What are the pros and cons of a CYV?

[Gulfcoast]

I apologize if this question has already been asked and answered (I did try a search first), but I'm curious to know what you would consider to be the pros and cons of owning a CYV? In addition, I'm curious about condo fees, any maintenance logistics that might be different than what you would have with a SFH.

[Debfrommaine]

They are awesome! Love the privacy thy offer, had two. Decided to switch it up and no longer in one. Just be aware of barking dogs, do your research as you would in any neighborhood.

[collie1228]

The availability of courtyard villas is what sold me on The Villages in the first place. I have a Beagle, and any hound needs a place to wander and sniff around - and a CYV is perfect for that. I ended up purchasing one that has a full lawn in the courtyard, and the dog and I love it. I just open the patio door and out he goes. The lawn belongs to him. The privacy is great too.

[Gulfcoast]

We have dogs, too, so we would definitely want a fenced in yard. I also like the looks and the privacy of the CYV backyards. The CYVs are considered condos from what I can tell and I was wondering how maintenance, like roof repairs, are handeled.

[Joeint]

We have dogs, too, so we would definitely want a fenced in yard. I also like the looks and the privacy of the CYV backyards. The CYVs are considered condos from what I can tell and I was wondering how maintenance, like roof repairs, are handeled.

CYV are not considered condos they are single-family homes.

[Gulfcoast]

CYV are not considered condos they are single-family homes.

That is good to know. Some of the real estate listings that I've seen have the CYVs listed as condos, thus my confusion.

(Edited to add: now that I look at the listings again, I see that they are listed as single family homes. I'm not sure where I saw "condo".)

[Toymeister]

Here is a disadvantage or advantage depending upon your perspective:. CYV draw more snowbirds so you could have fewer neighbors in the summer.

One thing to consider is the wall behind you, if cement, has a great thermal mass, it can radiant the heat back to your outdoor living space for quite a while.

Finally, after ten years from the build date, the maintenance of the wall reverts to the CYV owners. This is not an issue, until it is.

[bilcon]

There are some beautiful CYV around. We had one on the golf course, but the garage was way too small. Otherwise it was great. 3brs, 2 baths, inside laundry (a most for us), no grass., but we wanted a 2 car garage, which you can now get. Go for it, but make sure you know who is next door. We almost bought another one with everything we wanted, until the slob next door appeared with a big barking dog and a disgusting cigar that stunk the whole area up.

[villagetinker]

Look at the property lines, and the strange way the access may be setup, you may need to allow your neighbor access to your gate so they can maintain their house. You are very close to your neighbors, if one happens to be noisy you may find it annoying. Also be sure you check on the specific lot deed restrictions for the area you are looking to buy. Also, I would be cautious about allowing any pet to roam free in the back yard, there are predators here, and as i mentioned, your neighbor might open the gate and accidentally allow your pet to escape. Hope this helps.

[Cupcake57]

I stayed in a CYV in Dunedin for 5 months this past winter. It was lovely and just as nice as a designer home on the inside. But I found the garage to be way too small for both my car and golf cart; the driveway was sharply curved and it was very annoying to shuffle things in and out of the drive. The south facing lanai with block walled garden was very very hot; only about 10 sq ft of grass so a dog would have to be creative. Even though every unit was occupied (could tell on trash day) I did not hear any noise and never once heard a dog bark. I think the stucco homes are very quiet inside; if the television wasn't on, I could hear some big birds honking at dusk as they flew towards Lake Deaton. Otherwise very quiet.

If you really need a fence and want more privacy, there are Veranda homes that are fenced. Maybe even Cottage homes, too, not sure.

[John_W]

We closed on a new CYV nine years ago this July 5th. We live fulltime, our block has 13 villas and five owners have been here since the beginning, three have died, and five have been resold. One unit has been resold 4 times, snowbirds were the first three buyers and the latest is now fulltime. Of the 13 villas, three are snowbirds and 10 are fulltime.

As to sound, buy a masonry villa, I have a 75" TV and one of the loudest surround sound systems you'll see in a home, and when I play live music videos the sound cannot be heard outside in the front or the backyard.

