Community Chat

[Shelbelle]

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@Zhills wrote:

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@Shelbelle wrote:

Zhills, I assume you live in Zephyrhills, i have a close friend whol ives there.  They are there full time for the last 12 years.

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I don't live in Zephyrhills but I live near there and New Tampa, Temple Terrace and Plant City.  I got my mail out of Zephyrhills when I joined on here and never changed it. 

How do your friends like the area.  If they have been here 12 years they must like it!

Pasco County is a lovely area and so is Polk County.

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I think they are happy, they are in a new community with single homes, bought it brand new. They both still work in a close by country club, they do love most of their fellow neighbors, but they hate the snowbirds!!! And I am happy to see they are getting good medical care there too, moved there from outside NYC. They want to work, but are of retirement age.

[CJC]

Without knowing your price range, it's difficult to recommend specific communities.  I have family in the Clearwater area (Pinellas County), and my parents lived in Pasco County for 30 years.  Best known really nice 55+ community on the Pinellas/Pasco line is Heritage Springs, a gated neighborhood within the very large development called Trinity.  Trinity is located just north of Clearwater/Tarpon Springs/Palm Harbor.  It's about 40 minutes to Clearwater Beach, about 30 minutes to Dunedin beaches.  Trinity has everything--schools, hospital, shopping, entertainment etc.  Retirement homes are about 250K to 300K.  There are villas and townhomes at lower prices.  Yes, they have golf, but you needn't be a golfer to enjoy living there.  Too many amenities and activities to mention. 

Further south of Tampa Bay you have Valencia Lakes, upscale 55+ luxury living.  And there are 55+ condos and townhomes throughout the Tampa Bay area.  The original Del Webb Sun City Tampa is nearby.  BTW, Del Webb sold out to Pulte Homes several years ago, so Pulte is the builder in all Del Webb communities.

My mom & dad lived in Pasco County in a neighborhood called Beacon Woods.  It was a new retirement area back in the late 1970's--not age restricted but mostly full of WWII retirees back then.  Those homes have now sold to younger families who are able to commute to jobs in Tampa via the newer Suncoast Highway.  Beacon Woods is a very nice place to live if you have 125K or less to spend on a home.  Not gated, but there is a strong HOA and many activities  Housing prices in Pasco County are way lower than those of neighboring counties, reason being West Pasco has a reputation for drugs & crime.  Pasco works best if you stay south of Rt. 54.  Many nice developments in that area and several new developments in the planning stages.  Google development plans for Rt. 54 & Little Road.

The Villages seems to be enjoyed by so many of its residents, but know that it is in the Ocala area which is more toward central Florida.  No ocean breezes in The Villages, but amenities galore.

Good luck with your search!

[151949]

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@Shelbelle wrote:

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@Zhills wrote:

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@Shelbelle wrote:

Zhills, I assume you live in Zephyrhills, i have a close friend whol ives there.  They are there full time for the last 12 years.

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I don't live in Zephyrhills but I live near there and New Tampa, Temple Terrace and Plant City.  I got my mail out of Zephyrhills when I joined on here and never changed it. 

How do your friends like the area.  If they have been here 12 years they must like it!

Pasco County is a lovely area and so is Polk County.

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I think they are happy, they are in a new community with single homes, bought it brand new. They both still work in a close by country club, they do love most of their fellow neighbors, but they hate the snowbirds!!! And I am happy to see they are getting good medical care there too, moved there from outside NYC. They want to work, but are of retirement age.

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Everyone loves to hate the snowbirds but they never mind all the money we bring down here though.Many people here would not be able to make a living if it weren't for the snowbirds. The girl who used to cut my hair told me she made enough during the months of Jan Feb & March to cover all her needs for the entire year.

[italia8140]

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@Zhills wrote:

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@151949 wrote:

One of my closest friends moved to our town after she visited us here , and she lives in a mobile home in a very nice park. They do have a lot of activities there but her HOA fees and her homeowners ins. equal ours and we are in a practically brand new house. Her liability insurance is horrific because if that mobile home or any parts of it go airborne during a high wind she would be liable for any damage it causes. Of course she has to evacuate in any storms that have high winds - so she even leaves when it is just a tropical storm. I feel safe in our house - built to the newest hurricane standards in any storm except for the possibility of storm surge and flooding which are always possibe when you live near the ocean. 

My advice , when you start to actually look for a house, before you sign anything to look into what insurance will cost as well as taxes and HOA fees - always keeping in mind that HOA fees are always low while the builders are trying to sell property but can go way up after the builder is gone. Especially - look into flood insurance cost as some places it can be extremely high.

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You always know the "exception to the rule" when it comes to trying to prove someone wrong.  My HOA fee is $5 per year!  

Remember the 5 blind men and the elephant?  You see one small part of Florida!   A very tiny part!

The reason the area you are in is the fastest growing area is because it was ranch land and swamp land until 2 ranchers in that area sold.   It is one of the most recent tracts of land that has been rezoned from "farm" to "residential" so someone could build. 

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That's her MO. SAD!

[Lila Belle]

n/m

[homedecor1]

@CJC

@Ditzydori

I live in Pasco County and know both places you are referring to. The Trinity area is building, growing and I can't believe how many homes are in the new developments Starkey Ranch, Mitchell Ranch, Longleaf,  Trinity Commons, and many more along State Road 54 going up. The Starkeys and Mitchell's I've been told have sold thousands of acre to developers in the past 5 years.

