Archive for the ‘Ocala 55+ communities’ Category
Candler Hills home for sale Ocala Florida
Candler Hills home for sale
This home is located in the Candler Hills community in SW Ocala. Candler Hills is part of On Top of the World but it is not a leasehold like OTOTW. In Candler Hills you do own your lot. You also have access to all the OTOTW amenities in addition to those specific to Candler Hills. There is a private club house and heated outdoor pool only for Candler residents, a 24 hour guard at the gate and discounts to golf at the Candler Hills golf course. Candler hills is a golf cart community. You can drive through OTOTW to get to shopping using your golf cart. This is the only Ocala area community where you can drive a golf cart to stores. This is a 2 bedroom, 2 bath home with an office or den. It is concrete block ans stucco and was built in 2006. The list price is only $175,000.00
To see statistics and images of this Candler Hills home click here to go to my web site.
Below are a few images of the Candler Hills area and amenities Read the rest of this entry »
Alternatives to Ocala short sales and foreclosures
There are some great deals in Ocala real estate in addition to Ocala Short Sales and Ocala Foreclosures. For example it’s no secret that Florida is full of older retired people. Often out of state relatives inherit homes that they need to sell. I refer to these as estate sales.
Unlike foreclosures, that are rare in the Ocala 55+ communities, there are an abundance of estate sales. The 55+ estate sales vary from newer homes in very good condition to older homes in need of updating such as paint, carpet or appliances.
There are also quite a few estate sales outside the 55+ communities.
In addition to estate sales there are also vacant homes owned by investors who are unable to do a short sale and homes vacated by people who had to relocate for various reasons.
Benefits of buying a vacant home or estate sale.
- Quick closing
- Excellent prices
- Exist in 55+ communities
- motivated sellers
If you are interested in vacant homes in the Ocala area or an estate sale call me, email me or use my Ocala Dream Home Finder. Be specific, I can’t send you every estate sale on our MLS. There are just too many.
It’s termite swarm season here in Ocala
Its termite swarm season again here in Ocala. As the weather warms up termites go out and look for a new home. You do not want that new home to be yours.
Termites cause $700,000,000.00 in damage each year here in Florida. Despite this scary statistic about half the homes in Florida have no form of protection.
There are 2 types of termites, subterranean and dry wood. The subterranean variety is considered the worst because they have much larger colonies and thus eat more wood. Obvious from the name they live in the ground and prefer moist conditions and wood. The subterranean termites enter your house through a sort of tube that connects their colony to the food source. Dry wood termites like dry wood, like the rafters in your attic. They have much smaller colonies and are harder to detect.
The University of Florida has a great web site dedicated to termites with loads of information and great color images. Take a good look at the pictures and so you can identify the little buggers if you see one.
Summerglen Ocala Florida
Summerglen Ocala Florida
Summerglen is a 55+ retirement community with a very nice golf course just south of Ocala. There are both new homes available from the builder along with quite a few resales. All homes were built within the past 6 years. Homes in Summerglen are all concrete block with stucco and range in size from a little under 1500 sq ft of living area to a little over 2500 sq ft. Prices vary a lot but most are from the mid $100K range up to the mid $200′s. As of the time of this blog there is a very reasonable $125- per month HOA fee. HOA fees include maintenance of the common areas, clubhouse and amenities, trash pickup, guard at the gate and lawn mowing but not fertilizing. Summerglen is an active 55+ community with a great clubhouse, heated beach entry pool, fitness center, library, crafts, dog park, softball field, basketball court and a lot more. Two things that Summerglen offers that most other communities don’t have are lawn mowing and free RV parking, both are extra costs elsewhere. Golf is an extra fee. There is also a nice restaurant, Moreno’s Grill located next to the clubhouse.
If you would like a list of homes for sale in Summerglen fill out my Dream Home Finder located in the column on the left hand side of this page.
Images below.
Palm Cay Ocala Florida
Palm cay Ocala FL
Palm Cay is a 55 plus retirement community in the SW corridor area off SR 200 in Ocala Florida. Palm Cay is a great and very affordable Ocala retirement community. Homes here range in size from around 700 sq ft of living area to over 16oo sq ft. All homes are of frame construction with either aluminum or vinyl siding. Prices are as low as $50,000- up to the low $100′s. The houses in Palm Cay are single family style on 1/4 acre lots. Palm Cay is gated with a guard house and has a large clubhouse with a fitness center, craft rooms and full kitchen. Outside there is a swimming pool, tennis courts, shuffleboard, horseshoes and a lounge area. HOA fees are currently a very low $85- per month. HOA fees include 24 hour guard at the gate, common area maintenance, clubhouse and pool, trash pickup and basic cable TV.
If you would like a list of homes for sale in Palm Cay fill out my Dream Home Finder located in the column on the left hand side of this page or send me an email.
