I am going to provide a contrary viewpoint, we bought a lot with a road in the back, a view of 2 golf courses in the distance, and villas with a block wall. Outside of some occasional road noise this is a very nice location. The cars at 30+ MPH, the golf carts at 25+MPH never have a chance to see me in the hot tub, the occasional walker is too busy with their phone, so we actually have a lot of privacy. Lot was $65k (2013) house now appears to be 2.5 to 3 times what we paid, AND we know the rear scenery will never change significantly.

And there is also no guarantee your golf course view will remain, aka the Hacienda Hills syndrome. One day you’re looking across a fairway at a clubhouse, restaurant, swimming pool, tennis courts, etc…, and you have a short walk to go out to dinner. The next day you’re watching a wrecking ball level all of it. Then you get to live next to a construction site while your once beautiful view is turned into a residential Villa complex. That’s why if you buy a view lot you need to make absolutely certain the land encompassing your view can never be built on or is not a man made retention pond that can suddenly become empty. A real lake, such as lake miona, or a wildlife preserve, is a safe bet, otherwise buyer beware.

Our wildlife preserve view (glorified swamp) with a southwest exposure in the rear of our house works for us. The combination of privacy, wildlife, and beautiful sunsets are priceless.

You learn interesting swear words on a golf course.

As you are playing golf, look at the houses next to golf course. Would you like to live in one of those houses?

In my opinion, some of the lots look very nice, but a lot of them do not. Try to figure out why some of them are appealing and try to find a house or a lot that you think will work for you.

A home is worth what someone is willing to pay. I live in a neighborhood where several of the original residents have died, were diagnosed with terminal illness, or desire to be closer to family. There have been times when several homes were placed on the market at relatively the same time. The sold prices differed immensely. Some walked away with $100-300 thousand profit. Others made $50-75 thousand for the same model.

You would assume the homes with better lots and views made the most, right? Amazingly, not always the case. Some interior lots attracted buyers quickly and sold for top dollar. The homes were gorgeous inside and were truly move in ready.

We live in a CYV villa neighborhood. Some of the lots are maintenance free or have much larger back yards than new builds. All have high stucco walls that offer complete privacy. Our neighborhood also has a pool and pavillon solely for neighborhood use. From what I have experienced, some buyers are willing to pay MUCH more for these attributes. Never underestimate a high budget buyer's needs and wants. A nice view is not always at the top of their list.

When you choose a home, consider these options.
1. Do you want to live in a home that has a wonderful view? One in which other posters have warned may have severe drawbacks. Noise, 24/7 golfer invasion, wild animals, a pond that may dry up, etc, etc. But, offers beauty as far as your eyes can see?

2.One that lacks nothing inside? A home with substantial upgrades is a luxury. Are you willing to pay more for this?

3. Is privacy important? Are you willing to pay more for a larger back yard? Some homes are located on small streets. This means fewer neighbors with little or no noise. Does this type of privacy interest you?

You are the one that must live in the home. Choose the one that offers the most bang for your buck. Most likely, if you need to sell, you will quickly find a high budget buyer. The reason? You paid attention to details when purchasing. You will leave with $$$ in your pocket, and the new owner will be thrilled with his/her purchase.

Make sure you’re far away from the Turnpike and major roads so you don’t hear the road traffic all the time!!!

We purchased last year in September. I will not pay allot extra for a view.. As someone else already stated "there is no guarantee there will always be water in the that retention pound".

However here in the villages at this time, houses with a view are bringing allot more. Will that be the same in 10 years?

When we were looking to make a similar decision on whether to pay for a premium lot of some sort, my realtor friend said it seems expensive the day you buy it, but it determines how you feel about living there. We bought on a preserve and have total privacy. That has been amazing for us. Several homes went on the market in our village and the difference between a $690,000 home and those going for over 1 million was the view. None of them were premier style with high ceilings, etc.

