Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hello-
We are in the NorthEast and moving to the area in June. We are currently placing Venice as the front runner but open to immediate surrounding areas. Our kids are middle school age - we're in search of the location with great schools, fun Friday night football games and lots of family, school and community oriented activities. I'm a fan of supporting the small business owner so downtown Venice's non commercial retail was a big plus. So does this sound like Venice?
Also, we're looking for the gated community with a majority of families having similarly aged kids although also looking for some diversity. But...definitely not a prodominatley retirement aged population. We're hoping for new-newer construction with lots of on site amenities (coffee shop, small market, pool, gym, trails, etc). Seems like lots of resort style construction is being built but what is the most popular or 'must have' community?
Stoneybrook at Venice has a number of school age children. Gran Paradiso and Grand Palm may also have some school age if you want new construction. The family that use to live across the street has elementary school age children and they moved to Grand Paradiso. They were renting and decided to buy new. The people we bought our house from had elementary school age children and they moved over to Grand Palm. Venice isn't know for a young population. Perhaps Sarasota would be better- I'll let the realtors on this board weigh in.
I agree with Macrodome2, I would put Stoneybrook of Venice at the top of my list. Here's run down of most of the communities in Venice. If I had to bet, after you look around at everything you'll end up back at Stoneybrook. The Venice school are very good. I attended them as did my children. Venice Middle and Laurel Nokomis are both worth looking into.
Venice The Venetia is a gated community that has a heated resort style community pool, fitness center, tennis courts. They have a quarterly HOA fee of $$332-366 depending on what section you're in. Venetia is situated on 322 acres just west of Tamiami Trail and south of Jacaranda Boulevard. The entrance to this gated, guarded community is graced by two large waterfalls, signaling the casual, natural environment that waits beyond the Venetia gate. A lovely, landscaped center island with fountains and flowers flanks the wide community road, and the neighborhood is designed to integrate with its natural surroundings, with many home sites backing onto nature preserves. Venetia features a 4,000 square foot clubhouse, two lighted tennis courts, an outdoor heated swimming pool, parks, playgrounds and nature trails.
When it is complete the Venetia community will be home to 450 families and individuals, with 180 multi-family condominiums and villas, and many single-family homes. The ‘builders of choice’ in Venetia are Venetian Homes and Waterford Homes. There are so many amenities and special touches here! As you drive through the Venetia community and pass the gentle curves and welcoming entrances of these Mediterranean style homes you will feel as if you are in a gracious, old Italian neighborhood. But all the homes here are new, with the modern conveniences and grand beauty you want in your home. Appointments and features include high 10’ ceilings in the bedrooms, tile floors, spacious rooms with plenty of built-in storage, and even solid marble window sills.
Pelican Pointe, offers all the amenities-clubhouse, tennis, fitness center, social activities, community heated pool, 27 holes of golf all located minutes to shopping, Downtown Venice, and the beach. Quarterly HOA of $585. The Pelican Pointe Golf and Country Club is a deed restricted, award-winning community voted by the ‘best of the best’ by Sarasota Magazine. Spread over 1,000 acres, Pelican Pointe offers country club elegance with a tropical flare.
True to its name, the gated community of Pelican Pointe Golf and Country Club offers championship golf on courses designed by Ted McAnlis, a 22,000 square foot clubhouse, a pro shop, fitness center, two state-of-the-art tennis courts, three gorgeous pools, vibrant lounge and elegant dining. The 27-hole championship golf facility opened in 1995 with three nines that blend and wind through natural preserves and lakes. Golfers stroll through a calming environment, where they glimpse local wildlife and lush greenery. The course also has strategically placed bunkers and waste bunkers, and every hole presents an invitation to test your skills. Take golf lessons, schedule private group tournaments and practice in the grass hitting stations, on the 5,000 square foot putting green, or try your hand at the chipping green, and the bunker green.
