioned its seemed far to go do any real shopping, airports, etc. But it is so nice out here, and really Orlando and Tampa are both 1hr 30mins away. How often do you think you'll be hitting up the mall and needing to go to the airport and such? We are a young couple(mid 20s w/ child) and we like to get out and do things, and there's plenty to do IMO. GL!!!

[nancy707]

...well I am not much of a Mall person so that will not really be an issue, but I do travel for work so going to the airport is a concern. Right now I am 20 minutes from Dullas, and Washington National and 45 mins from BWI so I am kind of spoiled with the ease and flexibility of airport locations.
....that aside we are still leaning towards Terra Vista as we have not found anything else that offers so much

[Savingpar]

How much are the golf memberships at Citrus Hills for a resident? And what are the costs for trail passes vs golf cart rental.

[nancy707]

...the more we look at other aresa the more often we keep coming back to Terra Vista..
Does anyone have any negatives about Terra Vista?

Nancy

[greenegal]

We visited Terra Vista back in April of 2010 and were so impressed with the place. We never saw anything like it before. All the good things that people have said about it are true. We did have a few negatives which may or may not apply to you.

We are young retirees (mid 50's) and do not play golf, tennis or visit restaurants much, so the wonderful amenities were not that appealing to us. The other down for us was the openness of the properties. We prefer a little more space and privacy.

We found these other areas to be equally as nice and more suited to us: Citrus Hills, Pine Ridge, and Canterbury Estates.

We are making our plans for another visit and also making relocation plans for the near future.

[AdelFL]

I live in Citrus Hill outside Terra Vista (Outside the gated part) The difference between the two are, in Terra Vista you are required to join the amenities, you are required to pay for the maintenance of the property, you have to go through a gate coming and going. (You might think it'll keep you safer but understand, Citrus Hills in general has very low crime, the frustration of coming and going through a gate doesn't offset anything.)

Citrus Hills you get a lot more bang for the buck! Lower taxes for starters, you get a min of an acre of land or a half acre by the golf course, houses of all different sizes (most being 1600 sq feet or larger) MUCH more privacy between neighbors.

I love my home, I have citrus trees, 2 car attached and a 2 car detached in back, room for my dog to run round, extremely quiet street (I might see 6 cars drive by all day and I work from home so I would know) You couldn't pay me to live in Terra Vista over living where I live! Having an acre and privacy is far more important to me but that is my opinion. You may not want privacy or land to maintain.

As far as the amenities, I could still join the club, however, they require a joiner on your deed that can never be removed. If I sell the house, the buyers would be required to pay the dues whether they wanted to use the amenities or not, this could scare buyers away knowing they would forever be responsible for paying the yearly dues! The club ONLY allows husband/wife and children as a family. If they put a rider on the house they SHOULD allow any occupant in the house. They are NOT FLEXIBLE AT ALL! If you are an unmarried couple, they WILL NOT allow both of you to join as a "family" membership. It specifically states "Husband and Wife and children under 23" Say you have an elderly parent living with you, they CANNOT use the amenities, even under your current family membership!

They might say they will work with you to get you to sign but unless they specifically write it into the joiner/contract, you will have NO legal recourse and you'll have to pay for it for as long as you own the home. Regardless!

There are absolutely NO hardship opt outs! Absolutely NO BUY OUT! If you join, you have no choice but to pay the dues as long as you own the home.

So, would I recommend Terra Vista? I wouldn't, and I wouldn't recommend joining the club with them adding a joiner to your deed, in my opinion! I wouldn't want to limit my buyers market to people willing to have a permanent joiner on their deed requiring them to pay dues, regardless of how much the fees could be raised/changed for as long as they own the home regardless of whether they use the amenities!

I would recommend Citrus Hills outside the gate though! As far as shopping, I just buzz up 200 to Ocala or head out to Tampa/Orlando once if I really feel the need. You can get nearly everything you need in Ocala though. As far as airports, not very convenient but you do have a choice between Orland or Tampa and there is usually little to no traffic to get there. Lots of outdoor activities to do around here! Beaches are a hike but if you have a boat, Crystal River and Homassa River are beautiful!

[nancy707]

Can I ask do you have any personal knowledge of this or do you know anyone that this has happend to . It seems as if you are very bitter..

[momatoyota]

Nancy, how did u like Terra Vista? We are checking it out in December of this year and have heard wonderful things about it. Donna

[momatoyota]

We are visiting Terra Vista the last 3 nights of this December...going to the new years eve party. Anyone out there live there and going to this party?