A 32-acre public park is planned for the district in about 12-18 months. The land acquisition was approved at a recent City Commission meeting. You can watch the video recording of that meeting segment and brief description here, if you like.
The last meeting of the WVID Supervisory Board also brought this up to share that the project is moving forward as planned.
Ali
If you are considering
purchasing a home in this community, please let me assist you. My services and
extensive resources are of no cost to you, and in most instances, I am able to
save home buyers some money. I
do not work for any of the wonderful builders in the West Villages Improvement
District, or any others for that matter. My services and information (including
the resources provided on allof my websites) are
wholly independent of these developers. No other independent professional is
more knowledgeable about this community, and enlisting me to assist with your
transaction serves also to fund these resources to keep them available for you
and others on an ongoing basis.
If you are considering
purchasing a home in this community, please let me assist you. My services and
extensive resources are of no cost to you, and in most instances, I am able to
save home buyers some money. I
do not work for any of the wonderful builders in the West Villages Improvement
District, or any others for that matter. My services and information (including
the resources provided on allof my websites) are
wholly independent of these developers. No other independent professional is
more knowledgeable about this community, and enlisting me to assist with your
transaction serves also to fund these resources to keep them available for you
and others on an ongoing basis.
The meeting of the West Villages Improvement District supervisory board scheduled for October 13th has been cancelled. The next meeting will be held on October 27th, 2015 at 11am in the North Port City Hall auditorium.
We got back from a trip to Alaska and Vancouver, Canada, recently. All I can say is that it was incredible!
Now, I notice that I did not blog about the last meeting of the WVID supervisory board. Sorry about that! There are a bunch of odds and ends worth a quick mention, and I will blog about them as soon as I have a chance, but there was nothing critical that I can recall.
Most importantly, it was the annual budget meeting. The budget was supposed to be finalized for voting on the next meeting of 9/22/15, but there are not enough supervisors available to attend on that date. The meeting is to be on 10/13/15, a Tuesday at 11am in North Port City Hall building. I will post a picture of the proposed next assessments compared to last year's figures.
If you are considering
purchasing a home in this community, please let me assist you. My services and
extensive resources are of no cost to you, and in most instances, I am able to
save home buyers some money. I
do not work for any of the wonderful builders in the West Villages Improvement
District, or any others for that matter. My services and information (including
the resources provided on allof my websites) are
wholly independent of these developers. No other independent professional is
more knowledgeable about this community, and enlisting me to assist with your
transaction serves also to fund these resources to keep them available for you
and others on an ongoing basis.
If you are considering purchasing a home in this district, please let me assist you. My services and extensive resources are of no cost to you, and in most instances, I am able to save home buyers some money. I do not work for any of the wonderful builders in the West Villages Improvement District, or any others for that matter. My services and information (including the resources provided on allof my websites) are wholly independent of these developers. No other independent professional is more knowledgeable about this community, and enlisting me to assist with your transaction serves also to fund these resources to keep them available for you and others on an ongoing basis.
Don’t get so caught up in your love affair with
your soon-to-be completed house that you forget about the things you really
need to focus on.
Heed these 6 tips when buying a new
home to avoid problems down the road.
It’s
exciting to build a home from the ground up. There are fun choices to be made,
from selecting the hardwood floors for the dining room to choosing between
subway tiles or penny tiles for your kitchen backsplash. But don’t get so
caught up in your love affair with your soon-to-be completed house that you
forget about the things you really need to focus on.
“The key
with new construction is really making sure you have the home inspected and
follow up that the builder remedies the problems,” explains Keith Thompson, a
real estate broker with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Carolinas Realty in
Charlotte, NC. But there’s much more. Heed these tips when buying a
new-construction home and avoid major issues down the road.
1. Hire a real estate agent
Oftentimes,
buyers don’t feel a real estate agent is necessary when building a new home.
After all, there’s a sales agent on-site to assist you with your questions,
right? Wrong.
“Many people
figure that they do not need the help of a Realtor,” says Ali Johnson, a
Florida-licensed real estate agent who specializes in new construction and
gated communities in Venice, FL. “They feel they can handle it themselves, and
that they have a sales representative working for them in the new community
that takes care of and explains everything, including the paperwork. That
person works for the seller, though. They represent the developer’s interests.”
A real
estate agent will work on your behalf — and because the builder pays their
commission, it costs you nothing to have someone represent you during the
new-construction process.
2. Do your research
The same way
you may research a new car is exactly how you should look into a builder. “Make
sure they have a good standing with your state’s Construction Contractor’s
Board, and that there are no pending complaints or judgments against him or
her,” advises Patty Brockman, a licensed real estate broker at Windermere
Stellar Real Estate in Portland, OR. “Ask questions about whether they use
independent subcontractors, and verify their licenses and bonds as well. Always
know the amount and kind of insurance they carry, as well as the amount of
their bond.”
3. Read the fine print
Many
builders use purchase contracts that are much different from state-issued real
estate agent documents. “Be sure to read these contracts carefully and have an
attorney and your Realtor review them before signing anything,” says Brockman.
