Dane Werk

Archive for August, 2009

The Views of Prestwick at Grasslands

Some of the best views in Grasslands, an exclusive private country club community located in the beautiful city of Lakeland, Florida, are located in Prestwick.  There are 22 single family homes that are attached as duplexes that sit on San Gully Lake with views of the golf course and clubhouse.  Homes range from 2100 sq. ft. of living up to 3600 sq. ft.

For years as I played golf here at Grasslands, I always wondered what the Drummond Company would build on the site that ended up being Prestwick Drive.  My wife Denise and I had a home in south Lakeland sitting on 1.3 acres and I was definetly interested in something easier to take care of, while Denise had a certain square footage that she wanted.  When the two story model was finished I stopped by to look at it after I played golf on a Sunday.  It was very nice and I suggested to Denise that she might want to look at it and Monday we both went to see it together.  After we took a good look at it, we asked the company representative if we could make some interior changes and they said no problem.  We said we would build one and they asked what lot.  After those years of looking at that the vacant land, I knew exactly what lot I wanted.  We signed the contract and they asked if we wanted to sell our house first.  I said start building.  Not knowing at that time how that decision would change my life.  I was not a REALTOR then, but it turned out I was before the home was completed and three years later I was the #1 single agent in the #1 office in the county.

It is not always the easiest decision to buy in Grasslands because of the premium you pay to live here.  Denise and I had a very nice 4 bedroom home on a large lot, a pool with a spa, koi pond, and an oversized 3 car garage, with two driveways.  We sold that home for $220,000 in 1998 and paid $299,000 for our Prestwick home that had the same square footage, no pool, and a 2 1/2 car garage.  The difference being the view, lifestyle, and location, location, location.  Without a doubt we have never regretted the move to Grasslands.

The only thing that concerned us about a Prestwick home was whether we would be able to here sounds coming from our neighbors since we did share the interior wall.  This wall is block that goes all the way to the roof line and is insulated.  To give people an example of how quiet these are, we went out of town for a week and came back and my alarm clock was going off with the volume all the way up.   I said, oh heck and called my neighbor tho apologize and he asked for what.  I explained and he said they didn’t hear anything.

The maintenance fee in Prestwick is $340 a month and includes mowing, trimming, hedge trimming, mulch, pressure cleaning of home and roof annually, interior pest control, roof reserves, exterior painting every 6 years, 24 hr. guarded gate, common grounds, fountains, and road reserves.  There is currently a single story available and a two story short sale that is available.  If you would like more info on these homes, feel free to contact me anytime.

The Custom Homes of Fairway Lakes at Grasslands

The exclusive private country club community of Grasslands in Lakeland, Florida offers custom homes in Fairway Lakes, with most homes having golf course or water frontage.  Fairway lakes first homes were located on the original #1 hole, now #11,  were considered model row.  These homes have that great Florida floor plan with the views of the golf course.

The 79 homes in Fairway Lakes have lot sizes of 1/4 acre, 1/3 acre with estate homes located on Winged Foot Drive having a minimum of a 1/2 acre going up to 1.3 acres.  A typical homes living square footage tends to be 2400 to 3000 in phase I and 3000 to 4000 sq. ft. in phase II with homes on Winged Foot ranging from 3600 sq. ft. to up to 7300 sq. ft.  Fairway Lakes is encompassed by holes 11, 12, 13, and 15 and the nicest lake in Grasslands.

The maintenance fees are $125.37 and cover the 24 hour guarded gate, common grounds, fountains, and road reserves.   There is still one vacant lot available on Winged Foot Drive, priced at $400,000.  To get more info on Fairway lakes, feel free to contact me anytime.

Why Grasslands Today?

With this weblog,  I get to bring my vision to life.  For the first time, buyers, homeowners, the public, and REALTORS can look at one site and see every property listing in Grasslands and Oakbridge located in the heart of our wonderful city of Lakeland, Florida.  My goals for this site is to educate people about the benefits of not only living in our beautiful community, but Lakeland as well.

Grasslands and Oakbridge are not always an easy choice to make to live.  The reason is that as the old saying goes, location, location, location equals money, money, money.  Yes, this is certainly not the most affordable place to live, but it wasn’t intended to be either.