We live in gated country club community with resident owned golf course (which I understand is great as it can never be sold as we own it), our amenities are great for golfers although I'm not a golfer. But gym, library, clubhouse and great pool.

When I moved here 5 years ago the avg age was 79 (I was 53 hubby 58) land the older people have moved or sadly died. In the past year we've had so many young retirees (55) move in its great. 3 years ago I bought my villa for $133,000 on golf course I was hinting of going into a 3 bedroom home our house value is now $184,000. The average price in here I believe is $180-$300,000 of course depends on each home and situation (many estate sales).   

We we are about 10 minutes from both Trinity (state road 54 nightmare traffic) and Heritage Hills. There is also another nice gated community Silver Springs (Little Road) I think that's the name and Beacon Woods is off of 52 and 19. I have friends who live in all these communities.  We also are about 45 minutes to Tampa International Airport and my favorite Clearwater Beach. There are other beaches close by but I prefer Clearwater.

when I moved to this area it was cow pasture omg in the past 3 years it's grown so much, we even just got a new outlet mall off of 54/56 below Wesley Chapel and they are building a massive PUblix on 54 to accommodate all the new homes.  About 2 years ago they built Trinity Hospital state of the art. Although no mall in this area have to travel to Wesley Chapel or Citrus Mall if you want better stores.

There is also Ballantree, Concord Station and a new one Astria being built on 54. 

My spouse chose our community for the HOA fees are very reasonable and golf course is exceptional, per everyone and of course his friends lived here.

PS: we had to be a one year permanent resident to get all the tax exemptions, I.e., owned home as primary resident. I'm not familiar with all the back and forth on this board but I do know for a fact the year I bought this villa I paid FULL assessed taxes (double what I pay now and the person I bought from was a snowbird) this has to be your primary residence. After 1 year we were sent a form which we needed to provide documentation.

[Zhills]

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@151949 wrote:

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Everyone loves to hate the snowbirds but they never mind all the money we bring down here though.Many people here would not be able to make a living if it weren't for the snowbirds. The girl who used to cut my hair told me she made enough during the months of Jan Feb & March to cover all her needs for the entire year

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Yep, that's is the only way Florida survives!

Bless your heart!

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida’s elderly population fluctuates by nearly 20 percent over the course of a year with the winter arrival of “snowbirds” embracing warmer weather and the summer departure of “sunbirds” escaping to cooler climes, a new University of Florida study finds.

That 20% for 3 - 6  months keep us green!   

Those 97.3 MILLION tourists would not have a place to go if not for "snowbirds"!

[151949]

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@homedecor1 wrote:

@CJC

@Ditzydori

I live in Pasco County and know both places you are referring to. The Trinity area is building, growing and I can't believe how many homes are in the new developments Starkey Ranch, Mitchell Ranch, Longleaf,  Trinity Commons, and many more along State Road 54 going up. The Starkeys and Mitchell's I've been told have sold thousands of acre to developers in the past 5 years.

We live in gated country club community with resident owned golf course (which I understand is great as it can never be sold as we own it), our amenities are great for golfers although I'm not a golfer. But gym, library, clubhouse and great pool.

When I moved here 5 years ago the avg age was 79 (I was 53 hubby 58) land the older people have moved or sadly died. In the past year we've had so many young retirees (55) move in its great. 3 years ago I bought my villa for $133,000 on golf course I was hinting of going into a 3 bedroom home our house value is now $184,000. The average price in here I believe is $180-$300,000 of course depends on each home and situation (many estate sales).   

We we are about 10 minutes from both Trinity (state road 54 nightmare traffic) and Heritage Hills. There is also another nice gated community Silver Springs (Little Road) I think that's the name and Beacon Woods is off of 52 and 19. I have friends who live in all these communities.  We also are about 45 minutes to Tampa International Airport and my favorite Clearwater Beach. There are other beaches close by but I prefer Clearwater.

when I moved to this area it was cow pasture omg in the past 3 years it's grown so much, we even just got a new outlet mall off of 54/56 below Wesley Chapel and they are building a massive PUblix on 54 to accommodate all the new homes.  About 2 years ago they built Trinity Hospital state of the art. Although no mall in this area have to travel to Wesley Chapel or Citrus Mall if you want better stores.

There is also Ballantree, Concord Station and a new one Astria being built on 54. 

My spouse chose our community for the HOA fees are very reasonable and golf course is exceptional, per everyone and of course his friends lived here.

PS: we had to be a one year permanent resident to get all the tax exemptions, I.e., owned home as primary resident. I'm not familiar with all the back and forth on this board but I do know for a fact the year I bought this villa I paid FULL assessed taxes (double what I pay now and the person I bought from was a snowbird) this has to be your primary residence. After 1 year we were sent a form which we needed to provide documentation.

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Since the homestead is applied to COUNTY taxes I am certain they vary from county to county. As I stated in my post - I gave the rules for Sarasota County where I live.

[homedecor1]

@151949

Yes you're right I'm not familiar with the tax structure the way it's determined. Hopefully with all this building and growth in this immediate area our taxes will remain low. 

My cousin lives is your area and I know her taxes are much higher.

[homedecor1]

@Ditzydori

The name of another older but beautiful gated over 55 is called Seven Springs (I called it Silver Springs). My husband golfs there occasionally and my friend lives there.  It's on State Road 54 but also another section on Little Road.

He said he's not sure about fees, golf course, it's over 30 years old.