Water View Question

[wlou]

We all know that when you purchase a home here in TV, your "water view"is not guaranteed and you sign a plot map saying you understand that. My question is, anyone have actual experience with buying a "waterview" home only to have their lake ( pond really! ) dry up? I thought I read that one actually did dry up north of 466, but do not know that for sure and wonder if anyone else has had it happen? We pay a lot to enjoy the water views and hope it keeps as a great resale tool, but if it dries up, you lose a lot of that value...Let me hear from you IF it has actually happened to you or your neighbor..I would think that a lot of the folks contemplating buying would really love to know also......Thanks!

[Bryan]

In The Village of Alhambra (off of El Camino Real across from the Savannah Center) the pond near our village entrance suffered from a sinkhole and drained out overnight (this was six months ago or so). The sinkhole was so bad that they actually had to repave several lanes of El Camino Real (the pond if right next to the road on one side and surrounded by "water view" lots in Alhambra on the other three). The repairs did not alleviate the problem totally so it because a "swamp view" with lots of new growth sticking up out of the two or three inches of water now in the pond. About two months ago, they tried another repair effort which, so far, seems to be working better. The water level is back to pretty much normal and seems to be holding - only time will tell. I actually have no idea if any of the two dozen or so homes bordering this pond went on the market while the pond was having all the troubles.

[EdV]

I belive this is a picture of it:

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/23504162

[downeaster]

There are two retention ponds on Talleyridge opposite the Bell Aire postal facility that dry up on occasion. I believe this is in part due to irrigation use. They also seem to pump them full when heavy rain is expected. Only a few houses back up to them and I do not know if they were ever billed as water view.
There is an upside to this fluctuation. The bird life there changes as levels rise and fall.

[wlou]

Thanks guys, just trying to get a feel as to how often this has actually happened....

[Russ_Boston]

Even if it dried up they wouldn't have 'kissing lanais'. Grated, maybe the premium shouldn't be so high but still nice to have space in the back. I'd risk it.

[diskman]

Thanks guys, just trying to get a feel as to how often this has actually happened....

I believe water=Alligator:):MOJE_whot::D

[NJblue]

I believe water=Alligator:):MOJE_whot::D

Actually, for me far more disturbing would be water=snake (especially poisonous). Our realtor lives on a pond and ended up with a water moccasin in his laundry room!!! No thanks.

[gemorc]

Rumor has it that a lake view was totally lost on the Lopez Golf Course. It seem a large pond, small lake, disappeared on the Erin Glen course. It was located around #2 and #3 holes. I have been told that the present plot waivers are a result of TV having to reimburse the the land owners, who paid top dollar, for a lake view.

[dolpterry]

I hope people realize that the lake view property in the villages are just retention ponds that have to be built by the developers. These ponds will dry up at certain times of the year and if they dont you are more then likely in a wet low lying area. Since this area is stagent and not cirulating it is a breeding place for mosquitos. And you have to pay extra for this?

[Donna2]

I hope people realize that the lake view property in the villages are just retention ponds that have to be built by the developers. These ponds will dry up at certain times of the year and if they dont you are more then likely in a wet low lying area. Since this area is stagent and not cirulating it is a breeding place for mosquitos. And you have to pay extra for this?

LOL I just love a pragmatic viewpoint.

[HMLRHT1]

We have a pond view and it does get lower at certain times of the year. But we have not had many if any mosquitoes. Also I was told the lakes, ponds, retention basins are sprayed periodically to destroy alot of the larva.

[uujudy]

I have noticed that they use Gambusia fish to keep the mosquitoes under control. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosquitofish
If you look in the stream with the little bridge at Spanish Springs you'll notice the minnow-type gambusia fish in the water. It would make sense for them to use the same fish throughout The Villages.

We live on a pond, and I've seen exactly 2 mosquitoes at our villa in the 1 1/2 years we've been here. The only spraying I ever see is for the algal blooms we occasionally have on the very hot days. Anyone who has ever maintained even a small patio pond knows how much maintenance goes with it. I'm amazed that our ponds in The Villages are so lovely all year long.

The wildlife they attract is one of the reasons we chose a water view. We see herons, egrets, ibis, wood storks, eagles, osprey, kingfishers, ducks, anhingas, turtles, and many more -- all from our lanai. We also see an occasional gator, but to get to our house he'd have to climb through the bushes, scale a 4 foot wall, and then climb over a short fence. There are many other tasty treats that are easier for him to catch than my kitties on the lanai. :icon_hungry:

[Larryandlinda]

I hope people realize that the lake view property in the villages are just retention ponds that have to be built by the developers. These ponds will dry up at certain times of the year and if they dont you are more then likely in a wet low lying area. Since this area is stagent and not cirulating it is a breeding place for mosquitos. And you have to pay extra for this?

If our water dried up no worries.
There would still be a nice preserve.

