Best Sarasota Area for Retirees (Port Charlotte, Country Club: short sales, apartments, HOA fees)

[staywarm2]

We are retirees and considering a move to Sarasota. We have visited a number of times and love the area.

But we are looking to live in an area where there would be other retired people our age (mid-late 60's). Any suggestions about where retirees live there?

[Sunshine Rules]

Any suggestions about where retirees live there?

If you're asking about 55+ communities, they are all over our area here, and in all price ranges. Some are small communities, others have hundreds of villas or condos. Some are older and some are newer, gated communities of single family homes or a combination of single family homes and villas with clubhouses, pools and outdoor activities. Some are golf course and country club communities with a full range of amenities and some just have a small rec center and community pool. Some offer social directors or social acitivties for residents to participate in and others do not.

With that in mind, what specific qualities and amenities are you hoping to find and what budget are you wishing to stay within?

[TamRE]

Sarasota County 55+ Communities

Bahia Vista Estates
Beach Manor Villas
Beach Manor Villas South
Camelot East
Camelot Lakes
Carribbean Villas Asso., Inc.
Casa Seville Owners Association, Inc.
Castt-Away of Nokomis, Inc.
Cedar Cove Manufactured Home community
Center Gate Estates Village Condominium Assoc.
Center Gate Estates Villiage Condo Asso.
Center Gate Village Condo Assoc., Section 4, Inc.
Center Gate Village Condo Sec Seven Inc
Cocoplum Condominium Association, Inc.
Colonial Manor Homeowners Association, Inc. of Venice
Country Club Apartments Condominium Association, Inc.
Desoto Place Park
Forest Pines Assoc., Inc.
Foxwood Condominium Association Section II, Inc.
Glen Oaks Garden Condo Assoc.
Gulf To Bay Cooperative, Inc.
Harbor Lights Co-Op, inc.
Hatchett Creek MHP Condo Assoc Inc
Holiday Estates I & II
Holiday Park Park and Recreation Dist.
Holiday Travel Park Condominiums
Homeowners Assoc Inc. Oak Grove
Indigo Isles Mobile Home Park
Jacaranda Country Club Villas
King's Gate Association, Inc.
Kings Gate Club
Lake Village
Lakeridge Falls HOA
Las Palmas Condo Assoc.
Lazy River Village, Inc.
Leisure Villas Association Inc. West
Leisure Villas East HOA Inc
Lemon Bay View East Condominium Assoc Inc
Manor House Owners Assoc., Inc.
Mobile Estates Homeowners Inc.
Oak Grove
Oakwood Manor Homeowners Assoc. of Sarasota
Orange Acres Manufactured Home Community
Point Whitecap Inc
Polynesian villagers Assoc., Inc.
Quali's Run Condo Assoc.
Royal Palms Mobile Home Park
Sarasota Harbour East Apt., Inc.
Siesta Harbor Association Inc.
Strathmore Riverside Villas
Sunland Gardens Assoc Inc
Tangerine Woods Owners Association, Inc.
Terra Cove Homeowners Corp. Number two, Inc.
The Arbors Mobile Home Owner's Association
The Villas of Chestnut Creek Owners Assoc Inc
Tregate East Condiminium Association, Inc.
Tri-Par Estates Park & Recreation Dist.
Twin Shores Mobile Home Owners Assoc., Inc.
Venetian Falls HOA Inc
Venetian Park Estates, Inc.
Venice Avenue Condominium Association, Inc.
Venice Beach Apartments II, Inc.
Venice Beach Apartments One, Inc.
Venice Isle Homeowners, Inc.
VIlla Nova Condo Assoc
Village Green Condo, Section Sixteen, Inc.
Village Green of Forest Lakes, Sec XII
Village Green Section 14 Assoc., Inc.
Village Plaza Condo Association, Inc
Vivienda COndominium Association, Inc
Vivienda West Condo Assoc Inc
Whispering Sands Condominium Assoc, Inc.
Wild Oak Bay Vista II, Inc.
Wood Terrace Condo. Assoc., Inc.

[staywarm2]

Sarasota Area Good for Retirees

TamRe and Sunshine Rules,

Thank you for your answers. I see from your posts that there certainly ARE a lot of 55+ communities in the Sarasota area!!

