Lakewood Shores

[brougham]

I would like to hear the pro's and con's of living in the Lakewood Shores develoment as well as the Villages of Oscoda. I hope to reside in the Oscoda area in the future and would appreciate the insight of those there already...

[The guy who moved away]

Lakewood will give you some privacy and has the added pirk of security guards (last I checked).

Villages of Oscoda are nice, but you have to remember that they're refurbished base housing. So the buildings have seen a lot of use.

Either one is decent and about the same distance from town (Lakewood depends on how far into the property you're going to live.)

[Shirley Moore]

brougham wrote:

I would like to hear the pro's and con's of living in the Lakewood Shores develoment as well as the Villages of Oscoda. I hope to reside in the Oscoda area in the future and would appreciate the insight of those there already...

Hi. I live in Lakewood Shores. Its a great neighborhood to live in. Everyone takes pride in their homes and their yards, and the neighbors are fantastic, Its a quiet and respectful neighborhood. Besides this, there is a great park and boat launch to Cedar Lake, and the community building. The Villages of Oscoda homes are smaller, and for practically the same money. They also have rules and regulations on fences, pets, etc.

[brougham]

Thanks for the comments, I appreciate it. One concern I have is that initially I may need to continue to work down below and would only be there part-time. So security and upkeep would something I would worry about, especially over the winter..

[Burbs Of Oscoda]

Security in Lakewood Shores isn't really security, they are just a bunch of thugs harassing kids and keeping non-card holding township residents off the "associations" properties. There is a mandatory $100 per year "association dues" whether you use the facilities or not. Other than that, Lakewood is a fairly nice and safe community check out any home for mold before you buy as Lakewood was built on a swamp.

The Villages of Oscoda as stated above are refurbished military housing, the association there has very restrictive rules and regulation most are duplexes and quadplexes, and the villages is being sold as a retirement community yet has no age restrictions on ownership.

Oscoda has just about every third house for sale so should be a buyers market but house prices continue to escalate.

There are more small communities in Oscoda, ou may wish to look in Hull Island area or Brewster Park.
AuSable Township is generally a quiet community and more reasonable home prices.

[OscodaDreamer]

I lived in Lakewood. Too isolated for me. Hull Island is quiet (only one way onto the island) and everything is in walking distance.

[freddy flintstone]

I love the villages of oscoda regulations and all

[Seymour1511]

The Villages of Oscoda Board of Directors think they run a dictatorship. The Board regularly steps past their authority when enforcing the Bylaws or making decisions. Best thing would be for the Current Board of Directors to be sued by a group of homeowners for their faulty decision making and their very bias enforcement of certain bylaws and rules.

[oscoda]

brougham wrote:

Thanks for the comments, I appreciate it. One concern I have is that initially I may need to continue to work down below and would only be there part-time. So security and upkeep would something I would worry about, especially over the winter..

we are seasonal residents working below and spending free time in lakewood shores. no problems or break ins. upkeep is not a problem, office has numbers for services available if we are unable to get up there (snow removal, lawn etc). they also have a volunteer program if you need someone to check on your property.

[My Opinion]

The property values have decreased tremendously at the Villages of Oscoda. Those that thought they got a bargain back when they first bought, will now find it extremely difficult to sell and if they do sell, there will be no profit! Since FOR SALE signs can not be posted in the yard, it is difficult to see how many houses are actually FOR SALE at the Villages. I'm sure one would be shocked at the large number of FOR SALES. Some can be blamed on the economy and but most of the responsibilty for the decline falls right on the shoulders of the inept Board of Directors and their the insensitive staff of letter writers. If you can manage to be a part of the "good old boys" network at the Villages, they may not hassel you, but don't get on their bad side.... Several homeowners have been taken to CIRCUIT COURT for vague by-law interpretatons including FOR RENT signs. It appears that the the Board spends association dues any way they desire. FACT: Just prior to the last court case, the Board had to raise dues to make their budget! As for Lakewood, it is one of Oscoda's nicer areas. Burbs of Oscoda was not exactly correct about the "mold" issues. Yes there are homes that have been built on a swampy area of Lakewood, but those are mostly the older homes on the east side. Most have been repaired and the new drainage system has seemed to help the swampy areas. If you buy in Lakewood, get a home inspection or at least someone to look at the foundation and support structure under the home.

[Betty- MI]

My brother has a condo in the Villages that he now has sold- but was renting out for the past few years. The Association has alot of rules and regs and quite honestly, some of those that are very active and vocal are slightly...crazy. There are many retirees that are not afraid to complain about engine noise (hello? you bought a house right next to an airport)- put up a big stink about the proposed Drag Strip (which could only benefit the area). Lakewood also has an association but from what I hear, much more reasonable in terms of their rules and regs. Properties are nicer in general, wooded, tree-lined streets.

brougham wrote:

I would like to hear the pro's and con's of living in the Lakewood Shores develoment as well as the Villages of Oscoda. I hope to reside in the Oscoda area in the future and would appreciate the insight of those there already...