Posts Tagged ‘ocala rertirement communities’
Ocala Palms Golf Course Community
Ocala Palms
Ocala Palms is a golf course community located in the NW part of Ocala Florida. Ocala Palms is within the Ocala city limits. It is not a 55+ community even though you might see it listed as such sometimes. There are both frame and vinyl and concrete block and stucco homes here. Home prices and sizes vary a lot. The size can range from 1,000 sq ft of living area up to almost 3,000. Homes in Ocala Palms are fairly close together on smaller lots. Prices go from below $100,000- up to $300,000-. HOA fees are around $130- per month and include the club house, pool, tennis, a 24 hour guard at the gate, common area maintenance, curb side trash pickup, basic cable but not golf. Ocala Palms is a golf cart community meaning you can drive your cart down the road but you can’t make it to any shopping.
If you would like a list of homes for sale in Ocala Palms fill out my Dream Home Finder located in the column on the right hand side of this page.
Candler Hills Ocala Florida
Candler Hills Sign
Candler Hills is an active 55+ golf course community located in SW Ocala. Candler Hills is a newer part of the On Top of the World Communities. The homes here are of concrete block and stucco construction and built within the last 4 years. There are new homes for sale and quite a few resales. Resales are in the $150-250,000- range. HOA fees are currently $210.00 per month and include a 24 hour guard at the gate, common area maintenance, curb side trash pickup, basic cable and high speed internet, access to On Top of the World amenities at a discount price, discount golf fees, the Candler Hills clubhouse and heated outdoor pool. Candler Hills is a golf cart community meaning you can drive your cart down the road. As a matter of fact you could drive all the way to a super market if you were so inclined. You are not allowed to finance more than 80% of the purchase price of a home here.
If you would like a list of homes for sale in Candler Hills fill out my Dream Home Finder located in the column on the right hand side of this page.
Marion Landing Ocala Florida
Marion Landing is a 55 plus retirement community located in SW Ocala. Marion Landing is in a great location just off SR 200 close to shopping, restaurants and hospitals. There is a nice clubhouse with it’s own bowling alley, a large pool, tennis court and even a small fishing pond. HOA fees cover water and sewer, common area maintenance,all amenities and twice weekly curb side trash pickup. Marion Landing was built over a period of 20 years. There is a mix of homes here. Older mobile homes from the 1980′s, frame and vinyl construction and some newer block and stucco homes. Even older less expensive homes here show pride of ownership. Prices range from $50,000- for an older mobile to around $175,000- for a CBS home built in the past few years. HOA fees are $318.00 per quarter. Marion Landing is not gated but there is a night time security patrol.
If you would like a list of homes for sale in Marion Landing fill out my Dream Home Finder located in the column on the right hand side of this page.
Cherry Wood Estates Ocala Florida
Cherry Wood is a 55 plus retirement community in the SW part of Ocala Florida. Cherry Wood is in a great location just minutes from shopping, restaurants and hospitals. Cherry Wood has a large pool, a tennis court and shuffle board area. There is also a large clubhouse community center. Homes in Cherry Wood are concrete block and stucco construction on 1/4 acre lots. Chain link fences are allowed. This is not a gated community. Home prices start at just below $100,000- and go up to $200,000-. HOA fees vary by the model of the home and are from $140- to $180- per month. The HOA fees include common area maintenance, clubhouse and pool, basic cable and curb side trash pickup. See my Ocala 55+ communities map for Cherry Wood’s location.
If you would like a list of homes for sale in Cherry Wood fill out my Dream Home Finder located in the column on the right hand side of this page.
Ocala 55 plus retirement communities map
Confused by all the 55+ retirement communities in the Ocala Marion County area? Well I’ve created a Google Map that shows the location of all the significant Ocala 55+ retirement communities. In case you’re not familiar with Google Maps you can zoom in and out, you can move the map around with your mouse and there is an aerial view feature. Click on the blue bubble like place mark to identify the community. In addition to the map below you can go Ocala 55+ Communities Map and save it to your favorites.
