would I regret living in CRE?

[libertytyranny]

How much would I regret living in CRE? It is more bang for your housing buck over there..

I have seen so much CRAP on here about the ranch club...the drama all that..I am not worried crime-wise as the location is far away from the main part of the neighborhood..I am more worried about HOA drama. The particular house I am looking at carries a fairly high hoa fee..and I was wondering why different houses have different fees? What determines this? If I just pay the fee and shut up will I be able to avoif neighborhood politics..how in the world can they charge what the hoa charges and not have paved roads? I am a little confused..but love the house....


How much would I regret it?
I don't plan on being there for the rest of my life..probably 5-6 years...

 

[suddenlysingle]

I left

I lived there for two years and replaced the car tires twice. I realized my road would never get paved and I couldn't wait to get out. I had a variety of neighbors, the one good thing is that none of them were snobs. However, I think Sanford and Son lived behind me. It seems to me that people either love it or hate it. I chose to have a home built in a neighborhood where the roads would get paved.

 

[MMDad]

How much would I regret living in CRE? It is more bang for your housing buck over there..

I have seen so much CRAP on here about the ranch club...the drama all that..I am not worried crime-wise as the location is far away from the main part of the neighborhood..I am more worried about HOA drama. The particular house I am looking at carries a fairly high hoa fee..and I was wondering why different houses have different fees? What determines this? If I just pay the fee and shut up will I be able to avoif neighborhood politics..how in the world can they charge what the hoa charges and not have paved roads? I am a little confused..but love the house....


How much would I regret it?
I don't plan on being there for the rest of my life..probably 5-6 years...

What do you consider to be a high HOA fee? I know people who pay more than $1K/year, so I don't think the CRE rates are high. I believe that there is only one fee - other rates are news to me.

Crime/noise/trouble are no different than any other neighborhood. Mostly bored kids, occasionally more serious stuff. I have a trooper and deputy on the next street, and a retired cop next door so I have no concern about crime. We did have someone steal from unlocked cars once, but my cars were locked. They did steal some stuff from the cops unlocked truck though! I wouldn't have known they tried my cars but there were footprints in the fresh snow.

As for the HOA drama, it's mostly a few people who thrive on drama. I don't, so it doesn't really affect me. They make it all look so damn ugly, then wonder why they can't get any good people to step up and volunteer.

If you want to be involved you can, but if you have no desire then you wouldn't even know anything is going on.

Some of the people on the forums are trying to make a point, but don't take three or four disgruntled posters as indicative of the thousands of people who live in CRE. Most of the people who whine on the forum would complain if they won the lottery.

The roads are about the worst of it IMO, but I knew my road would never be paved when I bought. When the potholes get bad we just call and politely request that they take care of it, and it is usually done the next day. Snow removal can be slow, but this winter it was better in CRE than it was on the county roads in St. Mary's or in Arlington, VA.

I made a trade off to get a brand new home in CRE instead of a 30 year old home in St. Mary's for the same price. I don't regret it.

 

[Redmane]

I am a CRE resident on an unpaved road. It was unpaved when I moved here so no surprises concerning my road. My street is quiet, the schools are good, my commute minimal and I have pleasant neighbors.

I agree that the HOA is full of irrating drama (sometimes entertaining, too) but it's minor and doesn't affect my daily life. When buying my next home, I'll probably chose not to buy in a HOA, but only because I'm an independent person and prefer not to have rules and regulations to follow.

 

[libertytyranny]

It's nice to know that the drama doesn't infiltrate in normal life..I suspected as much..I wsa just wondering what the money went towards if the roads werent even paved? Looking on different listings in the ranch club I have seen different rates..but this particular place has 400 listed. Now this isn't a lot of money or anything and i would be perfectly ok paying it..but my parents live in a very upscale neighborhood in st marys..have a house worth twice most of the houses int he club..have a community pool clubhouse all that..and dont pay quite as much.

 

[hotcoffee]

Funny you should ask about the fees. I just got my bill.

Each lot has a Road Fee of $172.45 that is to cover the maintenance of the roads. That's filling potholes when you call as MMDad said, and it pays for the snow removal, and if someone knocks down your street sign it would pay to put it back up.... maintenance.... not paving....

Each member has a M&O Fee of $216.62, I'm not sure what they're doing with that money... it's supposed to be used to maintain the beaches, campgrounds, clubhouse.... the stuff we all own in common....

So it's about $400....

