[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]

Originally Posted by 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.

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

[Gulfcoast]

Originally Posted by Joeint

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.



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.

[Topspinmo]

Originally Posted by 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.

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.