View Ocala 55+ retirement communities in a larger map
Marco Polo Village 55 plus
Marco Polo Village 55 plus
Marco Polo Village 55 plus is a different kind of Ocala retirement community. It is not gated and there is no clubhouse or other amenities. The homes are concrete block with stucco and are located on large 1/2 to 3/4 acre lots. Marco Polo 55 plus is basically a neighborhood of single family homes with deed restrictions that make it 55 plus. There is also a Marco Polo Village that is not 55 plus so it can be confusing if you don’t know the area. There is a minimal yearly HOA fee to cover common areas maintenance. Marco Polo 55 plus is located just off SR 200 and close to anything that you might want. Homes here are large and of high quality. Houses have been selling in 2009 for around $200,000- and below.
If you would like a list of homes for sale in Marco Polo Village 55+ fill out my Dream Home Finder located in the column on the right hand side of this page.
Statistics used for this blog post are from the Ocala Marion County MLS and are deemed to be accurate at the time this blog was written but are not guaranteed. All information is time sensitive and subject to change without notice.
What to look for in an Ocala area home.
I work with a lot of first time buyers and out of state buyers and as we look at homes I try and point out things that make one house better than others. Here are some things that I think make for a quality home here in Ocala.
CBS or concrete block and stucco construction. Everything else is considered inferior do to the termites. CBS homes can get termites because there is wood framing in the walls and roof but CBS is considered the best material and commands a higher price than frame house. Read the rest of this entry »
Ocala Property Taxes
Property taxes in Ocala, as in the rest of Florida, are pretty confusing. A lot has to do with the Save Our Homes initiative, also know in real estate as amendment 10. Save Our Homes was supposed to keep seniors from getting taxed out of their homes by capping tax increases on homestead properties by 3% or the rate of inflation, which ever is lower.
The problem with amendment 1o is that you can buy the exact same house as the guy across the street, who has been there for 10 years, and pay twice the taxes that he does. Another example of politicians helping one group at the expense of another.
Now that property values have dropped like a stone here in Florida a new issue has come up with Save Our Homes. This is called the recapture rule. The recapture rule states that tax assessors must increase the assessed value of a house by up to 3% as long as that it is less than the homes market value. This is why most peoples taxes are not going down even though their homes value has gone down.
Now here’s some home work. Below are 2 great links. One is to the Marion County property appraiser. Read the FAQ and check out the tax estimator. If you live in Florida read the portability calculator because you can bring your Save Our Home exemption with you to a new house. The other link is to an article from the Ocala Star Banner which has a detailed explanation about why taxes aren’t going down.
Marion County Property Appraiser
If you buy a foreclosure or short sale in the Ocala area it is important to understand that you will be assessed at market value and not the amount you paid for your house.
Finally, when you see the taxes on a real estate listing be aware that it is not the amount that you will be paying. Taxes adjust every time a house is sold.
Hardwood Trails Ocala FL
Hardwood Trails
Hardwood Trails is a 55 plus retirement community located in SW Ocala Florida. Hardwood Trails has several issues as out lined in a recent Star Banner article regarding problems between residents and the developer. For example there is a very nice community center but the pool isn’t finished. This is also a gated community but the gate doesn’t work. Despite these issues I really like Hardwood Trails for the long term. Hardwood Trails is in a great location just minutes from all the shopping, restaurants and health care offered in the SR 200, SW corridor. This is also one of the few subdivisions where the developer left all the trees. Home prices are in the mid to high $100′s. HOA fees are about $90- per month for maintaining the common areas, the clubhouse, trash and basic cable.
If you would like a list of homes for sale in Hardwood Trails fill out my Dream Home Finder located in the column on the right hand side of this page.
Pine Run Ocala Florida
Pine Run Ocala FL
Pine Run is a 55 plus retirement community located in SW Ocala Florida. Homes here are of frame construction with aluminum siding. Prices start around $35,000- for a foreclosure or fixer upper up to about $100,000-. Pine Run has 2 clubhouses each with a pool, tennis courts and other amenities. HOA fees are around $80- per month and include the clubhouse and pool, trash pickup, common area maintenance and a 24 hour guard at the gate. Homes in Pine Run are well kept and show pride of ownership.
If you would like a list of homes for sale in Pine Run fill out my Dream Home Finder located in the column on the right hand side of this page.
Ocala, FL