I like CRE.... and I'm one of the people who complains.... mostly because I don't know what they are doing with our money.... I have great neighbors and it's really quiet back here on my little street.....

I'd do it all over again if I was in the same situation.... I got a good house for the money and my lot is slightly sloping so I lucked out there....

If I had a ton of money.... I wouldn't live in an HOA.... people are crazy....

 

[ladyhawk]

When my husband and I moved to this area we rented a home in CRE for the first year. The second year, we found a nice VA Repo just off the main road. Our road is not paved and I never expected it to be. As for our vehicles, as MMDad said, a nice and polite request usually goes further than demands and threats. When we have snow, our main roads are actually better than the county. When a storm hits us hard, neighbors become neighborly and help each other out! The area I live in is pretty quiet most of the time (with exception to our neighbors mini dobe..) regardless of, we still get along just fine.

If you don't want to get involved you don't have to but then by deciding not to, it makes it difficult for those of us that try. I got involved in the Drama (politics) by volunteering to run for a board position... There are other ways of being involved without the drama.. Joining a committee is one way, the other is to following the politics and voting when election time comes around. To me, this is much more important!

The only thing I don't like about living in a POA is the fact that we have rules regarding construction of fences, retaining walls and such.... We have property in NC and if we needed permits, we went to the county. We didn't have to deal with getting permission from another "agent" and were actually able to get something done!

Would we do it again? Probably not. My husband and I like doing things on the spur of the moment and don't feel that we should have to ask permission to do something with our own property.... We used to take a few months to plan something and when the weather co-operated with our schedules, we just did it! Sadly, the retaining walls and patio (for stormwater management) will end up being someone elses project in the future.... and much more expensive than what I was quoted initially...

June

 

[punchbuggy]

I've lived here a long time now and have always enjoyed being near the water. Location is great. Use the amenities as part of your membership to homeownership should you decide to buy (or rent here). Campgrounds, beaches, horseshoe pits, stables, gardens, airport. As mentioned, some people get more involved than others. Do your homework on neighbors, longevity to the community and personal interests. Living anywhere is what you make it. There's drama on the forums because folks are passionate. That's not always a bad thing....more often than not, some don't play nice. Good luck to you and your family

 

[Josimmon]

As others have posted, it is not that bad. The only crime we have had comes from an ex-boyfriend of my daughters, and that could have happened anywhere. Yes there are sections that I would stay away from, but again all areas have that. I love my house and I do not regret moving to CRE.

 

[DuffMan]

I have lived there about a year now and over all the street I live on is quite most the time. I do have a lot of kids that live on our street so thats why I said it quite most the time! I could not beat the price I got on the house and so far it has been great. I do pay two road fees and M&O fee so its around $561.52 a year for both.

 

[SamSpade]

I lived there for nine years. It was just fine. Occasionally a kid in the neighborhood would ride his bike through my flower bed or I'd catch some first grader poking in my mailbox. But crime? I left my house unlocked my first few years there.

The people were generally great and I usually found them helpful. About the worst that could be said is that some neighbors let their property look like hillbilly hell. But I have some of that where I live now.

The property owner's association fees were annoying along with the special tax district, which was foisted upon us against our wishes and the money collected was clearly squandered. During the year that CREPO took over, it was shown that money was being wasted left and right, because there was little accountability.

I had a nice, affordable home on a paved street with a good sized lot on a corner and it made a tidy profit when I sold it. For a first home, it was more or less worth it.

 

[Pushrod]

I've been living in the Ranch Estates for 16 years. I have seen it go through a lot of changes, from being a gated secure community to the open community it is now. Both had their good and bad points. I was furtunate enough to purchace a beautiful home on a quiet road with great neighbors and we have never had any of the problems that you hear about in other sections of CRE. Our road was paved several years ago, which was night and day for me. I used to hate riding my motorcycle to and from home just from the dust that would coat it after one trip.

I think living in the CRE is what you make of it, it has fairly nice ammenities for use and the HOA fee isn't that much of a hassle. Talk to the neighbors of the home your looking at to find out the good/bad history of the street you are interested in living on. Good luck.

 

[DuffMan]

I lived there for nine years. It was just fine. Occasionally a kid in the neighborhood would ride his bike through my flower bed or I'd catch some first grader poking in my mailbox. But crime? I left my house unlocked my first few years there.

The people were generally great and I usually found them helpful. About the worst that could be said is that some neighbors let their property look like hillbilly hell. But I have some of that where I live now.

