Villa vs house

[hdh1470]

Whats up with villa you can buy a nice house for the same amout or less.The villas seem so plane

[Felice]

It really depends on what you prefer. The villa gives you the advantage of minimal outside maintenance and the courtyard villas gives you much more privacy. Being that the square footage is pretty much the same when you compare the villas to some of the ranch and designer homes, the cost is comparable.

[LELANDJANE]

I'm looking to move right now and at first, I asked the same question. Then I thought about the reasons that I, as a single woman, want to move out of my present house. I'm not a yard person and am spending a house payment every month to keep the yard up! I would love to not worry about that. However, I do wonder if resale would be easier with a house.

[Boomer]

I have wondered about what would work best in our case. When I saw the villas, both patio villas and courtyard villas, I was impressed by the use of interior space. We were looking at 2 bedroom/2bath. The villa interiors seemed open and bigger than what I thought they would be.

Be aware though that the square footage numbers on The Villages website opening page for new homes is not living space only. For instance, they advertise there that a patio villa is over 1600 square feet. That is misleading if it is thought to be living space. If you look further, you will see that the individual descriptions show the measurement of living space.

Mr. B. wondered about a villa garage not being a 2 car. (It would be a second home for us.) I know that a 2-car garage might be important to some. I don't know though if there is such a thing as a villa with a 2-car garage. I did not see any. I think there are some houses though that have a 1 and 1/2 car garage.

Lots of choices.

Boomer

[ohiogolf]

Villas are near perfect homes for seasonal villagers like myself. Yard maintenance is minimal. As noted above, they are roomy and offer all a seasonal Villager would want.

[MelZ]

We decided on a CYV for a few reasons, I wanted as little maintenence as possible, having had a large lawn in the past I wanted NO GRASS. I like the fenced area for privacy. I also like the location in relation to the mail center, pool etc. The layout was perfect for my wife and I to leave both seasonally and full time. We are adding a large Birdcage to our house and will pick up about 400sq ft of ouside living space.

Price was not an issue, although not having a 2 car garage was something I have to overcome.

all of our friends have houses with large lawns (yuck).

I suggest you stay in both and make a decision on what's best for you.

[diskman]

We have a large dog and plan to purchase a CYV so our pet can enjoy the outdoors with out bothering others. And it's an easy clean up as well.:bowdown:

[katezbox]

I suggest you stay in both and make a decision on what's best for you.

I think Mel gives good advice. I have recommended to others that, if they ca, they may want to split their stay between a villa and a home. Until you have lived in one or the other, it is hard to get a feel for what it is like.

We plan to be FROGS so we chose a house. I loved the low maintenance of the villas, though.

Mel, it sounds like you have a corner CYV. If so, this is a great compromise and the extra room lets you add on a cage if you want.

[clyd709]

:jester:I have lived in both a CYV and a House.I found the Villa to be vey easy to take care of No.Lawn and the Privacy was wonderfull. I was fortunate to have a very nice location did not feel penned in. Mine was an end unit and backed up to Designer Houses which had good sized lots. If I sttod by my Sliding Glass Doors I could see far into the distance and couldeven see one of the wild life preserves and the water. I had a 2 bedroom 2 bath and when I was moving to Georgia I put it on the Market on a Thursday and left for Georgia with my new husband to be to go look for a home in Georgia. I came back Monday and My Villa was sold that was in 2004 only 3 days on the market I got my asking price of $189 K with no problem the buyers did not even ask me to come down in price. They just loved it and it was in Mint Condition. If I were to domit again I would definitley buy a CYV. so much privacy and very soundproof. I had almost 10 wonderfull years in the Villages and would probably still be there if I had not met my Prince Charming who was from Georgia. Love it here in Georgia but will never forget my wonderfull years in the Villages.Please excuse the typo errors now in retirement years that dows not bother me.LOL

[l2ridehd]

As with everything in TV both have there Pro's and Con's. I guess I don't understand the yard maintenance issue. For $45 a month my lawn is always mowed and for about $250 a year all my shrubs are taken care of. So for about $700 a year that is a non issue. Then someone does the Scott's thing 4 times a year for another $100. And I have a fairly large lot. I want the space a home has so when the grand kids come it's not crowded. And I want the 2 car garage, over sized if possible, for cars and bikes and golf carts. So try renting one of each and see what works best for your life style.

