Trying to narrow down our home search

[skimmerscott]

Have you looked at Palmetto Point or Bay Colony? Great access for Terra Ceia bay and the Gulf. Community boat ramp right in the neighborhood. Just over Skyway bridge off US 19 - easy interstate access north or South. Tim Lister is a realtor who specializes and lives in this area.

[Floridapeg]

@macrodome 2 Where is Carribean Village in Venice and who is builder? My husband and I are looking at two Neal developments but are realizing all options and lot prices are so much more expensive. Feeling overwhelmed between new construction and resale? Any ideas anyone?

[bbronston]

I'll throw in my two cents. Personally, I'd much rather have a new home than a resale. As one buyer once put it, "I don't want to buy another person's dirt." Everything is new, clean, fresh, under warranty, and the way you want it if you make all the selections. Additionally, new communities often have greater cohesiveness for the folks that like to be social. When everyone moves in around the same time, it is easier to make friends from what I've seen. And, from what I've seen, getting in early and putting up with the construction for a few years can really pay off in terms of building equity. No one knows the future, of course, but early adopters in a good market tend to be the ones who benefit best.

However, the undeniable flip side is that it is also more expensive when comparing apples to apples. Plus, a resale already has all the fixtures, the fans, possibly window treatments, probably better landscaping, and often several little extras that the seller agrees to live behind. Those are additional costs to the buyer of a new home. Another consideration, in Florida we have a tax on deeds of $7/1000 of the purchase price. The seller pays this amount on a resale but the buyer has to pay that amount when purchasing from a builder. That amount can be negotiated in some instances, though.

Neal builds a nice home but they don't give anything away. One thing you definitely need to investigate, though, is the degree to which they are subsidizing the HOA fees while they are building there. Why? Once the community is completed, the subsidy stops, of course, and the owners need to pay for the community's costs. So, expect the HOA fees to go up and, in the case of one community I've seen, they went up by a great deal. More than I would have ever anticipated. HOA fees go up anyway so even resales can be subject to increases but the transition time between builder to owners is the point where it can jump quite a bit.

[macrodome2]

Originally Posted by Floridapeg

@macrodome 2 Where is Carribean Village in Venice and who is builder? My husband and I are looking at two Neal developments but are realizing all options and lot prices are so much more expensive. Feeling overwhelmed between new construction and resale? Any ideas anyone?

Caribbean Village is on East Venice Ave. It's almost at the corner of River Road. There will be an entrance/exit from River Road in the future, but the actual corner lot is for sale. Caribbean Village wraps around the corner lot. Sales office reached off E. Venice Ave.


OP may also want to look at Rapalo on 776, that's right near Manasota Beach- house sizes are small and Toscana Isles in N. Venice off Laurel- both D.R. Horton. Not that I'm a fan of Horton, I'm not, but it just seemed to fit their price range better.


Of course, Grand Palm and Villages of Milano are Neal Communities, so they will be very nice. There's also something being built at the intersection of E. Venice Ave and Jacaranda at the traffic circle. No sign yet, but lots of heavy equipment and wall going up.


As I said earlier, we bought newer resale in a community that had already been turned over to the residents. What bbronson brought up about HOA fees is a very valid point. There is one community that is maintenance free and I don't know how they can keep the HOA fees where they are without the builder kicking in some sort subsidy. I wonder if they will be in for an awakening once the builder turns over the HOA to the residents.

[VeniceIslander]

Englewood Isles has a variety of resales plus they have a community marina where you can buy or rent a slip with fairly quick access to Lemon Bay and the Gulf (no fixed bridges). It's west of 776 very close to Boca Royale.

[Sunshine Rules]

Originally Posted by macrodome2

Caribbean Village is on East Venice Ave. It's almost at the corner of River Road. There will be an entrance/exit from River Road in the future, but the actual corner lot is for sale. Caribbean Village wraps around the corner lot. Sales office reached off E. Venice Ave.


OP may also want to look at Rapalo on 776, that's right near Manasota Beach- house sizes are small and Toscana Isles in N. Venice off Laurel- both D.R. Horton. Not that I'm a fan of Horton, I'm not, but it just seemed to fit their price range better.


Of course, Grand Palm and Villages of Milano are Neal Communities, so they will be very nice. There's also something being built at the intersection of E. Venice Ave and Jacaranda at the traffic circle. No sign yet, but lots of heavy equipment and wall going up.


As I said earlier, we bought newer resale in a community that had already been turned over to the residents. What bbronson brought up about HOA fees is a very valid point. There is one community that is maintenance free and I don't know how they can keep the HOA fees where they are without the builder kicking in some sort subsidy. I wonder if they will be in for an awakening once the builder turns over the HOA to the residents.

I have noticed that the HOA fees often go up after the association is turned over to the residents.

One example I can name off the top of my head: Central Park at Lakewood Ranch. Once Neal Communities turned the HOA over to the residents the fees went up several times to cover additional costs no longer being subsidized by the builder.

DR Horton is also known for that.

[Daniel_Larson]

Venice, Fl is a great little community with plenty of marinas in the area, you can go a little north to Nokomis, Fl and find some properties that will have gulf access still in that range. Venice was just recently featured as #7 in Southern Livings Magazone as one of the best places to retire.