Grasslands is without a doubt in my mind worth every dollar it takes to live here.  It is not likely that there will ever be another exclusive private country club community developed inside the city of Lakeland or Polk County for that matter.  Where else can you live in Lakeland and be so close to a great private golf course, top of the line tennis facility, swimming, restaurants galore, an 18 screen stadium seating movie theatre, a wonderful Publix, Target, medical facilities, and shopping of every sort.  Not to be left out, the close proximity of our beautiful downtown, the Lakeland Center, Polk Theatre, Lakeland Christian school, St. Paul Lutheran school, Resurrection Catholic school. Grasslands public school zone is Lakeland Senior, the home of the national power house football team the Dreadnaughts.  Oakbridge’s public high school is Kathleen H.S., renowned for its highly ranked basketball program. Where else can you live within minutes of a full service hospital and I-4 that leads to two international airports, two major cities, being Tampa and Orlando, and beaches in both directions.  Like the commercial says, there is a price for the home, a price for the membership, but the lifestyle is priceless.  So come back often and read the latest info as I intend to keep everybody up to date on what is happening now, what has happened in the past and what is going to happen in the future here.

Grasslands Golf and Country Club

Grasslands Golf & Country Club located in Lakeland, Florida is an exclusive private country club that was opened in 1991 with the golf course being designed by Bob Cupp and Jerry Pate. The scottish designed course was quickly appreciated by Lakeland golfers for its pristine condition and challenging quick greens. The clubhouse at the time consisted of the pro shop on the main floor along with accounting offices and the managers office. The downstairs was used as the main restaurant. The tennis facility consisted of 5 lighted hydro surface courts. The swimming facilities consisted of a jr. olympic swimming pool, baby pool, a food service stand, and an enclosed screened in eating area.

In 1994 the main clubhouse was opened. The main dining room known for its impressive views of the golf course is opened for lunch Tuesday through Friday for lunch, Sunday brunch, and formal dining on Friday evenings, occasional special club dining events, and also used as a banquet facility. The grill room, initially used as a lounge, is open for lunch and dinner Tuesday thru Sunday.

The bottom floor of the main clubhouse has the mens and woman’s locker rooms and the fitness center. Once the main clubhouse was opened, the original restaurant was converted to the turn stand and the bag storage.

Grasslands has a strong management staff that oversees the food and beverage service, a well staffed pro shop, golf course staff, tennis staff, accounting offices, a membership secretary, with the swimming pool being handled by the YMCA in season.

The golf course has been the host of four Nationwide events, including the one that Casey Martin was first allowed to use a golf cart after his legal win over the PGA on this issue, which he went on to win, numerous U.S. Open qualifying, and PGA Tour qualifying sectionals. In fact, there are only six sites in the United States that have the first leg of qualifying for the U.S. Open and the PGA Tour and Grasslands was host for each, simultaneously for three consecutive years.

In the spring of 2008, The Drummond Company, which is the developer of Grasslands & Oakbridge, started a major facelift of the golf course by redoing the greens, the tees, and the bunkers and a major overhaul of the drainage. They also constructed numerous buildings at the maintenance facilities and began an equipment purchasing program so the golf course can be maintained at its highest levels for years to come. The course fully reopened in the fall of 2008 with great reviews from the membership. The PGA Tour qualifying is coming back to Grasslands in October and I am sure they will be impressed by what the Drummond Company has accomplished here.

The Character and Charm of Shoal Creek Village

When the Drummond Company first started developing Grasslands in 1990, the concept of maintenance free patio homes was not new to Lakeland.  There already were maintenance free communities,  most of which consisted of  duplex’s mixed with a few single family units.  But the idea of high end patio homes was certainly new to the area.

What set Shoal Creek Village apart in Lakeland, was the location of sitting behind the guarded gates of Grasslands, plus golf course views, water front views, and where the street was designed by the ways of the water.  The result was a truly charming neighborhood with most of the 62 homes being water front and most having golf course views.

The monthly maintenance fee of $263.67 covers the cost of the 24 hr. guarded gate, common grounds, fountains, road reserves, yard maintenance including edging, chemical weeding, bush trimming, mulch, and the painting of the exterior every six years.  With all of this, you can leave your home for an extended period and when you come home, it will look just like it did when you left.  If you would like to see these properties or get more information, contact me anytime.