Deed Restricted communities a popular option

on the Suncoast

Article and Video Courtesy of Channel 7 My Suncoast

By Rebecca Vargas  

Published February 26, 2015

Watch VIDEO

 

You've seen the signs at the entrance of many Suncoast communities: Deed Restricted Community. So what exactly comes along with moving into these types of neighborhood?

  

"The philosophy is they're meant to be common sense rules and restrictions that would prevent your neighbor from doing something silly that's going to take down property values for everybody,” says realtor David Zarghami, of Keller Williams. He says most of the new communities popping up on the Suncoast are going the Deed Restricted route.

"In Sarasota, for example, there are currently 1300 houses on the market, approximately half of them are in HOA or Deed Restricted communities and half are not,” Zarghami says. “However, when you raise the price point to $300,000 and above, that ratio shifts to 2/3 in HOA communities."

    
Prices for an HOA can run anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars a year and beyond. There are more than 50 HOA communities within the Meadows Golf Club community in Sarasota County which offer low-maintenance living.

"Some communities you won't have to worry about painting the exterior of the house [or] pressure washing your roof, it's all taken care of," Zarghami says.
  

Cliff Fromm is a self-proclaimed snowbird who loved his condo so much, he moved to Sarasota 25 years ago. He tells us the $2,800 annual fee is worth it.

"As you can see how nice it looks because there's no neglect," Fromm says.

Down the road is another Deed Restricted community that only requires owners to pay $65 a year for maintenance -- though no amenities are included. The community does have set rules, like the height allowed for fences and a restriction on having boats and other objects in your yard.

    

Finally, we visit a neighborhood with no restrictions, no HOA.

"Your home is your playground, it's your castle so to speak, and you get to do with it what you will," Zarghami says. It's an option for owners who want more freedom.

"You have no rules,” Zarghami says. “No one to tell you what you can and cannot do with your property."

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