Gainesville Life: Florida

Haile Plantation - Quail Court in Gainesville FL is one of community's earliest neighborhoods

Haile Plantation - Quail Court in Gainesville FL was developed between 1982 and 1983, making it one of Haile Plantation's earliest neighborhoods.

An award-winning New Urbanism community, Haile Plantation FL in southwest Gainesville began in the late 1970's.

Quail Court features 2 and 3 bedroom homes ranging in size from 900 to 1100 square feet.

Read the full profile of Haile Plantation - Quail Court in Gainesville FL here.

Haile Plantation homes – Camden Court – Gainesville FL

Haile Plantation Camden Court homes in Gainesville FL were built between 1991 and 1993. Camden Court is right across the street from Haile Plantation Village Center, providing residents with easy access to Haile Village Center‘s shops and activities including the Farmers Market which happens every Saturday morning rain or shine from 8 AM until noon.

Want to learn more about Haile Plantation Camden Court?  Then full article about this southwest Gainesville FL neighborhood, including a video tour and local schools information, may be accessed here: Haile Plantation homes - Camden Court - Gainesville FL

The Haile Plantation horse pasture at the community's Tower Road entrance,  the landmark jewel in the crown of this  Gainesville FL community, is threatened with extinction because of internicine warfare amongst Haile Plantation FL's three homeowner associations.

This pasture land, which also acts as a retention area during flood season, was deeded equally to all three of Haile Plantation's community associations, and the residents of all three community associations provided equally for its care.

In 2008 the TICOC (Tenants in Common Operating Committee) was formed  to enhance communication amongst the three community associations which govern Haile Plantation so that we could act together as one whole community, rather than as three separate entities.

Unfortunately that lofty goal was shattered when the TICOC  was torpedoed by the Haile Plantation Village HOA board in January 2010 by a vote of 3-2.  The wide-ranging implications of this vote mean that the responsibility for the upkeep and maintenance of the Haile Plantation pasture and community garden would no longer be equally distributed amongst the three HOAs.

At the May meeting of the board of directors of the Haile Plantation West HOA, they voted to have the horses removed from the Haile Plantation pasture 60 days from the date of approval by the other 2 boards.

As of today, we do not know what the other Haile Plantation HOA boards will do.

This information is not common knowledge to most Haile Plantation homeowners, as it is the HOAs who apparently make these decisions.  I only happened to find out about the situation through an email list I am on.

The pasture and the community garden have been with us since the founding of the Haile Plantation community.

I cannot help but wonder if this motion will be brought up for a vote that all Haile Plantation homeowners will be able to take part in,  or whether this will be passed, or failed, based upon the opinions of a few.

And no matter how the whole thing goes, who is going to tell these guys?

**UPDATED June 18, 2010**
I received the following communication from Craig Carty, HVCOA board president. Mr. Carty contends that I got several facts wrong in my original article. I am posting his communication in full. I would love to receive written communication from the president of the HPW board so that I might post that response to this website as well. It seems to me that Haile Plantation homeowners need all the facts before voting on such an important issue. To date, no member from any Haile Plantation HOA board has filled me in re when a community-wide vote regarding the future of the Haile plantation horses, pasture, and community garden is scheduled to take place. There IS going to be one, right?**

In regards to your website. I would first like to state that the Haile Village Center, HVCOA, is totally in support of keeping the pasture and the horses. The HVCOA board has recently voted and approved funding for the fencing and other pasture needs. This information was sent to both HPA and HPW in April of this year. So our decision has already been made and it should be very clear that we would like the horses to stay. To our regret, HPA’s board has not yet responded to our proposal sent to them in April and is unwilling to meet with us to discuss the matter. Please read below to learn more. Also, please correct the statements on your website to be accurate and fair. To keep the horses we need to overcome objections and come up with solutions. Not make false statements and bash others.

Thank you, Craig Carty, HVCOA President

To read Mr. Carty's answer in full, please visit:

Save Haile Plantation Pasture - HVCOA president Craig Carty's response

**UPDATE - After I received the HVCOA board president's response (above), it came to my attention that Mr. Carty's  email  needed some clarifications.   My questions to Mr. Carty, as well as his answers, can be found here:

Clarification of HVCOA information re Haile Plantation Pasture

Haile Plantation Gainesville FL - More Homes are Selling this Year!