The biggest negative is the garage is too small, of course recent villas have been built with two car garages. Our community which opened in 2011 and has 80 units, does not have one villa with a two car garage, everyone has a 1-1/2 car garage. I fit a small SUV and my golf cart in the garage, but for a time I had a Camaro that was 5" wider than the current car and I had to back in the cart to give me enough space for both.

The backyard is fantastic, it's like our own private sanctuary. We feed the birds, we put out grapes 3 or 4 times a day, have a bird feeder that we keep filled with safflower seed (black birds and squirrels do not like safflower seeds). We have two mockingbirds that watch over our yard. We moved the holly tree from the front to the back when we had the landscape redone in front, the tree has grown to 25' high and the mockingbird sits atop the tree all day. They are very territorial, and I've even them chase a hawk out of our yard by divebombing him. We also have two red cardinals, and 2 brown cardinals and 3 brown thrashers that live in the hedge of our backyard.

The neighbor accessing the backyard is a 2 way street. I bought a new grill yesterday, so I had go onto my neighbors driveway to reach my gate and move the grill to the backyard. No big deal, in fact he was in his garage and it gave me a chance to talk to him. He just had Doc's Restorations gut the entire inside of his home and redo everything. He actually moved out for two months while everything was getting done. He's the new owner had three previous snowbirds came and went in the home. He's here now fulltime and has his home perfect. My backyard, that home's owner has asked about 3 times in 9 years to come into my gate and spray for bugs on the outside of his home. Otherwise I have a lock on the gate and no one comes in or out my backyard without my approval. Most homes on my block have their gate locked. Some kept it unlocked when they landscapers cut the grass, not knowing when they might arrive. Ourselves along with most others have had the grass removed and have a fairly maintenance free yard now, something that only villas can do. I keep a small patch of grass in the back for the birds, which I maintain myself with a weed-eater.

This is our backyard, that hedge was actually small holly bushes that were 2' tall in 2011. Now they are 7' tall, I trim them twice a year so they stay at wall height. The birds love living in the hedge. I would not live in anything other than a courtyard villa in TV.

https://scontent-mia3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/105560595_1656741434490382_3038357717559114687_n.j pg?_nc_cat=102&_nc_sid=8024bb&_nc_ohc=dLmwIevAcZEAX9UNAig&_nc_ht=scontent-mia3-2.xx&oh=ca343fea181114cbd8a8ff208a560faf&oe=5F192EDE

To show you how each backyard can be unique, this backyard is the corner lot four doors down from me. To give you an idea of prices, this home sold new for $225K in 2011. That owner added the pool and birdcage from T&D for $62,000. The home resold last year for $400,000 even.

https://ap.rdcpix.com/1815867435/90ae9ba588408d3a2f120f7c37d46e9al-m0xd-w1020_h770_q80.jpg

[Topspinmo]

Look at the property lines, and the strange way the access may be setup, you may need to allow your neighbor access to your gate so they can maintain their house. You are very close to your neighbors, if one happens to be noisy you may find it annoying. Also be sure you check on the specific lot deed restrictions for the area you are looking to buy. Also, I would be cautious about allowing any pet to roam free in the back yard, there are predators here, and as i mentioned, your neighbor might open the gate and accidentally allow your pet to escape. Hope this helps.

There three to four designs on gate access. Depending on 2 or 3 bedrooms and which corner you live on if live on corner lot.

That is their gate and fence, they only have limited access down the side walk to that gate. Which means the can’t stop you from parking car in front of side walk leading to gate. On occasions they make need access to get something in that gate. Which means it not daily occurrence. Also there 1 foot easement on you’re neighbors house wall. You can’t attach anything to neighbors wall or plant anything can causes damage to neighbors wall.

[Kerry Azz]

Absolutely wouldn't own anything other than a CYV, like my privacy and love my neighbors prior to buying here I stayed at my brothers designer home over having coffee and reading in the morning but having 4 kissing bird cages and everyone saying good morning just wasn’t how I wanted to wake up. Solitude is nice here in TV. Block and Stucco in a hurricane just feels safer. No grass to cut makes life easier.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Three downsides that made me change my mind about wanting one:
1. the privacy is actually isolating. I like being able to see my neighbors, get to know them. Not the "kissing lanais" that many homes have in the Villages, but at least be able to wave to them from a distance when I'm having my morning coffee. Having stayed in two of these CYVs - one during a Lifestyle visit and the other a 10-day vacation rental, I really missed the sense of living in an actual NEIGHBORhood - accent on the neighbor.

