I have a theory about patio villas;
(Forgive my generalizations)

Originally TV was designed as a very affordable community, back in the orange blossom manufactured home days. More of a "blue collar" community.
Over time, TV has attracted middle, to upper middle, to upper class folks.

Many who could once afford the "lifestyle" are getting priced out of the market.

The patio villas still offer a reasonable price point, that will allow many people to take advantage of all TV has to offer.

And.. then there are the folks who just don't want a big home. Either they've "been there, done that", or just don't care about the square footage anymore. They are simplifying their life.

I have some tenants that could probably buy and sell me. They just choose to rent. Don't want the headache of homeownership anymore.

They pay me to take their "headaches". ;)

Couldn't have put it better
 

We just never hung around with the 'look what I got crowd.' Guess we're just happy and perfectly pleased with our villa and remain happy for what our friends may have whether a place on the historical side or a big designer.

The good thing about The Villages is that the "Lifestyle" is available to us all. It is a great place to level the playing field. Literally!!

Renters in any price home, in any location in The Villages, and owners of any home, from the oldest mobile home to the newest largest Premier home all have access to the same amenities, the same lifestyle. We all drive on the same multi-modal paths, enjoy the same beautifully manicured landscaped roads and the great free entertainment in the squares.

Those that are worried about the finances of others, their status as renters or owners, or the size of their homes are missing the beauty of life here.

Happiness here is not found in having the most expensive home, the most upgrades, the most expensive car or the fanciest golf cart. It is about enjoying the fabulous place we have here to live out the golden years of our lives. It is about making friends from different backgrounds and enjoying the things we have in common and discover together.

As far as the new Patio Villas. That is fabulous that they are building those again. They will sell like hotcakes! It is great to provide homes in all price ranges so that this great place is available to more new residents.

The home prices here just go up, as we have all seen. The bargains of 5 yrs ago are gone. The bargains of today are just that!

The new areas of The Villages are lovely and there is a wide variety of home options available. The Patio Villas will be snapped up and the owners will be getting a small part of this paradise. Everyone wins!

The reasons that some choose to purchase patio villas do not always have to do with income. Patio villas often appeal to snowbirds who live in TV for three months a year and do not wish to invest a great deal of money into a home that will remain empty for nine months of the year. Also, patio villas are comparable in square footage to many courtyard villas and they offer a nice sized pantry/closet that many other styles don't have.

The other thing about the patio villa vs a court yard villa --no angled drive way

That was the killer for us buying a CYV

No question this is how The Villages got started. In fact there are manufactured homes just west of 441/27. That demonstrates that people still wanted inexpensive homes once TV began to expand.

And don't forget, there are plenty of manufactured homes for sale in the historic district that are priced in the low $100s. It is still a very affordable community.

That is simply not true on so many levels. There are huge differences between owning real estate, (with or without a mortgage) and renting.

I'm not going to go into the entire laundry list of differences here, but just for starters, every time an owner makes a mortgage payment his equity goes up and the liability goes down. After the mortgage is paid off, the person owns the home outright. A renter receives no share in the property or it's value at any time. After renting for 30 years a renter has nothing. A home owner more than likely owns his home outright.

I'm sure others on this thread can point out many other differences.

Lease from the Government
 

If you want to be "real", a so called home owner is just leasing his/her property from the Government. Quit paying your real estate tax bill (lease) and see how quickly you are no longer the so called owner of the home.

A lot of people have a mortgage on their home because of interest rates. They take their cash and invest it elsewhere. Take a ride (especially historical district) and see how many BMW'S, Cadillac's etc. you see parked in the driveway of their double wide. As said, "different strokes for different folks". :$:

Exactly
 

Nice post. A patio villa does appeal to snowbirds. The bond payoff just barely north of $11,000 on one of the new patio Villas.

Being penalized for non payment of taxes has nothing to do with ownership just as having a mortgage has nothing to do with ownership.

As I said in an earlier post there is a laundry list of differences between owning and renting. Far too many for me to list.

But another one to add to my previous post. People who own their homes can borrow money against their equity. Renters don't have this option.

Have you ever run a rental car through a car wash? Me neither.

Why are folks worried or judgmental on the house others live in? If a patio is not your style, fine but don't put others down for wanting or buying them.

Ok boys and girls I got my degree in acc't & mg't from Baruch College in NYC. I was taught that a person who rents can be way ahead of a person who owns a house. For the following reasons:
1) interest on a mortgage negates most so -called capital gains.
2) taxes combined with discretionary improvements also negate capital gains
3) having most of your assets locked up into a non liquid asset diminishes opportunity investing
4) real estate like all investments are not guaranteed
5)renters can walk away , so called owners can't
6)fees to realtors also negate capital gains

After backing out every $ spent on a house that you've owned for 30 years & if you have mortgage--the odds are you didn't make a thing--but you felt superior to a renter, who most likely, over the same period ended up with more retirement $$'s

Good analysis, EXCEPT one thing----you have to live somewhere!

let's say I bought my house in 1987 for 125K, and put 200K into it over the years for 325K cost basis. And let's say I sell it for 425K. But I paid about 140K in interest and 160K in property taxes, so I'll be 200K "behind" as an owner. But 200K over 28 years = the equivalent of renting for $595/month.
Trust me, you couldn't rent the property I own for 595/mo. Maybe 2595/ mo. would be closer