The property owner's association fees were annoying along with the special tax district, which was foisted upon us against our wishes and the money collected was clearly squandered. During the year that CREPO took over, it was shown that money was being wasted left and right, because there was little accountability.

I had a nice, affordable home on a paved street with a good sized lot on a corner and it made a tidy profit when I sold it. For a first home, it was more or less worth it.

I have a problem with young kids walking on and throwing rock on my lawn.

 

[Riddler]

It's nice to know that the drama doesn't infiltrate in normal life..I suspected as much..I wsa just wondering what the money went towards if the roads werent even paved? Looking on different listings in the ranch club I have seen different rates..but this particular place has 400 listed. Now this isn't a lot of money or anything and i would be perfectly ok paying it..but my parents live in a very upscale neighborhood in st marys..have a house worth twice most of the houses int he club..have a community pool clubhouse all that..and dont pay quite as much.

Just curious what neighborhood this is. Is it Wildewood?

 

[SamSpade]

I lived there for nine years. It was just fine. Occasionally a kid in the neighborhood would ride his bike through my flower bed or I'd catch some first grader poking in my mailbox. But crime? I left my house unlocked my first few years there.

The people were generally great and I usually found them helpful. About the worst that could be said is that some neighbors let their property look like hillbilly hell. But I have some of that where I live now.

The property owner's association fees were annoying along with the special tax district, which was foisted upon us against our wishes and the money collected was clearly squandered. During the year that CREPO took over, it was shown that money was being wasted left and right, because there was little accountability.

I had a nice, affordable home on a paved street with a good sized lot on a corner and it made a tidy profit when I sold it. For a first home, it was more or less worth it.

 

[libertytyranny]

I lived there for nine years. It was just fine. Occasionally a kid in the neighborhood would ride his bike through my flower bed or I'd catch some first grader poking in my mailbox. But crime? I left my house unlocked my first few years there.

The people were generally great and I usually found them helpful. About the worst that could be said is that some neighbors let their property look like hillbilly hell. But I have some of that where I live now.

The property owner's association fees were annoying along with the special tax district, which was foisted upon us against our wishes and the money collected was clearly squandered. During the year that CREPO took over, it was shown that money was being wasted left and right, because there was little accountability.

I had a nice, affordable home on a paved street with a good sized lot on a corner and it made a tidy profit when I sold it. For a first home, it was more or less worth it.

Yes, that's what I want to hear. This is a started home for me..and a chance to make a little bit to add to savings for getting "my" house. I just didn't want the 5-6 years I will be there to be a PITA...

does the HOA send out a budget so people see what the money is being spent on? With all of the houses in the ranch club they have to have a huge operating budget..i know the amenities require upkeep..I just didn't expect the fee to be in that range.

 

[Cowgirl]

Whatever you do please don't start threads griping about the place if you do end up buying there. That gets old after the billionth thread.

And I don't understand. If people gripe about not knowing where the HOA fees go, why don't they actually get involved WITH the HOA? Seems that if you're not part of the solution you're part of the problem.

 

[libertytyranny]

Whatever you do please don't start threads griping about the place if you do end up buying there. That gets old after the billionth thread.

And I don't understand. If people gripe about not knowing where the HOA fees go, why don't they actually get involved WITH the HOA? Seems that if you're not part of the solution you're part of the problem.

Well I think they have a responsibility to let the residents know what they are doing..no matter what their level of involvement is. But in general I agree with you. But I am not going to get involved.. I am going to pay the fee and save up for my dream house. however, I was a little curious as to what is being spent..but not NEAR enough to go anywhere near any of those meetings.

 

[ladyhawk]

Yes, that's what I want to hear. This is a started home for me..and a chance to make a little bit to add to savings for getting "my" house. I just didn't want the 5-6 years I will be there to be a PITA...

does the HOA send out a budget so people see what the money is being spent on? With all of the houses in the ranch club they have to have a huge operating budget..i know the amenities require upkeep..I just didn't expect the fee to be in that range.

They don't generally supply the membership with the budget but they do post it at the membership meetings and you can request one, but only if you are currently a member. In the past, I thought they published it in our newsletter after it was approved but I can't be sure without going through past newsletters...

The seller should be able to get a copy for you...
If they do, the one that is provided will not be detailed. It is just a summary breakdown. The only time I've seen a detailed report is as a board member or as a finance committee member...

June

 

[DanceMom]

Depends on where you live - look at the houses that surround yours. We have nice neighbors, a nice water view, and we quietly and kindly requested our road be paved and it was, 1 year later.