2. The driveways themselves. They all seem to curve and that means little room for two cars and a golf cart. It means if you want to take the car out of the garage, OR the golf cart out of the garage, you have to park the second car so that it's practically on the grass - or you have to move whichever car is in the driveway. And the streets are narrow enough that it's impractical to have guests parking on the side of the road.

3. That trouble-spot that's partly your property, partly your neighbor's property. It seems like a liability, not a benefit. If you have to be on your neighbor's property in order to get to your gate, what happens if you trip and fall? Whose insurance is going to cover it?

[Lottoguy]

Pros, privacy, less upkeep outside (lawn), real estate taxes are cheaper. Cons, little visitor parking, more dogs mean more barking, less people in summer (isolation), noisy neighbor on other side, hard to park your car in garage due to slanted driveway.

[SIRE1]

When we started coming to The Villages, we rented a CYV for 3 years. And once inside, we found the layout and the privacy to be great. But what I did not like was the garage and driveway layout. Because most have a slightly curved driveway entrance, your car is actually making a swinging entrance as you go into the garage. And since most CYV have a one car garage, that swinging entrance was really tight if you had a golf cart parked in the garage too. In fact, one year our CYV came with a 4 seat cart and I could not park our car in the garage the entire 2 months we were there because of the way you had to enter the garage. When we rented a Patio Villa for 2 years, we never had that problem because you were driving straight into the garage and could avoid the cart parked to the side. We also liked the interior layout of a Patio Villa but missed having a real lanai.

As a result of that experience, when it came time for us to buy I knew what I wanted in a house and what I did not want. And although we enjoyed our CYV experiences, and one of our friends owned one, I crossed that model off our list. That was before they started building the new 2 car garage models. Our must have check list therefore included a 2 car garage with a real driveway and a home with a "real" lanai, so we looked at only ranch and designer models. We eventually bought a designer and are really happy with that decision.

And based on our experiences, my recommended is to rent for at least 1 year prior to buying a home in The Villages. That will give you time to determine what you want and don't want in a home or a neighborhood before making your very big decision.

[John_W]

Gates and driveways. If you own two cars, you may NOT want to live in a CYV, however you will have no problem taking out your car or golf cart because of the driveway. We don't have two cars and I don't know of any of my neighbors on our street of 13 villas that have two cars. One car and one golf cart is all that most people will need. Remember, you're downsizing when you move here, you no longer work. The outside world is for entertainment. Whether it's golf, the gym, pickleball, the pool, movies, or some club or rec center activity. We love our location, it's 3-1/2 miles to LSL and 3-1/2 miles to Brownwood. Pick your location before choosing the house.

The gate, in the photo the driveway to the right is my neighbors. I walk around the edge of my landscaping and there is my gate. I may use that gate once a month to go into the backyard. Most times you just access the backyard from the house through one of our three sliding doors. The gate on the left side of the photo is my neighbor's gate to his backyard. He walks around and up that little sidewalk and he's into his yard. No big deal for most people.

Here is a front yard that has no grass, cannot do that in a single family home. The white River Rock along the street was where the grass use to be. We had removed, less maintenance and easier to keep neat. This is a Durham model, 2 BR 2 BA CYV. The house was originally a pale yellow, like the one on the right. We gained permission three years ago to be able to repaint in one of 20 different colors. I chose the most different, that was the green. The other choices mostly consisted of gray or 18 shades of brown. As I mentioned with the inside, I don't care for brown, that's why I used blue on the inside, and one color throughout to make it seem larger. This photo is six months old after we just had the front landscaping refreshed.

https://scontent-mia3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/93691547_1600074756823717_3207555561759440896_n.jp g?_nc_cat=104&_nc_sid=8024bb&_nc_ohc=mpu_zLgUkIoAX-wwwF3&_nc_ht=scontent-mia3-1.xx&oh=7bb920a5439266c6ef5c1a64a7bfb939&oe=5F17D1EE

Here is a more recent photo since our landscaping has really taken off recently. The landscaping was done by Terrascape on Hwy 301.

https://scontent-mia3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/p720x720/94419806_1600078776823315_5906109674482040832_o.jp g?_nc_cat=101&_nc_sid=8024bb&_nc_ohc=mNSTw5kfT7cAX_jNEb4&_nc_ht=scontent-mia3-1.xx&_nc_tp=6&oh=ca185cf0458023f0651e9ab45a8b5930&oe=5F16F6F9

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

JohnW you're incorrect about one specific statement, and this statement can mean a complete flip-flop of a lot of what you post.

