Looking for Advice
 

My husband and I are coming to TV from April 9-16. We intend to buy a piece of property that week and move to TV full time in 2012. We are overwhelmed with the number of neighborhoods. My husband is an 18 hole golfer and would like to live fairly close to a few Country Clubs, we have dogs and would like the property to back to a wall and definitely not on a golf course. We would like to build in a new neighborhood. How do we narrow down to a few neighborhoods? Thanks in advance for any advice.
Jeanne
Who is excited to leave NJ

Jeanne, the new neighborhoods that are being built now are St. Charles, Buttonwood, and...another newer one (someone will jump in here) and they are finishing out Pennecamp and about to start St. James and have just started the all Premier neighborhood of Laurel Valley.

ALL of the villages are close to golf courses. There are now 32 Executive courses and they are building the tenth championship course.

There is a number of lots like you wish. If you want to build than right now the Villages that are new and building are south of 466 and west of Buena Vista.

Your rep will take you and show you the availability and give you a plot map, I am sure.

I almost forgot to say WELCOME...and here is a hug and a big wish for a happy life in TV.

Thanks I needed a starting point. My husband lives for Buckeye sports. He was thrilled yesterday with the basketball results.
Jeanne

CYV might be the thing
 

It's not clear to me from your post if you have ever visited before or not. If you have never looked at them, please don't rule out a CYV since you have dogs. If you think the lot is too small or there is not enough privacy, please check out the ones with the corner lots. Every not and then, there is even one on a corner lot with a 2 car garage.

Most lots I have seen that back up to villas have very, very small back yards, smaller than CYV backyards, for the most part.

We have met many people who have moved to a CYV from a designer or ranch (now cottage home). Of course, there are also those who move from CYVs to designers (but not usually from a 3 bedroom CYV - at least the ones I've met so far).

It is awfully, awfully expensive to move twice (or 3 times). Since you're not planning a move until 2012 (if I'm remembering your post correctly), why not rent for a couple of visits and try different models/styles, even for a week or two at a time (doable in the summer).

We bought a CYV because of the dogs. Our 4 legged family had to be accommodated to. LOL They have about a half acre fenced in here and it will be an adjustment for them to be in a smallish yard. However, our house there has a patch of grass. There is NO grass here. The side yard to nice and long for a good run and the concrete patio is very large. We also like the privacy of the CYV.

Best advice for someone who loves their dogs is to seriously consider a courtyard villa (CYV). We have a corner lot CYV, on a preserve, so there are no golfers to bark about. Plus, being on a preserve, the back fence is lower so you (and your dogs) can enjoy the view and breezes. My dogs were used to acreage as well, so now they get to enjoy a nice, long walk everyday. (Healthier for us, too!).

The 2 models we really like are Designer homes the Bridgeport and Gardenia. I spoke to somone who built a huge bird cage off the back of the house. Anyone have any opinions on doing a bird cage? We have Polish Lowland Sheepdogs who arenot super high energy. We live in NJ and both girls are from Ocala!
Jeanne

We looked at many homes and lots before we found one we liked. We have a villa wall behind us and on one side of us. It's tiny compared to our northern yard but it's quite large by TV standards, larger than any CYV I've ever seen.
We actually considered a CYV but I really didn't want my dogs to spend their lives on stone and concrete. I can't imagine how hot that must be in the summer. Grass was a necessity for us, even though we'll probably never spend a summer here. We had an underground fence installed and our dogs learned the boundries very quickly. Before I put the correction collars on the dogs I buckled them around my arm and walked through the correction area. I didn't want to hurt or terrify my dogs. The correction isn't really a shock. It's more of a tingle. It gets their attention but doesn't cause any pain.
I also didn't like the driveways and garages of most CYVs. Most CYVs have a 1 1/2 car garage and a skinny driveway with a curve in the middle. As someone said, some have 2 car garages and straight driveways but most do not.
We're quite pleased with our designer with a golf cart garage. As you might imagine, storage is a major problem here. Most of us in the north have full attics, basements, garages and sheds. Here you have attic storage over the garage, your closets and some storage in your garage. For me, the bigger garage the better.
Many people are very happy with CYVs and that's fine for them. They are really very nice, roomy homes. For us they just didn't work.
Good luck and welcome to TV.

New Jersey
 

Now why would you be excited about leaving New Jersey!!! Just kidding we moved to the The Villages from New Jersey in December, and love it here, you will too.

Many CYV neighborhoods have grass
 

Only a few CYV neighborhoods do not allow grass. Right now, I think they are building both types of CYV neighborhoods. I could be wrong, but I think for awhile in 2008 or 2009 they started building CYVs with only patios and mulched areas for plantings, but I know I have seen grass in some of the newest ones, as well as those built around the time mine was (2006).

We have grass, and like it for both our dog and because I think it looks/feels cooler than concrete only. But I know that some dogs adapt and just use the mulched areas. Probably the CYV neighborhoods that do not allow concrete may have fewer dogs.

One of our neighbors, who has 2 dogs, removed his front grass but kept it in the back - for his dogs. Also, he does his own mowing and can leave in summer for a few weeks at a time and mow when he returns, with no one being able to see it. Says it's not all that hard to mow even when it's a few inches long (it's zoysia).

:clap2::clap2::clap2:

Bluedog,

We also back up to a villa wall- and have a huge, pie-shaped yard. Our doggy is small, but he likes the space - and our yard (with a side view to Kenya) is far bigger than any CYV. I loved the CYV's - my husband wanted a home. A home backing up to CYVs was a perfect compromise for us....

Many CYV have large areas of grass. If it's all concrete and stone, more than likely, an owner took out the grass and replaced it with stone . . .
My CYV had a nice wide side yard that had both the long concrete walkway and an even wider area of grass and my dogs just loved it.

Jeanne, if you would like to see a Bridgeport that backs up to a villa wall, send me a PM...

From NJ too
 

We are leaving NJ too, as soon as house sells. We have 2 basset hounds and are concerned about yard space for them. Thought that backing up to a wall would be a good idea for us. Can we plant any kind of low growing scrubs around the yard? Haven't decided yet what we will be looking for, just that it has to be 2 car garage and golf cart garage.