Of the new neighborhoods...
 

For those of you who have toured around or investigated in the new neighborhoods which do you like the best? And why? I'm thinking about Dunedin, Labelle, Pine Ridge, Osceola Hills…I think that's about all.

Don't know that any one is better than the other, the people make the neighborhoods, but, having said that, if you are looking for access to town squares or shopping, or medical you need to understand the distances from all that stuff. As announced, no plans for anymore town squares so location, location, location comes into play.

LaBelle is only 10 minutes via golf cart from Colony Plaza and even closer to 4 executive golf courses. Better yet---less than 5 minutes (you can walk) to Belle Glade C.C. and 27 holes of Championship golf. Brownwood is about 20 minutes via golf cart and less than 15 by car.

A vast range of homes to choose from in LaBelle. My choice of new Villages.

I like them all but Pine Ridge stood out. Very close to Colony. We have three courses in Buttonwood and I never golf there always somewhere else. I have heard Volusia is nice.

Another thing to keep in mind is, Sumter County property taxes are less than Lake County property taxes. Just something to consider.

Dunedin is the most centrally located. Very close to 3 championship courses and close to 7 execs (with 3 more coming on line). Closest of the new villages to Brownwood. In the middle of 3 Village Rec Centers (Manatee, Bradenton and Captiva).

Pine Ridge is far by cart to everything shopping but Colony. Close to 4 execs (3 are opening soon) and one champion.

Labelle is the next closest to shopping and amenities.

Osceola is the farthest away from town centers and golf.

Depends on what is more important to you. Dunedin is the closest to Brownwood. Labelle and Pine Ridge are closest to shopping though Osceola will have a shopping center on 44 soon.

We chose Labelle North because of Belle Glade (we are right across the street) and the surrounding courses. With all of the rec centers opening that won't be very far (Okeechobee, Burnsed) and quick access to Colony and Manitee, we're pretty happy with our choice. Our other choice would have been to wait until they build the southern end of Pine Hills (closest to Labelle) but then factored in the lower taxes of Sumter County.

I agree. Don't discount a pre-owned home in a neighborhood like Hadley, Hemmingway, Amelia. We are so close to Colony (5 minute), 10 to Sumter Landing, 15 minutes to numerous Championship and Executive golf courses. You get so many extra upgrades in a pre-owned home as well. Laminate floors, pull out drawers, recessed lighting, upgraded fixtures, designer driveways, enclosed lanais, bird cages, etc. If you get a new home all of that is extra coming right out of your pocket.

Interesting feedback and I appreciate your comments!!! :thumbup:
I have and will consider pre-owned. Tough to choose between established neighborhood vs. new where you will obviously have a brand new house but also the ability to pick and choose what you want including colors and materials from the beginning.

We chose LaBelle not only because it will be an easy cart ride to both Colony and the new shopping center next to the Rohan RRC. Walking distance to Bel Glade, short ride to several rec centers and last but Not least the bond was extremely reasonable...

The realtor had told us the bond was $25,000, is that not true? Also, where will the Rohan RRC shopping center be built and what types of stores will be in it? Is it going to be like colony or larger with anchor stores?

For those of you looking in the newer areas, and have not experienced Colony Shopping Center in January, February and March .... BEWARE!!!!!!! It's not a pretty sight. You will have to either go very early in the morning or in the evening. Parking is horrible and Publix is just plain annoying. And never go on the 1st, 2nd or 3rd of January, Feb. or March. That is when all the new renters come in and need to stock up. Just saying .....

I purchased a new Holly last December in the Village of Lake Deaton. Before this purchase, I looked at many Bridgeport/Boxwood/Holly model homes. Two of these pre-owned Bridgeport houses near Lake Sumter are still on the market at more than 10% off the asking price from the summer of 2014.

They are a better deal cost wise than last year yet the new builds are so competitive in price to the pre-owned in my opinion. There are only two new houses left in Lake Deaton for sale. Both show a large discount.

I think LaBelle looks best...location, shopping, amenities. Is there a LaBelle Village website?

Of the new neighborhoods...
 

Best to check a flood map if you're interested in any village south of 466A & east of Morse.

There is no reason to say things like that. The Villages have a very good record for excavating surfaces for run off, managing the levels of ponds and seeing that things drain properly.


About five years ago we had 13 inches of rain within three days and there was standing water, not high, but standing water at the intersection of Morse and Stillwater. That was it. I think that is amazing.

I am stating the obvious. Look at a terrain map of the aforesaid area. It's unlike any other area in the Villages. Can the developer control it ? Perhaps they can, but if it's my money on the table I'll buy high ground property any time over low ground. Any smart person doing their due diligence would. That is reason enough to say things like that, dear Gracie.

There is a LaBelle website for LaBelle residents though. It lists social activities, etc. It doesn't detail properties in LaBelle if that's what you were after.

