Palm Valley, Oviedo FL

Do your research! Monthly fees do increase every year and you never own the land, so guess what you pay forever.

I love my home in Palm Valley. There are many amenities, and they have been upgraded and look beautiful. Our clubhouse has been remodeled. New management has done a great job. You are close to groceries, shopping, medical care etc.
You can swim, play tennis, workout and our commu ity is very quiet and full of wildlife.

My parents moved here almost 20 years ago. My father died 3 hears ago, and mom still lives here. Overall, it has been a good place for this retirement however there are concerns.

First the good: 1. They met a lot of wonderful friends and the neighbors look out for each other. 2. It's very quiet and the setting is very nice-wildlife, ponds, etc. 3. Lots of activities and events.

The concerns: 1. The lot fees go up every year. 2. The lot fees are supposed to cover lawn care but they did a terrible job. I go to my moms almost every weekend to mow, weeded, pull weeds, etc. 3. Security is questionable. The secondary entrance has a gate that requires a bar code or inout code to enter. It has been broken and wide open for months currently. 4. Water quality is erratic-the boil water warning signs are up frequently. 5. The management is completely unresponsive. I've called and left messages 3-4 times over the years and never get a response or call back.

Amenities are nice but they should be for the exorbitant monthly dues that seem to increase by the minute. It costs each resident roughly $900 every month just in dues (park maintenance, etc.) There are over 800 homes in the park. Just do the math. Hometown Properties is raking in the major bucks yet very little ever seems to get finished.such as the park's roads that are riddled with potholes and cracks and haven't been repaved in many years. The on-site water company hasn't replaced underground water pipes in so many years that residents are asked to regularly boil their water for the possible threat of contamination to the water main. Special events such as holiday dances charge a fairly high ticket price but they don't include restaurant catered food. And they often hire live bands for these dances inatead of a professional DJ (which is just a personal preference i suppose.)
This place should be like living at a 5-star resort for the $720,000 it collects EACH AND EVERY MONTH. That's almost a million dollars taken from mainly retired seniors living on welfare (many if which are barely getting by) while these fat cats do the absolute minimum and pocket the rest. They're clearly taking advantage of their residents and it's disgraceful. So disgraceful that the public should be made aware, particularly the local news stations as well as social media and mainly for the water safety issue alone. Who really needs to boil their water on a regular basis to keep from getting ill? Now what I'm about to say is purely speculative but counting just the residents that live on the same street as my parents there have been 15 people that have been diagnosed with some form of cancer (including my father). That is just one street alone. I should also mention that my father (75 years old) suddenly became ill with sepsis and nearly died. Luckily he pulled through but typically 1/4 of those that become infected will die. So, is Palm Valley to blame? Who knows. But Maybe if they used some of the mounds of money they're getting from monthly dues then perhaps they could bring the water company into modern tImes. AND fix the roads. AND a hell of a lot more. Shame on Hometown Properties (the owners) for pillaging their residents.

If I could give zero stars I would. I purchased a mobile home for my parents years ago. The mobile home they sold us was not in good shape this was my fault for not doing due diligence in purchasing a home. The lot rent goes up every year and the water bill is always high. The mobile home sat empty for 2 months with no one in it while being sold and I had to pay a final water bill a little under 100.00 for the month. Not a lot of money but there was nobody in the mobile home and there were no leaks I checked the meter and it was not moving at all. I just find it curious that an elderly couple use 1000 gallons a month and its always a 1000 gallons a month. I made a mistake buying this for my parents and I am so happy I dont have to deal with this money pit anymore. I do not wish anyone else to make this same mistake. I am lucky as this was just a lesson learned but I know there are some out there scrapping by and this can be a financial mistake that can devistate a family. You would be better off buying a condo or townhome at least the monthly payment is going towards equity rather than lost money every month in lot rent that has zero equity and is a monthly loss. If this review changes even one families mind I have done my job in helping that family not make the same fanancial mistake I have made. Good luck to everyone out there.

They have Bingo on Sundays that is fun! They play one game per card and the prices per game are low. The screen is easy to see and everyone is friendly. There is restaurant so bring your own snacks. Everyone is friendly and I really like the fact that they start at 6 and end well before 9. Great parking lot and easy to find right off Alafaya.