Oak Run Ocala Florida
Oak Run is a large 55 plus community with 2 golf courses. Oak Run is located just off SR200 in the SW corridor area of Ocala. Construction began in 1985 and although Oak Run is almost built out you can still buy a new house from the builder. Oak Run is divided into neighborhoods. These neighborhoods have evolved over a 25 year period and each one has a unique character. The older homes are frame with aluminum siding. A little later the homes were frame with vinyl siding. The newer homes are concrete block and stucco. As time went by the size of the houses grew as buyers expectations increased over that 25 year period. You will find older homes as small as 700 sq ft of living area and newer homes well over 3,000 sq ft. Prices as you might expect vary tremendously. At the time of this writing prices are as low as $62,000- up to almost $500,000-. Most homes are in the $100,000- to $200,000- range. HOA fees vary by the neighborhood. In a few areas the homes include lawn care which adds to the fee. In general HOA fees at this time range from $105- to about $150- with homes that have lawn care being even higher. Amenities at Oak Run are extensive. They include 3 gates with a guard house, basic cable TV, curbside trash pickup and common area maintenance. There are 2 golf courses, several pools including an indoor pool, multiple clubhouses, a restaurant and numerous clubs. Golf is not included in the HOA fee. Read the rest of this entry »
Foreclosures in Ocala 55 plus communities
Buyers seem to be looking for foreclosures in Ocala 55 plus communities. Just before starting this blog post I logged into the MLS and searched on foreclosures. I got 348 hits. When I added 55+ to the search that number went down to 12. As you can see most Ocala area foreclosures are not in the 55+ communities.
Buyers looking for a deal in a 55+ community should also consider estate sales. The unfortunate thing is that there are a lot of vacant homes in the 55+ communities simply because people get old and either pass away or need to go to an assisted living arrangement. These vacant homes often need to be sold by out of state relatives and can be very good buys and an easier transaction than a foreclosure.
For a list of 55+ foreclosures or 55+ estate sales give me a call, send me an email or use my Dream Home Finder. All can be found in the green column to the right of this post.
Stone Creek Ocala FL
Stone Creek
Stone Creek is a 55 plus, gated, golf course community located in SW Ocala. Stone Creek is a newer community that is still under construction with both new homes and resales available. The homes here are concrete block with stucco and range in size from 1550 to over 2400 sq ft of living area. Prices range from about $170,000- to almost $300,000-. In addition to the Stone Creek golf course there is a huge clubhouse with a state of the art fitness center, craft and game rooms, a resort style outdoor swimming pool, an indoor heated lap pool, tennis courts, a softball field and even a fishing pond. HOA fees are around $175- per month. Stone Creek is conveniently located just north of SR 200 with easy access to shopping, restaurants and health care.
If you would like a list of homes for sale in Stone Creek either email me or use the Dream Home Finder link on the right side of this page.
On Top of the World Ocala FL
On Top of the World Ocala Florida
On Top of the World is a huge 55 plus retirement community located in SW Ocala Florida. Sidney Colen, a visionary Florida builder, purchased the 12,872 acre Circle Square Ranch in 1975 and began to develop On Top of the World in 1982. His son is still building new homes here today.
On Top of the World is unique in Ocala real estate for a couple of reasons. This is a leasehold property which is unusual for our area. A buyer also can’t finance more than 80% of the purchase price of their home. Unlike most Ocala 55+ communities all outside maintenance is part of the HOA fees.
In addition to new homes there are quite a few resales here. Older homes are often attached in groups of 4 to 6 and of concrete block and stucco construction. The newer homes are single detached and also CBS. Sizes range from 1,000 to about 2400 sq ft of living area. Prices start as low as $40,000- and go up to $200,000- for resales.
HOA fees at On Top of the World are high, around $350- per month, because they include all outside maintenance including lawns, painting and roofs as well as property insurance on the building but not the contents. In addition there is a 24 hour guard at the gate and too many amenities to list.
Amenities include the Arbor Club with indoor and outdoor pools, tennis, craft building with a complete woodworking shop, The Spa Ranch and Fitness Center, a library, a dog park, a bus service for shopping and the Circle Square Cultural Center. There are 2 golf courses, the Tortoise and Hare and The Links. Golf, the Ranch Spa and Fitness and the Cultural Center all have fees above and beyond your HOA fee.
On Top of the World is also a golf cart community which means you can drive your cart down the street. You can even access 2 grocery stores, small shops and a few restaurants with your golf cart.
If you would like a list of homes for sale in On Top of the World fill out my Dream Home Finder located in the column on the right hand side of this page.
Quail Meadow Ocala FL
Quail Meadow
Quail Meadow is a 55 plus retirement community located in NW Ocala Florida. This is a community that was built over a fairly long period of time. There are both frame and vinyl homes from the late 1980′s to block and stucco homes just a few years old. Prices vary a lot too, from $100,000- to the mid $200′s. Homes range from 1200 to 2500 sq ft of living area. Quail Meadow is not gated but does have a very nice clubhouse and pool. HOA fees are a minimal $25- per month. Quail Meadow is convenient to grocery stores but you’d have to drive to Ocala or down to SR 200 for other shopping and restaurants.
If you would like a list of homes for sale in Quail Meadow fill out my Dream Home Finder located in the column on the right hand side of this page.
Ocala, FL