I have to agree with GG on this one.
I bought south of 466A and just east of Buena Vista. My house is at 72 ft above sea level, even the highest point in TV is only 140. My foundation is 15 1/2 feet above the pond on the golf course which is about 70-80 yds away. I don't expect to be sitting on my roof for the rescue helicopter, nor is Noah going to pull up to my front door. FEMA and Flood insurance people say we're fine. And if TV handled 13 inches in 3 days without looking like Johnstown PA, I'm not worried

Use this map to see the 100 year flood plan data. Zoom/cut to the correct location and then click the 100 year flood zone box to the right of the map. This information is found on the Sumter County site.

Sumter County - Geographic Information System

Ooohh. A bit high on one's self are we?

It's not so obvious at all. If the developer cannot come up with a plan to handle the design storms, they will not get their permits. Of course you have to be aware of flood zones when you develop. That I will agree is obvious. But there's no "perhaps" about it...they either control the water or they don't develop the property.

You do know that higher elevations can flood, right? And lower elevations can handle drainage just fine. It's all in the engineering. The developer has done a very good job in that regard to this point. There is no reason to believe that the southern areas will be handled any less efficiently...even if the topography is a bit different.

The only thing I'm high on, is a hill. Many house's at the bottom of our street with perpetual soggy lawns that the developer refuses to fix. Areas that should have remained wetlands, not developed. But, profit rules and the poor schmucks who didn't do their due diligence suffer.

???????

In our neighborhood which is three years old, three properties had standing water at the beginning and those problems were quickly solved by the developer. I hope we will hear from other people who had their problems solved.

We think it is wonderful that some bright people took some swamp land and fixed it up and sold it to a lot of people. It is the American way.

I eagerly bought here and so did over a hundred thousand other people without a gun to our heads and most of us are satisfied.

There have been posts on TOTV about mosquito problems in some of the new sections. Someone said that mosquito control spraying was not done in all the new sections.

I know that Bonifay Club outdoor bar has a bad fly problem. The manager told me that is because it was built on a former cattle field. Who knows?

To me, I find the well established areas a better buy. Negotiations on price, lower or no bond, no surprises about what is built, and mature landscaping are a few reasons.

I have always suggested having BOTH a Villages realtor and an MLS agent. Neither can show each other's homes. No need to be sneaky because they know savvy buyers do it.

Best of luck. You will be happy anywhere. But check out resales in established neighborhoods!

Being in Lake Deaton, like you are, there are soggy lawn problems. At first I thought it was solely a grading/drainage problem, as shown in the first picture. I too met with the builder, home warranty and the lawn service, and yes, there is some reluctance to install a French drain, at least at first. It is also true that areas south of 466A have a large amount of clay soil which hampers drainage. In the last 5 months I have had the lawn core aerated and top dressed, and the second picture is taken 2 weeks after, showing tremendous improvement (albeit weeds), despite a lot of rainfall. The developer will fix the problem, if you stay after them and it is clearly due to drainage. In my situation, given the photo evidence, I'm not sure I can make that case, but it is a work in progress. The head of home warranty is coming back in October to review the situation, and there ARE properties in lake Deaton that they have fixed. They probably just want to be sure that a French drain is the solution

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Of the new neighborhoods...
 

You forgot the disclaimer.

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anyway, the before image was all mud and puddles

I'm jealous of your perseverance. Me, I would have no patience if I dropped 500K for a house in Florida and my back lawn is a swamp. I avoided this issue simply by looking up my block and down my block just to make sure I wasn't at the bottom.

You a Michigan fan too?

There are actually two issues. Regarding the pitch of the roads, the location of catch basins, and the location and number of retention ponds, the developer appears to have consistently done a competent job. I say this because I see virtually no flooding of the roads, at least where I am, during very heavy rains. The second issue is the grading of the lots and the determination of where french drains need to be installed and the competency of the installation. In this regard, there are numerous examples of a mediocre job. I have seen dozens of instances where french drains were retroactively installed in my Village and at least one example where a french drain was initially installed but had to be redone because of poor installation. You might be temped to say "well they came back and installed them where they were needed". The issue is that you can now see exactly where they were retroactively installed because of poor regrading and sod installation. In addition, warranty has, in some cases, only agreed to address the issues after much back and forth with the homeowners.

Of the new neighborhoods...
 

Ahh. Such a positive attitude. Now I understand your earlier post.

By the way, that would have been a great retort if you'd stopped after your first sentence. Now it's just calling your neighbors names.

If you look at Google earth and then click on show historical imagery back to 1994, you can see what was built on what.

Of the new neighborhoods...
 

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Poor schmuck is a regional term not in this case used as a pejorative. If you were from NYC you'd understand. But your not.

Scmuck here.
We love our new home (2012) below 466A.
No flooding but we do have insurance even if the pool overflows and water comes inside.
I suggest you check out Mount Dora for high area. Not quite as high as McKinley
But keep looking.

I hope all of your neighbors are from NYC so they understand.

Lake County millage rate is 50% higher than Sumter if that is a concern for you.
Sumter is 12.2918 VS Lake is 18.5763.

Oh my, I didn't realize what I had done :shocked:. When I was typing this thread I thought it was fairly innocuous. Apparently I was mistaken.