And to those who scorn the water or preserve we say
kiss my lanai.
L&L

[jojo]

My worry was the opposite of the pond drying up. When we first moved in, Tropical Fay came along and dumped 14 inches of rain in a short time. I called The Villages because the water was rising precipitously. I was assured that we would see the irrigation system going on the golf course in the midst of the deluge and that is what happened.

[Russ_Boston]

If our water dried up no worries.
There would still be a nice preserve. L&L

My thoughts exactly!

[lj410]

We have lived with our Pond View for over a year now. We have never seen a mosquito, snake or gator-yet. We have seen many beautiful sunsets and a vast array of birds. Of course we don't go looking for them either. Its peaceful and enjoyable to be able to entertain on our lanai with friends. We would never trade our water view in for a street view or kissing lanai. To us it was worth the investment for privacy. To each his own.

[wlou]

We agree. There is nothing that compares to sitting on our lanai watching the birds, sunset, and ducks. It is so relaxing and we feel very lucky to have been able to afford the waterview. It appears from my original question when I started this thread, that only a few have actually had their view "dry up". That is comforting and we will continue to enjoy the incredible water views. Thanks all....

[villagerjack]

The people who decry the water view probably do not have or if they do have it do not want to spend the extra dollars to get this beautiful view. Been here 4 years, never had a problem with mosquitos, never saw a snake or an alligator. Do see a lot of beautiful wildlife. We also have a golf view and I never got a golf ball and was never woken up at 5AM by lawn mowers which is another myth of those who do not own these beautiful views.

[nitakk]

Anybody ever notice the pond/lake at Harmeswood never varies - drought or deluge it stays the same height. Hmm.....I wonder why?!! Looks like you can buy a pond that stays put.

[downeaster]

Anybody ever notice the pond/lake at Harmeswood never varies - drought or deluge it stays the same height. Hmm.....I wonder why?!! Looks like you can buy a pond that stays put.

I have noticed the same. May be spring fed and not interconnected to the other ponds and irrigation system. The two ponds just across BV, opposite postal station, seem to be lower but their level fluctuates as they are connected to the system.
The person who mentioned the changing bird life as the level changes makes a good point. I have seen spoonbills on one of those ponds.

I have lived on a Florida pond. I chose not to live on one here as I felt the premium was too high. Other than that I think the advantages far outweigh any real or perceived disadvantages.

[Bosoxfan]

We agree. There is nothing that compares to sitting on our lanai watching the birds, sunset, and ducks. It is so relaxing and we feel very lucky to have been able to afford the waterview. It appears from my original question when I started this thread, that only a few have actually had their view "dry up". That is comforting and we will continue to enjoy the incredible water views. Thanks all....

We feel the same with our lot.Although it's not a water view it is a nature lovers heaven.Behind us is a horse farm with beautiful old oaks that house a large variety of birds.We've even had a bald eagle stop by.Not to mention the horses.They are beautiful , they come right to the fence where we feed them carrots & apples.We've even had a colt born who is now around 6 to 8 months old,adorable.Although I imagine the water views are beautiful we wouldn't swap our view!!

[katezbox]

The pond across the street from us (on Kenya #5) had a sinkhole (last summer or the summer before), and had to be completely drained to facilitate a repair to the liner. It was months before it was refilled.

I know my neighbors across the street were upset by this at the time, but I think now it is just an unpleasant blip and that they wouldn't trade beautiful their views.

k

[SALYBOW]

I hope people realize that the lake view property in the villages are just retention ponds that have to be built by the developers. These ponds will dry up at certain times of the year and if they dont you are more then likely in a wet low lying area. Since this area is stagent and not cirulating it is a breeding place for mosquitos. And you have to pay extra for this?

Back home I live on a man made lake. I served on the Lake Board and learned quite a bit about lake maintenance.

All man made lakes "want" to return to wetlands. It is a fact of nature. You can see areas of TV that have returned to wet lands. The one that comes to mind is the right hand side of Morse Blvd across the street from the Lake Sumter. In fact there are wetlands developing on both sides. We had to spend a large amount of money to slow this proecess down so that our lake would indeed stay a lake throughout our lifetime. TV does not spend this money. They also do irrigate from some ponds which lowers the water level in an area that is already under water restrictions.

As far as snakes and gators go. Ohio is not home to gators. Snakes are a different story. I did have a Water moccasin swim about 1 foot from the tip of my toe which was 1 inch in the water as I was building a bench on our deck. That cured me of getting feet near the water. My neighbor had one camp in his backyard for three days.

Our lake was living water (has a natural flow through it) so we did not have a mosquito in sight. The condos one street over were on the marina like area and they did have mosquitos. All of the retension ponds connect so they are not completely stagnant, ergo not as bad for mosquitos, but some of them do smell at times since they recycle the irrigation water.

Another problem with the ponds down here is that all the water that is used for the irrigation systems recycle through them and with it is the phophorus that people add to green up their lawns. This also cause vegetation growth in the ponds. We were not allowed to use fertilizers with phosphorus in them for that reason.