We are looking in the $300,000 to $325,000 range for a single family home. We would consider a one-story villa or attached home, but we need about 2,300-2,400 sq. ft., 3BR/2BA. It doesn't have to be in a 55+ or be gated. A 55+ is could be a good option. Mostly we want to make FRIENDS in our new home. We'd want to live where there are social activities and ways to meet people. This is more important to us than a huge pool, extensive workout facility, or golf course. Proximity to shopping and restaurants is very desirable. A very small community would not offer enough opportunity for us to meet like-minded people. A 30 minute drive to the beach would be lovely.

I appreciate the time you are taking to help us.

[SoFLGal]

Originally Posted by staywarm2

Sarasota Area Good for Retirees

TamRe and Sunshine Rules,

Thank you for your answers. I see from your posts that there certainly ARE a lot of 55+ communities in the Sarasota area!!

We are looking in the $300,000 to $325,000 range for a single family home. We would consider a one-story villa or attached home, but we need about 2,300-2,400 sq. ft., 3BR/2BA. It doesn't have to be in a 55+ or be gated. A 55+ is could be a good option. Mostly we want to make FRIENDS in our new home. We'd want to live where there are social activities and ways to meet people. This is more important to us than a huge pool, extensive workout facility, or golf course. Proximity to shopping and restaurants is very desirable. A very small community would not offer enough opportunity for us to meet like-minded people. A 30 minute drive to the beach would be lovely.

I appreciate the time you are taking to help us.

Here are a few ideas for communities to check out:

Cascades on Lockwood Ridge Road seems like an ideal place for you. There are lots of activities going on and it is an adult community. They have a full time activities director, pool, fitness room, tennis courts, clubhouse, etc. I just sold a home in here and the new owners are very pleased with the community.

If you wanted to check out Palmer Ranch then Turtle Rock, Marbella and The Hamptons would be in your range.

Venetian Golf and River Club in Venice is another option. With a full time activities director I think you should add this development to your list. They have a community pool, fitness center, golfing, tennis center, clubhouse. Note that there have been a few homes in here with Chinese drywall so if you decided on this community I would hire a good CDW inspector.

Island Walk at the West Villages on the Venice/North Port line is another idea. It is an 830-acre, gated lakefront community. Offering a fitness center, tennis, bocce, neighborhood walking paths.

Venice Golf & Country Club is another community that offer an active lifestyle. It has golf, fitness center, tennis, security.

Calusa Lakes in Nokomis has a golf course, a pool and is gated.

Pelican Pointe Golf and County Club in Venice-Gated, golf, tennis, pool and fitness center.

If you don't mind southern Sarasota county then Heron Creek and Bobcat Trail should be on your list. Both communities have pretty active community schedules. They both offer a clubhouse, dining, golfing, pools, tennis a fitness center and 24 hour security.

The biggest hurdle I see is the square footage. 2300 sq ft is quite a lot of square footage in that price range. If you could lower it down to right around 2000 sq ft you'd have a lot more options.

All of the above communities are with in 30 or so minutes of a beach.

Good luck with your search

[TamRE]

Many of the listings with larger square feet in the lower price range are short sales. Here is a list of homes for you to take a look at. Click the image to view larger.

[Sunshine Rules]

Hi Staywarm 2,

Thanks for giving us a better idea of what you're looking for.

Cascades on Lockwood Ridge Rd in south Manatee county is definitely one community you may want to consider. (It's just a few blocks down the road from me, I watched the final phases of construction.) It is a gated 55+ community with a large clubhouse (the pool is both inside and outside, which is different from most around here), it does have tennis courts and a fitness center. However, what may appeal to you is that Cascades has a full time social director and they are always planning social events, card games, dinners, etc. There are some larger 3 bedroom homes there but most of them will be around 1800 to 2000 sq ft.

There are several communities in Mote Ranch that may fit your price point and size requirements. They do not have social clubs, but you do have access to join the Palm Aire Country Club which does offer the social aspects you're looking for. Here's the link to their web site:
Palm-Aire Country Club – Sarasota, FL | Southwest Florida Private Member-Owned Golf & Country Club
These neighborhoods would include Mote Ranch, Grand Point, River Park, Copper Ridge, Longpond at Mote Ranch and Chaparral.

Lakeridge Falls just north of University on Tuttle Ave is a gated, 55+ community with a large clubhouse and an active social group. There are 2 bedroom/2 bath villas but also single family homes which do include some 3 bedroom or 2 bdrm + den options. Most are in the 1800 - 2000 sq ft range but some are larger.

