[phayes93]

Does anyone out there in DC Land know anyone who actually lives in Celebration, Fla.? We went through the town a few years back and I absoutely loved it! (My DD, however, thought it looked like something out of the Twilight Zone - TOO perfect). I'd love to relocate someday to the Orlando area and possibly look into buying in Celebration.

[jmouse]

Yes, I do know some people who live there.

[Park Hopper]

Celebration elicits strong reactions from most people: they either love it or hate it. Some people say it's like something out of The Twilight Zone -- too perfect and kind of creepy. Others say it's idyllic -- charming and reminiscent of the way life used to be.

Regardless of which camp a person might fall into, a couple of facts are undeniable: It is very, very expensive to buy a home in Celebration and the community rules are very, very strict.

My wife and I seriously considered Celebration when we were in the market for a new house a couple of years ago. We are among those who think it has a wonderful atmosphere of bygone days. After much debate, though, we finally decided against Celebration because of the bottom-line fact we could get so much more for our money somewhere else.

If you're relocating and think Celebration might be for you, it's certainly worth checking out. Be forewarned, though, that if you want to actually tour some of the models you have to be accompanied by a real estate agent who's registered with the development. Celebration has this requirement to keep out the "tire kickers" who are just curious and have no intention of buying.

I hope this information is helpful to you.

[mickaholic4077]

Your info makes Celebration sound very elitist and snobby,Park Hopper. I hope it isn't that way.

[sandanv1]

I agree with parkhopper. They have very strict rules. We also have looked into purchasing there. Prices are steep, you can find the same size/quality homes in other areas.

The rules are what turned us off

[tiggerlover1971]

my family calls them the stepford homes and everytime we go we joke because we see children play things outside but you dont see any children at least the times we go we havent :)

[mickaholic4077]

Originally posted by sandanv1
I agree with parkhopper. They have very strict rules. We also have looked into purchasing there. Prices are steep, you can find the same size/quality homes in other areas.

The rules are what turned us off

What kind of rules are you talking about,sandanv1?

[Park Hopper]

Originally posted by mickaholic4077
Your info makes Celebration sound very elitist and snobby,Park Hopper. I hope it isn't that way.

No, Mickaholic, I don't think Celebration is necessarily elitist and snobby. The community just has very strict rules to ensure that their high standards are met.

Living in Celebration would be the closest you could come to experiencing the "Disney way" that we all love 24 hours a day. The friendliness and cleanliness of Celebration is very much the same as in the theme parks -- but what esle would you expect from a community where they make it snow downtown every night during the Christmas season?

[alextina]

We toured Celebration when we were in Fla. in May and I loved it. Everything was so perfect and I would personally love the rules and regulations and I have to assume that the people who buy homes there buy them because they can rest assured that the community will always remain beautiful and perfect.

We just had a new home built and the houses on either side of us were still under construction when we moved in so we had no idea how our neighbors would be. Well just this past Thursday our last set of neighbors moved in and they have 7 count em 7 cars. I can only hope that this is not going to be the permanent situation because these cars are parked in the driveway on the sidewalk and in the street. Our home owners association does not allow for cars to be parked in the street and definately not on the sidewalk but I am not sure exactly how strict they are about it (I guess we'll find out they've only been there for a couple of days) so I personally would love a community which had strict rules against this type of thing. :p

Hope I didn't offend anyone or lead anyone to believe that I am an upity snob but cars on the sidewalk and all over the street is a bit much, without rules and regulations one house alone can ruin a whole street.

[sandanv1]

There were the normal rules like any homeowners association - House color, # of cars, landscaping etc. there is a Architectural Review Board, who oversees the property, changes and modifications, even decoratating at the holidays.....
and the associations fees are $800.00 Plus a year.

I live in a condo in S FL and deal with condo comandos and rules all the time and Hate it sometimes.

If I spend 500,000. for a home, I really don't want to answer to a review board.. just my opinion though.

[jmouse]

On the other hand, if I was buying a $500,000 house, I would welcome the community rules so that I would not have to worry about problems such as alextina is facing.

[Angie]

It seems like it would be so wonderful but I think i would get ulcers worrying about whether or not I was following all the rules all the time. We live in a resort community and have to pay 600$ a year for our property dues but the amenities are worth it. We have lots of rules but some are not so strictly enforced. I think if I was very wealthy and could afford to pay people to make sure my home was always up to par then I would go for it. But after all the times my kids have left their bikes on the driveway over night we would probably be run out of town over there. Every once in a while southern living runs an article on Celebration and it really does seem idyllic.

[tinkerbell]

I would follow every rule they had .. no matter what. Its been our dream since we first heard they were building it to live there. Of course if we cant take our DGD with us we wont leave texas but as I mentioned to them both tonight ..they could go to college in florida --- work for Disney and then we could move to Celebrations :)

[dismum]

I have a friend who has just moved there.The homes are beautiful but not cheap.The main reason she moved was because of the schools.

[rlander]

I agree with jmouse. The hoa and rules are meant to protect the investment that you make in a home. We live in a planned community with some rules, but the neigborhoods around us have no rules. You can see a big difference. Our community has a lot of ownership pride, but right around the corner ther are real problems.
I would love to live in Celebration, but here I am stuck in Cincinnati.:( Maybe some day.:hmmm