[angel222]

I'm thinking of downsizing from a designer to a two bedroom courtyard villa. I've heard some good things about this type of home in TV but also that if you get not so nice neighbors your way too close! Also that there are usually more renters than real neighbors, etc. Really would love some good and bad info of experiences from courtyard villa owners. Thanks for any help
Char

[rosygail]

I would reccomend a 3/2 courtyard villa such as the Valparaiso, which also has an inside laundry room. Believe me the extra space will be handy if you are downsizing!

[asianthree]

have to be honest we looked at the 2/2 courtyard and the square foot was less than the patio villa 2/2 and $40,ooo. less and still only a 1.5 car garage. have you thought about maybe renting your out for a month and renting a 2/2 courtyard to see if you like the size? Just a thought

[Ohiogirl]

I think the bad neighbor thing would be much worse with kissing lanais than in a CYV. I think bad neighbors could be more of a problem also in a patio villa. One of our neighbors moved to our CYV neighborhood because of intrusive neighbors.

Once in a great while we hear some neighbors on their lanai, but not often. After a few years, just like about anywhere here, about 40-60% have enclosed their lanais.

Biggest complaints I hear about a CYV is the garage size, but if you are single and have 1 small to average sized car and one golf cart, and are not a putterer I don't think you will find this to be an issue. The garages are different depths in different models, so check that out. We store a lot of extra stuff in front of the car and also have 2 golf carts in ours as well as a small car.

I think there probably are more snowbirds in CYV neighborhoods, but I also think that you don't see people out and about as much in the summer in any type neighborhood - that's also when a lot of people take extended vacations up north or elsewhere, no matter what type neighborhood they live in.

If you are here year-round, you might want to consider an inside laundry, but you would have to go with a patio villa or a 3 BR CYV (some models) to get that.

[George Bieniaszek]

WE own a 2 br CYV, a Beauregard which now is called a Cambridge. Love it!! We love the design because each bedroom has a private full bathroom and can award total privacy for us and our guests after a full day of activities.

The privacy that the CYV's offer is what sold us. We are part-timers and spend 7-8 months here in The Villages. The neighbors are the best. Nosey neighbors or bad neighbors can be found on any street without regard what sytle of homes are there.

I can agree with some of the posters that there is a greater chance of snowbirds owning CYV's rather than designers because of the non-maintenance of the outside, which was a plus for us when we bought and the neighborhood can become quiet and empty for part of the year. In our villa complex, approx. 85-90 homes, maybe 60 are full-timers and 25-30 are part-timers. A big turn-off of non CYV's are the placement of lanai's back-to-back. You want to just go on your lanai with a cup of coffee and the paper and not be engaged in a conversation with your neighbor sometimes.

Some posters like the larger CYV's because certian designs have the washer and dryer in the house and not in the garage. Ours have them in the garage and we have never had an issue with temps being too hot or too cold. The 1.5 car garage is the only downside. A golf cart and the Ford Escape in there and it is tight.

Hope my comments help you to decide one way or another. Nice part of The Villages is that there are really no bad decisions.

[looneycat]

Originally Posted by George Bieniaszek

WE own a 2 br CYV, a Beauregard which now is called a Cambridge. Love it!! We love the design because each bedroom has a private full bathroom and can award total privacy for us and our guests after a full day of activities.

The privacy that the CYV's offer is what sold us. We are part-timers and spend 7-8 months here in The Villages. The neighbors are the best. Nosey neighbors or bad neighbors can be found on any street without regard what sytle of homes are there.

I can agree with some of the posters that there is a greater chance of snowbirds owning CYV's rather than designers because of the non-maintenance of the outside, which was a plus for us when we bought and the neighborhood can become quiet and empty for part of the year. In our villa complex, approx. 85-90 homes, maybe 60 are full-timers and 25-30 are part-timers. A big turn-off of non CYV's are the placement of lanai's back-to-back. You want to just go on your lanai with a cup of coffee and the paper and not be engaged in a conversation with your neighbor sometimes.

Some posters like the larger CYV's because certian designs have the washer and dryer in the house and not in the garage. Ours have them in the garage and we have never had an issue with temps being too hot or too cold. The 1.5 car garage is the only downside. A golf cart and the Ford Escape in there and it is tight.

