[OldDave]

Thanks 2B. But I must correct one thing. In the end my opinion counts for nothing. There is opinionated woman who will want her say. lol.

Thanks again.

[2BNTV]

Originally Posted by OldDave

Thanks 2B. But I must correct one thing. In the end my opinion counts for nothing. There is opinionated woman who will want her say. lol.

Thanks again.

Your right. Happy wife, happy life.

[eweissenbach]

SWMBO

She Who Must Be Obeyed

[babynurse]

After visiting my brother several times, we had decided we wanted a CYV in the LSL area. Then we rented a CYV, and we decided that was not for us. When sitting on our lanai, we could hear every word spoken by the neighbors on their lanai. Our initial search for houses lead to the development of a list of what we did not want!
One thing that has not been mentioned but we found important was to think in terms of what activities you most enjoy, and where they are located. Not all rec centers offer the same activities, or maybe the times are more to your liking. We found that we spent much of our time in the Laurel Manor/Saddlebrook area, in addition to Katie Belles and the Polo grounds so we chose a house North of 466. I know I can go to any rec center, but having to drive 20 minutes to get to a class 45 minutes before it starts at 8 or 9 am is difficult for me!
Where ever you land will be good. We found a wonderful house that we made perfect, and neighbors that were perfect already!!

[Figuringitout]

We just bought at the end of Oct., and like you we rented and tried to figure it out. We decided an older home was for us, we liked the older area because of the trees, we rented in the north section and I agree it is somewhat removed from the town squares but had other nice features. We like being close to Spanish Springs because you can get to town, shopping, eating and entertainment easily, we bought in the Mira Mesa area, which is older but we got our house (a designer model) at a good price and we are in the process of updating it, most of our neighbors are older than we are and have started moving back toward kids etc. I think the house you pick is personal and what other people think may not be for you. I am a young 60 year old and like being close to both town squares and when we have company we can go to either one on a cart. I can run up to Target, get groceries etc. really quick from where we live, so we have the best of both worlds for our needs, close to town and shopping. I know what you are going through we were afraid to commit, but we walked into this house and decided it was the one, I hope you have the same luck. We rented a villa and decided for year round living we may need more storage, that was our determing factor, but I really liked the villa we rented. We lived in CA for 10 years and close living does not bother us, so it depends on what you are use to, before that we lived in MI on 2 1/2 acres...it's a mind set as much as anything else, I like being around people. Good luck, make a list of what is important to you, don't worry you will figure it out...

[wendyquat]

You are correct in using your head and not your heart! That's important in all long term matters! As I said, we bought FSBO. New cyvs were being offered at about the same price we paid for 5 year old construction. We insisted on an appraisal and the owners, fearing the property would not "appraise out", kept telling us he would not be willing to lower the price and we were "buying a lifestyle"! BULL, I love the "lifestyle" but my real estate experience would not allow me to pay more than appraisal for anything! Especially in this market! There's plenty out there for sale and you will find something that suits you. Don't settle! Properties are going on the market every day and will continue to do so!

My very favorite location would probably be Edgewater Bungalows at Lake Sumter but, alas, they were over our price point!

BTW, our villa appraised for $3,000 over sales price!

[OldDave]

Hey Wendy, how long ago was this?

[wendyquat]

We closed July 2011

[wendyquat]

Seems to me you might get more space and a nice 2-car garage by choosing a house instead of a CYV for the same price point. Our dog, who rules our household, preferred the CYV! We also like the compact "cosyness" and low upkeep of the villas. We were lucky to get good, quiet neighbors! Guess it could "go the other way"! Heaven forbid!

[OldDave]

Yes, I think you have a good point. But we rented a pretty large 3 bedroom this summer with a pool and big garage. But even that had neighbors so close it was uncomfortable. So I don't know if we could live with a villa. But I am unable to do any kind of yard work and my wife hates it, so she really likes the idea of no yard at all. We almost rented a villa this summer and I wish we had of, but I was worried it would be too small. Also we really wanted a pool. I've given up on that idea. We've rented 3 houses in the last few years: here, Sanibel and Marco and they've all been disappointing. Wrong temp, not clean and on and on. I really don't like to swim with anyone. I have a body made for radio. But I think I would just have to force myself to use the neighborhood pools. They don't look very busy, but of course we were there in the winter.

So we need to look at the villas. I don't understand why the houses are actually cheaper than many of the villas. I don't know what's missing.

[eweissenbach]

Originally Posted by OldDave

Yes, I think you have a good point. But we rented a pretty large 3 bedroom this summer with a pool and big garage. But even that had neighbors so close it was uncomfortable. So I don't know if we could live with a villa. But I am unable to do any kind of yard work and my wife hates it, so she really likes the idea of no yard at all. We almost rented a villa this summer and I wish we had of, but I was worried it would be too small. Also we really wanted a pool. I've given up on that idea. We've rented 3 houses in the last few years: here, Sanibel and Marco and they've all been disappointing. Wrong temp, not clean and on and on. I really don't like to swim with anyone. I have a body made for radio. But I think I would just have to force myself to use the neighborhood pools. They don't look very busy, but of course we were there in the winter.

So we need to look at the villas. I don't understand why the houses are actually cheaper than many of the villas. I don't know what's missing.

Not sure I would make yard work a major issue. The typical yard seems to be about $40-$50 a month to mow, which is much cheaper than "up north". The occasional weeding of the landscaped areas or trimming bushes etc. should not be very expensive. I personally find the courtyard villa driveways and garages to be a non-starter.