I wish we had someone in local real estate who could tell us the percentage of homes that have view lots versus those without, as well as the number of view homes with pools, that will tell us the exclusivity, which is what drives price andthat will also help you understand why it retains value.

I have also seen homes where people design amazing landscaping around the back of their homes so they create their own privacy from a visual standpoint usually adding an enclosed glass room for sound abatement from kissing lanais. Quite a bit less expensive but not the same resale as a true view.

We looked at several houses before deciding on one with a golf and water view. We bought a re-sale since the location was perfect and the view was the best we’d found. We are far enough off the fairway that errant balls are not a problem, but like others have said some golf view houses are right next to cart paths. We have friends on another course who are closer to the fairway near a sand trap and they sometimes get balls in their yard and golfers coming near their lanai in their carts, but not too often. Every house is different, so make sure you really take everything into consideration. When you find the right house/lot you will know. We did when we saw our view!

View lots sell fast. They are in demand and as a result a lot of competition for them. Thereby higher prices. Plus, come on. Would you rather stare at a wall or the back of someone else’s house, or look at water or lush green landscape? Once your wife picks out the designer floor plan then you’ll bid on a lot. It’s a lottery system for view lots. Everyone puts their name in for the lot they want when they become available, and then at midnight a computer tabulates and randomly picks a winner. You then have something like 5 days to put down $10K down to hold it. I’ve see people take a year to finally win the lottery they want losing 20+ bids over that time. Then you have to make a design appt (usually within 6 weeks or so) and it’s over a couple days. Once done picking out all your finishings for the house you put 20% down. Construction starts quite fast and done within 4 months.

When I moved to The Villages almost five years ago, I bought a house with a pool on a golf course. I loved the view and the privacy and appreciated the big trees that blocked the late afternoon sun. After a couple years, though, I sold it and bought a smaller courtyard villa that was even quieter and more private. Most important, I’m now mortgage free and have an extra $1,500 a month to spend, for life. I came to realize that while I love The Villages, I don’t much like being outside in the heat and only rarely used the pool. I admired my view, but from inside the house.

Depends on where the lot is located on the course. Prefer out of golf ball range. Makes for great views instead of neighbor home views. Always better resale.

The future is uncertain, very uncertain. There is no way to guarantee yourself that you won't lose value.

Instead of worrying about value, which is subjective and mostly beyond your control, why don't you start with some wants and needs for your forever home.

Follow Charlie Munger's advice, "Its better to buy a great house at a fair price, than a crappy house at a bargain price."

You can control your next move, you can't control the market value, the economy, the fed, interest rates, and other buyers.

Start with your budget, and your financial model for the next 20 years, assets to income, SS, pension, etc, and then cost of living, taxes, cars, vacations, food, etc. . what you can afford today might not be able to be afforded in 10-20 years. . hence you might have to sell at an inconvenient time.

Then start with the house design, which model, and your location within the villages, near entertainment, near courses. . . near grocery stores, near walking paths, near highway for quick on /off highway for traveling?

Then once you know what you want, start looking. . . the difficulty about the villages is so many choices, so you have to narrow down, exclude what you don't want, and that makes the choices much easier. Also, there may be alot of competition for your desires, so you also have to be actively searching and ready to buy nearly instantly if your perfect home comes up to buy. . .

So instead of worrying about changing house prices in the future, try the desirable selection process first. . you might be surprised

reminds me of an admin who once worked sat our company: "My goal is to marry a CFO"
kind of a backwards approach. .

I’ve lived in Florida 55 of my 67 years. We have purchased several homes both as a residence and rentals. In the Orlando area a home on a retention pond is the cheaper home in a neighborhood, only here in The Villages is that considered waterfront property. I’m not sure that you would go wrong with a pond or a golf course view here. I suggest you follow your own desire. Seems people move here and they just can’t spend it fast enough. I also think if you put a 5 gallon pale of water in your front yard there will be a gator in it tomorrow morning. Really just have to worry about them 2 times a year when they come in heat.