Lake Denham isn't really the same area as the Enclave. The Enclave is off of Dabney and it's a secluded area with little to no turnpike noise. This house is close to Megisson. FWIW I'm on Emiline and I can see this house from my back yard.

https://i.imgur.com/glOiLsUl.png


The house price of 674 makes sense. It is about 500 square feet larger than my house in Lake Denham. My house with the lot was $501K. So 173K more makes sense for the larger garage and extra square footage. Sale price would be the total price. I don't think the Villages lets you buy the lot separately, but I could be mistaken.

Some pics of my house lot...

https://i.imgur.com/zwWl534l.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/oPL86kwl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/0kJYWvPl.jpg

Is your house a premiere? Some time last year, the Developer eliminated a few designer series homes. These models are now being built as premiere homes. If the seller bought the home when it was built as a designer model, he had dumb luck timing. $980,000 aligns with the cost to build a premiere home today. The buyer is not dumb. Either the original price paid for the home is incorrect or the seller fell into a windfall.

The original price is what is recorded with the deeds. It is correct and they came into a windfall. I don't really know how they got this as a "premier" because from everything we were told the Enclave was the first place to buy premier homes in a few years. This house was sold before anything was listed in the Enclave. Pretty much all the homes in Lake Denham are designers. I can't say how this became premiere. I'm really curious how it was originally listed. Perhaps they got the lot and custom build in that area of Lake Denham. When we got ours, they were all built spec homes.

But if you look at it, it's just a big designer home. It has the high ceilings, and the big garage. Other than that really nothing more to it.

ETA: If you want a premier, a little smaller at 2169 sq ft, this one in the Enclave is pending at $767, 800, exterior lot.

It still looks to me like resale houses on a preserve can make a killing in Lake Denham, while interiors continue to sit a bit longer in Lake Denham, Dabney, and the Enclave.

That is my question. Was it built when a Sanderling was classified as a designer home? If so, simple dumb luck or the owner of the home is an investor who was privy to the change the Developer was going to make. You may look at it as a Designer home but the Developer now classifies it as premiere. Once the home hits VLS or MLS, it can be sold as a premiere. (even if the owner bought it when it was from the designer series)

BTW: Many premiere homes are simply designer homes with stretches. Some will pay $100,000 + for those added features. Is it worth it? For some buyers, it is.

I was comparing this home to those built in the Enclave because it would have the same cost to build. This home was built a few months earlier than the same model in the Enclave. Cost to build would not increase significantly in a few month time frame.

I agree. Dumb luck or had some good info. There are a few other Lake Denham resale designers up for big bucks. I’m patiently waiting to see what they sell for.

Seems that’s all they know……

Lake County tax records confirm the original sale price...

Property Details : Lake County Property Appraiser

Interesting. The Developer increased the price of the designer models that he now calls premiere significantly. (over 100,000 k) The cost for him to build this house in Lake Denham and the cost to build the same model in the Enclave would be relatively the same. Like I said, they were built a mere few months apart. Cost of materials would not increase that quickly. If so, there would have to be a significant price increase in all types of homes built after the Enclave. This has not happened.

Do the regular designer homes have 10' ceilings? If not, doesn't that cost more to build?

400-500 increase in square footage doesn't cost the developer more to build?

The oversized lot (big enough for a pool) doesn't cost the developer more?

You're comparing apples to kumquats...

Its obvious you did not read the thread. Home discussed is a premiere with all the features you mentioned.

in other news,
US home prices as measured by Case Shiller have hit another all time high

S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index (CSUSHPINSA) | FRED | St. Louis Fed

cause: scarcity of available houses versus available buyers.
2nd level: working from home and refinanced low interest rates have caused less available houses for sale due to work related and growing family moves.

TV: the local tail getting wagged from the national situation, as the TV new joiners come from the national situation which is getting harder to turn over. .

If you think it is tough for buyers here...

"How expensive?” tracks measurements of California’s totally unaffordable housing market.

The pain: Orange County home prices are rising at the fastest pace in the nation, and you can blame the high-end buyer for that.

