Lakewood Ranch (Tampa, Sarasota, Country Club: best neighborhood, house prices, neighborhoods)

[gator1267]

Looking to move to the Sarasota area in the begining of 2011. Spent a couple of weeks in July/August looking at different developments and schools. Liked Lakewood Ranch for the new consrtuction options that is starting at Central Park. Looking for feedback on raising family in that area, myself, wife and 7 year old daughter. Is there alot of snowbirds or is there more year round residents ? Looking for a neighborhood not a tourist destination.
thanks for any info

[SoFLGal]

LWR appeals to some and others not so much. It was voted "Best Neighborhood" by Sarasota Magazine. It's really a city within a city. It has 7 different villages, dining, fitness center, golf, movie theaters, shopping, health care facilities, schools, etc.

If you are looking at LWR (or for that matter any home) make sure you get a good home inspection. There were a few homes built by Taylor Morrison that were found to have Chinese Drywall. The community also has CDD fees, which many others don't.

It really depends on what neighborhood your are looking at as to how many kids are there. Generally, the golfing communities have more retirees.

Is there a reason why you selected LWR? It works out great for commuters who are looking to work in the Tampa area.

Have you checked out Palmer Ranch? It has a similar feel but no CDD fees and it's much closer to the beaches (about 10 minutes). It's in Ashton school district, right next to the mall, the Legacy Trail, etc.

[t_mcgovern]

I moved down here last year from the NJ area and absolutely LOVE Lakewood Ranch. I live in the county club, yes there are more retirees, but with house prices so low lots of families are starting to move in as well. Our son's school bus is completely full. You can't go wrong with LWR....just so much to offer!

[bbronston]

I live and work in LWR. It is a great community and you'd be very hard-pressed to find a better community for kids. The schools are all very good, there are plenty of parks, riding and walking trails, sports organizations, and, of course, other kids! As you know, the location couldn't be better and there are, despite the economy, more and more shops, restaurants, professional offices, etc. opening all the time. Once things get better economically there are major projects on the books that will make LWR an even more desirable place. That will help home prices climb but right now, prices are very affordable. Before prices fell, I would have told you that there was a correlation between neighborhoods with higher prices and homes with fewer children but, as someone else mentioned, that is not the case so much now. One good thing about lower prices is that younger families have been able to afford larger homes. If you want a country club environment, Country Club East and parts of Country Club are pretty affordable. The maintenance-free neighborhoods tend to be more snowbird oriented, in my opinion. Finally, the chinese drywall concern is way overblown. It was limited to a relative handful of homes by one builder in one section of one village. Most of them have already been remediated. I know this is a little rambling...sorry. Feel free to contact me anytime if you'd like more info.

[CheriC]

LWR is beautiful, there are many retirees but I would consider it to be very family friendly! Many children, parks etc. If you want to avoid ccd fees check out areas like Millcreek, Panther Ridge, still within the same zip code.