water lot homes - any concerns?

[Hopeful2]

I love the beauty of a water lot property but was wondering if mosquitoes and other insects become an issue. . . or are there any other issues of concern when buying a home that backs to water?
Thanks for any feedback!

[graciegirl]

I love the beauty of a water lot property but was wondering if mosquitoes and other insects become an issue. . . or are there any other issues of concern when buying a home that backs to water?
Thanks for any feedback!

CQuick has told us that the frogs are pretty loud. Not her neighbors the ones in the water.

[justjim]

Except for bugs, snakes and gators there is nothing wrong with waterfront lots in Florida. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.

[kittygilchrist]

I'm on water. depends if it's a prairie, a preserve, a golfing lake, or what and what time of year...I get minimal insects on the birdcage, guess you'd have to be specific. No mosquitoes even outside the cage. lovebugs like the never ending row of night lamps, so I turned mine off.

[twinklesweep]

Except for bugs, snakes and gators there is nothing wrong with waterfront lots in Florida. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.

This is pretty much what I have heard over the years about waterfront properties, particularly about snakes (mostly harmless, I'm told). A local tradesman who was born and grew up here and is grateful to TV for his business (whom I found through TOTV recommendation) has often commented about TV being built with the mandated water catchment basins which are then marketed as upscale (that is, "up-priced") waterfront lots....

[LuvlyJubly]

This is pretty much what I have heard over the years about waterfront properties, particularly about snakes (mostly harmless, I'm told). A local tradesman who was born and grew up here and is grateful to TV for his business (whom I found through TOTV recommendation) has often commented about TV being built with the mandated water catchment basins which are then marketed as upscale (that is, "up-priced") waterfront lots....



Did someone mention snakes? Guess I shall cross "waterfront" on our house lot choice off our list!!! :22yikes:

[Barefoot]

I love the beauty of a water lot property but was wondering if mosquitoes and other insects become an issue. . . or are there any other issues of concern when buying a home that backs to water?
Thanks for any feedback!

We back on two small ponds. No mosquitos, no snakes, just the sweet lullaby of frogs serenading you to sleep. And in the morning you waken to see all the birds fish for food. If you're lucky, you may see pelicans and Sandhills cranes. Water lots are awesome.

[Cedwards38]

Uhhhh, gators eating your dogs? Maybe not. :smiley:

[shcisamax]

One of the iffy things about some of the water lots is there is the possibility the "water" will dry up...TV does not guarantee the water will be there in the future. I was told that is what happened in Belvedere which annoyed some owners. I think the marshes might be concerning because in drought, everything would start to grow with the increase sun and then with a small amount of water, would grow even faster until ...no more marsh. The retaining ponds probably have a better chance because they can divert water here and there accordingly.

[JE Greenwood]

We back on two small ponds. No mosquitos, no snakes, just the sweet lullaby of frogs serenading you to sleep. And in the morning you waken to see all the birds fish for food. If you're lucky, you may see pelicans and Sandhills cranes. Water lots are awesome.

This sounds like heaven! Enjoy!

[Hopeful2]

Does anyone know of anyone who bought a water view lot at The Villages...but later came to regret their decision?

[jane032657]

We live on the water side of Mission Hills and also face Live Oaks Park. We wake up to the lake glistening, the birds flying, the huge sky over the lake. We have a birdcage and do not have any bug issues except the same as everyone else like love bugs. The sound of the frogs and crickets at night is entertaining. I would not move and am happy we made the choice to pay the extra and live there. It really is peaceful and private.

[cquick]

CQuick has told us that the frogs are pretty loud. Not her neighbors the ones in the water.

The frogs are only loud in the hot summer, they have actually quieted down already. No sound from them at all in the winter, of course.

We don't notice any more bugs here than we had at the villa or the house in Liberty Park. It is nice to see the ducks and egrets and other water birds.

[Hopeful2]

Thank you for all your responses! It does sound like people who have bought a water view property are very happy with their decision.

[samhass]

We are right on Lake Sumter. The lake offers us so many different sights. Sometimes it looks like millions of diamonds have been dropped on the surface of the water. The water color changes with the color of the sky. Sometimes it looks pink and another time it may look indigo, or white..or like glass. It is always beautiful and I will never tire of it. Bugs, snakes, and alligators exist everywhere in central Florida. I certainly would not give up my lakefront for any of them.

[Campbell soup]

We live on the preserve with a large pond behind us. We love watching the Great Blue Huron fish, Egrets motionless for 15 minute at time to catch a frog for dinner. Its beautiful and the big plus no neighbors behind us just the wonderful sounds of nature. Insects a few if any never have seen a snake in three years.

[Midvale]

You can find interesting wildlife even in a puddle in Florida.

[jojo]

We're on water and have few insects. In five years I have not been bitten by a mosquito at home. There are periods when we get the tree frog croaking but fortunately it's muted in the house. We enjoy trying to figure out the social lives and patterns of the ducks and of course we have the herons, ibis, egrets and occasional sand hill cranes. Love the reflections of the sunset. We've had absolutely no problems living on the water.

[Barefoot]

One of the iffy things about some of the water lots is there is the possibility the "water" will dry up...TV does not guarantee the water will be there in the future. I was told that is what happened in Belvedere which annoyed some owners. I think the marshes might be concerning because in drought, everything would start to grow with the increase sun and then with a small amount of water, would grow even faster until ...no more marsh. The retaining ponds probably have a better chance because they can divert water here and there accordingly.

Most water views in The Villages seem to be of retention ponds. A lot of the ponds are on golf courses, but there are other ponds that are circled by houses. The price of a view lot is dependent on how desirable the view is. Even though the ponds are mostly man-made, they are pretty to look at and attract lots of beautiful birds. It's really magical to watch the Pelicans fishing in formation. (Some water views are of marshy environmental areas, they may well be more buggy). SamHass, who backs directly on Lake Sumter, has an absolutely incredible view lot.

It's true that The Villages doesn't guarantee that there will always be water in the retention ponds, which are connected with pipes, because the level of the water is dependent on rainfall. Sometimes the ponds are overflowing, sometimes a lot less, but there is usually a nice level of water. I know a large pond in Bonita Village that had a problem with the liner - the pond had to be drained and the liner replaced by The Villages. In Belvedere Village, we did have a problem with the water levels in one pond - The Villages repaired the liner of the connecting pipe, and all is well.

[swimdawg]

I live on a lake/pond....excuse me....an OCEAN (according to Bill'nBrillo) in St. James. It is absolutely beautiful to see the egrets, duckies, blue herons, etc. swimming in the "ocean". I wouldn't trade my view for anything. I purposely wanted a view with the lanai facing west because I love to watch the sunset over water. Now I have the lanai enclosed so I can enjoy it year round. The sunsets over the "ocean" in St. James are breathtaking!

Go for the water view....it's the best!:thumbup: