Re: RANCH VS DESIGNER HOMES and Floor Plans
 

Hyacinth:
One couple took up their carpeting and put down wood-laminate. They also did some painting inside, but used their own labor for that.
Another couple has just taken up carpeting and put down tile.
Virtually everybody (16 homes on the street) have spent a fair amount of bucks on upgraded landscaping.
One couple expanded their lanai, added floor space as well as birdcaging.
Several have tiled the lanai - and I'm seriously considering doing so.
There was a crew here the other day resurfacing one couple's cabinets!

I have no clue as to how much any body paid! Figured it isn't my business, but I will ask those who tiled their lanai who did it and how much it cost!

Most of these projects strike me as a little soon after the house was built - and we all built-to-order - but folks' tastes do change, after all! The first house on the street was completed in late August 2004.

Re: RANCH VS DESIGNER HOMES and Floor Plans
 

All these replies and suggestions have been unbelievably helpful and although we are probably several months away from becoming Villagers, I have been printing the comments that are important for us and am building a file with all this information. TOTV is just the BEST and I just couldn't imagine being without it. Thanks "our" Hyacinth for starting this thread, and everyone for participating so vigorously.

Re: RANCH VS DESIGNER HOMES and Floor Plans
 

Here's another site for real estate in TV.
www.lylesellsfla.com
He lists the homes in TV with their original price, current price, and number of days on the market.

Re: RANCH VS DESIGNER HOMES and Floor Plans
 

There are lots of interesting responses to this topic. I hope you are able to see the thread running through them all which should tell you that, not too many years ago, we had an opportunity to have a home built here to our exact specifications after spending three or four days with a Village home designer. In order to make a few more bucks, and take this wonderful design ability away from the prospective homeowner, they now build homes and say "Take it or leave it. Someone will buy it." Happy Villager can tell you how wonderful it is here but take it all with a grain of salt. Her expectations may not be as high as some of us. If you have been here for 5+ years, you had a taste of the good life. People coming in now are being led to the traugh and told to feed. I am much happier here in my designer home than I was in New England shoveling snow and trying to find the money to buy winter heating oil. But, in New England, I did not feel like I was dealing with the "Company Store". After a while you realize that the Villages has fingers in every facet of your daily life. They build the homes. They decide on how much you pay to enjoy life here. They own the bank that loans you money and fights to get your savings. They raise the prices of golf at their whim and try to convince you that you need the increase in prices. They charge so much for leases that business owners come and go regularly because they can't make enough money to pay their leases. Lots of things going on here that "snowbirds" and "prospective owners" will never realize until they put their money on the line and BUY. After a year or two, the new buyers can sit back and complain like the rest of us while we enjoy this little bit of paradise. Bella, did you play at Melody Hills?

Re: RANCH VS DESIGNER HOMES and Floor Plans
 

Cliff...
Very interesting response to this. I guess you have to weigh the good against the bad...
We have not lived in RI for 20+ years and I do not play golf, but my husband has played there on occasion when we go back to visit...

Re: RANCH VS DESIGNER HOMES and Floor Plans
 

Bella that was a very nice way of putting it - weigh the good against the bad. Some people can view TV realistically with positive outlooks and some obviously with negative outlooks. I stand behind my comment that TV is the "BEST" retirement community in the United States. If anyone knows of another I wonder why they are still living here?

Re: RANCH VS DESIGNER HOMES and Floor Plans
 

Hi,

If you go to the site that Beady suggested, and I forgot about, www.lylesellsfla.com

you need to click on Special Listings in the top left hand corner of the web page. That takes you to a page where you will see a variety of places to buy homes in.

Go to Villages and on the right hand side click in the price range you are looking for.

Have fun looking.

Hyacinth

Re: RANCH VS DESIGNER HOMES and Floor Plans
 

I was led to believe that the smallest ranch is about the same size as the patio villa. However, I'm not clear on the relationship between the ranches and the designer homes. I too have seen some ranches that are the same square footage as the smallest designer home (bouganvillea?). But are there ranches that are bigger than this smallest designer home? It can indeed be pretty confusing.... Thanks for input!

Re: RANCH VS DESIGNER HOMES and Floor Plans
 

Good point, Happy Villager.
In my opinion, there is NO perfect place to live. One has to find what works best for them. Hubby has always wanted to live in FL. I told him he needed to find a reason for me to go there. After visiting TV last Oct--that was it!! Believe me, we have looked into other retirement communties and none have what TV has to offer--and with higher fees.

BTW there are other places that build a home and sell "as is"