The 60-Second Overview
Most of Tradition’s headlines go to its 55+ villages, but the master plan’s all-ages side is where the family demand is — and Cadence is Mattamy Homes’ answer to it. The village mixes townhomes (three plans, 1,674–1,917 sq ft, from roughly $328,990) with seven single-family plans running 1,651 to 3,019 sq ft from about $359,990, all behind one gate with their own resort pool.
The quiet selling point is the HOA. At roughly $338–$358 per month — positioned as one of the lowest tiers inside Tradition — it bundles landscaping, irrigation, outdoor pest control, high-speed internet and cable TV. Stack those services against what you pay for them separately and the fee earns its keep, especially for first-move buyers running tight budgets.
The caveat is the same one we flag across Tradition: parcels carry non-ad-valorem district assessments on the tax bill, separate from the HOA. Budget both layers before you fall for a model home.
Cadence is Tradition’s family door: townhome pricing under $350K, single-family to 3,000 sq ft, and an HOA that does real work — plus a tax-bill assessment you need to price in.
The Fees: Bundled Value, Plus the Tax Bill
The HOA — roughly $338–$358 per month. Covers landscaping, irrigation, outdoor pest control, common areas, internet and cable. Priced against Tradition’s 55+ villages (Telaro’s combined ~$500, Del Webb’s ~$500+), Cadence sits comfortably lower while keeping the bundled-services model. Verify the current budget and how the Tradition master association is billed for this village — structures vary across Tradition and change over time.
The district assessment. Tradition’s infrastructure rides special-district assessments on the annual tax bill, commonly in the $1,500–$3,500 per year band for PSL-area new development and varying parcel to parcel. The listing fee line usually omits it.
Amenities: Village Pool + A Whole Town
Inside the gate, Cadence keeps it focused: a resort-style pool with cabana, a wading pool for small kids, and grilling stations — a genuinely useful family amenity set without country-club fee weight.
Outside the gate is the actual amenity: Tradition itself. Town square dining and year-round events, miles of trails, parks, the everyday-shopping corridor on Gatlin, and Cleveland Clinic Tradition five minutes away. Cadence buyers are buying the town and paying a village-sized fee for it — that is the arbitrage.
The Homes: Two Products, Ten Plans
The townhomes — Ashton, Dakota and Ellery — run 1,674 to 1,917 sq ft with attached garages, from roughly $328,990 to $429,150. They are the cheapest new-construction address in Tradition and they draw first-time buyers, downsizers and investors accordingly.
The single-family lineup spans five one-story plans (Caledon, Cascades, Gateway, Capitol Reef, Biscayne Bay) from 1,651 sq ft and two two-story plans (Shenandoah, Mount Rainier) up to 3,019 sq ft, with 3–4 bedrooms and 2–3 car garages. Elevations run modern, coastal and West Indies.
Everything is current-code concrete block, which matters twice: insurance quotes come in friendlier than older stock, and wind mitigation credits are baked in. While Mattamy is still selling, every resale decision should start with what the sales office is offering that week — incentives swing the effective price by five figures.
Schools: Verify by Address
Cadence is a family village, so do the homework: St. Lucie Public Schools assigns by address, the Tradition area mixes district and charter campuses (Renaissance Charter School of Tradition among them), and boundaries in this fast-growing corridor get redrawn. One call to the district with the specific lot address settles it — we make that call with every family we represent here.
What Living Here Is Actually Like
The rhythm of Cadence life, honestly:
A typical week
The builder years
Traffic truth
Townhome life vs SF life
5 Mistakes Cadence Buyers Make
The errors we see repeatedly:
Budgeting the HOA but not the assessment
The district line on the tax bill is real money. Pull the parcel’s bill before you decide affordability.
Skipping the incentive check
Mattamy’s rate buydowns and credits change monthly and swing the effective price five figures. Quote the builder the same week you offer on any resale.
Trusting the school answer at the sales office
Assignment is by address and this corridor rezones. One district phone call beats every brochure.
Skipping independent inspections on new builds
Pre-drywall and final inspections catch what builder QC misses. Every time, no exceptions.
Ignoring what the lot backs
Village Parkway exposure, future phases and amenity-adjacent noise all price differently at resale. Check the plat, not just the view today.
