[eweissenbach]

Originally Posted by eweissenbach

One thing to consider when choosing between a designer or a cottage/ranch home is the neighborhood. Neighborhoods within a village will usually be either all patio villa - all cyv - all ranch - or all designer. If you choose a lower end designer, you will be surrounded by designer homes. If you choose an upper end cottage/ranch, you will be surrounded by cottage/ranch homes, etc. As you drive through various neighborhoods it will become obvious that, for the most part, designer neighborhoods have not only somewhat nicer homes, but often, nicer landscaping. There are two reasons in my opinion; 1. The designers are by and large more expensive, meaning a slightly more affluent demographic with more money to spend on landscaping. 2. As the price of homes increase, the proportion that are full-time, non-rental tend to increase, so a somewhat greater proportional pride of ownership. This is my theory from observation, and certainly would not be 100% true of all neighborhoods, but as a general rule, I would stand by it. We stayed this year in a designer neighborhood in Hemingway, and last year in a ranch neighborhood in Summerhill - while we enjoyed both, and could live in either neighborhood, the contrast was clear, with the Hemingway neighborhood appearing miles ahead of the Summerhill neighborhood in overall appearance. Just another thing to keep in mind.

Again, I emphasize, one of the biggest differences is the neighborhood. You can puchase a nice ranch home for $200,000 in a ranch home neighborhood, or a comparable designer for $200,000 in a designer home neighborhood. The homes may be similar, but pay attention to the neighborhood folks.