Would U rather live in a $1 million dollar home or on a $1M dollar piece of property?
 

Presumably one of the main reasons people choose to live in the Villages is due to all the clubs & amenities and the "low maintenance" lifestyle. But those things aside, would you rather:

Live in a large, really nice $1 million dollar house (3 car garage, big screened in pool, custom deck & BBQ area, etc.) but on a comparably small plot of land with houses close to one another,

or

would you rather live on a large, very private piece of property with an amazing view--perhaps on a lake, river, or in the mountains--but in a perfectly livable but small and otherwise unremarkable house or doublewide mobile home?

Property

Location, location, location.

Both.

Property as long not in city

Property

Property, where I could have horses again and a place to ride.

Dirt does not depreciate.

As someone who has owned a property and now the house, I can tell you that you live 'in' the house. But I do miss my own lake (7 acres) shooting range and skeet field. So maybe an above average home and 5 acres.

The house obviously!

Tell ya what. I'll stay on my relatively smallish piece of property (1/5 acre), and you can buy me a brand new 1200-foot luxury double-wide to replace my old one, for around $125,000. With the rest of the million - $825,000 - I'll replace my golf cart with a newer model, hire someone to replace our sprinkler system since the old one's busted, get my hip replaced without having to put the insurance company's mandatory $9800 "out of pocket expense" on a credit card, go back to Connecticut for a month and spend the month visiting Boston and New York while I'm up there. Maybe take beloved spouse on a Mississippi River cruise. And still have plenty left over to live on.

Land with a view, for sure!

How could you compare a million dollar home in The Villages, as it's much more expensive to maintain than a trailer sitting on a large piece of land. The cost of maintaining a trailer is negligible unless it's located in Malibu or in a similar kind of location where property taxes are astronomical.

We have the view on a Great Lake, with a cottage. We also have a view of a prairie in TV.

Both are great, but much prefer the property our youngest has in the hills of Kentucky, or the property our oldest has at the base of the hills in South Carolina.

Neither property price tag was a million, unlike their coastal homes, that battle weather related storms constantly.

A quarter or half million dollar property can make one just as happy as a million dollar property, it all state of mind, not $$$

Definitely a house. I’d want it convenient to many things I enjoy and walkable to them. I can’t stand anything over a 5 mile car ride. I prefer being able to walk to most things. But that’s why I prefer being walkable to a square and why I always lived in a city before moving here. I love near by options and to me, such easier living.

Neither.

The “Low maintenance” part made me chuckle. We’ve never had to do as much maintenance as we have to do here in the villages.

Property

I am surprised by the answers. It sounds like most people would prefer not to live in the Villages.

I have never lived in a million dollar home nor lived on a million dollar piece of land.

But I would think living in a nice house would be more preferable than living in a log cabin on the beach.

I don't have expensive tastes or the need for a big house. Living in isolation does not appeal to me. However, when choosing a home in a community, I do have a strong preference. I want at least one place to sit and gaze out on nature. It could be a lake, golf course, or other natural setting. The houses next to me can be 15 feet away, but that spot gives me the sense of being in nature.

There would be more to the decision, things like access to a city, an airport, cultural activities, and restaurants, but to me it would be an issue of making use of the space.

I've lived in homes that didn't cost close to $1M that were large enough we didn't use several of the rooms. I still paid for heating/AC and maintenance for those rooms but they didn't add have any value for me.

I've lived in a house where I had an incredible view across a valley to the snow-capped mountains beyond. The view cost nothing to maintain but I enjoyed it every day.

As long as it didn't require a lot of grass cutting, I would get more enjoyment from the property than I would from rooms that I never used.

It does seem that after the newness of moving to TV rubs off, residents miss what they once had and left, they thought for greener pastures.

Of all the homes that I have owned, the 100 yr old farm house on 90 acres was my favorite. I could walk the land, keep bees, watch my 5 yr old turn rocks over in the creek, see the birds in different habitats, and have campfires by the pond. It wasn’t a million dollar home/property but the memories are priceless.

Well, I lived in a little house on a lake for years. It was beautiful there. I loved it. I could lie in bed and watch cardinals and four kinds of woodpeckers at a feeder ten feet from my head. I love living in a really lovely place with no neighbors. My ex-wife’s grandmother lived in a crummy little single-wide trailer in a mobile home park. But the mobile home park was on a cliff a mile south of Laguna Beach, and the porch on the trailer actually overhang the cliff, on a cove, a hundred feet above the water. Spectacular view, awful trailer. But worth it. I grew up in the mountains of Northern California surrounded by miles of pines and firs and golden grass. It looked a lot like Walt Longmire’s view at his cabin in “Longmire.”

I moved here for the activities, and it’s been even better than I’d hoped, although different from what I expected. My Courtyard Villa cost far less than a million, and it’s not luxurious compared to some homes here, but it’s also much more private than most of the fancier homes my friends have. I hardly hear a sound all day and hardly see a soul. It’s just as quiet as my ex-home on a lake, but so much closer to things I love to do. I’m a frog—here ‘til I croak. I made a great choice.

Not safe for old people.

Have a beautiful home here, not million dollars since we bought 20 years ago, on a large lot, on a championship golf course with a large lake behind our home. Wouldn't trade it for a million dollar lot. Love our home, our view, our location, and our neighborhood.