“Builders’ contracts pretty much only protect the building company, not the
buyer, so make sure your Realtor writes addendums that keep you protected
during each phase of the purchase.” Also, make sure you review all of the
warranties so you know what is covered, and what is not.
4. Ask what’s included
“A lot of
buyers have a ‘what you see is what you get’ attitude when it comes to building
a new home and looking at the model home,” explains Kristin Magnani, an
associate broker with Rutenberg, a real estate brokerage firm in New York City.
Model homes
are decked out with all the bells and whistles, explains Magnani, including
high-end light fixtures, appliances, trim work, architectural detailing, and
more. Avoid assumption and ask questions about every add-on or, better yet, ask
the sales agent for a complete list of the extras in the model unit such as
extra can lights, heights of doors, tinted windows (found mainly in high-rise
apartments), and more.
“Does the
house come with appliances? Window coverings? AC? Landscaping in the front and
backyards? Automatic garage door openers? Sprinkler system?” says Brockman.
“Always list in detail anything that you expect, if it is not expressly
disclosed in the contract.”
5. Get inspected
Home
inspections aren’t just for previously built homes. In fact, the majority of
real estate agents will recommend that you have the home inspected not only
after it’s completed but also before drywall is installed.
“As the
housing market has heated up, the pace of construction has also increased,”
explains Keith Thompson. “Overworked subcontractors and city or county
inspectors are human and can and do make mistakes when they have too much on
their plate.” Avoid things such as uneven walls or electrical or cable outlets
in unfortunate locations (e.g., 4 feet to the left of where your TV is supposed
to hang) by having pre-drywall inspections.
6. Do a walk-through
After an
inspection, it’s critical to do a walk-through with the builder. It’s during
this time that you can point out major cosmetic issues (such as nail pops or
chips in cabinetry) or any other major issues, such as missing landscaping that
was included in your contract.
“Never close
on a new-construction house without doing a final walk-through to ensure that
all of the punch-list items have been completed to your satisfaction,”
recommends Brockman. “The last thing you want after you move in is a bunch of
contractors doing touch-ups and finish work while you are trying to enjoy your
new house.” Plus, if you don’t address it before closing, you may have a hard
time getting the builder to fix anything once the home is officially yours.
written by Blake
Miller
Blake Miller
Blake Miller
is a Charlotte-based freelance writer. The self-described wannabe foodie and
fitness freak has covered travel, interior design, and health and fitness for
US Airways Magazine, Redbook, Self, ElleDecor.com, Four Seasons Magazine, and
Women’s Health, among other national and regional publications.
This past Tuesday (7/28/15) was the most recent WVID meeting. There wasn't much news to share. Basically, the items were updates or progress ongoing issues that have been discussed before. So, I am going to keep this brief...as I am also finishing my capstone project for the MBA/Real Estate and moving into Gran Paradiso (getting the keys tomorrow! Hooray!) You will really want to watch for the blog about the next meeting, though, or even attend it in person. It will be August 25th, and it will be the annual meeting on finance for the district.
July 28th, 2015, meeting highlights:
-Legal representation was authorized to move forward with plans for land annexation (the swap with Sarasota Memorial Health Care System) as the exchange has occurred.
-WVID is going to become a member of the North Port Area Chamber of Commerce.
-The purchase and sale agreement for the 32 acre park area is ready and moving forward (Paw park...another 'Hooray' here!).
-Index map and pattern book to be redone with forthcoming changes, i.e. the new district boundaries from land annexation (The index map is the district map and the pattern book is basically plans or "pattern" to follow for the community).
-Lennar estimates $700k in improvements on Renaissance Blvd., but were the district only has around $600k available for it.
-District manager brought up that discussion for ability to assess in IslandWalk expansion is to begin.
-Lennar is completing their landscaping around new area of coach homes, but the district acknowledged it needs to begin to address the appearance in that area along the 41 corridor.
-Lightning strikes and surges have caused some issues. Much of the district common area lighting is in disrepair and to be replaced.
-A second pedestrian node was recommended for Renaissance Blvd. for aesthetic balance.
-Rainy season has helped the water situation momentarily, but the problem is not solved. The district engineer and district committee chair will be working toward long-term solutions. They will start with the Northern part of the property first.
-Finally, two items were combined into one project - the sod replacement and landscaping improvements around district monuments. Valley Crest was the only service to attend a mandatory meeting to obtain bids for sod replacement, and their bid rose from $0.75 to $1.03 per square foot. It was determined that the district will negotiate with Valley Crest in hopes of finding ways to reduce the ultimate cost.
More details will be given on any items as I get them.
Don't forget to plan on attending the next meeting...August 25th, 2015, at 11am. The meetings are held at North Port City Hall (2nd floor) off of Sumter (Interstate 75 exit 182).
See you there!
Ali
If you are considering purchasing a home in this community, please let me assist you. My services and extensive resources are of no cost to you, and in most instances, I am able to save home buyers some money. I do not work for any of the wonderful builders in the West Villages Improvement District, or any others for that matter. My services and information (including the resources provided on allof my websites) are wholly independent of these developers. No other independent professional is more knowledgeable about this community, and enlisting me to assist with your transaction serves also to fund these resources to keep them available for you and others on an ongoing basis.