The source: My trusty spreadsheet reviewed home price indexes from First American Data & Anaytics for 30 US cities as of May, including five in California. The yardsticks have a curious twist – tracking appreciation by breaking the markets into three price slices: starter homes, mid-tier and luxury residences.

The pinch

Overall, Orange County prices rose 10.5% in the past 12 months, the No. 1 gain of the 30. That was driven by a 12.3% jump for luxury homes – also No. 1 among the 30 markets.

The county also had a 10.9% increase for its mid-section market (No. 2) but “only” a 8.3% rise for the starter segment (No. 6).

HOW NIMBY ARE YOU? Ponder common objections to new housing. TAKE OUR QUIZ!
Clearly, there are a lot of deep-pocketed buyers looking at Orange County’s more-expensive housing.

This is a different pattern than the nation overall, where house hunters bid up the lower-priced residences.

The median overall gain for the 30 US cities was 4.2% with increases of 3.9% for luxury vs. 4.1% in the middle and 4.6% for the most affordable housing."


From the Orange County Register.

/// double post

Fla.’s Housing Market: New Listings, Median Prices Rise in May | Florida Realtors

"Fla.’s Housing Market: New Listings, Median Prices Rise in May
ORLANDO, Fla. –

In May, Florida’s housing market reported more new listings, increased for-sale inventory and higher median prices compared to a year ago, according to Florida Realtors®’ latest housing data."


Indicates The Villages has seen double-digit percentage increases this year in the number of homes sold over last year, ranking it second among all Florida metropolitan areas.

The report also shows that The Villages/Sumter County MSA is one of only two areas that have experienced double-digit growth.

Which is part of the reason for it's higher price.

It's obvious you didn't understand my post...

The home discussed is a premiere built on a water view lot in lake Denham. The home is IIDENTICAL to models built in the Enclave. It's obvious you did not read the thread or you are misunderstanding the information. Two IDENTICAL premiere homes- The one discussed in Lake Denham was built for $647,000 including the lot. The comparable in the Enclave over $800,000. The homes were built a few months apart. No difference in lot size.

You're surprised that housing prices increased in the time from one being built in Lake Denham and then in the Enclave? And the houses you are comparing are NOT the same square footage.

Not to mention that some prefer the privacy of being in the Enclave, and that you have no idea of the difference (or not) or lot sq footage...

Once again, you are comparing apples to kumquats...

Bringing it back
 

The OP was about Villages homes retaining value etc. Here is the actual straight shooting data from last month.

The Villages, Florida Housing Market Report May 2024 - RocketHomes

The median price for a home sold in May in the Villages was 379,537 dollars, down from the year prior (2023) by 5,387 dollars for the same month. The median square footage price is about 250 dollars per square foot. Yes, homes went down in value, but they have increased over long term like most all homes in the US do.

4 bedroom homes took the largest hit at a little over 15%.

The original premise depends on year to year applicability.

And 4 BR homes were waaay up in sales price in the last few years, during the covid boom...

We wanted one, but couldn't justify the price difference when we bought...

Now, they are dropping back to a more reasonable price.

The same with many homes, whose prices skyrocketed during the covid boom.

We went to contract in January, 2021. By April, 2021, the same model, with a similar lot (and often less upgrades) was $150-175K more...

Now, they are less than the peak, but still well over $100K more than we paid...

So, if you limit your price search to the last year, yes, prices have dropped. But in reality, they are sill significantly higher than 3-4 years ago...

If you want to look at a slight decrease in price in one year, after 3+ years of boom prices, have at it...

Both of the homes I am comparing are 4 BR Saunderling models with EXACT same square footage and a 4 car garage. The only difference is choice of fixtures, cabinets, and flooring. Perhaps, you are comparing to a different home in the Enclave. Yes, I am quite surprised with the huge difference in cost to build.You see it differently. Beauty and value are in the eyes of the beholder.

Absolute
 

Numbers are absolute, there is zero emotion, exasperation or feeling behind what is. Numbers don’t lie.