[Dsalmiery]

Originally Posted by frose

you probably did not over look this, you weren't told about about it.. wait it gets better

What else??

[dewilson58]

Originally Posted by Sabella

A lot of important $ information was not discussed/disclosed when I purchased.

Whoops.............Sounds like significant issues with your Due Diligence process.

[jamorela]

Originally Posted by Luggage

The real question should be what is your total tax burden, compared to being outside of the villages such as being in Leesburg proper in a normal home without golf courses or 50 pools?
I live in a senior community in Lake county and my taxes for a 2000 foot home is approximately $1,300 a year, my HOA fees which do not include going to the golf course for free, but do include cable and high-speed internet or roughly $212 a month. We don't have a bond to pay off either. So basically you do get what you pay for more or less, we chose less as we do not golf and we have less flowers than you do and a much less restrictive HOA covenant.

Interesting! Where do you live?

[westernrider75]

Our realtor explained what and how much these charges would be during the hours we spent with her in the shopping for a home process.

[sallyg]

Funny how they forgot to mention it.

[Joe Sacco]

I probably spent 20 hours over the six months prior to moving researching fees, what I wanted to improve on a new house and local laws and rules. I had no problems or surprises and bought my house in 7 days. I believe most all information I needed was available on line, no surprises.

[joelfmi]

Never a true word spoken. CDD bonded homes to buy are not the best homes to purchase for a number of reasons,

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by tophcfa

A fiscal year has nothing to do with a calendar year. With a little foresight, the fiscal year could have easily been scheduled so the budgeting process could have been coordinated with the season when the most homeowners would be available. It certainly doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out the summer is not the optimal time in a Florida retirement community.

Despite the fact that meeting turnout is typically sparse, it would almost certainly be better attended during the season when most homeowners are in the area.

I don't know the history of starting a fiscal year in October (or even January) but it seems to be the choice of most government bodies in the US. It is probably true that whoever created the first October-based fiscal year did not have the foresight to see that it would cause problems for some who live in a retirement community in Florida and choose to be away from home in August and September. However, I seriously doubt the October fiscal year was chosen for most government bodies so that they could sneak things past Florida retirees.

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by joelfmi

Never a true word spoken. CDD bonded homes to buy are not the best homes to purchase for a number of reasons,

Why would someone who doesn't own a home here and feels our homes are not the best homes to purchase be commenting on these boards?

[Altavia]

Originally Posted by joelfmi

Never a true word spoken. CDD bonded homes to buy are not the best homes to purchase for a number of reasons,

But yet over 100 new homes per week continue to sell within days is appearing on market.

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by sallyg

Funny how they forgot to mention it.

I know I was told how much the annual tax bill would be and that it included a bond that could be paid off. That was the information I needed to know. I did not go over the bill to ask what each of the six lines were, whether they could be changed, who had the power to make a change, and when the change would occur.

I don't feel there was any attempt to deceive me, that just wasn't a level of detail that mattered at the time of purchase.

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by rsimpson

New Owner in March. I just received a notice about Annaul Maintenanc Assessment and increase to same fro the CDD. I don't recal this on any disclosures during the purchase process. Did I overlook this entirely? Is this the "Bond" payment they referenced? Do these $400-500 annual charges continue the rest of our lives??

In the "Cost of Living" section of "thevillages.com" website, maintenance is included in the average monthly cost breakdown. They have a monthly cost breakdown for each type of house. For designer houses, it is stated as:

Average Development District Assessment
(bond + maintenance + fire)
$220.00

[golfing eagles]

Originally Posted by sallyg

Funny how they forgot to mention it.

It's called due diligence, not a bad thing to practice on what is probably the largest purchase in most people's lives. The info that "they forgot to mention" is just a few clicks away. Did they mention you shouldn't play with alligators? Did they tell you there are unscrupulous contractors out there? Did they tell you that 1/2 the drivers are clueless in a RB? They are salespersons, not nannies.

[Dlbonivich]

This should be disclosed on a community development district disclosure signed by you and the seller. I also always provide my buyers with a copy of the tax record , which would also show it. I am a realtor. Not sure you used one.

[Larchap49]

Originally Posted by rsimpson

New Owner in March. I just received a notice about Annaul Maintenanc Assessment and increase to same fro the CDD. I don't recal this on any disclosures during the purchase process. Did I overlook this entirely? Is this the "Bond" payment they referenced? Do these $400-500 annual charges continue the rest of our lives??

Don't feel alone. When I purchased 2 years ago the maintenance fee was never mentioned everything else was noted but that was an unexpected surprise when the bill came.