Active new construction, three distinct home series with very different HOA fees, 18-hole golf, and the PulteGroup building timeline questions nobody answers up front. The real Classic vs Garden vs Villa cost difference. CDD status. And the true all-in annual cost before you tour the model home.
Del Webb Stone Creek is a PulteGroup-built gated 55+ community on the southwest side of Ocala, approximately 12 miles from downtown. It opened in 2006 and is still actively building — roughly 3,800 homes are planned at buildout, making it one of the largest active construction 55+ communities in Marion County.
Stone Creek sits on the same SW 80th Street corridor as On Top of the World, about 3 miles west. Both communities are gated and guarded. Both have 18-hole golf on-site. The key differences: Stone Creek is fee simple ownership (you own the land), standard financing applies with no 20% down requirement, HOA fees vary dramatically by which home series you choose, and lawn maintenance is not included in the base HOA for Classic and Estate series homes.
This is the most important thing to know before touring Stone Creek: the $250/month HOA for Classic series homes does not include lawn care. That is a separate cost. The $727.79/month Villa HOA does include lawn care. Buyers comparing HOA fees across the community often compare the wrong numbers.
Stone Creek has three distinct home series with meaningfully different HOA fee structures. Most listing sites show a single HOA number that may not reflect what you will actually pay for the specific home type you are considering.
HOA fees sourced from Ocala Realty Experts HOA chart and verified against current Stone Creek community data. Fees are subject to change — verify with the Stone Creek HOA before purchase.
Stone Creek is an active construction community with PulteGroup as the builder. If you are buying new construction rather than resale, there are specifics about the PulteGroup buying process that buyers coming from resale markets often don’t know.
PulteGroup advertises homes starting in the $200Ks. The base price gets you a standard build with builder-selected finishes on a lot of their choosing. By the time most buyers finish the design studio process — selecting flooring, cabinetry, countertops, extended lanai, garage upgrades, and other options — the final price typically runs $40,000–$80,000 above the base. Budget for this. A home advertised at $285,000 often closes at $340,000–$360,000 with realistic upgrade selections.
Premium lots — golf course frontage, conservation views, cul-de-sac, water views — carry premiums of $10,000–$40,000+ above the base lot. The model homes are almost always on premium lots. When you tour and fall in love with the view, ask which specific lot is available at the price you are discussing.
PulteGroup periodically offers closing cost incentives, design center credits, or mortgage rate buydowns. These are real and can be worth $10,000–$20,000. However, they often require using PulteGroup’s preferred lender. Get a rate and fee comparison from an outside lender before accepting the in-house financing — the incentive may not offset a less competitive rate over 30 years.
New construction at Stone Creek typically runs 6–10 months from contract to closing. If you are selling a home in another market, coordinate your timeline carefully. PulteGroup contracts typically give the builder flexibility on delivery date, with limited recourse for the buyer if timelines slip.
Stone Creek has an 18-hole championship golf course on-site. Golf is included in the HOA for all residents across all series — Classic, Garden, and Villas. There is no separate annual golf pass.
The Stone Creek golf course is widely considered higher quality than OTTOW’s courses — it plays longer, has better conditioning, and was designed as a single signature course rather than three shorter layouts. For serious golfers who want one excellent course rather than 54 holes of varying quality, Stone Creek is often the preference. For high-frequency golfers who want to play every day, OTTOW’s 54 holes means no tee time pressure.
Guest fees apply for non-residents. The course is open to the public on a space-available basis, which means some weekend morning tee times are resident-priority.
The Stone Creek amenity campus is newer and often described as better-appointed than OTTOW’s older sections — more modern fitness equipment, newer pool infrastructure. OTTOW has more volume of facilities. Stone Creek has higher quality per facility in the core amenity center.
Stone Creek has a more complicated CDD picture than most Ocala communities. Some parcels — particularly in earlier phases and the Candler Hills-adjacent sections — carry Bay Laurel Center CDD assessments. Others do not. This is parcel-specific and cannot be generalized across the entire community.
Always request the full property tax bill for the specific parcel you are considering. The CDD assessment, if present, appears as a separate line item. On parcels that carry it, assessments have typically run $800–$1,800 per year depending on the phase and remaining bond balance. This is lower than typical Villages CDD assessments, but it is real money that does not benefit from Homestead exemption or the SOH cap.
All figures are estimates. HOA fees from published Stone Creek community data. Property tax based on Marion County millage rates with Homestead exemption applied. Insurance estimates based on Marion County market averages for new construction. Verify all figures for the specific parcel before purchase.
Stone Creek at 3,800 homes planned is still well short of buildout. That means ongoing construction noise and activity in sections being developed, construction traffic on community roads, and a neighborhood that does not have the finished, settled feel of a completed community. If you are buying in an active construction phase, ask the sales team which sections are currently being built and how close your lot is to active work.
The golf course, pools, and fitness center were designed for 3,800 homes. At current build phase, there are fewer residents — which actually means less tee time pressure and less pool crowding now than there will be at buildout. Buyers who move in during active construction get better amenity access, then see it get more crowded as the community fills in.
As long as PulteGroup is still building, resale sellers at Stone Creek compete directly with new construction. Buyers can choose a new home with builder warranty, custom finishes, and modern floor plans vs a resale at potentially similar pricing. This suppresses resale appreciation in active construction phases. Once Stone Creek is complete and PulteGroup exits, the resale market dynamics change.
Florida landscaping is not optional maintenance — warm-season grass grows fast, HOA standards enforce appearance, and ignoring the lawn creates HOA violations. Budget $100–$150/mo for lawn service if you are in the Classic or Estate series. This is not negotiable over a Florida summer.
| Factor | Del Webb Stone Creek | On Top of the World (Central) |
|---|---|---|
| Ownership | Fee simple — you own the land | Leasehold — 99-year land lease |
| Financing | Standard — any down payment | 20% minimum required |
| Base HOA (single family) | $250/mo — lawn not included | $512–$531/mo — lawn included |
| All-in HOA (with lawn) | ~$375–$400/mo effective | $512–$531/mo |
| Golf | 18 holes included | 54 holes included |
| Golf quality | One championship course | Three shorter layouts |
| New construction available | Yes — actively building | Limited select phases |
| Home price range | $200K–$550K | $100K–$600K |
| Community age / feel | Newer — modern amenity campus | Established — range from 1981–present |
| CDD bonds | Some parcels — verify per parcel | No (most parcels) |
| Resale competition | Competes with new construction | Pure resale market |
For the full comparison with annual cost math: On Top of the World vs Del Webb Stone Creek →
We can check CDD status on any parcel, run the Classic vs Garden vs Villa cost comparison for your specific budget, and compare Stone Creek against OTTOW or Ocala Preserve at your price point.
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