I live on a 20 acre lake in the middle of town in Mt Pleasant SC. We have contemplated moving to TV and to the mountains of NC for 10 yrs but have opted to stay where we are every time. We have the peace and quite in the back yard looking over the lake but have everything we want including great medical care all within 2 miles of the house including a senior activity center within walking distance. Sounds like we should stay here til the end based upon all of the wisdom contributing to this.

I have had both. So I know exactly what I want at this time in my life. Ten years ago we had the property up on a mountain in the California sierras. It had a 180 degree view from the mountain to the vast valley below. Many times the clouds were below us laying in the valley. It was a beautiful 2 bedroom home with a wrap around porch on 50 acres in the tall pine trees. Loved it but it became too much work and very isolating, and two hour drive to the airport. Property is for a younger lifestyle. Having to maintain the property is work. Just having to bring down dead trees in the forest to keep it less a fire hazard was just one of many things you had to do weather you felt fine or not. Nearest neighbor was 3 miles away and no one checked in on you daily should you fall in the forest and can’t get up, or stalked by a mountain lion or bear.

Now we live in a large home with the pool and summer kitchen with close neighbors. We have a WhatsApp group just for our neighborhood and check in daily on different topics. Ladies come over to our house for water aerobics twice a week, play cards five times a month, play golf in our ladies neighborhood group twice a week, go out for our group luncheon once a month and the list goes on. Property was fun for 8 years but as we aged became work instead of fun and lonely. I would never go back to that. I love all the activities and friendships we have here. It’s wonderful and exactly what we need as we continue to age. I’m presently 65 as a reference. I retired in my mid fifties.

I had a log cabin on 10+ acres in the middle of the woods (with a view) in Vermont. I traded it for a nice house in TV. It was excessive taxes that drove me out. But if I had my druthers, I'd take the cabin.

Location vs estated home
 

I live on a golf course near LSL the first thing I looked for in my preferred area was the view. No view ? Deal breaker.
Location, location, location.

I'm pretty sure I know that place. It's either a mile south of Newport Beach (El Morro cove/beach now used as a State of CA vacation. spot. Also the place they filmed that Bette Midler movie), or it's actually in south Laguna directly across Coast Hwy from the Montage (Treasure Island) and over the Ruby's Diner restaurant. Shares a parking lot with Gelson's grocery store. Gorgeous location, amazing value. I know a gazillion people that would jump at the chance to own a single wide in that location.

Reminds me of the Rockford files episode where when he was in trouble and people were looking for him he just moved the his trailer from Malibu to a park somewhere, LOL

We lived in a big house just outside Nashville, TN before moving here. It was beautiful, 12000+ SF living space, pool, tennis court, golf simulator room 2.5 acre lot. Worth much more than $1M. The maintenance, however, was incredible and draining. It is more than a full time job even if you hire help. It is stressful and not worth it.

Having a small house in an idyllic setting with a majestic view is really appealing. But I also need some level of civilization nearby. The villages is a great compromise.

The villages is easy. The houses are small, but plenty big enough for us. Most of the areas are common, and somebody else is maintaining them. The views are not exactly majestic and don't rival some of the incredible locations mentioned in this thread, but if you get a view lot you get a golf course, pond or preserve view. Its nice.

$1M gets you a lot in the villages. I can't think of any other place in the US where one could get the same combination of nice house, convenience and view for <$1M. Of course you can also do great for <$500K here, but this post is discussing the $1M figure.

My question wasn't about re-sale value or which was a better investment, but strictly about which would you prefer to live in--an amazing house on a so-so piece of property, or a so-so house on a beautiful piece of property with an amazing view.

What??

If you buy at the wrong time it definitely can. Ask me how I know!

Life isn't safe for old people. My goal isn't to live as long as possible, but to live the most enjoyable, fulfilling life as possible. I may change my mind as I grow older, but anecdotally, I don't think I want to live much past 80 or 85...

Why would anyone need to choose between the two? And why would an amazing house have to cost a million dollars? If you're over 60 years old, with just yourself and your spouse, all the kids grown up with families of their own, and you're in reasonably good health for your age but know that "health issues" are a thing for older folks -

You could have a modest SIZED house - maybe 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2-car garage, just 1400sf under heat and air, but with all upgraded materials and options - for around $400k. You put that on a couple of acres of land with an insulated outbuilding in the back for landscaping, gardening, tools, a workshop, with an apartment on top for overflow if all the kids and the grands are there at the same time, and you can have BOTH for under a million bucks.

I was not addressing resale or investment value. When I wrote "Location, location, location." I intended the location I desired aesthetically, for its convenience to what I wanted near me, how pleasant I found my neighborhood, considering matters such as noise from aircraft and road traffic and its fumes, nearness to grocery stores, nice restaurants, good medical facilities and so on. I like to reside in a cheerful home in which I feel comfortable and safe. It can be large and fancy or modest in size and amenities. Either is fine with me.

If you reach those years and you do not have some dire medical condition, you will.
Wife and I are past both those numbers, and still plan ahead and act as if we will be here forever.
Never give up!

1 million dollar piece of land. Get me out of this suburban hell!

I assume that you are quite a few years away from that age. As you get closer (and if you are in good health), you will probably change your mind.