Hope my comments help you to decide one way or another. Nice part of The Villages is that there are really no bad decisions.

100%

[wendyquat]

We rented 2 and 3 BR CYVs and looked at a gazillion and finally settled on 3 BR because it afforded that one more closet that we REALLY needed! Even though we downsized as much as we thought we could we still have utilized every nook and cranny in the 3 BR. 2 brs would have sufficed for sleeping but not for storage!

[ladydoc]

Originally Posted by wendyquat

We rented 2 and 3 BR CYVs and looked at a gazillion and finally settled on 3 BR because it afforded that one more closet that we REALLY needed! Even though we downsized as much as we thought we could we still have utilized every nook and cranny in the 3 BR. 2 brs would have sufficed for sleeping but not for storage!

I agree. The whole outside laundry room thing is such a non issue. How hard is it to walk a few feet into the garage. Just don't plan on doing laundry in the middle of the day when it is the hottest. I do mine first thing in the morning or after dinner and it has never been a problem. I prefer the quiet of the outdoor laundry. We have the best neighbors in the world here in our CYV neighborhood. I could not imagine living anywhere else.

I hope you find the perfect house and when you have a fenced in yard, how about a rescued baby puppy as a housewarming gift to yourself?

[red tail]

there are cyv's that have 2 car garages...inside laundry...on golf course...corner lots...etc etc etc....you just have to search for them and dont limit yourself to brand new.

[Debfrommaine]

Originally Posted by ladydoc

I agree. The whole outside laundry room thing is such a non issue. How hard is it to walk a few feet into the garage. Just don't plan on doing laundry in the middle of the day when it is the hottest. I do mine first thing in the morning or after dinner and it has never been a problem. I prefer the quiet of the outdoor laundry. We have the best neighbors in the world here in our CYV neighborhood. I could not imagine living anywhere else.

I hope you find the perfect house and when you have a fenced in yard, how about a rescued baby puppy as a housewarming gift to yourself?

I can provide the puppy!!!!!

[ilovetv]

We have several neighbors/couples who had designer homes here and down-sized to a CYV in our neighborhood. There is a huge advantage with the CYV: having the wall in back.....don't have to see neighbors being weird or annoying, and the dog can be out there safely for hours.

We all know our neighbors and try to get along, being in close proximity to neighbors who are out walking the dog, talking at the driveways, etc.

Friends tell us their patio villa neighborhoods are where more renters/seasonal people are and some think about changing to a CYV, to have the togetherness of a CYV neighborhood.

[BarryRX]

We own a 3br CYV and enjoy it immensely. However, even though we have a wall, it doesn't afford much "sound" privacy. If a neighbor sneezes, I have to catch myself before I say "bless you". We are all really very close to each other. But I am fortunate to have wonderful neighbors and really have not found the closeness to be a problem at all. Also, about 1/3 of our neighborhood empties out in the summer. I don't find this to be a problem either. I love my snowbird neighbors when they're here, and I love the quiet when they go north.

[John_W]

Originally Posted by BarryRX

We own a 3br CYV and enjoy it immensely. However, even though we have a wall, it doesn't afford much "sound" privacy. If a neighbor sneezes, I have to catch myself before I say "bless you". We are all really very close to each other.

We have a 2 BR 'Woodlawn' built in 2011, that is now called a 'Durham'. Maybe that is a problem with the stick built models but our masonry villa is the most solid house I've ever lived in. I have a surround system with my TV that will blow you out of your seat and you can walk out to my driveway and not hear a thing when it's on. We usually do have our A/C on, or at least have our windows and sliding doors shut, maybe yours are open?

I love our home and the privacy of the fenced yard, however I would definitely have gotten a third BR if we could of afforded it, but our budget didn't allow. Plus they had reduced our home quite a bit since since the villas were changing the name and also our villa section was down to the last five units, it was a total of $12,000 off.

[JohnN]

We've a 3BR CYV, thought the 2BR was just a tiny tad too small , but it's all relative. We love it for many of the reasons stated above!