sub divisions and HOA's

[bigeasy1]

Two very different real estate issues between New England and Florida are Sub divisions and Hoa's I'm not familiar with either of them as they are almost non existent in Massachusetts where I live.

In Ma. for the most part there are none of the restrictions that I keep finding in Florida real estate such as monthly or yearly fees,for community perks like pools etc or all kinds of rules on what you can or can't do.
Up north,We have zoning laws set by the towns or cities,but they are fairly lenient,unless your a slob with all kinds of junk laying around.If you keep things neat and orderly its rare to be bothered.

I get the whole thing about rules and regs,no one wants to live next to a house that looks like a junkyard,but many of the places I've see in Fl.have extremely stringent rules,heck some you cant even wash your car in the driveway,what's with that?
Is it just because I'm looking at homes in the 150,000 or so price range? Any advice.I think I'm leaning mid east coast areas.

I could care less about a community house or pools or yada yada. I'd rather have a small house in a less populated area,that's near a non crowded launch ramp ,with a nice size yard.Maybe I have to up my price range. Still have to get my home sold as well,so that can muck up the works.

[NoBones]

Yo John,

Sorry for dropping the ball on getting back to you about locations
in my area..

You do not want any HOA's !!!!

When Patti and I were looking for a place to build we originally
bought a 3/4 acre lot in an up scale subdivision in Ormond Beach, FL.

The price of the lot was $35K in 1999 pie shaped on a cul da sac..
Average home price at that time was 250K-450K

There were a least a dozen homes that had detached garages in the development.. So we thought this would be ideal for us..

Once we closed on the property an got a copy of the covenants and restrictions upon starting to read this 3/4 inch thick document I was
getting madder the more I read!!

They had lowered the size limit on detached garages to 400 sg ft.
Your garage could only be open to either enter or exit.....
Waste collection could only be put at curb the day of collection after 7:00AM
Yard work was permitted only from 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Mon-Sat
No mechanical work whatsoever in your driveway
Plus monthly dues of $150 for common areas...
Yada, Yada, Yada....

Needless to say a For Sale sign went up.. Lucky enough to have sold it
with in 90 days for a 10K profit..

Sooo the search went on for the wife and I..
It took almost a year when we found Area 442 in the woods!!

Best move of my whole life.. NO HOA, NO NEIGHBORS, NO BS !!
Only downside was dealing with the county on environmental issues
during construction..

There are a bunch of places all along the Intracoastal Waterway in Volusia
and Brevard county that have no restrictions or HOA's

Canal lots with small homes are in $150K range with direct access to the
ICW and Ponce Inlet which leads out to the Atlantic..

Again, sorry for letting you down but I will gather some listings and send
them to you..

You will never regret making the move!

[Ed]

There are places that don't have HOA's. In fact, the fellow I used to captain for had a home on a canal in Hobe Sound that did not have an HOA. On the lower priced neighborhoods, HOA's may be more prevalent in an attempt to keep the riff-raff out and everything neat & orderly.

Your best bet would be to get in touch with a realtor who knows the area well. In fact, our own Capt Chuck's wife, Lillian, is a long time realtor in the Stuart area. Reach out to Chuck and see if Lillian can help you out.

[bigeasy1]

Thanks guys,appreciate the quick replies.Ken, don't worry,no rush. I have the engineer coming over next week to design a new septic system,as mine is shot,and I can't sell this house until it meets what they call a Title 5 inspection.Banks will not give a mortgage without it.
I'm hoping my house will sell in a reasonable amount of time,as this is where most of my money will come from.At this point I'm doing mostly research and naturally wouldn't want to waste anybodies time until I'm able(hopefully by late fall at the latest).

I figure that I'd make a trip down to Florida sometime in the summer for a week or so just to do some window shopping..That will let me see first hand what the housing market is actually like and what I can afford.

I'm getting there,just have to clear some obstacles. Thanks again guys

[PigSticker]

Melbourne, Sebastien, Vero, Ft Pierce, there are plenty of low key areas to look

[Spidercrab]

I get the whole thing about rules and regs,no one wants to live next to a house that looks like a junkyard,but many of the places I've see in Fl.have extremely stringent rules,heck some you cant even wash your car in the driveway,what's with that?

mr big easy

u from new orlins? my friends and naybers have no dang HOA. come live in my town

bye sam

[bigeasy1]

Originally Posted by Spidercrab

mr big easy

u from new orlins? my friends and naybers have no dang HOA. come live in my town

bye sam

Mr spider, nah I dont be hay lynn frm noleans, I just be an up north krackr.wit a screen name dat makes foks think I be from da south.

Actually had a small aluminum boat named reel easy then bought a 21 Trophy and my daughter came up with the name big easy because it was a much bigger boat.Got smart and restored my 23 Seacraft, sold the Trophy and put all the easy names to rest.
Id like to change my screen name, but after all this time why bother.

So, sam is that pontoon boat in your replh for sale, I may be interested in it if came with just the girls.

[CaptLloyd]

Originally Posted by Spidercrab

mr big easy

u from new orlins? my friends and naybers have no dang HOA. come live in my town

bye sam

I think the guy with the beer in his hand and the goat are making eye contact...looks like trouble That could get the HOA all worked up!

Seriously John, my HOA fees are $35/year (volunterry). Have patients, and a good realtor.

Good luck!

Lloyd

[cdavisdb]

I live in Sarasota, which must be near ground zero for obnoxious HOAs Well, maybe Miami is worse, but not much. Everybody seems to want to live in such prisons. Darned if I can figure out why. It is possible, even here, to find a beautiful property, Great trees, nice neighbors, close to town and a launch ramp and no HOA. Took a while, but we managed it.

Moral: look carefully and find an agent who really understands what you want, is willing to spend the time to find it, and won't waste your time showing you houses that, to you, are junk.
And be prepared to be patient.

[FLexpat]

I have 2 words regarding a HOA permanently etched into my brain:
NEVER AGAIN