Crestwood Village 3

Pros

• The Wednesday bingo is described as the best around, with good games, prizes, friendly callers, and affordable meals.
• Volunteers running the bingo are praised for being caring and dedicated.
• The community is described as friendly, genuine, and nice.
• The clubhouse is noted as nice, with a small library and pool table, making it a good place to meet friends.
• The gym is nice and the landscape is beautiful.
• The 55+ community is active with a nice clubhouse and frequent events.
• Residents say they live there and love it.

Cons

• The association is blamed for exterior maintenance, with the president claiming discretionary control and ownership of the building.
• The office is described as horrible, with staff having power issues and taking forever to do anything.
• The office staff are lazy, and one reviewer specifically calls Kristie "sucks."
• The board is said to be awful to deal with, showing no sympathy and enforcing countless hoops, with petty, inflexible rules that make selling a unit take forever.
• It's warned that buying there is unwise, especially for heirs, and that bids must be accepted by the association (unlike other villages).
• The community is described as judgemental freaks with no life who try to make others fail.
• The blunt warning: "Don't. Just don't." about moving there.
• The HOA office mishandled payments, taking three months to process a check and then charging late fees.
• There are nosey residents who spy on others 24/7.

Review

Crestwood Village 3 elicits sharply divided opinions from the people who live there, with a strong split between praise for the social life and criticism aimed at management, administration, and how rules are applied. On one side, residents celebrate the community's activities, friendly neighbors, and the clubhouse as a central hub for social life. On the other, they report persistent frustration with how the association and its leadership handle maintenance, finances, and day-to-day operations. The overall impression is a complex mix: a lively, welcoming environment in some places, shadowed by a sense of rigidity, ineptitude, and inconsistency in others.

A recurring point of contention centers on who is responsible for exterior maintenance and the rules that govern such work. One reviewer recalls being told by a real estate agent that the association covers exterior maintenance, only to be confronted by a board president who framed the issue as a discretionary one. The reviewer quotes the president, Jeffery, saying, "It was at His Discretion! He Owns the Building!!!!" This tension over by-laws and authority creates confusion and distrust: residents report visible problems like siding separation, rotten flashing, and cracked concrete, but the responsibility for addressing them seems to shift depending on who is asked. The mismatch between what prospective buyers are told and what current residents experience appears to color many interactions and decisions.

The experience with the on-site office and staff adds another layer of dissatisfaction. Comments describe an "horrible" office environment, with staff perceived as having "power issues," taking far too long to complete tasks, and being unresponsive to residents' requests. Specific grievances include repeated delays, poor communication, and a difficult interaction with an employee named Kristie, who is singled out in the reviews. One person even recounts an instance where a payment was mishandled for three months, resulting in late fees and a forced redirection of HOA payments to an alternate address. The overall tone is that administrative support is slow, inconsistent, and not service-oriented, especially during delicate situations such as estate matters.

Speaking of estates and real estate transactions, several reviews describe especially tense and bureaucratic experiences when a loved one dies or when trying to sell a unit. The board is portrayed as unhelpful and rigid, with "awful" treatment toward survivors and a long, burdensome process to navigate. Buyers may discover that acceptance by the association is mandatory before bidding, a rule not universally present in other villages, which some reviewers view as a punitive or controlling measure. The combination of inflexible rules, slow responses, and a lack of sympathy or flexibility in stressful life events leaves a lasting negative impression on those trying to manage estates or sell property within the community.

Beyond governance and administration, the reviews reveal a broad spectrum of social life and amenities - some shining brightly while others feel underutilized or overshadowed by the governance issues. The social side features a robust bingo program that draws strong praise: writers call it the best bingo in the villages, with high payouts, good prizes, and friendly volunteers running the event. Descriptions highlight seasoned callers, welcoming doors opening in the morning, and meals available for a modest price (around $6). In addition to bingo, residents mention a well-used clubhouse, a small but active gym, a library, a single pool table, and frequent events that bring people together. There are warm compliments about the people and the sense of community in these spaces, with several snippets describing friendly, genuine, and nice neighbors who contribute their time to make activities enjoyable.

However, the social atmosphere is not uniformly rosy. Some reviewers allege the community can feel invasive or overly nosy, with accusations that people "spy on you 24/7 because they have no life." Others acknowledge the presence of judgmental attitudes or a culture that prizes appearances and conformity over flexibility. Despite these criticisms, there are voices that suggest the social side can be a bright spot, especially for those who engage with the shared activities and volunteer opportunities. In places, residents speak of good experiences at events like weight loss meetings, rummage sales, and other gatherings, where the hall and club facilities serve as a friendly backdrop for social connection.

Overall, Crestwood Village 3 emerges as a place with a strong sense of community for those who engage with its social programs and its club life, but also a place where frustrations with governance, maintenance responsibility, and administrative responsiveness can be persistent and acute. Prospective buyers or renters should pay close attention to how exterior maintenance is defined in the by-laws, ask pointed questions about who makes decisions for repairs, and consider the potential impact of a demanding board culture on estate matters and daily operations. In the end, the community holds undeniable appeal for those who value active social life and neighborly engagement, yet the cautions raised by current residents raise important questions about governance, fairness, and the pace of service within the association.

Physicians

• Whiting Medical Associates (0.9 miles)
• Whiting Foot & Ankle (1 miles)
• Atlantic Ent Assoc PA (5.8 miles)
• Sinha Prabhat, MD (5.9 miles)
• Renal Center (6.1 miles)
• Physician's Surgicenter (6.1 miles)
• Anil Kumar Sharma (6.2 miles)

Pharmacies

• CVS Pharmacy (0.9 miles)
• Rite Aid (1.1 miles)
• Stop & Shop Pharmacy (1.6 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (1.7 miles)
• Walgreens (5.7 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (5.9 miles)
• Rite Aid (6.2 miles)

Restaurants

• McDonald's (4.5 miles)
• Applebee's (5 miles)
• McDonald's (6.3 miles)
• Burger King (6.5 miles)
• Wendy's (8 miles)
• Office Restaurant & Lounge & Sushi Bar (8.3 miles)
• McDonald's (8.5 miles)

Hospitals

• Community Medical Center For Kids & Family (6.8 miles)
• Children's Specialized Hospital Outpatient Center – Toms River Lakehurst Road (7.7 miles)
• Children’s Specialized Hospital Outpatient and Long Term Care Center – Toms River Stevens Road (8 miles)
• Lacey Diagnostic Imaging Center (10.5 miles)
• Southern Ocean Center For Health (10.7 miles)

Parks

• Jakes Branch County Park (7.9 miles)
• Gille Park (11.7 miles)

Transportation

• Toms River Bus Terminal (8.2 miles)

Places of Worship

• Presbyterian Church of Toms River (9.2 miles)

Cafes

• Starbucks (9.6 miles)