Lot Tiers & What They Are Worth
Where the value hides
Cadence pricing is plan first, lot second. Lake-exposure lots carry the premiums and defend them at resale; preserve and buffer lots trade close behind; interior and parkway-adjacent lots are the value aisle. On townhomes, end units with extra glazing and side yards out-resell interior units consistently.
The Cadence Buyer Checklist
- Pull the parcel’s tax bill — district assessments vary home to home.
- Get the current HOA budget in writing, with the master-fee structure clarified.
- Quote Mattamy’s incentives the week you decide — new vs resale math moves.
- Confirm school assignment by address with St. Lucie Public Schools.
- Hire independent inspections — pre-drywall and final on new builds.
- Check the rental policy if leasing is ever in your plan.
- Price the finish gap — blinds, gutters, lanai, fence are not in base price.
- Drive Gatlin at 8 AM — the commute test that actually matters.
Cadence solves a real problem: families want Tradition — the town square, the hospital, the trails — but most of its famous villages lock them out at 55. The townhome product in particular is the cheapest legitimate way into the master plan, and the bundled HOA does more work than its price suggests. The discipline is the same as everywhere in Tradition: price the tax-bill assessment from day one and quote the builder before every resale decision.
Do those two things and Cadence is one of the most defensible family buys in the county right now.
Cadence vs. the Alternatives
The honest comparison set for an all-ages buyer in this market:
| Community | Builder / Type | Monthly fees (approx.) | The trade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cadence at Tradition | Mattamy · TH + SF | ~$338–$358 + district | Mature master plan today; assessment on tax bill |
| Brystol at Wylder | Lennar/Meritage · SF | ~$206–$280 + CDD arriving | Cheaper entry, amenities and town years out |
| Central Park (PSL) | Multi-builder · TH + SF | Varies by product | Townhome entry from $325K, 10-acre rec campus |
| Copper Creek | Lennar/GHO · SF | ~$210–$227 | Finished amenities, no town square |
| Telaro at Tradition | Mattamy · 55+ | ~$308 + ~$195 + district | The 55+ version of the same address |
The pattern: Cadence buys the mature master plan now; Brystol and Central Park buy cheaper and wait for the town to arrive; Copper Creek splits the difference without the town square. Match the timeline to the household.
The Honest Pros & Cons
What Cadence gets right
- All-ages access to Tradition’s town, trails and hospital
- Townhome entry under $350K — cheapest new Tradition address
- HOA bundles internet, cable, lawn, irrigation and pest control
- Own village pool, cabana and wading pool
- Ten floor plans across two product types
- New-code block construction and the insurance math that follows
What to go in eyes-open about
- District assessment on the tax bill on top of the HOA
- Builder competition pressures resale pricing until closeout
- Gatlin Boulevard peak-hour traffic
- 30+ minutes to a beach
- School assignments in flux as the corridor grows
- Construction activity until the village closes out
The Offer Playbook
How we run a Cadence purchase, in order:
- Week one: tax bill, HOA budget, current Mattamy releases and incentives.
- Pick product deliberately: townhome vs single-family against your hold period.
- Negotiate incentives, not just price — buydowns move more than list does.
- Inspect independently: pre-drywall and final, with punch-list re-checks.
- Close clean: estoppel, assessment verified, school assignment confirmed in writing.
Questions We Ask Before You Offer
The diligence list we actually run on Cadence homes:
- What does this parcel’s tax bill show in district assessments?
- What is Mattamy offering this week on comparable plans?
- How is the master association billed for this village — inside the HOA or on top?
- What is the current school assignment for this address per the district?
- What does this lot back at buildout per the village plat?
- What is the rental policy in the current documents?
Is Cadence Right for You?
No community fits everyone. Here is the honest sort:
Consider elsewhere if you want
- The absolute lowest entry price — Brystol and Central Park undercut it
- No district assessment at all — some east-side communities qualify
- A 55+ lifestyle — Telaro is literally next door
- Acreage or no-HOA living
- A finished, builder-free community today
- Coastal living — this is an inland master plan
Cadence fits if you want
- A family address inside Tradition’s mature master plan
- Townhome-priced entry to a premium-plan community
- An HOA that bundles internet, cable and lawn care
- A village pool plus a town square up the road
- Hospital-grade healthcare minutes away
- New-code construction with friendly insurance math