St Lucie West Water (St. Lucie: real estate, foreclosure, HOA fees)

[FlaLadyB]

Is anyone here on their water system?

I just moved on Friday from Tradition -Heritage Oaks - to Magnolia Lakes.

My water/sewer bill WAS $40-42 a month.

My NEW BILL -- looks like its going to be DOUBLE!!!! Base of $53/month THEN add on my Usage?!!!!

what do others have for a bill?


not to say the first time I tried the tub to soak my bones in -- THE WATER IS BROWN~! trying to find out why....

[enero6]

May I ask why you moved from Tradition? From previous posts, you stated that you loved it there.

[FlaLadyB]

yes.. I DID....some parts I still DO, but when the new person from the Management Company came on last year he decided to use Gestapo like methods in Heritage Oaks where I lived. Such as:

Being sent a violation letter because my garage door was open one time , ( I was cleaning out the car) when there are 3-5 garage doors open between the gate and my house every single day and they got nothing. When all the roofs need cleaning and only certain homes get a violation letter, but not all. Didn't even send out a letter in general saying.. the roofs need to be cleaned everyone! That would be too nice. When numerous owners complain about him and nothing happens. When he "likes" your next door neighbor and he decides to "target" and harass you over anything and everything and whatever he can make up and rides by my house looking for something wrong. When clients you are showing houses to say "I don't want to look in Heritage Oaks" and I ask why? The response is "my friends live there and he said some things about the HOA." Time to leave!

When it's just me living in a house and I work all the time... what is it I could do? Have a wild party by myself on the back porch?

I would gladly have moved to another part of Tradition but there wasn't anything available at the time when I needed to make a decision.

I moved in Magnolia Lakes on Friday and have already met 3 neighbors who have been very nice and offered help if I need it. The gentleman who runs Management here is very nice. That's what I was missing. Not somebody looking over my shoulder waiting for me to do something he didnt like.

my personal opinion ...

[enero6]

WOW!!! That is a shame. I am looking into buying a home in Victoria Parc, hence my questions about Tradition. What have you heard about Victoria Parc?

[PortStLucieWater]

That is my #1 reason for not living an HOA. Everyone can say how nice/great their HOA is until 5 years down the road when somehow/someway someone with a stick up their butt takes over. I didn't purchase a home to have someone else tell me how to live.

I live in the St. Lucie West 'area' right outside of HOA land and it's great. With every story I hear about HOAs the more and more it makes me happy that I specifically was looking for houses that were not in one

[FlaLadyB]

Originally Posted by enero6

WOW!!! That is a shame. I am looking into buying a home in Victoria Parc, hence my questions about Tradition. What have you heard about Victoria Parc?

Haven't heard anything bad from the people I know living in there. You aren't Raju by chance are you?

[enero6]

No. My name is David.

I am looking to buy a house in Port St Lucie, and have been looking at the Tradition area. I do not have a great credit history, as I have a discharged Chapter 7 bankrupcty. This happened 2 years ago. My credit is about 620. I have 15K available now and will have another 15K in January.

I have checked with a couple of banks, but they tell me I cannot get a mortgage for another year.

What do you think?

[bznavyveteran]

In reference to the brown water comment. When I asked about the brown stains visible on some house walls I was told that it is the results of the high iron content in the local well water being used in the sprinkler system to water the grass. City water is filtered and not a problem. Houses with well water and septic tanks can install a filtering system to manage the iron in the water.

[alsidw]

I have been looking for a house as well and I really wanted a well for the lawn and plants. I am a gardener and like a nice lawn, trees and plants. I am glad to know there is a solution to the water stains on the houses, fences. I have noticed a wide variety of plants be hardly a fruit tree. Coming from south Louisiana I left two lemon trees when I sold my old house and wanted the new house to have enough space to plant citrus and a fig tree. Someone told me the reason there are so few citrus trees is that the State of Florida came into every yard and cut them down because of a threat of a disease spreading and was to compensate homeowners but never did. is that the reason or is there another reason. I really wanted to grow a satsuma but not sure if they grow well here.

[JimT7406]

Fla Lady B, the SLW water district is the worst. They have got us all and I guess we can thank our politicans who let them get away with their high fees. You have got it right, $53.00 plus per month to start and guess what you can never close the account. Expect to pay between $75.00 and $100.00 per month. The owner is always responsible for the minimum water payment. I never seen anything like that before. Your higher water bill will be offset by a much lower HOA fees and Real Estate taxes.
As to Magnolia Lakes, great choice, it has a beautiful clubhouse and is a well maintained community. Rebounded well from the foreclosure crisis so well that the association went to universal lawn care and did not raise the dues. In fact, they lowered them from all the savings taken in the past few years. Personally, it is the nicest community in Saint Lucie West. Nobody has a clubhouse like it except for maybe Town Park in Tradition.