An analysis of home sales in Haile Plantation - Gainesville FL for the first five months of 2010 reveals that more homes are selling in Haile Plantation this year than they did last year.  The homebuyer tax credit most likely helped boost the number of homes sold in Haile Plantation in 2010.

Although more homes have sold in Gainesville's Haile Plantation community in 2010 than at this point last year, it should be noted that the median sales price of homes fell during this same period.

It is also taking longer to sell Haile Plantation homes in 2010 when compared to the average days on market for 2009.

Please click on the link to read the full Haile Plantation Real Estate Market Report - January through May 2010, as well as advice for Haile Plantation homeowners on the best strategy of pricing your home to sell in today's real estate market.

Haile Plantation Neighborhoods – Gainesville FL

The Gainesville FL community of Haile Plantation is approximately 8 miles southwest of Shands and the University of Florida.

Long before it had neighborhoods, the award-winning New Urbanism community of Haile Plantation in Gainesville FL was part of  Kanapaha, a Sea Island cotton plantation founded by South Carolina transplant Thomas Evans Haile in 1854.

The New Urbanism community of Haile Plantation in Gainesville FL was developed in 1978 by The Fleeman Family, Matthew Kaskel, and Robert B. Kramer.

There are 3 separate homeowner associations which operate within Haile Plantation.  Each neighborhood within Haile Plantation is governed by one of these homeowner associations.  Here is a breakdown of the neighborhoods within Haile Plantation and the homeowner associations which govern each one:

One of two pools available to members of the Haile Plantation Golf and Country Club - Gainesville FL

Haile Plantation Association serves the following neighborhoods:

• Camden Court
• Century Oaks
• Charleston
• Chesnut Hill
• Evans Hollow
• Evans Hollow, The Grove
• Founders Hill
• Grahams Mill
• Grahams Mill Garden Homes
• Heritage Green
• Heritage Green IV
• Indigo Square
• Laurel Park
• Lexington Farms
• Magnolia Walk
• Planters Grove
• Quail Court
• The Preserve
• Sutherland Crossing

Haile Plantation West Association serves the following neighborhoods:

• Albury Round
• Amelia Gardens
• Annadale Round
• Ashleigh Circle
• Bedford Square
• Benjamin’s Grove
• Bennet’s Garden
• Branton Court
• Bueller’s Way
• Carlton Court
• Chickasaw Way
• Colson’s Corner
• Fairhaven
• Hampstead Park
• Hickory Walk
• India Station
• Katelyn Lane
• Kestrel Point
• Lenox Gardens
  

  A typical home in the Hickory Walk neighborhood of Haile Plantation - Gainesville FL

• Madison Square
• Matheson Woods
• Matthews Grant
• Middleton Green
• Millington
• Mills Glen
• Oakmont
• Plantation Villas
• Prestonwood
• Retreat Place
• Sable Pointe
• Spalding Place
• Storeys Round
• Stratford Ridge
• The Hamptons
• The Links
• Victoria Circle
• Westfield Commons
• Whitaker Oaks
• William Kent Court

Haile Village Center Owners Association governs the residential and commercial properties within Haile Village Center.

Haile Village Center - The Heart of Haile Plantation - Gainesville FL

 

 

 

Copyright 2010 by Coleen DeGroff - All Rights Reserved - Haile Plantation Neighborhoods - Gainesville FL

Haile Plantation - Retreat Place is one of Gainesville FL's newer neighborhoods.

Built between 2005 and 2007, Haile Plantation - Retreat Place is conveniently located by the Publix shopping center and the Haile Plantation Country Club clay tennis courts.

Interested in learning more? Then please visit my full article, Haile Plantation homes: Retreat Place, which will tell you everything you ever wanted to know about this lovely southwest Gainesville FL neighborhood!

Buyers Don't Give a Crap about How Much Debt You Have

For those with tender sensibilities, I would suggest clicking away to something more...ahem....diplomatic.

However, for those who are not allergic to cold hard truths delivered in street language....welcome to my blog.

Here are 2 hard truths that you, as a potential homeseller, need to come to grips with if you plan on selling your home in this market (and by this market I mean Gainesville, FL....though the following truths apply to many other markets in the U.S. as well):

1) "I need to get X amount out of my house so I can pay off my debts."

