A celebrity chef from Seattle found his dream home in The Villages only to have his bubble burst over a property problem.
Sean Langan was confronted with a life-changing decision when he learned that he will have to have a double lung transplant. He started looking for a new place to start the next chapter of his life.
His flight touched down in Florida.
“I got off the plane and I could breathe,” said Langan, who has since been admitted to a program at UF-Shands in Gainesville, while he prepares for the double lung transplant.
When he and his wife found The Villages, they considered it destiny.
They spent a very short time at a brand new home in the St. Johns Verandas, before they opted to pay cash for the $509,100 house, which included a $49,000 premium for a water view of Lake Okahumpka.
“We were very rushed to make a decision,” he said.
They sold their restaurants in Seattle and made the move to Florida’s Friendliest Hometown.
Because he is immunocompromised, Langan’s doctors have warned him against swimming in pools at recreation centers.
So he and his wife began looking at having a pool built in their backyard.
That’s when their dream home began to look a lot less dreamy. They learned that they actually have significantly more land than they realized. Their land extends into what was believed to be their neighbor’s property.
“Our home was built in the wrong location and angle. Our neighbor has 33 percent of our property we paid for,” Langan said.
When Langan tried to contact The Villages, he claims he was met with indifference. Langan was persistent and wanted The Villages to “make it right.” He claimed one representative “ran out the back door” rather than deal with the problem.
“They basically said, ‘That’s the way it is,’” he said.
Langan’s annual property tax bill is about $5,000. By his calculation, he is paying about $130 per month for land he owns, but cannot access.
This week, he won a round when he went before the Architectural Review Committee and was granted special permission to proceed with the pool in his backyard, which is so small that the pool will take up most of the space.
While that’s a victory, he admits he’s still chafing over the property that belongs to him, but he can’t use.
“I guess my bubble really burst,” he said.