There is a 55+ community on 39th St, just south of SR70, in south Manatee county that is lower priced than the range you indicated but it is a very socially active community. Garden Lakes. Most of the villas are 2 bedroom but this community does have some free standing villas (homes) that are 3 bedroom of around 2000 - 2200 sq ft. These free standing villas run around $200 - $250k. This community is gated at night, has a clubhouse with pool and tennis. Garden Lakes offers large oak trees and winding roads, which adds to it's appeal.

Next door is Garden Lakes Estates, which is not age restricted but does have a lot of retirees. This community is single family homes, you own your lot with your home. GL Estates is also gated at night, has a clubhouse and community pool. It has a social committee that is always planning dances, get togethers, game nights, Saturday morning coffee groups, etc. There are 3 and 4 bedroom homes in that community that would meet your sq ft needs. The quarterly HOA fees in GL Estates do include full lawn service, trimming of shrubs, fertilizing and pest control. These sell from the $160's for 1400 sq ft 2 bedroom homes to the low $200's for the larger 3 & 4 bedroom homes.

Heritage Harbour in south Manatee county has homes in the size and price range you're looking for and is a very popular planned community in our area. Both River Strand and Stoneybrook at Heritage Harbour are options. River Strand is new construction, golf and country club community. The clubhouse offers a bar and formal dining, fitness center, community pools golf and social activities. Stoneybrook offers a rec center with pools and various sports acitivities. They also always seem to have some sort of social event or activities going on all the time. Here's a link to the Heritage Harbour community web site:
Heritage Harbour Stoneybrook River Strand Lighthouse Cove

I'm not sure that Palmer Ranch would have the kind of social activities that you may be looking for. Village Walk would probably be closest to matching the social options as the clubhouse/center also has a beauty salon, cafe & gift shop, so it's more of a social center to the community. Village Walk consists of villas, townhomes and single family homes. There are some 3 bedroom single family homes.

I've listed/sold in Venice Golf & Country Club so I'm very familiar with that community. It does have a lovely country club and offers social activities. The community is well maintained and the golf course and clubhouse were both renovated within the past 5 years. You'll definitely want to check out the fee schedules up front, especially as they break things down into categories instead of giving you a total annual cost. It is also further away from restaurants and shopping, except for a few small strip shopping centers.

These are the options I can think of right now, but I'm sure once I walk away from my computer some others will come to mind.

[staywarm2]

Many thanks to all of you for your advice. I'm going to check these areas out on-line. Perhaps a smaller place would work out if it had a good floor plan and sufficient storage.

How is South Sarasota different from other areas of Sarasota?

[SoFLGal]

Originally Posted by staywarm2

Many thanks to all of you for your advice. I'm going to check these areas out on-line. Perhaps a smaller place would work out if it had a good floor plan and sufficient storage.

How is South Sarasota different from other areas of Sarasota?

I would say that it's a bit less congested as far as traffic goes. There's generally not quite as much going on. It really depends if you like more of a quite area and you don't mind driving 30 minutes or so or if you want to be closer to the arts, theater, etc.

In Venice you are usually no more then 15 minutes from the beaches. North Port you would be roughly 30 minutes away. All of these areas have shopping, restaurants, etc close by-just on a smaller scale then Sarasota. There are plenty of choices with in a close driving distance (10 minutes or less).

Also there's quite a difference in price. Generally, the further south you head in Sarasota county, the better the value. Basically, you get more bang for your buck a little farther south.

If you're looking for an active community then I think you should concentrate your efforts on communities with an activities director or a large social calendar such as Cascades, The Venetian Golf and River Club, etc

Kings Gate in Port Charlotte is a 55+ community and sounds perfect for you. They also have an activities director, all kinds of clubs, games, get-togethers, trips, etc. There are a lot of social activities in Kings Gate.

Riverwood in Port Charlotte is also another possibility with lots going on.

I would suggest you compare HOA fees, CDD fees, etc in each community you are considering and compare what you get for the money you are spending.

[joeyddog]

May I suggest the Meadows up near University Parkway. It is not 55 and over but attracts a large number in that age range. A wide variety of housing from single family homes (maintenance-free and do it yourself) to individual and attached villas. Definitely there are homes in your price range and square footage. The master community of 3400 units was built between 1977-1992. Many have been renovated and are beautiful. Miles of bike and walking trails, butterfly gardens, a bird sanctuary, 3 golf courses, 17 har-tru courts and a country club with many social activites. The tennis courts and 2 of the golf courses are part of the country club.Tons of shopping and restaurants along University. Lido beach is about 15-20mins away, Siesta Key is about 30 mins away.