Ardsley Park (Wilmington Island, Isle of Hope: countertops, crime, houses)

[sunnybunny0726]

I have heard hit and miss things about Ardsley Park. We have it narrowed down to Ardsley Park and Isle of Hope. The house we liked on IOH may no longer be an option and our second choice home is in Ardsley. I would love to hear from people who live there. We are a young family with a one-year old son. It seemed like a perfectly lovely neighborhood when we visited. My husband travels pretty often with his job, though. Is it a neighborhood that I should be scared to be in when my husband is out of town? Is it not safe to take my son to play at the parks? It seemed like all the homes we looked at had childrens rooms. Is that because there are a lot of families or is it a sign that young families are leaving? Any info. is appreciated! Thanks!

[amik]

I won't pretend to know much about crime and such in the area, but recently, my wife and I had to make a similar choice.

We loved the homes in Ardsley Park, absolutely loved them. In fact we were ready to make offers on several. One evening my wife asked what I thought about the crime in surrounding areas. I told her that I was comfortable living there, but my only concern was how she would feel when I was gone on business. She thought about it for a couple days and we decided not to buy in Ardsley Park. Her concerns centered around not having an attached garage when she comes home at night and some of the homes' proximity to victory drive/waters ave.

Since that time, we have made an offer on a house on Wilmington Island. This is after looking at over 75 homes that didn't meet our requirements ("not ugly" was one of our requirements). The pickings are slim on Wilmington Island as far as attractive homes go. I far prefer the late 30's look of Ardsley Park.

Again, this is only our decision so take it for what it's worth.

[sunnybunny0726]

Thank you, that is exactly the same sort of situation we are in! It's always nice to hear what someone in a similar situation did. I know EXACTLY what you mean about "not ugly." JMHO, of course, but I don't think too many people will say that the 70's ranch style home is the prettiest home in the world and WOW, there are a lot of them out on the islands!!!! Updating them is a big, expensive task since they are usually large homes (the upside!!). Like you, we are fishing through all the homes to find the right place for us and the islands do seem like a lovely place to be!!!!

Good luck with your offer!!!!

[ellie]

I know several families with young children who live the heart of Ardsley Park. They are all well-educated and well off. Essentially they could live anywhere in Chatham County and choose to live there because they like it. If that's what you decide upon you'll find yourself in good company.

[Padgett2]

Ardsley Park covers a fairly large area. It's difficult to exactly define exactly what someone means when they say, "Ardsley Park." It can vary a great deal from very very desirable $$$$$$$$, to goodgrief! Unfortunately, some of the outer edges of it are too easily accessible to the hoodlum types. There is another area that is on the ambulance path to one major hospital.. Sirens all night long are not pleasant.

So, the area is very convenient, the houses comfortable and well built, but be very careful about WHERE in Ardsley Park you choose. And remember that what one person calls Ardsley Park, may be what another thinks of as Parkside. I have lived here all my life and I would hesitate to tell you exactly where one stops and the other starts.

[amik]

Originally Posted by sunnybunny0726

Thank you, that is exactly the same sort of situation we are in! It's always nice to hear what someone in a similar situation did. I know EXACTLY what you mean about "not ugly." JMHO, of course, but I don't think too many people will say that the 70's ranch style home is the prettiest home in the world and WOW, there are a lot of them out on the islands!!!! Updating them is a big, expensive task since they are usually large homes (the upside!!). Like you, we are fishing through all the homes to find the right place for us and the islands do seem like a lovely place to be!!!!

Good luck with your offer!!!!

Thanks. It looks like the deal is going through. All inspections/appraisals and whatnot have been gone well. This house was built in 1992, and needs some minor changes (paint, countertops, flooring), but for $7-10k up front I think I'll be able to increase it's value dramatically.

Originally Posted by Padgett2

Ardsley Park covers a fairly large area. It's difficult to exactly define exactly what someone means when they say, "Ardsley Park." It can vary a great deal from very very desirable $$$$$$$$, to goodgrief! Unfortunately, some of the outer edges of it are too easily accessible to the hoodlum types. There is another area that is on the ambulance path to one major hospital.. Sirens all night long are not pleasant.

So, the area is very convenient, the houses comfortable and well built, but be very careful about WHERE in Ardsley Park you choose. And remember that what one person calls Ardsley Park, may be what another thinks of as Parkside. I have lived here all my life and I would hesitate to tell you exactly where one stops and the other starts.

Great post. FWIW, the closer to Chatham Crescent I got, the better I felt about Ardsley Park.

[mc love]

ardsley park is beautiful...but. your child won' grow up in a neighborhood where they can ride their bike to a friends or ride to the pool or to the river to fish. take advantage of being in savannah. ardsely park could be anywhere usa. we lucked into wilmington park as newlyweds and really not knowing much about the area or schools. it has been like a small town with great access to all the wonderful opportunities in savannah. 15 minutes from downtown and may howard ia a great school. there are also wonderful preschools and many many young families. it's a great area and you should really just go and knock on doors and ask people. ( it's that safe)my kids have grown up here and ride there bikes all over the island. even though we chose a private high school across town, the drive is less than 25 minutes. there is a very active moms group and lots of support. when the kids were young and i had no family support here, the friends and neigbors were like family. Good luck