This isn't a retirement community. It just flat out isn't. It's a 55+ community. Many people 55 and older still work. Many of them still work FULL time. Most of the people who do work, only work part-time. But look around at the stores you shop in. The insurance agencies you buy your insurance from. The libraries you borrow books from. The employees at the local businesses. MANY of these employees are seniors. And most of those seniors live in the Villages.

Life outside their homes aren't just entertainment. They are also their livelihoods, and the reason they can afford to live their chosen lifestyle.

[gatorbill1]

2 br cyv had rooms much smaller than pv - could not get kingsize bed, mirrored dresser and other dresser in room without blocking door to patio. Was told to put other dresser in other bedroom by salesperson. Went to pv

[Topspinmo]

Three downsides that made me change my mind about wanting one:
1. the privacy is actually isolating. I like being able to see my neighbors, get to know them. Not the "kissing lanais" that many homes have in the Villages, but at least be able to wave to them from a distance when I'm having my morning coffee. Having stayed in two of these CYVs - one during a Lifestyle visit and the other a 10-day vacation rental, I really missed the sense of living in an actual NEIGHBORhood - accent on the neighbor.

2. The driveways themselves. They all seem to curve and that means little room for two cars and a golf cart. It means if you want to take the car out of the garage, OR the golf cart out of the garage, you have to park the second car so that it's practically on the grass - or you have to move whichever car is in the driveway. And the streets are narrow enough that it's impractical to have guests parking on the side of the road.

3. That trouble-spot that's partly your property, partly your neighbor's property. It seems like a liability, not a benefit. If you have to be on your neighbor's property in order to get to your gate, what happens if you trip and fall? Whose insurance is going to cover it?

Some like them, and some don’t. I agree driveway quirky design.
Need read the districts homeowners restrictions and easements will answer most do you’re questions/concerns. there no kissing Lanai’s In CYVs. 5 foot concrete wall blocking off neighbors behind you’re, not like the designer where you can spit on back porch Of you’re neighbors for you’re porch. At least in CYV you can set in privacy.

[Topspinmo]

2 br cyv had rooms much smaller than pv - could not get kingsize bed, mirrored dresser and other dresser in room without blocking door to patio. Was told to put other dresser in other bedroom by salesperson. Went to pv


Depends on design style. I got king size bed room suit mirrored dresser, two bed side tables, and 5 drawers dresser, also double sink in master bath.

[Topspinmo]

JohnW you're incorrect about one specific statement, and this statement can mean a complete flip-flop of a lot of what you post.

This isn't a retirement community. It just flat out isn't. It's a 55+ community. Many people 55 and older still work. Many of them still work FULL time. Most of the people who do work, only work part-time. But look around at the stores you shop in. The insurance agencies you buy your insurance from. The libraries you borrow books from. The employees at the local businesses. MANY of these employees are seniors. And most of those seniors live in the Villages.

Life outside their homes aren't just entertainment. They are also their livelihoods, and the reason they can afford to live their chosen lifestyle.

It’s not 55 plus community either. Only for sales purposes.

[Topspinmo]

Gates and driveways. If you own two cars, you may NOT want to live in a CYV, however you will have no problem taking out your car or golf cart because of the driveway. We don't have two cars and I don't know of any of my neighbors on our street of 13 villas that have two cars. One car and one golf cart is all that most people will need. Remember, you're downsizing when you move here, you no longer work. The outside world is for entertainment. Whether it's golf, the gym, pickleball, the pool, movies, or some club or rec center activity. We love our location, it's 3-1/2 miles to LSL and 3-1/2 miles to Brownwood. Pick your location before choosing the house.

The gate, in the photo the driveway to the right is my neighbors. I walk around the edge of my landscaping and there is my gate. I may use that gate once a month to go into the backyard. Most times you just access the backyard from the house through one of our three sliding doors. The gate on the left side of the photo is my neighbor's gate to his backyard. He walks around and up that little sidewalk and he's into his yard. No big deal for most people.

