Letter: Read the fine print before buying home in this Tiverton neighborhood

To the editor:

I live in an over-55 gated community. When you drive through the gate, you see a nice club house and well kept gardens. The  club house houses a well kept and large swimming pool as well as pool tables, a hot tub, workout equipment, large meeting  rooms, etc. A drive through the park will show (mostly) nicely maintained homes and yards.

That's the good part — the homes cost  between $80,000 and $180,000 — sounds good right?

But if you read your lease which you need to sign, you will see that the land rent is approximately $500 per month and will increase by 3 percent to, in some cases, 10 percent.  

Now a recent buyer told me that the real estate agent (when asked about this) said, “Oh, because of the poor economy we haven't raised rent for two years — a bald face lie!  Also they, unlike some parks (say Florida and others) do nothing for the residents — do not cut your grass or plow your driveways in winter. They do plow the roads and put down salt … they used to send out a sweeper to pick up the sand  but not any more.  

So if you are planning to buy here I urge you to first consult a lawyer and please read your lease before signing.

Tom Morse

Tiverton