55+ Communities in Florida

I've recently started looking at some of the other 55+ communities in Florida ... for several reasons. We love our home here, but the lot fees in our park are increasing at a rapid pace, and for those enormous increases we receive little ... what the resort does for us is nothing more than cut our grass once a week and collect our garbage.

Clubhouse

We pay our own utility fees. Yes, there is a clubhouse with a lot of activities, but many of those activities aren't hosted by the resort - they're hosted and produced by the Homeowners Association, which charges additional fees (very minor compared to our lot fees).  In the last 2 winters I didn't use the clubhouse at all ... swam in the pool twice, and have never used the hot tub or any other facilities. I'm not a fan of restricted usage in the gym, so I don't use it any more. I walk outdoors, and work out with weights in my livingroom.

Hurricane Season in Florida - Irma, Jose, Katia

Like everyone else this last week, I've been watching the events surrounding #HurricaneIrma as they've unfolded, from the time it began in the Caribbean up til today (Sept. 9th). What happens from here is not yet set in stone (10:00am), and Irma's path has changed several times over the course of the last few days.

First reports were that Irma would hit the eastern side of Florida; subsequent reports showed it striding purposefully up the direct center of Florida; and then, the path predicted was for the western seaboard of Florida. At this moment, it's set to come down on the southeastern part of Florida (outer edges of the Miami area), but hurricane warnings for Eastern Florida have been cancelled by the National Weather Service, and warnings for the western side of Florida were issued.

Wildlife at Cypress Lakes Resort

One of the things I like at this resort is the variety of wildlife you can see right in your backyard. I will admit to not being terribly good at grabbing the camera every time I see a new critter, and because my main camera is so heavy to carry I don't take it very often when I'm walking for exercise. I probably should :)

The variety ranges widely from birds of many types, to aquatics (turtles, frogs, gators, fish, etc.) to everything in between (including deer). The first deer we saw was when we first bought the house in Florida. We were putting down red cedar shavings along the side garden when a doe and fawn poked their heads out from behind the back of the house. We stopped to watch, and after a few minutes they casually strolled out from behind the house, past the back of the neighbours house and disappeared up the grassy knoll to the forest at the end of the road.

Wintering in Cypress Lakes 55+ Resort

Large Cactus

Here we are, running close to the end of our "winter" at our home in Cypress Lakes (Lakeland, FL). It's been an interesting winter ... certainly much better than our Canadian winters. From the time we arrived (around the middle of January this year) right up until now, the weather is sort of unpredictable. Well, it seems so for us - maybe because it's really our first winter doing it. January and February were pretty cool at night (low 40s to low 50s) and where the day temperatures got to was pretty variable. We some days as high as 78-80 (not many, but some) and some days as low as the high 50s and low 60s, but I guess on average the day temperatures were around 69 to 75 - often with a nice breeze (though sometimes that breeze made it feel much cooler).

Come March the temperatures moved upwards; at night in high 50s low 60s, and during the day up into the mid to high 70s and low 80s. Very up and down from day-to-day in early March, but still ... certainly better than -20C which is where Canada was sitting (and the snow and ice which doesn't happen here). We've had several weeks with slightly higher night temps, and really hot days (up into the low 80s, with a "real feel" more like 85) and some super hot (91-92 with a "reel feel" of 98).

Driving to Florida

Since our recent foray into the world of retired Canadians we've spent a bit of time travelling back and forth to the US (oh yeah, I know ... we need to spend more time travelling in Canada). And have discovered some good and, some not so good things.

The highways we have been familiar with (mostly the I90 and the I75) and have travelled along for some years in shorter holidays are usually a pretty easy drive, with fairly simple navigation along the routes. The interstates have lots of areas to stop for a break (rest areas in the northern part of the States seem to provide less options that in the lower and southern States), and it's easy to find hotels/motels if you haven't bothered to make reservations. Gas and truck stops, hotels and restaurants are all easily spotted from the highways.

Deciding on a Home - Cypress Lakes, Lakeland, Florida

While on holiday in Florida, we began wondering about owning our own place. After all, we figured that the rental fees for 3 or 4 months in a place like Cypress Lakes (as much as $2,500/mo) could almost cover the cost of the yearly fees to own a place. And for some folks, that could be very true. For us, after buying the yearly cost to keep things running there is a little less than a 4 month rental at $2,500/month.

If you can afford to buy your unit outright, without needing to borrow or have a mortgage, then depending on where in the park your unit is located ... you could probably own a place instead of renting a place. Whether you decide to rent or own is really a matter of individual needs and tastes - we like things that we feel comfortable changing, and feel comfortable inviting family or friends to come stay in. We wouldn't feel comfortable doing that in a rental because it is, after all, still someone else's property.

However, when you purchase your unit ... that's only the beginning. There are lot fees associated with each unit. For the most part, you own the "home", but not the property (although there are some properties in Cypress Lakes that are "owned", most are rented lots) so in some ways, it's a little like renting a camping space for your travel trailer or motor home, but more complicated because you also pay your utility fees separately.

Our Cypress Lakes Rental Experience

In my previous post (Vacation Rental in Florida) I left a little "teaser" about our time renting at Cypress Lakes. There are things that first-time renters may not know if their "landlord" hasn't let them know about the rules prior to their arrival.

Cypress Lakes is a "gated" park/resort. You only get in if the gatehouse is aware of your arrival (something the person who rented to you needs to take care of). When you reach the gatehouse (always friendly staff on hand ... all the time) if they're aware of your arrival (your name is on "the list") you get a numbered hang tag to leave in  your car so when you leave the park and return (like to shop, or sightsee or have dinner in one of the hundreds of restaurants in Lakeland or other nearby towns ... or even to visit Disneyland for the day) you won't have problems getting back in.

We didn't have any issues there - the person we rented from let the gatehouse know and left instructions for us at the gatehouse. We got our hangtag, and directions to the rental unit. Exploring the unit didn't take long - it was about 960-970 sq. ft. and the main area was fairly "open plan". Walking in you could immediately see the kitchen, dining area, and most of the livingroom. A few steps from the dining area we could see the master bedroom, a second bedroom and a small but complete washroom. In the master, there was a second small ensuite washroom with a shower.

Vacation Renting in Florida

Back in late 2015 my husband and I spent considerable time discussing the possibility of a "longish" holiday in Florida during the next winter (2016). In the end, all we did was discuss it, but if I tell the absolute truth about it, I had been poring over websites for vacation rentals for many months before discussing it with him.

I checked out holiday condo rentals, and mobile rentals, and home rentals, and even trailer parks (ie: camping type parks). I was entranced with a couple of the camping parks because they offered exactly what I'd hoped for ... a place to park your camper/trailer/motor home right on the ocean ... nothing between you and that ocean except the sand. The pictures showed exactly my dream and I was pretty excited about that until I checked the rental pricing. Most of those beach front slots appear to have been rented by the same people for years, and there was already a huge waiting list for a space when someone didn't return. On top of that, the lots had no "hook-ups" ... no water (well, of course the ocean was right there, but that isn't potable water), no sanitation hook up, no electricity. Okay, I could deal with that. Any camping trailer we've ever owned was self-contained and you could run pretty much everything on propane. BUT, for the joy of putting your camper in the sand with nothing else you paid a whopping $109 a night. Yes, a NIGHT!  I thought about what that would cost for a month ... or 3 months (a standard length of stay for Snowbirds).