Here is a front yard that has no grass, cannot do that in a single family home. The white River Rock along the street was where the grass use to be. We had removed, less maintenance and easier to keep neat. This is a Durham model, 2 BR 2 BA CYV. The house was originally a pale yellow, like the one on the right. We gained permission three years ago to be able to repaint in one of 20 different colors. I chose the most different, that was the green. The other choices mostly consisted of gray or 18 shades of brown. As I mentioned with the inside, I don't care for brown, that's why I used blue on the inside, and one color throughout to make it seem larger. This photo is six months old after we just had the front landscaping refreshed.

https://scontent-mia3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/93691547_1600074756823717_3207555561759440896_n.jp g?_nc_cat=104&_nc_sid=8024bb&_nc_ohc=mpu_zLgUkIoAX-wwwF3&_nc_ht=scontent-mia3-1.xx&oh=7bb920a5439266c6ef5c1a64a7bfb939&oe=5F17D1EE

Here is a more recent photo since our landscaping has really taken off recently. The landscaping was done by Terrascape on Hwy 301.

https://scontent-mia3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/p720x720/94419806_1600078776823315_5906109674482040832_o.jp g?_nc_cat=101&_nc_sid=8024bb&_nc_ohc=mNSTw5kfT7cAX_jNEb4&_nc_ht=scontent-mia3-1.xx&_nc_tp=6&oh=ca185cf0458023f0651e9ab45a8b5930&oe=5F16F6F9

Very nice John, I wish we could paint our houses different colors in my villa’s.

[John_W]

Very nice John, I wish we could paint our houses different colors in my villa’s.

Just get a petition started and get 2/3s to sign onboard, go door-to-door. Our villas were built in 2011 and we got approval in 2016 to change colors, I say about half or 40 have changed colors, Oscar got most of the work so far. I also see a couple of other villa communities have done the same in our area along St. Charles.

2 br cyv had rooms much smaller than pv - could not get kingsize bed, mirrored dresser and other dresser in room without blocking door to patio. Was told to put other dresser in other bedroom by salesperson. Went to pv


Our master bedroom in the model home had the headboard on the exterior wall on the side yard. With a sliding door on one wall and a doorway to the bath and a walk-in closet on the other wall, you were correct, we only had one wall to put furniture.

However, by putting our bed against the window wall we have room for a triple dresser, a high chest with a 60" TV on top and 2 nightstands and kingsize bed. Just have to think outside the box.

[NewJerseyBoy56]

I want that wall in the master bedroom so having someone come over to give us an estimate to put a wall where the bedroom sliding door it to the patio.

[joseppe]

You could also look at some of the new Cabana Villas that are being built south of cr44. They are similar to CYV but most with 2 car garage and straight driveways.

[JohnN]

We have a 3BR corner villa and love it, period. Quite private.
Yes, the neighborhood is probably quieter, but we enjoy quiet. If we want louder, we'll go to the square or wherever. The driveway curve is not any big deal, really. The garage size is 1-1/2 car on most and that may be an issue for you, depending, but that was the singular negative for us.

[Knighterrant]

CYV's are not condos, they are single family homes. Homeowners are responsible for maintenance accordingly. We just sold our CYV south of 44. The newer CYV's in this area have straight driveways with two car garages. The fenced back and side yards are the obvious benefit. Also, CYV can utilize decorative rock for the entire front yard area minimizing yard maintenance - this type of landscaping is not allowed with designer homes. Some of the negatives we experienced, is that there are more renters and snowbirds within CYV neighborhoods - so the yards for some of these occupants aren't as well maintained. The homes are closer together, so it can feel more congested than other areas - especially during the day when there are vehicles parked on the road (landscapers, moving trucks, remodeling trucks, etc.). And the homes are smaller - 1,400 to 1,700 SF. We found the layout of the rooms to suffer accordingly - small bedrooms, small kitchens, etc. Ultimately, I think the positives outweigh the negatives given the price points of CYV. However, The Villages sells Veranda homes that are essentially designer homes with fenced back yards (I think these type homes are only available in the newer neighborhoods south of 44). Which is what we purchased.