[Canwego2]

We just bought CYV last month. It is very well designed and almost soundproof and the cement makes it so well insulated and cooler. I really think it is the way to go. The no grass is great...as there is almost no maintenance. We have a large home in Michigan and it is beautiful with a great yard...however, it is a lot of work...we have decided if we want grass...we'll drive to a park ...a lot less work LOL. However, I agree with everyone else, rent both and just pick the one you like. There are pros and cons to both. However, all the houses and CYV we looked at were great. WOW what a great place!!!!!!!!!!!

[Helene2008]

We are fans of CYV. My husband and I really like the privacy, but we found the best of both worlds when we found our CYV....privacy and a view of the golf course.

[another Linda]

We too love our CYV. We have an end unit with a very large courtyard that backs to a wild area - so peaceful and private. The former owner did a wonderful job with the garden. No grass, extremely low maintenance, but feels lush and green with all the plantings. If were were there year around, 2bed/2bath would probably be a little small for us as we have 4 kids with grandkids starting to arrive. The laundry in the garage doesn't bother me at all since the floor is epoxyed and looks like tile, and the door is screened. We only park the golf cart in the garage and tend to use it as extra living space.

Before we bought it, we rented a beautiful designer. We loved the house but really couldn't handle hearing the neighbors' conversations from the lanai.

[Canwego2]

Another Linda....
I'm glad you said that about hearing your neighbors from their Lanai ....We feel in love with a beautiful designer home. However, I went out to the Lanai and there not much more than 25 ft was a guy looking at me and reading his paper. I just knew that it wasn't private enough for us. We ended up not buying the home just for that reason. I just don't understand why they built these beautiful homes so close together especially back to back????

Anyway....We love our CYV!:beer3:

[l2ridehd]

Back yard privacy seems to be one of the most important pluses to any home. However there are many ways to get it other then a CYV. And some of those don't have it either. And what drove me crazy about them was the front yard with cars on the street and just no room in the front and driveways so small you could not park in them. Not true for all of them, but many. Anyway back to the privacy.

You can create that in most homes with good landscaping. You can enhance it more by getting a home that is offset from those behind. And more still by buying a larger lot. Most cul-de-sac lots are larger and afford a little more privacy and those that back to another cul-de-sac even more. Some corner lots are larger and the way the home is placed improves the back yard. And if you still want more, buy a home that backs to a preserve or is on a golf course. The point is, don't reject all home because the lanai's are back to back. Or accept all CYV as having more privacy. You have to see them, spend time in them and find what is right for you. Goes back to the basic real estate value proposition, location, location, location.

[salpal]

We decided on a villa ultimately because after talking to several Villagers, we learned they did move 2 or 3 times. Usually, start out in a house, decided to move to another house due to location or whatever and ultimately, "downsize" to a Villa. I say downsize jokingly, some of the Villas are just as large or larger than some homes. People in houses move to villas because they decide they no longer want any yard maintenance and then there is the privacy issue. We decided why make two or three moves, just go straight into a villa. Also we will have a pet and a villa is much easier with a pet and private back yard. Just my two cents.

[Donna]

We bought our Patio Villa almost 5 years ago in Lynnhaven..The lot is very private, as it is a large corner with a side lanai..The vegetation has grown beautifully around the yard, which makes it even more private..

We bought a bigger home only because we wanted a third bedroom..We absolutely loved our Patio Villa, and the privacy!

[Barefoot]

Another vote for courtyard villas. We love the side walkout to a very private sideyard, nude sun bathing no problem. ;) We back on a golf course and have a birdcage. We love to watch the jack rabbits on the golf course.

If we ever decide that we need more space, we'll get a larger CYV for sure. They are a bit pricey in comparison to the Amarillo ranchs. But I think they're worth it.