Is MANDALAY (Neal Communities) too good to be true?!? (Sarasota: crime, home builder)

[MidwestYoungCouple]

I am planning to relocate to the Sarasota/Bradenton area beginning in 2010.

I have been conducting research on areas and communities where I could reside (rent or own). I have been looking into the Lakewood Ranch Development and other developments by the same builders.

I received information about the Mandalay Community from Neal Communities. The homes seem to be very reasonably priced ($200 K) for a generous amount of living space (2276 – 3236 Square Feet).

I have NOT visited any of these properties yet. Can anyone provide insight on why the Mandalay Community is priced at a level that seems too good to be true?

1. Is it in an undesirable part of town?
2. Is it becasue the developer has a surplus on the market?
3. Is the area still in development?
4. Is it due to a lower quality of workmanship (building supplies & ammenities)?
5. Is it the socio-economic demographic of the current or targeted owners?

[CraftLadyKim]

Here's all Neal Community locations Neal Communities - Communities Lakewood Ranch Home Builder - Sarasota Homes - Florida Home Builder
This is a new, growing community in Sarasota County and prices are very reasonable, these are Divosta Homes built by Pulte Homes, a well establised builder. All homes are built with a waterview and this is a well thoughout community. It's close to shopping and schools.
Islandwalk at the West Villages - Community You need to check out crime and schools in the area you want to live in as well as all the rest of the statistics. What is most important to you, buying in Florida is about buying a lifestyle. If I can help you further please let me know. If you'd like I can send more info, just let me know. I do hope this helps, relocating to a new area is hard work. I can also refer you to someone that has truly done her homwork on moving to Florida. Best wishes.

[ohtofl]

I am wondering this too. We are looking at some of the Neal Community Homes. Mandalay seems to give alot of house for a lower price. Anyone else have any insight on this? Good neighborhood? Nice homes or cheaply built? What's the deal?

Also, what about Wisteria Park in Bradenton? Is this a good area or bad area?

[SoFLGal]

Originally Posted by ohtofl

I am wondering this too. We are looking at some of the Neal Community Homes. Mandalay seems to give alot of house for a lower price. Anyone else have any insight on this? Good neighborhood? Nice homes or cheaply built? What's the deal?

Also, what about Wisteria Park in Bradenton? Is this a good area or bad area?

I was born in Bradenton but it's changed a lot since I've lived there. I know that Pat Neal has been in the community for years and is a shrewd businessman.

I've been reading a lot about Bradenton lately in the news. Not all that great. Just last week there were two high school kids killed in separate random shootings. I know crime happens everywhere but it seems like Bradenton has been getting a bad rap lately.

Of course, like any city, there are some nicer areas and some areas that are not so nice. I'd research the areas crime statics.

You might also want to check out the local paper: Bradenton.com | Homepage There are these kind of stories you'll see almost daily. On the front page today they are talking about how the city did a gun buy back program and were overwhelmed by the response. Here's the other top story: No easy answers at violence forum - Top Stories - Bradenton.com (http://www.bradenton.com/847/story/1717315.html - broken link) At least they are actually discussing the problem now instead of ducking the issue.

There are some people on the board that live in and around that area that might be able to shed some more light on it.

As I recommend with any area you would be investigating-go to the neighborhood after 5pm when people are out of work and school. Look around and see what you see. Do you like what's happening? Call the police department and ask how many times they have been called to the neighborhood in the last month. Ask the neighbors if they like their neighborhood. Neighbors are usually more than willing to share any info they know. Check out the "Police Beat" section of the local newspaper. What streets do you see mentioned over and over? How are the schools rated in the area? What are people saying about them? This will give you more of a clue. It's something you should look into-even if you don't have school aged kids.

I realize some of these things are a bit hard to do from afar but if you get really serious about a certain area I suggest you do the above. You'll be glad you did.

Good luck with your search

[redstephie]

My sister and BIL have a house in Wisteria Park. We have stayed there several times and find the people in the neighbourhood really friendly and helpful. We cycle and walk in that area and have always felt safe.
Wisteria Park is also very close to the Robinson Preserve, a fantastic place to kayak, cycle, and watch the abundant wildlife.
I did the 'walk through' with her when they bought the house and I know that they are very impressed with the builder and the build quality of their home. As far as I'm aware, any issues or queries over the last few years have always been dealt with by promptly and efficiently by Neal Communities.
Hope this helps.

[Peter the Brit]

Great builder Not a good location.

[tmacias]

Electric Utility System Analyst and Project Manager for this part of the Sarasota/Bradenton area. I have designed around 20 to 30 subdivisions in this area and worked with the developers. By far the best product happens to be Neal Communities, they tend to pay attention to detail and the developer Pat Neal contributes heavily to the local community.

[DCH17]

[URL="http://www.bradenton.com/news/local/lakewood_ranch_herald/story/1765978.html?story_link=email_msg"]Survey: We love our community - Lakewood Ranch Herald - Bradenton.com[/URL]

Originally Posted by MidwestYoungCouple

I am planning to relocate to the Sarasota/Bradenton area beginning in 2010.

I have been conducting research on areas and communities where I could reside (rent or own). I have been looking into the Lakewood Ranch Development and other developments by the same builders.

I received information about the Mandalay Community from Neal Communities. The homes seem to be very reasonably priced ($200 K) for a generous amount of living space (2276 – 3236 Square Feet).

I have NOT visited any of these properties yet. Can anyone provide insight on why the Mandalay Community is priced at a level that seems too good to be true?

1. Is it in an undesirable part of town?
2. Is it becasue the developer has a surplus on the market?
3. Is the area still in development?
4. Is it due to a lower quality of workmanship (building supplies & ammenities)?
5. Is it the socio-economic demographic of the current or targeted owners?

[DCH17]

[url=http://www.bradenton.com/news/local/lakewood_ranch_herald/story/1765978.html?story_link=email_msg]Survey: We love our community - Lakewood Ranch Herald - Bradenton.com[/url]

[helojafo]

Hey midwestyoungcouple, Re: DCH17's post, That is a great article, but it doesn't seem like the link they posted went through properly. I'll try to repost it below.

Survey]Survey: We love our community - Lakewood Ranch Herald - Bradenton.com

Maybe that will work. Or you can copy and paste it into your browser. Neal builds some great homes, of course you should always hire a professional home inspector to check out anything that you're going to buy.

Mandalay could be considered a great community, but that would depend on your frame of reference. If you're coming from lower east Chicago, you would think there's no crime, if you're coming from north west Montana, you might think there's too much. You can always call the local police and get some great info. Also www.tbo.com has a section called "Crimetracker" where you can actually see a map with dots indicating reported crimes for a given area.

Best wishes with your move.