Quote:
Originally Posted by gregcharlesnelson@gmail
We bought way up north in what the Frogs call the 'COUNTRY'. Very quiet. And yes we've done recent upgrades, but we bought right. We can be out of 'the bubble' in less than a minute..
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Overall, getting a great location and neighborhood is far more important than the initial cost. Buy an existing home and youll get to enjoy the upgrades the former owner made, but perhaps need to make some changes. Build or buy new and you'll have a clean slate to work with but you'll buy some upgrades.
We built new on an empty lot in the historic area and were fortunate to find a lot on a golf course, not for the golf but for the view. We were able to build new and not have a bond. But we had to add stairs to access the garage attic, an epoxy floor for the garage and driveway. And we furnished the place.
But our main criteria was the location not cost. We really liked the easy access via golf cart to 3 grocery stores, medical, Lowes, Walmart, etc in the historic area. Golf cart access was an important consideration as we are full timers and we thought about what our life would be like in 20 years when we may have more difficulty driving a car . For others it may be proximity to recreation or the town squares. Also consider what surrounds the house. There are many lots along the villages perimeter, natural areas, ponds (lakes) where you can enjoy an unobstructed view or a courtyard villa which offers privacy and some neighborhoods see a lot more traffic than others.