Buying a house with sink hole mitigation.
 

I'd be interested in any and all opinions as to whether or not this is a good idea. The sink hole was 6 years ago.
Thank you in advance.

Been told safest home you could possibly buy

Why risk it, there are many other options?

i'd be concerned about location--Calumet Grove has had ongoing sinkhole issues that literally scared us away from that area

The big question would be will you be able to get insurance on the house?

If you are asking the question, you must have misgivings.
Ask your insurance agent what they think!

IMO Developers had on going ground collapse problem from Rotted out pipes on couple retention ponds on Lopez. district has corrected the problem with street drains. The only reason two houses was involved was ran drain/transfer lines between private property. And we know how close houses are around here. So not just calumet grove. IMO 99% of sinkholes are retention pond/street drain related, odds are can happen anywhere? We can argue over how high or low the odds are?

As long as hole was completely filled in?

The question IMO will I be able to sell the house down the road? I think buyer opportunity would be limited? With very questions OP asking?

There are so many homes available, why risk it and re-sale may well be a problem when the time comes as you will have to disclose it.

I heard the same thing, Karostay.

I talked to a ground collapse engineer inTampa several years ago.We were considering a home that had had a sink hole and had been repaired. No problem with getting insurance. He said once repaired the home would be more stable than one that hadn’t had a sink hole. The Villages should be able to provide the name of the firm that repaired the sink hole so you could talk directly with the engineers.
Bob

There are difficulties associated with buying a home with a previous sink hole. What caused it is very important, if natural, eg. earth instability it would be difficult to mitigate permanently. But if it was a man made problem that would be easier to correct.

Financing and insurance can be expensive:
‘The engineer report, the repairs performed on the home, and any information regarding your insurance pay out on the property. This will be extremely helpful when it comes time to put it on the market, and it’s going to help your resale value. Right now (2014), repaired sinkhole homes still take a slight hit when they are up for resale. Roughly, it’s about ten percent less the value* assessed for property. So if you home is worth $100,000, it’s going to take 10% right off the top and it’s now worth about $90,000. Part of the reason for this is because even though they are repaired most big banks WILL NOT do mortgages on the properties. It can, also, be challenging, although not impossible, to get homeowners insurance. Thus, the reason the paperwork is so crucial and must be kept in a safe place. (Read between the lines and make copies and put in a safe deposit box, etc.)’

You should get a deal, even if you buy near a previous sinkhole home. Good luck!

Remember 7 years back plus or minus helicopters over head for days cameras trained on sink hole in Buttonwood
I know that owner house was temporarily condemned for over two months truck after truck concrete was brought in steel supports reinforcing the slab
You would never know it even happened they are still there safe and sound didn't cost a penny just aggravation

It was two homes on the left side of the 6th fairway Par 4 on Jacaranda nine at Cane Garden. I played that course a couple of times, they had yellow police tape around the entire yards, so you could easily see them from the golf course. I remember the helicopter, I could hear it at my house when I went outside, I live a 1/2 mile south. In that section that surrounds Jacaranda there is not one home for sale with TV right now and only one with MLS on Zillow, so they must love the area.

It's two homes in the middle of the block on the left side of the fairway on this map. I had thought that might be Pennecamp, it could be Buttonwood, it's hard to say since it's on that side of St. Charles.

Google Maps

One thing for sure.
The Villages has the nicest, prettiest, and biggest sinkholes in Florida!:icon_wink:

No guarantee
 

Do your research and get all documentation on home from company that did repair and inspections.

Sinkhole FAQ | Florida Department of Environmental Protection

I guess the reason for the sinkhole could be the answer. The Calumet Grove sinkhole that destroyed 2 homes was cause by the storm drains. The pipes cracked or came separated and each storm took a little more sand until the ground under the street and two homes was gone. One home has been repaired and I believe someone lives there, the second on is still sitting there all cracked. If the reason is unknown then I might worry.

Before I bought in The Villages I saw a house I really liked, it had everything I was looking for, and a good price as well. Only to find that several years ago it had been repaired for a sink hole problem. My realtor immediately steered me away from that house, saying that I don't need the possible risks involved. Eventually I found an even better house and settled on that one. With all the houses for sale in TV, why take a chance like that. A sinkhole house can be problematic.

Why take a chance with so many other houses on the market. And if your heart is set you should call to see if you can get a homeowners policy and what the cost would be

Only if you can find an insurance company who will write you a sinkhole policy.

You forgot “friendliest”!

We bid on a home that had a previous sinkhole. Insurance company had underwriting review the report of the repair, with pinning. Underwriters said it was one of the safest home in TV. Insurance not a problem. We lost the bid, not because of the sinkhole, but the the bidding war.

You received all good advice from many Villagers.
Will you be able to sleep at night?
Biggest concern? Reselling the house, will it be a problem down the road?
Insurance issues, big question.
Would you purchase a car with a new rebuilt engine or would you look for another car?
My opinion, there are other houses for sale. I would look for another house!!!

I would confirm anything your read in reply-INCLUDING MINE.
I believe the seller must disclose to a buyer that there was a mitigated sink hole.

We bought new 8 years ago and were offered another new home where they had mitigated a sink hole. There was a 10% discount offered on that home. We did NOT buy it-no regrets.

I'm far from a sink hole expert but I don't think they suddenly develop. There is a void and the soil collapses into it. Cost, I don't know but it seems to me we could use mining, oil drilling techniques to find voids. I would be surprised if they don't check before building roads, bridges, rec centers.

In my opinion purchasing a home that had ground remediation done means the possibility of a sinkhole has been fixed. That is the safest home to buy. People think that because there was some ground movement (not necessarily anything that opened up) makes that home unsafe, but in fact, the opposite is true. That home is now much safer than a home that has never been remediated.

There are sinkholes and sinkhole activity all over The Villages, no matter what village you live in, and those homes that have been "fixed" are the safest. You should also have no trouble getting insurance either. If the home has also been remediated, you would not have to purchase expensive sinkhole insurance for the home itself because it is stable. You would only need it for the yard, which also isn't likely.

You wouldn't believe what they bury in the ground when they are clearing off land for houses and once that rots away, you now have a void under the ground that you can't see. I would have no qualms about purchasing a home that had been remediated.

Wouldn’t trust it plus you probably won’t be able to get insurance

If it were remediated correctly you would have no issue getting homeowners insurance.

Sinkhole mitigation - Insurance?
 

I'm not sure what you mean by sinkhole mitigation. I moved here in 2018 and was concerned about sinkholes as had not had to deal with that risk before. I purchased Cabrillio Coastal Home Owners through The Villages Insurance with sinkhole rider that costs $386 per year BUT has a 10% deductible. Like any insurance, you dislike paying for it, but when you need it, you need it real bad. Hope this is helpful.

No! It depends on the cause of the sinkhole. Unstable underground collapse of supporting material, probably limestone, cannot be permanently fixed.

Using your theory, there should be sinkholes everywhere all the time, not just in Florida.

I'd talk with insurance company to see if they would even insure that house.