Quote:
Originally Posted by Reefer
We are planning to stop down in November for a Welcome Tour.
Just would like to get some feedback on say a Courtyard Villa vs a Designer Home. Online we have been searching the homes but now are starting to lean toward a Villa. I guess we would like less work to do and some privacy (with the walls the Villas offer). So:
Advantages and disadvantages to both?
Has anyone sold and moved from a Villa to a Home or visversa?
Thanks...looking forward to our stop down.
Joe
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Would be worth your while to try to do a search here for lots of threads on this, but sometimes the searches are harder than you would think.
I am assuming you are comparing lower cost (under $230,000 perhaps) designers with 3 BR CYVs ($170s to $230,000 or so).
Anyway, here's my take, for what it's worth. This is a very individual decision.
We have a 3 BR CYV south of 466.
Biggest disadvantages I see are:
- 1.5 car garage (although our model is deeper than some designers). People who are garage/basement putterers probably should not be CYV bound. We can get 1 small car and 2 golf carts plus lots of wall stuff in ours comfortably.
- Cannot customize until after you purchase (unless this has changed recently). You take what you get and then refine and add. But people also do this with designers that are spec homes or just to add stuff gradually or when you think of it.
- Cookie cutter looking from the front.
Biggest advantages (in my mind):
- Privacy, privacy, privacy. It is great to socialize with your neighbors, but also nice not to sometimes. Look also for high villa walls if you value privacy. Still easy, at least in our neighborhood, to socialize with neighbors as you wish. We're having a Super Bowl party today in our neighborhood.
- Dog lovers don't always have to walk their dogs or go to dog parks, although electric fences are an option in designers.
- I am not sure they are less work, maybe a little less expensive to maintain (yard is usually smaller, and some are grassless). I personally am a gardener and have probably 175 feet of borders, starting at the side gate and going almost completely around the back yard. I love that I can see all the fruits of my labors from the lanai or the kitchen window. You don't have to do this, and with a completely paved or rocked courtyard there probably is less work. But, if you are going to be here year-round, think about how hot this will look/feel in the warm months.
Look at some resale CYVs that have had additional back yard landscaping done, so you can see what they will look like in back without bare walls.