Enjoy Pelican Pointe dining, 7 days a week for lunch, early light dinner or a prime rib buffet with the finest entertainment in town. Enjoy our banquet facilities and schedule your special family events in the newly remodeled ballroom. This gated, master planned community was lovingly designed and crafted by well-renowned builder Sam Rodgers, and every home features beautifully conceived details and design. Surrounded by natural beauty, Pelican Pointe Golf and Country Club is a quiet retreat in the midst of southwestern Florida. Pelican Pointe is maintenance free with public water and sewer, and streetlights.
Gran Paradiso, This Community is Packed with Amenities, Including: Community Swimming Pool & Spa, Beautiful Tennis Courts, Fitness Trails, Media Center, Clubhouse & Steam Room.
Sawgrass, a gated community, has a community heated pool, fitness center, and golfing. Annual HOA of $1446 The Sawgrass community is a gated, golfing community with 27 holes of golf, a fabulous clubhouse and cabana, a fitness center, playground, warm, a sparkling 70-foot pool, tennis courts and over fifty-four acres of lakes and nature preserves. Golfers will also enjoy the bonus of playing on the cozy 9-hole course designed by renowned golf course designer, Ted McAnlis for the Waterford Golf Club. This course features 3,332 yards of golf and a par 36 and it opened in 1989. Nature lovers will be bowled over by the wildlife and photographic opportunities right outside their window. Blue herons, egrets and cranes wander the landscape, and biking trails and pathways will take you deep into the realm of nature where you can commune with wildlife and listen to the songs of the local birds. The community is further completed by old-fashioned streetlights, safe sidewalks, and tropical landscaping. This guarded, gated community has underground utilities and public sewer and water, and it is deed restricted.
Designed by developer Taylor Woodrow Communities and constructed by J&J Homes – builders of over 4,000 homes in the Venice area - you will be impressed with the quality of workmanship and forethought that have gone into this community. Homes are designed in a contemporary, tropical Florida style with just a hint of the Mediterranean. There are maintenance-free villas and single-family homes on 311 beautiful acres. Every home features a special perspective; some have private preserve views, others have scenic golf course views. All are picturesque and elegant. The builders have constructed ten models for prospective residents to view, making it that much easier to choose the home that is right for you.
Venice Golf & County Club, At VG&CC there is something for everyone...golf, tennis, water aerobics in, work out center, mah jong, bridge, book clubs, jewelry making...and more! Tennis courts, fitness center. The stylish Clubhouse, offering both casual and fine dining, is a great spot to meet friends or entertain your guests. Social membership is required. Golf membership is available. For the maintenance free homes the monthly maintenance fee is $194 (which includes-Ground Mtnce, Manager, Private Road, Security, Trash Removal) and HOA is $1725 annually.
Hidden Lakes Club, has a rec building, tennis courts. Annual HOA of $1980.
Plantation Golf & Country Club, Governors Green-is a gated golf community. Annual HOA of $398 and monthly maintenance of $66. Wexford on the Green is also located with Plantation Golf. It has a community pool and golf. The HOA is $398 annually and the community is maintenance free so the monthly maintenance fee is $162. Plantation Golf and Country Club has 1300 acres of land including two 18-hole championship golf courses. This member-owned, private club has a spacious club house with all the charm of old Florida. The two golf courses – Bobcat and Panther – are graced by natural views and dancing fountains in sparkling lakes. Ron Garl designed two impeccably maintained courses of challenging golf with distinctive layouts. Renowned New York architect recently added the finishing touch by supplying new bunker designs. Both the Bobcat and the Panther courses were also renovated to include state-of-the-art irrigation systems. Award-winning PGA and LPGA professionals provide a standard of excellence that rivals the most prestigious clubs in the nation. If you still need to be convinced of the caliber of Plantation Golf and Country Club, consider the fine dining facility that features gourmet meals and houses private events, thirteen Har-Tru tennis courts with USTPA instructors, a spa, weekend socials, a pro shop, a heated junior Olympic swimming pool, and a state-of-the-art fitness center. Plantation Golf and Country Club was voted ‘Best Private Country Club’, ‘Best Banquet Facilities’ and ‘Best Tennis Facilities’ by the Herald Tribune Reader’s Choice Awards. Plantation is a regular host for major sporting events, including LPGA tournaments. In 1987 Plantation Golf and Country Club was also selected to host the LPGA Annual Tour Qualifying School and since then has been one of only two qualifying schools in the national.
