17 Jan Upsizing or Downsizing, One Thing Stays the Same — Life at Mizner!
Two Mizner families all at once found themselves in very similar, yet completely different circumstances. Carefully considering and weighing all of their options, both came to the same verdict — Life at Mizner!
It almost sounds like one of those awful logistical math word problems you got on a high school test involving trains, stations, time zones, and exactly when you’ll arrive at your destination, but nope.
Each couple found themselves in a situation where their house was no longer serving them, but their community was. Never wanting to give up Life at Mizner, they each found ways to have it all — the perfect house located right here at home.
Here’s what happened.
Meet the Retnac’s
The Retnac’s moved to Mizner with their two tweens three and half years ago. They found a home that somewhat suited their needs and went about renovating it into something that worked for them.
Meanwhile, they fell in love with the Mizner lifestyle.
“When we decided to move into a country club, we looked at all of our options,” said Mr. Retnac. “Having kids there were really two options. Looking at houses we noticed a lot of kids playing out on the streets and a lot of young families out by the pool areas. We also liked the demographics of Mizner. Being one of the younger communities, it had the newest homes, and it also had a nice mix of different age groups.”
Mrs. Retnac took note of the atmosphere of Mizner. “Here they know our name, we’re not a number,” she said. “There was an instant level of comfort.”
They also liked the small community feel with fewer homes than other clubs.
“With 471 homes, it’s not so overwhelming,” said Mr. Retnac. “I see the same people over and over. I felt like I really get to know everyone — there are one or two degrees of separation. We’re all pretty close.”
A few years later their tweens are now teenagers who will soon be driving. Little things like having a driveway that might accommodate four cars got them thinking. The Retnac’s started dreaming about having a house that would ring all of the bells and whistles instead of one that was just ‘workable’.
“It was a beautiful house,” said Mr. Retnac.
“It was the most popular model, we gutted it and totally renovated it, no one had done it like we had, people were amazed…but it was not our dream house.”
“We wanted something that would work better for our current wants and needs,” said Mr. Retnac. We considered buying another house and renovating it. At the end of the day, there were two empty lots. We decided to purchase a vacant lot and build a custom home.”
Even after the sale of their house, the Retnac’s never left Mizner, instead, they were able to rent right here at home while their dream house is being built.
We’re Staying!
The Retnac’s chose to build their dream house in the perfect location, where their friends live, where they play — a place Mrs. Retnac affectionately calls Camp Mizner for all the reasons you’re thinking of right now.
“All the relationships that we’ve established, all our friends are here. The new Lifestyle Center will far exceed anything any other count club can offer,” said Mr. Retnac. Mrs. Retnac, who has made her home away from home on the tennis courts, is living the dream.
“We love living Camp Mizner,” said Mrs. Retnac. “It really is adult camp living here. Walk through the doors and everyone knows your name. There’s just a nice warm sense of community.”
The Retnac’s new home is slated to be finished sometime in August 2019, just about the same time that the new Lifestyle Center will open.
They have a running joke with their friends and neighbors. “We’re taking bets on which finishes first,” laughed Mrs. Retnac.
Cheers to The Relle’s Mizner Experience
Although Mr. Relle’s wife is the one from Boston, he’s the one who describes Mizner like one of the most famous bars in the country.
“It’s like Cheers, where everybody knows your name,” he said. Six years ago, the couple married and a year later purchased a 4600 square foot home at Mizner.
“It’s a vibrant, young community,” said Mr. Relle. “My work has exposed me to every country club in Florida. My wife started playing golf, so when we got married, I thought, let’s move to a country club community. At Mizner, it’s the sense of community that I find most appealing.”
The couple who lived in east Delray sold their house in one day and bought in Mizner the very next day. “I fell in love with this 4600 square foot house with the archways and the golf course view,” he said.
Being in the custom furniture business, Mr. Relle wanted to modernize the house, but the five-bedroom home wasn’t the perfect fit. After looking around and doing a little soul searching, they landed right where they started, at Mizner. The couple found a smaller 3500 square foot home that they could customize to perfection. But for him, it was more than just the house.
“It’s everything around us,” he said. “Not just within our own particular home. Cool things are happening at Mizner.”
Mr. Relle describes it as a rebirth. There’s the new golf course, the beautiful new Lifestyle Center, the pool, the clubhouse, the gym — everything is going to be new.”
More than just the brick and mortar part of Mizner, Mitch feels that this breath of fresh air flows throughout all of the Mizner experience.
“Management is doing a more effective job at controlling costs, they’re giving us great service at a reasonable cost.”
He sees this with respect to the very core of management, in their decision making, that he says is making everyone happy.
“They are making very smart choices for the good of the community,” said Mr. Relle. “They’re promoting the right people from within and bringing in top-notch people from the outside.”
Specifically, Mr. Relle was greatly impressed with the promotion of Dennis Rye as PGA Director of Golf.
“Everyone loves him,” said Mr. Relle. “Everyone was thrilled with that decision. He has experience and expertise.”
As for bringing in new talent, he cites world-renowned instructor to the heavy-hitters, Eric Kaplan and his famed AXYS Golf Academy as an example of management making excellent choices to bring name recognition to the Club.
“Everyone is so happy with these decisions they’re making,” he said.
However, like most other residents it all comes back to the people that live there.
“The most important thing is that we have developed a genuine group of friends at Mizner that we love very much.”
“As small as Mizner is, it has a diversity to it from the ages of the families to the different family structures. There is enough variety in this small boutiquey club to find just where you fit in — also the events are great, and the food is great!”
Members names have been changed for privacy.