We moved here in 2011 with a budget of $200,000 cash and with salesman Tony Trussler we looked at new Patio Villas in Buttonwood, new CYV's in Pennecamp and Tamarind Grove and new Cottages in Buttonwood and Tamarind Grove.
I liked the size and 2 car garage of a cottage, especially a Hammond model with the island in the kitchen, open to the LR and the vulted ceiling. Could of had a brand new one for about $180K. however I didn't like stick built and vinyl siding, I had vinyl siding back in Maryland, I wanted masonry and the bond on a cottage was $21,000 then. I've lived in Florida off and on since 1959 the 4th grade and grew up in St. Petersburg in a masonry home. Patio Villas brand new were $135K to $145K in Buttonwood, but they seem to have too many absentee owners, and too little space to call their own and were vinyl stick built.
The CYV, especially the masonry ones I found are built using poured forms, not cider blocks, feel so sturdy and cool inside even on a hot day with no a/c on. Of course if a tornado hit, the roof will most likely come off no matter how the home is built.
We settled on a masonry CYV and will be 9 years this July. I love living here, especially since were on a last street of a community of 80 villas, I feel like I'm in a cocoon and the outside world is so far away. Yet I can jump in my car and I'm 3-1/2 miles from Brownwood and 3-1/2 miles from LSL and 5 minutes from Trailwinds Village stores. We got such a fantastic deal, the last 4 units in our community our 2 BR was priced at $169K and we got for $157K and the bond is only $14,000.
The only negative is the garage is too small. I had a 2017 Camaro and which is 75" wide, my previous and current car are 70" wide. I had to back in the golf cart and still be careful not to scratch the Camaro. I ended up trading it in for a small SUV that is 5" narrower. So a 2 car garage would be on my wish list. Between 466A and 44 a lot of CYV's were built with 2 car garages, however the price is much higher in that area and for those models.
|