Plantation Golf and Country Club includes a mandatory homeowners association that ensures high standards and an elegant atmosphere with a contemporary Florida design. Waterford Builders have selected several single-family floor plans for the homes at the Courtyards at Plantation. You can also select from a wide range of patio homes, and condominium plans, many with golf course views. Villas and private apartments are surrounded by beautiful gardens, pools and landscaping. Homes range in size from 3,100 to 4,100 square feet with 3-4 bedroom layouts and 3-5 baths.
Belliago on the Island of Venice, is a gated community with amenities that include a clubhouse, heated swimming pool, clay based tennis court, fitness center and gazebo. Walking, biking path next to intra coastal waterway. Quarterly HOA of $653. The Venetian Waterway Park is the ideal location for a leisurely walk or bike ride to the beach. Bellagio on the Island of Venice is also convenient to the downtown area where you will find galleries, a beautiful park and gazebo, a theater, plenty of dining and beautiful little sidewalk cafes, retail and antique shops. Within minutes of leaving your private enclave, you can play golf on a challenging twenty-seven-hole public course, or go boating or fishing. Stroll down the historic streets of Venice and browse the booths and tables at the sidewalk arts and crafts shows. Bellagio is close to all services and convenient to medical facilities, the library and a full service marina, and it is only minutes from the beaches on Gulf of Mexico. You can picnic, swim or fish on the Venice public beach, or hop on your bike and head to Caspersen Beach, for a few hours of uninterrupted tranquility and bliss. Here in Venice, you can go rafting or kayaking, sailing, water skiing, snorkeling, or horseback riding. It is all at your fingertips!
Bellagio on the Island of Venice is your private sanctuary, with all the amenities you desire. You can swim in the heated community pool, walk along the beach, meet friends in the clubhouse, work out in the fitness center or on the tennis courts, or bike or jog on the Venetian Parallel Park on the Intracoastal Waterway bike trail. Bellagio on the Island of Venice is a new community – and the last of the planned island communities. Bellagio blends seamlessly with the Mediterranean flavor of old Venice. These Mediterranean style homes offer many choices and there is one to fit every lifestyle. Each single family home is over 2000 square feet and offers a choice of two master suites, great room, family room or den. Bellagio on the Island of Venice is beautifully landscaped and you will love walking on the paved trail, taking in the sights and enjoying the nature preserve on your own private island.
Lakes of Jacaranda, gated, community pool, tennis, rec building. HOA $501 annually. The Lakes of Jacaranda is a deed restricted community that features a community pool, a plantation style clubhouse, tennis courts, streetlights and sidewalks, convenient underground utilities, public water and sewer, and a homeowners association. Enjoy scenic lake views and stay fit on the trails and walkways that meander through the community. At over 260 acres, the Lakes of Jacaranda offers oversized lots, nature preserve views and a variety of single-family home styles. Join the nearby golf club – just a short ride away by golf cart. This charming community offers its residents a casual lifestyle in a gorgeous setting.
The Lakes of Jacaranda community offers several home styles and sizes, many with charming appointments and bonus features. Whether you are looking for a kitchen with granite countertops, a three bedroom home with a high ceiling and lots of light, recessed lighting, a lake view, a lanai, or just plenty of green space, you will find it here at Jacaranda. Many of these lovely homes have plantation shutters, soft colors and upgrades. Enjoy the casual lifestyle without sacrificing the beauty and comfort you want. Here at the Lakes of Jacaranda, you can appreciate the natural surroundings, and take advantage of the nearby conveniences.
