[TVMayor]

Originally Posted by Dr Winston O Boogie jr

I can't be sure, but I get the impression that the land is the same. He was selling lots until the law changed. Once that happened he came down here and began selling lots with the mobile homes on them.


From the link posted by Bogie Shooter:


Do you know for sure that the original mail order lots were somewhere other than OBG. If that was the case, then where was that land and what happened to it?

Do I know for sure, as sure as I know a hobby horse has a wooden d***.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

Also from the same linked article.
This does make it a bit confusing.

1969
Harry and Louise Miller were settled in the mobile park by Christmas as the first residents. They were the only residents until April 1970. It was reported that the Millers had to run off the cows wanting to graze in their yard. Harry was was often seen shagging golf balls in Vermont Avenue.
1970
Harold Schwartz purchased the Orange Blossom Garden manufactured home park in the early '70s. Stuck with considerable portions of Florida land, after the federal government banned the sale of land by mail order, Schwartz and Tarrson had no choice but to go forward and develop a mobil home park called orange Blossom Gardens in the northwest corner of Lake County. Both single wide and double wide homes were available from different manufacturers until a decision was made to feature only one manufacturer, Fleetline Homes. A model home was set up on Vermont Avenue alongside the Chapel of all Faiths church. A variety of homes with a wide range in both size and cost were offered.

It sounds like the land he was selling by mail may have surrounded and existing Mobile Home park called Orange Blossom Gardens. It also sounds like he bought the park and expanded it into his land.

[TVMayor]

Originally Posted by mrfixit

..Did LBCV recently sell this portion to The Villages ?

Got me.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

Originally Posted by Bogie Shooter

Orange Blossom Gardens was in those early ads.

THE VILLAGES � HAROLD SCHWARTZ & SON, H GARY MORSE | THE VILLAGES SOCIAL DIARY

Thanks for posting this. I find this kind of stuff fascinating.

I wonder what became of Harold's other two children by his second marriage. It says his son Richard lives in The Villages but has nothing to do with the corporation. It doesn't say anything about the other two.

[manaboutown]

What I have read reveals Harold was selling land by mail order in both Florida and New Mexico until such sales were banned by the federal government in the late 1960's. I remember mail order land sales in New Mexico. At least one developer a few years ago assembled some of the lots in an area called Rio Rancho and has built apartments there. It was quite a chore. The buyers and their heirs and devisees were located where possible. I do not know whether he was able to obtain lots where owners could not be found or did not want to sell but he assembled a site comprising numerous contiguous lots.

At least some of Harold's sales/transactions were no doubt recorded when the deeds passed in the county in which the lots were located although the sales may have been under some type of land installment contract where the buyer does not obtain the deed until the final payment is made. Then the buyer needs to record the deed for the sale to be of public record.

According to what I have read Harold and his partner acquired OBG in about 1970. That would be after they ceased selling lots by mail. Does anyone know if OBG was an existing mobile home park at time of their purchase or did they purchase the land and develop the park?

OBG could possibly have no relation to at least some of their land sales by mail.

Anyway, Harold could have been selling lots anywhere in Florida from what I have read, not necessarily in, near or abutting OBG.

[TVMayor]

[dirtbanker]

So that is why that land sits vacant all these years.

[NoMoSno]

Originally Posted by dirtbanker

So that is why that land sits vacant all these years.

Wonder why it is still vacant?
Nostalgia?
Future airport runway?
Future site of a real gun range?

[dirtbanker]

Originally Posted by NoMoSno

Wonder why it is still vacant?
Nostalgia?
Future airport runway?
Future site of a real gun range?

Might be a similar challenge to what manaboutown was describing.

Originally Posted by manaboutown

At least one developer a few years ago assembled some of the lots in an area called Rio Rancho and has built apartments there. It was quite a chore. The buyers and their heirs and devisees were located where possible. I do not know whether he was able to obtain lots where owners could not be found or did not want to sell but he assembled a site comprising numerous contiguous lots.

Real gun range would be fun!

[TVMayor]

Originally Posted by NoMoSno

Wonder why it is still vacant?
Nostalgia?
Future airport runway?
Future site of a real gun range?

This property has 10 pages of deed restrictions, no septic tank, (it has no sewers) seller had first dibs on buying it back if owner wanted to sell it, each lot owner would have to build his own house and you have no roads. Not all lots were sold some were bought back as late as 2002 some were sold for back taxes. One was sold for less than $2000 for back taxes. Originally they sold for $10 down and $10/mo. I have not seen any documents to confirm that.

[delima2000]

Wow thanks for that info. That field is behind our house. I have some of the property owners names that own the plots behind my house,

[bkcunningham1]

Originally Posted by TVMayor

This property has 10 pages of deed restrictions, no septic tank, (it has no sewers) seller had first dibs on buying it back if owner wanted to sell it, each lot owner would have to build his own house and you have no roads. Not all lots were sold some were bought back as late as 2002 some were sold for back taxes. One was sold for less than $2000 for back taxes. Originally they sold for $10 down and $10/mo. I have not seen any documents to confirm that.

Where can we read this information you have posted? I'm a natural skeptic. I would like to see it and verify it for myself.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

Originally Posted by TVMayor

This property has 10 pages of deed restrictions, no septic tank, (it has no sewers) seller had first dibs on buying it back if owner wanted to sell it, each lot owner would have to build his own house and you have no roads. Not all lots were sold some were bought back as late as 2002 some were sold for back taxes. One was sold for less than $2000 for back taxes. Originally they sold for $10 down and $10/mo. I have not seen any documents to confirm that.

So you're saying that there are lots there that are owned by several different owners?

According to the article posted earlier Schwartz and Tarrson were selling lots in an area called Orange Blossom Gardens. As far as I know Orange Blossom Gardens sits to the northeast of 27/441.

[TVMayor]

Originally Posted by bkcunningham1

Where can we read this information you have posted? I'm a natural skeptic. I would like to see it and verify it for myself.

I was going to post a link, I tested it before posting to see if it would work and it did not. I think the document is a pdf but I am reading it in Firefox bla, bla,bla.

Go to
Search

Click on �Name� first row left side.

Do a search for
Orange Blossom Hills South

[TVMayor]

Originally Posted by Dr Winston O Boogie jr

So you're saying that there are lots there that are owned by several different owners?

According to the article posted earlier Schwartz and Tarrson were selling lots in an area called Orange Blossom Gardens. As far as I know Orange Blossom Gardens sits to the northeast of 27/441.

Yes they are owned by several different owners and yes Orange Blossom Gardens sits to the northeast of 27/441.
Perhaps post 21 illustrate the mail order property in question.