A Village of Hemingway resident whose home is in violation of deed compliance claims he was unaware of the problem when he was sold the home by a realtor from The Villages.
Paul and Denise Hellebuyck bought their home at 2577 Dunbar Ave. in 2021 for $319,800. In January, Paul Hellebuyck appeared before the Community Development District 7 Board of Supervisors in a public hearing.
He was back before the CDD 7 board Thursday morning at its meeting at SeaBreeze Recreation Center.
“The violation was not revealed to me at the time of the purchase,” Hellebuyck told the board.
He claimed a “rat” lodged a complaint about his home.
In the hearing in January, the CDD 7 board granted Hellebuyck 90 days to bring his violation – landscaping that is not in compliance – back into compliance. Board members noted they had gone above and beyond to grant him extra time.
Some supervisors were sympathetic to Hellebuyck’s complaint about the realtor in his purchase. He said The Villages handled the transaction.
“It sure seems to me that the realtor has some responsibility in this,” said Supervisor Daryl Klinko.
Supervisor Steve Lapp agreed.
“My problem is the realtor failed to disclose there was a problem,” he said.
Board Chairman Jerry Vicenti said Hellebuyck has touched on a “big problem” in The Villages.
“Every time you sell a house, you should have to have a certificate to show the house is in compliance. This has been going on for years,” Vicenti said.
CDD 7’s attorney Mike Eckert said the board could send a letter to the realtors who are not disclosing deed compliance violations to purchasers. But he indicated that’s about as far as CDD 7 could go.
“In the end, it’s a private matter between the realtor and the resident,” Eckert said.