Waterford, is gated and offer tennis, a community pool, golfing, fitness center and a playground. Annual HOA of $992. The Waterford Golf Club is one of the best in the area, attracting regular players with beginner to expert abilities. It received the ‘Best of Venice’ award in 2004 and was listed as one of the Top 20 golf courses in Southwest Florida. Waterford has 27 holes of fairways and pristine greens with the hazards and water that make it a challenging course. It is segmented into three, 9-hole courses are available -Turnberry, Gleneagles and Sawgrass. The pro shop and clubhouse are favorites of local golfers.
There is more to see and do in the Waterford community. This gated neighborhood is on a private road with streetlights and wide sidewalks. The homeowners association is mandatory and the community is deed restricted with underground utilities, public sewer and private water systems. The community also features tennis courts, a spacious pool and spa and a fitness center. The resort environment and casual lifestyle of the Waterford community appeals to residents of all ages.
Islandwalk, which is technically annexed to NP but they like to say it's in Venice. Anyway, is gated and has 8 har-tru tennis courts, tennis pavilion, heated lap pool, fitness center, card room, library, full time activities director are all in place with more to come. Miles of walking and bike paths, pedestrian bridges, boardwalk with gazebos for enjoying nature all surrounded by lush landscaping and unlimited lake views. HOA is $269 per month.
Whitestone at Southwood, Community heated pool. HOA of $689 quarterly.
Ventura Village, is gated and has a community pool and clubhouse. HOA quarterly of $272. Ventura Village is a new Kimball Hill subdivision on SR 776 just after you turn off to drive toward Englewood. Its location makes it convenient to both Venice and Englewood and just five minutes to the beach. Woodmere Park, the library and ample shopping and restaurants are nearby.
Kimball Hill is a major U.S. homebuilder of affordable housing with neighborhoods in eight states. Both maintenance free single family and paired villas are available. Models include one and two story homes with a selection of various floor plans. Larger Heritage homes that include a 3-car garage and go from 2202 sq. ft. to 2954 sq. ft. Innovative designs are intended to create lasting value for your family.
Save money, unlike some communities, no developer’s CDD fees are added on to your taxes at Ventura Village.
Don’t waste time keeping up the outside of your home. Maintenance fees include full lawn care, mulch replacement twice a year, exterior painting, roof reserves, basic cable, gated entrance and a clubhouse with a heated pool. All you have to do is relax. For affordability and convenience, check our Ventura Village.
Stoneybrook, has a community heated pool and fitness center. HOA is $414 quarterly. The neighborhood will have 900 homes when complete. Stoneybrook at Venice features a lagoon style pool, a spa and a children’s splash fountain, a complete health club with weight and cardio equipment that is accessible twenty-four hours a day, and even a movie theater and media room. This is designed as a family community with activities for adults and children. Try out the in-line skating and hockey rink, four lighted tennis courts, a nature trail and a butterfly garden. If you are a sports buff, you will love the two sand volleyball courts, basketball courts, baseball diamond and multi-purpose soccer field. The community has a full time activities director, and a catering and function hall for those special events. Stroll the property, hang out near the gazebo or visit with friends and family in the community cookout area, complete with gas grills. This family-friendly community has thirty-five pristine lakes and plenty of green space. Though most home sites are still not complete, there are about 300 families currently living in Stoneybrook and more are moving in every day.
Location: Sarasota/ Bradenton - University Pkwy area
4,615 posts, read 7,537,235 times
Reputation: 6036
Venice has mainly been a retirement community. The demographics show that 69% of the population is aged 55 or older. Those statistics are changing as families move south to Venice because of more affordable new construction (compared to Sarasota) being built.
Sarasota has a larger group of people aged 18 to 55 than Venice, although Sarasota still has a lot of retirees as well.
Lakewood Ranch has some of the "youngest" demographics in our area with a median age of 46.95
If you find the right neighborhood that has some kids in it you will do well. Most of the gated communities have old folks because that's what they like - paying for a gated community that has golf, etc. and you pay through the nose.
