Is Evergrene in PBG a good place to buy? (Palm Beach Gardens: foreclosures, renting)

[skylinet]

Have you considered Paseos in Jupiter? Similar price point and lower HOA dues. Lots of great deals in there right now.

[flguy123]

Yes, Paseos is very high on our list. In fact, we know someone who lives there and have visited serveral times. We love it except for the zero lot lines (plus I wish it was gated). Same with Valencia. Now looking at Egret Landing, but not thrilled about how close it is to 95. It's always something!

[TriMT7]

Originally Posted by flguy123

Yes, Paseos is very high on our list. In fact, we know someone who lives there and have visited serveral times. We love it except for the zero lot lines (plus I wish it was gated). Same with Valencia. Now looking at Egret Landing, but not thrilled about how close it is to 95. It's always something!

There are some other neighborhoods off of Central/Maplewood that you may want to look into. Hamptons, Maplewood developments, etc. I have a friend whose parents live in Maplewood, I believe. They have a nice home on a nice lot. No gate... don't know about amenities.

[Marla Schneider]

I have been showing homes today to buyers who ONLY want EVERGRENE, and are in Love with the pool, tiki bar, fitness center, etc.... they will spend a lot of time there and are planning on raising a children, which will be wonderful for them.. After showing them all the other properties in PBG, and Jupiter, they have their heart set on this community...

[Marla Schneider]

PS. Does anyone know of any experience your neighbors have had with any Chinese Drywall there?
And when exactly does the train come? Once a day, or twice? Thanks so much,, always good to get first hand knowledge from homeowners !!! I love this site

[BarryU404]

The only thing I have heard about these homes is that some of them had mold issues, so a separate inspection for that would be recommended, I would think. I say, take your time and look - buyers have so many choices at the moment - there is no need to rush into any purchase, or settle for less than the perfect fit. Good luck!

[Angel887]

My best friend bought a house in Evergrene 4 years ago, and every weekend she comes over to my place in Paloma to complain about it. According to her, almost everyone is Evergrene hates it. My fees are $270.00 per month. For that we get a clubhouse, pool, landscaping, TV Cable, home security system, and remote-controlled gate. Her house in Evergrene has the same amenities, but she is paying almost $500 per month. She thinks that the Homeowner Board is either stupid or something fishy is going on. She told me that a man got up to complain about the fees at a meeing, and the Homeowner board ganged up on him.

[FlufferCat]

I rented in Evergrene for a year and last month bought a home. The building quality is average, not bad, not great. I say this after looking at many homes for 2+ yrs from many builders. I have no complaints about the community or the dues - you know what the dues are upfront, if you don't like it, don't move here. The facilities and the pool are by FAR the best I've seen for this cost (for ex, local country clubs pay in excess of $1500/month HOA). Places like Paloma (1/3 built after 3+ yrs of construction), Canterbury (pool the size of a bathtub) and Abacoa (no gate, minimal pool, shingle roof on most homes) just didn't measure up IMO. Evergrene has tons of greenspace, huge preserves, and their amenities are about as good as you'll get for $470/month HOA fees. All in all, I think it's a good purchase long term. About the Chinese Drywall, they say about 300 of all WCI homes in the state of Florida are affected, and I haven't heard a single word about it in Evergrene. About leaky windows, that was present mostly on the 1st street where the 1st 2 dozen or so homes were built in 2003. About mold, 6 homes were not closed in the construction process during 1 of the hurricanes - and they developed mold. That's 6 out of 1000 homes. Anyway, good luck!

[Love Palm Beach Gardens]

I live in Evergrene, and I love Palm Beach Gardens, but I wish I lived elsewhere. The clubhouse is gigantic, but it is useless. It has a big lobby empty lobby, and there is always someone there to tell you that you can't go in. Also it has a lot of private offices, since the staff is very big. There is a worker here that is just for Member Relations. They must be very busy dealing with complaints. The main complaint is the HOA cost. The Board says that our HOA cost is less than some nearby communities that have golf courses. We don't have a golf course, only a pool and a tiny little gym. A lot of my neighbors are moving out of Evergrene because the fee is too big. I might also.

[BluesMonkey]

I've lived in FL for about one year & I'm looking to buy a house. I looked at Evergreen and they have some very beautiful houses for sale there presently (at reasonablle prices).

I called about one house yesterday in Evergreen & when the realtor told me the HOA fees ($471/month) I about dropped the phone. That is the most outrageous HOA fee I have heard of (I'm sure there are a few more that are higher). What you have to ask yourself is "Are $XXX.XX HOA fees per month worth it to me?" Are you going to recoup any of your HOA fee money when you sell your house? (hint: the answer is Not Likely).

Don't forget that HOA's can normally assess you more money on top of your current monthly fees. If they get a resolution passed to buy/fix/maintain something, rest assured that they will be knocking on your door asking for more money. My realtor told me of a couple that just bought a house in the last week and their HOA is about to hit them up for an additional $1,000.00.

In my opinion, with the economy the way it is and the nature of HOA's, you have to be very carefull buying a house in a HOA neighborhood.