Verandah

Verandah is about 1,590 homes and homesites on the Orange River in unincorporated Lee County. It is reached off State Road 80 east of Fort Myers, with Buckingham Road on the eastern edge. About 1,230 are single-family houses and 362 are condominiums, those in Pebblebrook, Cottonwood Bend and Idlewild. The first homes date from 2003 and the builder is still selling.

The golf courses, the River House restaurant, the fitness center, the tennis and pickleball courts and the pool are not association property. They belong to the developer, Verandah Development LLC, and the club that operates them is owned by the Kolter Group. Buying a house here doesn't buy any of it; a membership does, and it carries its own bill.

Who owns the golf and the clubhouse?

The developer does, both courses and the whole River Village campus, with an outside company running it day to day. The association's side is the gatehouse, the roads, the conservation land and preserve, plus the Boat House, Oak Park and the dog park.

A fitness center, tennis courts, a restaurant and 36 holes of golf sit in the marketing for a house here, and the house owns none of it. The association's handbook, on the fitness and tennis center: "In order to use these amenities, you must join the Club with a golf or club membership."

Do you have to join the club?

Yes. The club's plan rests on it. "The major component of this plan is to require existing and future residents of the community to become members of the Club." There is no social tier. The categories are Full Golf, Club and Non-Resident, and a membership agreement goes in at closing, at the Club level or above. An owner who files nothing is treated as having agreed anyway, with dues from the closing date.

The same club publishes this note. "Note: Some properties in the Verandah community do not hold membership rights in the club. If you are considering purchasing in the community, please contact the club to assertain if a membership is available on the property you are considering to purchase."

Both are the club's own position, and they pull against each other. Membership rights attach to the property rather than the community, so two addresses that look alike can differ. Settle it with the club on the exact address before you offer, and ask about dues then too.

The club's own plan spells it out. "A member only acquires a revocable license to use the Club Facilities". The club's owner sets the dues, the fees and the rules. That is access on someone else's terms, not a share of anything.

Bob Cupp designed Old Orange, Jack Nicklaus and Jack Nicklaus II designed Whispering Oak, and both sit inside the gates.

Can you keep a boat on the river?

No. There is no marina, no dockage and no slip anywhere here, and only about 15 homes back onto the river or a creek. Of roughly 1,590 homes and homesites, 2 have a dock and none a seawall. The handbook is precise about the water's edge. "Riverside observation decks (with no boat access) may also be permitted at single-family homesites along the river."

What the river gives you is a paddle. The Boat House stands at the water with a launch for kayaks and canoes, and a conservation easement protects the bank the whole way. Kayaks are booked through the fitness center, two hours at a time, and there's no charge for the boat. "The Boat House is owned by Verandah Community Association and currently managed by Verandah Club."

What does it cost to own here?

Sold prices start from the $170,000s and the top of the range is around $1.6 million. Houses measure about 1400 to about 4250 square feet, and bedrooms run 2 to 4. The association publishes three of its charges outright:

• A capital contribution to reserves, around $3,000, at closing.
• A transfer fee of a quarter of one percent of the sale price, also at closing.
• A lease application fee, around $300, filed at least 20 days before occupancy. More if filed later.

Whatever the club asks at closing sits outside those, and it publishes no figure. The recurring side arrives in layers: the association is master over 33 neighborhoods and bills quarterly, at a rate that differs neighborhood to neighborhood. Some of those neighborhoods are registered associations with managers of their own. In the association's words, "These neighborhoods will have additional use restrictions and assessments." A community assessment lands on the county tax bill, and club dues are separate again. That's four charges from four places, set by the address.

Can you rent it out?

With approval, and the approval has teeth: the association reviews each lease application, with background checks, and the paperwork is due at least 20 days before occupancy. In the neighborhoods with their own association, that board approves first. A tenant gets club privileges only where the property carries a membership. Anyone buying to rent should confirm the minimum term and how many leases a year the neighborhood allows.

The gate is staffed, a patrol works the roads, and a guest or contractor gets in by being called ahead or put on the list. Nothing inside is tall: no building in Verandah stands above two stories, and the ground that isn't houses is conservation land, preserve and river bank.