All that being said, I do miss sitting on the deck and looking at the lake. To offset it somewhat we paid the premium on our lot for a larger lot so out lanai sits 35 feet from the one behind us. We were very blessed to have a great realtor who kept this in mind when he was searching around for us.

Congrats on your decision to move to paradise! You will enjoy. If you pay for lakeview, get the largest body of water available. :spoken: :icon_wink:

[StarbuckSammy]

Harmeswood ponds are spring fed.

[katezbox]

Back home I live on a man made lake. I served on the Lake Board and learned quite a bit about lake maintenance.

All man made lakes "want" to return to wetlands. It is a fact of nature. You can see areas of TV that have returned to wet lands. The one that comes to mind is the right hand side of Morse Blvd across the street from the Lake Sumter. In fact there are wetlands developing on both sides. We had to spend a large amount of money to slow this proecess down so that our lake would indeed stay a lake throughout our lifetime. TV does not spend this money. They also do irrigate from some ponds which lowers the water level in an area that is already under water restrictions.

As far as snakes and gators go. Ohio is not home to gators. Snakes are a different story. I did have a Water moccasin swim about 1 foot from the tip of my toe which was 1 inch in the water as I was building a bench on our deck. That cured me of getting feet near the water. My neighbor had one camp in his backyard for three days.

Our lake was living water (has a natural flow through it) so we did not have a mosquito in sight. The condos one street over were on the marina like area and they did have mosquitos. All of the retension ponds connect so they are not completely stagnant, ergo not as bad for mosquitos, but some of them do smell at times since they recycle the irrigation water.

Another problem with the ponds down here is that all the water that is used for the irrigation systems recycle through them and with it is the phophorus that people add to green up their lawns. This also cause vegetation growth in the ponds. We were not allowed to use fertilizers with phosphorus in them for that reason.

All that being said, I do miss sitting on the deck and looking at the lake. To offset it somewhat we paid the premium on our lot for a larger lot so out lanai sits 35 feet from the one behind us. We were very blessed to have a great realtor who kept this in mind when he was searching around for us.

Congrats on your decision to move to paradise! You will enjoy. If you pay for lakeview, get the largest body of water available. :spoken: :icon_wink:


Wow - thanks for this great information. :024: I knew about the fertilizers, but not that the ponds would try to "return" to a wetland/preserve area. Friends of ours bought a home in Ft. Myers right on a pond (and I mean RIGHT on a pond) - less than 4 feet from waters' edge. They have had snakes in their lanai multiple times - and in the bedroom 3 times.

[villagerjack]

Yes I noticed that on Kenya 5. I am told the District is now in charge of these ponds and not the golf course who used to be in charge. I am told they keep a watch on them and will do what they can to remedy any problems. I notice they spray once a week or so to get rid of the algae. They actually get in a boat and go out and spray it and it usually subsides. However the lower the pond gets the easier it seems to be for the algae to grow.

[katezbox]

Yes I noticed that on Kenya 5. I am told the District is now in charge of these ponds and not the golf course who used to be in charge. I am told they keep a watch on them and will do what they can to remedy any problems. I notice they spray once a week or so to get rid of the algae. They actually get in a boat and go out and spray it and it usually subsides. However the lower the pond gets the easier it seems to be for the algae to grow.

Hi VJ

Didn't know the district was in charge - we live on Kenya 5

[kandj]

Anybody ever notice the pond/lake at Harmeswood never varies - drought or deluge it stays the same height. Hmm.....I wonder why?!! Looks like you can buy a pond that stays put.


:agree:
Apparently it is a good thing we bought in Summerchase with a view of the "Harmeswood pond"!. We do have the golf cart path behing our villa, but we didn't look at that as a deterent. We enjoy being able to see the blue herons land on the pond in the morning.

[Barefoot]

Backing on water is indeed a wonderful perk. The birds and bunnies are prolific, and frogs sing at night. Most ponds of course are not spring fed, they're just "holding tanks" for irrigation water. If it doesn't rain, the ponds get low. We chose to back on very small ponds to minimize the likelihood of Gators.

Recently one of our ponds became completely dry, even after a heavy rain. I called the appropriate department to ask about it. A strom drain had to be replaced, and they assured me that after the next rain the pond would look beautiful again.

[Ohiogirl]

If I could afford it, I'd have bought a pond view for the abundant wildlife on some. I'd say if you can afford it, go for it. My advice would be to buy a smaller home with a better view if you have to cut corners somewhere, at least if you are a person who loves to sit on the lanai.

But I have to say that I think some ponds are much prettier than others here. Don't know if they price the lot accordingly. Also, some ponds improve with age - the big one in Bonita on the west side of canal is much prettier now than 3 or 4 years ago.

Others do not seem to improve - there are a couple ponds in the older sections near Spanish Springs that I do not think are worth any additional $, but that's just me.