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Originally Posted by Don Dukes
Another stupid question. What is a bond and does everyone have to pay it? Is this a Florida thing?
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I'm a wannabee, so a TV resident can explain it better than me or please correct me, but here is my stab at it.
A bond is a sum of money added on to new TV homes being built or were built in Sumter and Marion Counties. The homes in Lake County have no bond. I believe the bond is to pay for the infrastructure (roads, sewers, etc.) in the newer areas -- someone correct me if I'm wrong.
The bond payment is paid once a year at the same time you pay your property taxes in Sumter and Marion Counties. The bond is designed to be paid off in 30 years, although I believe you can pay it off faster than 30 years as some people appear to have done.
Last year I visited a new patio villa for sale (sales price was approx. $137,000) in the Village of Buttonwood. The bond on that patio villa was approximately $13,000. The bonds on more expensive homes are higher than that So if you see a pre-owned home for sale that lists "low bond balance", "bond paid off," or "no bond" that is a plus for some people (like me). When I went to open houses last year, and the listing said "low bond balance" or "bond not paid" I always asked how much the bond balance was, and how much the yearly bond payment was.
Hope that helps. The bond thing was a mystery to me at first as home bonds don't exist in the Chicago area.