You may want to look in North Port too, which is just south of Venice and is still in Sarasota County. The median age is 40.9. They have two middle schools and one high school. They have lots of sports such as football games to attend. There are activities at the George Mullen Activity Center as well as the Boys and Girls Club, YMCA, Performing Arts Center, library, parks, skate park, city hall, and more. They have shops, restaurants, grocery stores, Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes, medical facilities, etc. There are deed restricted communities and non-deed restricted areas of homes as well.
Here are links to some communities in North Port. Lakeside Plantation has a lot of children and amenities, but it is not gated, just has a separate entrance-way. Bobcat Trail, Heron Creek, Sabal Trace and Talon Bay are gated.
Location: Sarasota/ Bradenton - University Pkwy area
4,615 posts, read 7,537,235 times
Reputation: 6036
For North Port homes (new or resale), you'll want to learn whether the property is located in a flood zone per the new flood map changes. The preliminary maps just came out and, according to an article in the Sarasota Herald, 22,614 properties in North Port will now be in designated flood zones.
FYI, the updated flood maps are for the entire Sarasota county, but North Port has been hit harder than other areas of the county as the city had never been completely mapped by FEMA for flood zones before this.
After going to the flood meeting in North Port on Thursday and speaking with FEMA they said that 22,000 properties will be affected but only around 500 properties will be required to purchase flood insurance. They stated that if the structure is not in the flood area but the land is then you will not need to purchase flood. they also said that it's advisable to purchase flood even if it is not needed. If you already have the insurance and then are rezoned into a flood area then you will be at a lower rate and that policy would be transferrable if you sold your home. FEMA also said that many of the properties in the 22,000 noted are vacant lots. I spent about three hours speaking with FEMA, the City of NP, insurance agents, etc at the meeting. Of course, I would recommend running everything through FEMA and an insurance agent.
Location: Sarasota/ Bradenton - University Pkwy area
4,615 posts, read 7,537,235 times
Reputation: 6036
That's good information to know. So FEMA is saying that many of the properties that are being placed in flood zones will not require the homeowner to carry flood insurance as only a portion of the lot is in the flood zone, not the actual home?
That conflicts with what my brother is currently going through with his lender. My brother's home sits on a lot that is not in a flood zone. He also owns an ajoining lot (which does not have any buildings on it) that IS now in a designated flood zone thanks to recent updates to their flood maps. His lender sent them a letter stating they will be obligated to carry flood insurance due to the changed flood zone designation. Even though he has sent them proof that the lot the home is on is not in a flood zone, they are still insisting that he needs to carry flood insurance. The lender is one of the big banks that is at the top of the lending food chain.
Obviously I will be doing more research into situations such as this as there are neighborhoods in Sarasota where this may be an issue as well.
That's good information to know. So FEMA is saying that many of the properties that are being placed in flood zones will not require the homeowner to carry flood insurance as only a portion of the lot is in the flood zone, not the actual home?
That conflicts with what my brother is currently going through with his lender. My brother's home sits on a lot that is not in a flood zone. He also owns an ajoining lot (which does not have any buildings on it) that IS now in a designated flood zone thanks to recent updates to their flood maps. His lender sent them a letter stating they will be obligated to carry flood insurance due to the changed flood zone designation. Even though he has sent them proof that the lot the home is on is not in a flood zone, they are still insisting that he needs to carry flood insurance. The lender is one of the big banks that is at the top of the lending food chain.
Obviously I will be doing more research into situations such as this as there are neighborhoods in Sarasota where this may be an issue as well.
Yes, FEMA said that many of the properties that are in a flood zone on the maps will not be required to carry flood but they said it's ultimately up to the lender/underwriter as they are the ones requiring the flood insurance. Of course FEMA, advises everyone in FL to get flood regardless if they are in a flood zone or not.
I just had a home that had the back portion of the home in the flood area but the bank did not require them to get flood because the structure was not in the new noted flood area.
Sunshine, you might have to jump through a few hoops to get the home moved out of the new flood mapping but I believe it can be done after speaking with FEMA.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
