Towamensing Trails (Philadelphia, York: rentals, vacation home, crawl space)

[scerrito]

Any information regarding this community would be greatly appreciated. Just put an offer on a house and not completely familiar with area.
Hard to get a real-feel about neighborhood this time of year.

[DE_NePA]

We bought a house at TT this past August, which will be a part time short term rental for us, and a part time weekend get away. Hopefully you were told that the lake will not be available this coming summer, as repairs are needed on the dam. It looks like the money is already available and set aside for that work, unless the state rejects the proposed plan. The community has its own website Welcome To The Official Towamensing Trails Community Web site, you might want to review the bi-monthly Trails Topics publication online there. According to a recent issue, there are about 700 full time residents, and most of them are retirees. Unlike areas further east and north, TT has a high percentage of folks from southeastern PA (the Philadelphia area) as opposed to northern or central Jersey and New York. Annual dues are low ($400). There are around 4000 lots, with about 2100 of them having homes on them. IMO, there needs to a be a second pool built, and the beach at the lake expanded, but this is very unlikely to happen any time soon. The current board of directors seems content to downplay the need for these improvements to keep up with the building boom that went on over the last several years, but has likely tailed off now.

Are you buying as a full time residence, part time get away, rental?

[maf763]

I just sold a vacation home there. If you are looking to live there full time, there are a fair number of full-time residents, some families, but also a lot of retirees/empty-nesters. It will seem pretty quiet though most of the year. There are some nearby amenities (stores, post office, bank, etc.) but you'll probably still have to drive to get to them. There is no mail delivery so you would need to get a PO Box. There is a clubhouse with a bar/restaurant that attracts a lot of residents as regulars.

If you're looking at it as a vacation home, the amenities are pretty good, but the lake is going to (or already has) disappear for a year or two while they repair the dam. This means the pool will probably be really crowded this summer. You could always go to the state park at Hickory Run (about 20 minutes) or the county park at Mauch Chunk (25-30 minutes) to go to the beach. The roads in the community are good for bike-riding, paved and mostly flat. There are a lot of nearby things to do - skiing, paintball, rafting, hiking, mountain biking, hunting, etc.

We really liked the community and only sold because of some changes in the family dynamics. I would have liked to have kept the place.

[DE_NePA]

Originally Posted by maf763

I just sold a vacation home there..

Maf - did you ever rent your home out, or was it strictly for part-time use by your family?

[DE_NePA]

Originally Posted by scerrito

Any information regarding this community would be greatly appreciated. Just put an offer on a house and not completely familiar with area.
Hard to get a real-feel about neighborhood this time of year.

Scerrito,

I'd also strongly suggest a home inspection, with a good test of the septic system. If you're prospective property does not have a mound septic system (ie.e tha backyard is flat), you should know that TT has a high water table, snow melt and rain aggravate it. Ask how many times the system has been pumped over the years, then verify. Our "seller's disclosure" said "No known issues with septic" but we later learned that 1400 gallons was pumped out of the 1000 tank last January. The extra 400 gallons came from the dispersing pipe system, and the saturated ground. If you frequently reach saturation (we have 2x in 3 months), a new mound system will cost you $15k-$20k

[maf763]

Originally Posted by DE_NePA

Maf - did you ever rent your home out, or was it strictly for part-time use by your family?

Part-time use by family, but I have a pretty big extended family, so the house was used by various cousins and friends in addition to immediate family.

[scerrito]

Thanks for your comments. Actually, we were not aware of the lake being unavailable this summer. I guess we can deal with that. We are buying the house with the same intent as your use... rentals to friends and family and a get away for our family.

[DE_NePA]

Originally Posted by scerrito

Actually, we were not aware of the lake being unavailable this summer. I guess we can deal with that.

There's a pipe inside the damn that can be opened to allow release of water. That has to be replaced, as it has deteriorated over 30 years. At the same time, the state has made more stringent requirements for dams, must be able to safely retain the water produced by a 36" rain over 24 hours. TT POA's plan for that is to raise the height of the dam. It is hoped that both parts fo this work can be done at the same time, to save cost. The pipe must be done, even if the plan to deal with the monsoon is rejected by the state. If thta work has to happen separately some time in the future, it may or may not involve closing the lake again (depending upon what solution the state apporves). We're pushing to have the additional height approved, get both jobs done this year.

[poconosforsure]

i've bought my vacation home in TT just about 3 yrs ago. its really a nice place. i have met a ton of nice people, weekenders like myself. good ammenities, pool, lake, clubhouse with adult bevs and food. start looking for a pimped out golf cart now.. lol. there is quite a bit of rental activity, but that will pretty much be in any development. there are a lot of rules to adhere to, which may seem like a pain in the rear end, but i think thats what keeps the place from turning into a free for all. i think the community is run pretty well, maintenance does a nice job with the roads, keeping the place maintained. the lake - well thats just gonna pretty much happen. if they dont fix it, we cant keep it. just gotta deal with it for (i think) this summer. i think if we didnt have the lake, well what fun would that be? i dont see any reason you wont have a great time with your house. just like mentioned above, pay attention to your home inspections. crawl spaces and basements need to be looked at carefully. enjoy, i know i do!

[Irish Eyes]

We were there to ski this weekend. I really, really love this place.