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