Dude.  Homebuyers do NOT give a crap about how much debt you have.  If you bought your home in 2005, 2006, 2007 -- what I've come to think of as The Magical Years -- you are screwed.  Okay?  That's the long and the short of it.  This is still a buyer's market. With the amount of inventory we are carrying, it probably will be for awhile. 

You know those commercials where they say "It's a great time to buy?"

Well it IS a great time to buy.

So let's think about this for a minute.  If it's a great time to BUY, what kind of time does that make it for YOU?

If you answered "A completely sucky time"......you are CORRECT!

You cannot price your home based upon how much debt you need to pay off....you have to price your home at the going market rates....and the going market rates are NOT what they were in 2005, 2006, or 2007.

They are LOWER than what they were in 2005, 2006, and 2007.

So please don't yell at your REALTOR(R) when they present you with the pricing statistics of recently sold properties.

Yes, we KNOW you want more for your house.

But you can't GET more for your house than what somebody, a BUYER, is willing to pay for it.  And THEIR idea of the "going market rate" for your home is a LOT more important than what YOUR idea of the "going market rate" is.

Why?

Because THEY are the ones bringing the offer. And THEY are the ones who have been preapproved and therefore have the money to buy your home.

And if YOU don't say yes, THEY have lots of other homes to choose from....and, more and more  often,  these choices include short sales, and bank owned properties, and new build homes that desperate builders are trying to unload on the cheap.

So before you get yourself all up in a knot over a lowball offer, try to remember that these buyers are just doing to you what you are going to try to do to the seller of your next home....and that is, get the BEST deal they can.  And in this market, buyers can get themselves a pretty darn good deal.

So you may not be able to pay off all your debt when you sell your house. That's just the way it is.

This is not to say you shouldn't counteroffer. However, keep in mind that a counteroffer means that the original offer is dead....and if you counter, there is no guarantee that the buyer won't have already decided to walk and buy something else instead.

It happens. Not always, but it does.  Just something to keep in mind.

2) "But I don't want to bring money to the table."

Who does?

Look.  If it makes it easier, just look at your home sale as a case of you going to Vegas and losing your shorts. The good news is, when you do sell your home, you can turn around and lowball the offer for your next house. That's the American way.  

Now, if it's a case of you CAN'T bring money to the table, that's a different thing entirely. Some possible options to consider are to 1) not sell, and wait for things to get better; 2) rent out your home and wait for the market to improve; or 3) sell your home as a short sale.  REALTORS(R) cannot advise you regarding the most financially feasible options for you and your family.  A frank discussion with your accountant or financial advisor will give you a good idea of what your next steps should be.

I'm Coleen DeGroff. And I'm just sayin'.

Gainesville FL Real Estate Market Report: Homes Sold in Alachua County - April 2010

Across all categories, more homes sold in Alachua County in April 2010 than in April 2009.

With the exception of 2 bedroom homes, median sales prices dropped across all categories in April 2010 when compared to median sales prices in April 2009.

The homebuyer tax credit most likely helped to bump up home sales across all categories.  Although active military still have access to the homebuyer tax credit for the next year, the tax credit officially expired for everyone else on April 30, 2010 – which was the deadline for homebuyers to be under contract for a home in order to receive the tax credit. 

Even with the expiration of the homebuyer tax credit, this is still a GREAT time to buy.

Why?   Two main reasons:

Inventory is still at high levels (meaning there are more homes available to buy than there are buyers….which exerts a downward pressure on prices).

Interest rates are still some of the lowest we’ve seen.  Jim Gillespie, president of Coldwell Banker, says you have to go back to World War II to find mortgage interest rates this low.

As the economy improves, interest rates are bound to go up. And really, who wants to pay more than they have to for a home?

If your answer is “Not me!” give me a call. I’d be happy to help you with your home search! :)

Haile Plantation homes: Carlton Court - Gainesville, FL

Featuring homes built between 2002 and 2004, the southwest Gainesville FL neighborhood of Haile Plantation - Carlton Court is eight miles from Shands and the University of Florida. Haile Plantation - Carlton Court is zoned for Chiles Elementary School, Kanapaha Middle School, and Buchholz High School.  Prospective residents of Haile Plantation in southwest Gainesville, FL are encouraged to contact the Alachua County School District at 352-955-7700 to verify school zoning information.

Music: "L.O.R.D." by echoed

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