[George Bieniaszek]

We bought a new CYV three years ago and just love it. We too are part-timers spending approximately 7-8 months per year here. First thing we did was to remove all the grass and landscape the grounds. No lawn maintenance issues. A bottle of roundup weed killer is all we need.

Love the privacy that a CYV gives. Neighbors are great. We have a 2 bedroom villa, a Beauregard which now is called a Cambridge. No regrets at all. Maybe when we decide to sell our other home in CT we may decide to get a Designer Series home, although we have been talking about purchasing a larger CYV as well.

Only downside we can think of is the 1.5 car garage.

[LynnDeb]

Originally Posted by rp001

Some of the smaller ranch homes on the used market offer more privacy without a lot of maintenance and it actually has a small yard plus a greater value per sq ft.

I agree...we bought an austin ranch and have quite a distance from the house on the other side of st. and behind us

[CFrance]

Originally Posted by OldDave

We are having this same debate. My wife really likes the idea of the CYV because it appears to have the privacy that most smaller houses don't seem to have. But we are both bothered by the thought of barking dogs, as one person posted about. It would make sense that dog owners would be drawn to these. Any other experiences with dogs?

We have a designer that backs up to a wall that has CYVs on the other side. There are two or three (can't discern exactly) small yappy dogs on the CYV side who bark frequently. Their owners don't seem to realize how much these snarling, growling, yippers annoy the neighbors. Or they don't care. If our dog barks once, he's brought inside. Not so on the other side of the wall, although thankfully they are not left out all day. It's only a small annoyance, truth to tell.

Someone on this forum advised that we throw our pet alligator over the wall to silence them, and that has been our joke ever since, diffusing the situation. "Go get the alligator out of the tub."

However, it wouldn't be any different if you were on the CYV side of the wall or the designer side of the wall, because everyone can hear them on each side. It's a crap shoot as to who your neighbors will be, and you won't be able to tell about the dogs till after you move in. Or the people, for that matter, but they mostly confine their barking to inside.

Go for what you want. Try to determine what furry friends are on either side of you when you house hunt. I think if you had a barker around you who is outside all day, you'd be able to determine that while house hunting.

[bonrich]

Our first Villages home was a Cabana Courtyard Villa. Liked it for awhile, took out all the grass, what little there was, and used stone, etc. But after the second year I just felt closed in by the vinyl fence and the houses on both sides. One side is not yours, so we rarely went down that side of our home since it was actually your neighbors property. Never saw neighbors, could hear them talking, or dogs barking, but that was it. Also, conversations were easily overheard since only feet separated us. Felt like Tim Allen and his neighbor in Tool Time! Also, lots of cars in the driveways since the garage is your storage, plus golf cart, and if you like to bike, a pair of those.
Garage was tight for an SUV and golf cart, not much room to maneuver. We are still snowbirds, but now live in a Designer with neighbors that we can see and greet, and still far enough apart to enjoy our lanai and yard.

[bonrich]

Our first Villages home was a Cabana Courtyard Villa. Liked it for awhile, took out all the grass, what little there was, and used stone, etc. But after the second year I just felt closed in by the vinyl fence and the houses on both sides. One side is not yours, so we rarely went down that side of our home since it was actually your neighbors property. Never saw neighbors, could hear them talking, or dogs barking, but that was it. Also, conversations were easily overheard since only feet separated us. Felt like Tim Allen and his neighbor in Tool Time! Also, lots of cars in the driveways since the garage is your storage, plus golf cart, and if you like to bike, a pair of those.
Garage was tight for an SUV and golf cart, not much room to maneuver. We are still snowbirds, but now live in a Designer with neighbors that we can see and greet, and still far enough apart to enjoy our lanai and yard.

[bonrich]

Oops, double post. Don't know how to delete.

[gomoho]

We rented a CYV and I loved the floor plan, BUT felt too closed in between the high fence out back and on the sides and not really being able to see out front. So we ended up in an offset lot designer which is working out very nicely. I also always have my blinds open so that may explain my need for openness.

[maine04578]

I'm frustrated with MLS listings that generally do not include the model name or indicate which homes are CYVs--online searches just don't produce this information. I end up with a long list of possible homes to check out, but no way to tell whether they're a designer, ranch, or villa. We'd like to find an older CYV with a breakfast nook (with windows) floor plan. Definitely a needle in a haystack! Thanks one and all for the pros and cons of living in a house vs. a CYV. Seems like each has advantages, and every bit of info helps folks like us who are house-hunting at a distance and can only visit TV briefly.

[gomoho]

Originally Posted by maine04578

I'm frustrated with MLS listings that generally do not include the model name or indicate which homes are CYVs--online searches just don't produce this information. I end up with a long list of possible homes to check out, but no way to tell whether they're a designer, ranch, or villa. We'd like to find an older CYV with a breakfast nook (with windows) floor plan. Definitely a needle in a haystack! Thanks one and all for the pros and cons of living in a house vs. a CYV. Seems like each has advantages, and every bit of info helps folks like us who are house-hunting at a distance and can only visit TV briefly.

If you get connected with a good REALTOR they will do the work for you and send you appropriate listings as they become available.

[maine04578]

That's true, and I'm working with one, but we aren't in a position to buy til we sell our home here. I feel as though an agent (MLS or TV) would be more likely to email us about possible CYVs consistently and regularly if we were actually able to buy something now, so I'm trying to do preliminary research myself to see what's out there, for how much, and where it is. I'd love to get professional help with my search, but it's too soon. The fact is that most agents lose interest in a potential client who's not ready to buy, especially at this busy time of year. I just wish it were easier to distinguish which MLS homes are CYVs without needing professional intervention for each listing that comes up on, say, Listingbook. Without a model name or even a category, it's impossible to match each potential home with a print-out of the available CYV floor plans, and I have a pile of those. I use interior photos to help figure it out. Doesn't always work, though.

[gomoho]

Maine - Sent you a private message.

[Polar Bear]

Originally Posted by maine04578

...I just wish it were easier to distinguish which MLS homes are CYVs without needing professional intervention...

Hey, Maine. My wife and I are in a similar position to you. We're not as far away, but we have to sell our home before moving too, and consider our options at TV from a distance. I use the official TV website house search function. It allows you to select the type of home you're looking for. That should help quite a bit. (Unless of course I'm missing something...heheh.)

[gomoho]

Originally Posted by sdavis44

Hey, Maine. My wife and I are in a similar position to you. We're not as far away, but we have to sell our home before moving too, and consider our options at TV from a distance. I use the official TV website house search function. It allows you to select the type of home you're looking for. That should help quite a bit. (Unless of course I'm missing something...heheh.)

What you are missing is all the re-sales that are listed on the MLS by REALTORS. Village sales associates sell Village listings and MLS REALTORS sell their listings. Yes, you really should have 2 agents to work with unless you are buying new - then only a Village associate can assist you.

[TednRobin]

We worked with TV rep and Realtor. I checked new listings on TV site as well as Realty Executives(no promotion there, just found thier site very user friendly)several times a day. Found one that fit all needs, and we close end of March.

[Polar Bear]

Originally Posted by gomoho

...you really should have 2 agents to work with unless you are buying new - then only a Village associate can assist you.

Agreed...2 agents to see all that is available.