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Hubby and I are looking to relocate to MB area. We are both avid golfers and are interested in Barefoot. Anyone have any experience with this community? We are looking for a community with full time residents that are retired and but enjoy being active with their neighbors. Any advise on this community or any other type community would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.
I lived in Barefoot from 2006-2011 and again from 2015-current. Barefoot is a great community in a nice location, close to restaurants and activities. The four golf courses are excellent, with three of them typically ranked in the top 20 (out of about 100) courses on the grand strand. There are homes & condos that can fit any kind of budget, and the golf is very affordable considering you get 4 top notch courses to play.
The deal with the golf is if you purchase a home that has a transferable resort golf membership then you pay a transfer fee (i.e., the initiation fee) which I think is in the $2500 to $5000 range. Then the monthly membership dues are about $150 per month. When you play you only have to pay the $25 cart fee. When you buy the home it has to be in Barefoot and it has to have a transferable membership. If the previous owner didn't opt for a golf membership then you won't be able to get one unless you pony up $20,000 for the initiation fee. They are very strict about this so be sure to check the address with the membership director first before buying the home.
One other thing, there is one community within Barefoot (Tuscan Sands) where the golf membership technically isn't a "resort" membership but rather a "Dye" membership (the Dye is one of the four courses). You can still play all four courses at Barefoot for a cart fee but the monthly dues are $300 instead of $150, and you do get to use the other Dye facilities (pool, hot tub, exercise room) that you wouldn't with a resort membership. The reason why is because this development wasn't part of the original Centex community. There's another community in Barefoot called the Dye estates (mostly very high-end homes) whereby there are no inexpensive transferable memberships to be had (again because Centex didn't build in here). So you'd need to pony up the 20k initiation. However, the rest of the communities probably 50% of the resale homes have transferable golf memberships.
As for meeting other residents, should be no problem. There are activities all the time, such as trips & parties, and there's a nice locals hangout at Putters Pub at the Barefoot driving range.
Let me know if you have any other questions. Also if you want a good real estate agent who specializes in Barefoot I can PM you her name & contact.
Location: Lakewood NJ/Murrells Inlet SC/ N. Naples FL/Swainton NJ
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I having nothing against golf. I don't play myself, but most of my friends and family do. If golf were free and convenient I still do not see myself wanting to play much (perhaps just to socialize). But the expense makes absolutely no sense to me. But, to each his/her own......
Another good thing about living in Barefoot is the area drains really well. In the heavy rains of last October which flooded out many whole communities, Barefoot was relatively unscathed. Also, being located west of the waterway insurance rates will be lower vs. closer to the ocean.
Thank you leetchy, really appreciate the info. We looked around Barefoot last October and got a little feel for the area. We spent two evenings at Putters Pub and did meet several very friendly people. This experience at the pub did help sway us more to the Barefoot community. We spent our week last October looking at most all communities in north MB and Seaside. We're not planning to move for 3 yrs, but still trying to narrow down which area we want to be in. We are looking for a smaller home, probably 250-300 and hoping to get into a neighborhood that has non-seasonal residents, is there any you would recommend or maybe we should not bother to look at? How'does the HOAs work? I've noticed some include more than others and some are higher than others. Does it all depend on the neighborhood you choose? Have you noticed much increase in the cost of the HOAs since you have been there? Glad to hear the insurance could be lower in this area and no trouble with flooding. We do love the proximity to the beach and like the idea of the private beach house. When we get closer to our relocation date we will get a realtor involved, hate to waste their time right now. Thanks again for your help!
You'll be able to find a nice home for under 300k within Barefoot. The HOA's vary a little bit within Barefoot, depending on the community. For example, Longbridge's HOA dues are about $145/month (includes basic cable, internet, phone and security monitoring) while gated communities like Leatherleaf, Oak Pointe and the Dye estates are over $200/mo. Tuscan Sands is the least expensive at $45/mo, however you really don't get anything for that. Just to give you an idea of the increases, back in 2012 Longbridge's HOA dues were $125/mo and in 2006 they were $110/mo. All of Barefoot is professionally managed by an outside management agency. They do a great job, and they don't come knocking at your door if you decide to paint your front door a different color. Only if you let the property go will you get a letter.
There are a couple of new communities in the northern end of North Myrtle Beach near the new Publix (Seaside Plantation, Surf Estates) but these are much more expensive and the only golf course nearby is the Surf Club which would cost 10k initiation and $375/mo dues. However, pace of play is great and it is 95% private so there would be a lot of year-round locals there.
Farther north in Little River there's a nice community called River Hills with a number of nice homes in the 250-300k range. HOA dues are very low and the golf course is nice, but not near the quality of Barefoot and the membership dues are not less. Plus you have to be sure to pick a home that sits up high because portions of River Hills will flood out in extreme rain events.
I have lived at Barefoot Resort since 2004. Lots of amenities. Very good location. Lots of nearby shopping, restaurants, etc. My husband loves the golf courses there and said the practice range is excellent. Lots of nice people and many activities at the residents center, which is for single family homeowners. The pools and oceanfront cabana are favorite spots. Hope you find the perfect home at Barefoot!
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Living at Barefoot
