[SIRE1]

When we started coming to The Villages, we rented a CYV for 3 years. And once inside, we found the layout and the privacy to be great. But what I did not like was the garage and driveway layout. Because most have a slightly curved driveway entrance, your car is actually making a swinging entrance as you go into the garage. And since most CYV have a one car garage, that swinging entrance was really tight if you had a golf cart parked in the garage too. In fact, one year our CYV came with a 4 seat cart and I could not park our car in the garage the entire 2 months we were there because of the way you had to enter the garage. When we rented a Patio Villa for 2 years, we never had that problem because you were driving straight into the garage and could avoid the cart parked to the side. We also liked the interior layout of a Patio Villa but missed having a real lanai.

As a result of that experience, when it came time for us to buy I knew what I wanted in a house and what I did not want. And although we enjoyed our CYV experiences, and one of our friends owned one, I crossed that model off our list. That was before they started building the new 2 car garage models. Our must have check list therefore included a 2 car garage with a real driveway and a home with a "real" lanai, so we looked at only ranch and designer models. We eventually bought a designer and are really happy with that decision.

And based on our experiences, my recommended is to rent for at least 1 year prior to buying a home in The Villages. That will give you time to determine what you want and don't want in a home or a neighborhood before making your very big decision.

[John_W]

Gates and driveways. If you own two cars, you may NOT want to live in a CYV, however you will have no problem taking out your car or golf cart because of the driveway. We don't have two cars and I don't know of any of my neighbors on our street of 13 villas that have two cars. One car and one golf cart is all that most people will need. Remember, you're downsizing when you move here, you no longer work. The outside world is for entertainment. Whether it's golf, the gym, pickleball, the pool, movies, or some club or rec center activity. We love our location, it's 3-1/2 miles to LSL and 3-1/2 miles to Brownwood. Pick your location before choosing the house.

The gate, in the photo the driveway to the right is my neighbors. I walk around the edge of my landscaping and there is my gate. I may use that gate once a month to go into the backyard. Most times you just access the backyard from the house through one of our three sliding doors. The gate on the left side of the photo is my neighbor's gate to his backyard. He walks around and up that little sidewalk and he's into his yard. No big deal for most people.

Here is a front yard that has no grass, cannot do that in a single family home. The white River Rock along the street was where the grass use to be. We had removed, less maintenance and easier to keep neat. This is a Durham model, 2 BR 2 BA CYV. The house was originally a pale yellow, like the one on the right. We gained permission three years ago to be able to repaint in one of 20 different colors. I chose the most different, that was the green. The other choices mostly consisted of gray or 18 shades of brown. As I mentioned with the inside, I don't care for brown, that's why I used blue on the inside, and one color throughout to make it seem larger. This photo is six months old after we just had the front landscaping refreshed.



Here is a more recent photo since our landscaping has really taken off recently. The landscaping was done by Terrascape on Hwy 301.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

JohnW you're incorrect about one specific statement, and this statement can mean a complete flip-flop of a lot of what you post.

This isn't a retirement community. It just flat out isn't. It's a 55+ community. Many people 55 and older still work. Many of them still work FULL time. Most of the people who do work, only work part-time. But look around at the stores you shop in. The insurance agencies you buy your insurance from. The libraries you borrow books from. The employees at the local businesses. MANY of these employees are seniors. And most of those seniors live in the Villages.

Life outside their homes aren't just entertainment. They are also their livelihoods, and the reason they can afford to live their chosen lifestyle.

[gatorbill1]

2 br cyv had rooms much smaller than pv - could not get kingsize bed, mirrored dresser and other dresser in room without blocking door to patio. Was told to put other dresser in other bedroom by salesperson. Went to pv

[Topspinmo]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

Three downsides that made me change my mind about wanting one:
1. the privacy is actually isolating. I like being able to see my neighbors, get to know them. Not the "kissing lanais" that many homes have in the Villages, but at least be able to wave to them from a distance when I'm having my morning coffee. Having stayed in two of these CYVs - one during a Lifestyle visit and the other a 10-day vacation rental, I really missed the sense of living in an actual NEIGHBORhood - accent on the neighbor.

2. The driveways themselves. They all seem to curve and that means little room for two cars and a golf cart. It means if you want to take the car out of the garage, OR the golf cart out of the garage, you have to park the second car so that it's practically on the grass - or you have to move whichever car is in the driveway. And the streets are narrow enough that it's impractical to have guests parking on the side of the road.

3. That trouble-spot that's partly your property, partly your neighbor's property. It seems like a liability, not a benefit. If you have to be on your neighbor's property in order to get to your gate, what happens if you trip and fall? Whose insurance is going to cover it?

Some like them, and some don’t. I agree driveway quirky design.
Need read the districts homeowners restrictions and easements will answer most do you’re questions/concerns. there no kissing Lanai’s In CYVs. 5 foot concrete wall blocking off neighbors behind you’re, not like the designer where you can spit on back porch Of you’re neighbors for you’re porch. At least in CYV you can set in privacy.

[Topspinmo]

Originally Posted by gatorbill1

2 br cyv had rooms much smaller than pv - could not get kingsize bed, mirrored dresser and other dresser in room without blocking door to patio. Was told to put other dresser in other bedroom by salesperson. Went to pv

Depends on design style. I got king size bed room suit mirrored dresser, two bed side tables, and 5 drawers dresser, also double sink in master bath.

[Topspinmo]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

JohnW you're incorrect about one specific statement, and this statement can mean a complete flip-flop of a lot of what you post.

This isn't a retirement community. It just flat out isn't. It's a 55+ community. Many people 55 and older still work. Many of them still work FULL time. Most of the people who do work, only work part-time. But look around at the stores you shop in. The insurance agencies you buy your insurance from. The libraries you borrow books from. The employees at the local businesses. MANY of these employees are seniors. And most of those seniors live in the Villages.

Life outside their homes aren't just entertainment. They are also their livelihoods, and the reason they can afford to live their chosen lifestyle.

It’s not 55 plus community either. Only for sales purposes.

[Topspinmo]

Originally Posted by John_W

Gates and driveways. If you own two cars, you may NOT want to live in a CYV, however you will have no problem taking out your car or golf cart because of the driveway. We don't have two cars and I don't know of any of my neighbors on our street of 13 villas that have two cars. One car and one golf cart is all that most people will need. Remember, you're downsizing when you move here, you no longer work. The outside world is for entertainment. Whether it's golf, the gym, pickleball, the pool, movies, or some club or rec center activity. We love our location, it's 3-1/2 miles to LSL and 3-1/2 miles to Brownwood. Pick your location before choosing the house.

The gate, in the photo the driveway to the right is my neighbors. I walk around the edge of my landscaping and there is my gate. I may use that gate once a month to go into the backyard. Most times you just access the backyard from the house through one of our three sliding doors. The gate on the left side of the photo is my neighbor's gate to his backyard. He walks around and up that little sidewalk and he's into his yard. No big deal for most people.

Here is a front yard that has no grass, cannot do that in a single family home. The white River Rock along the street was where the grass use to be. We had removed, less maintenance and easier to keep neat. This is a Durham model, 2 BR 2 BA CYV. The house was originally a pale yellow, like the one on the right. We gained permission three years ago to be able to repaint in one of 20 different colors. I chose the most different, that was the green. The other choices mostly consisted of gray or 18 shades of brown. As I mentioned with the inside, I don't care for brown, that's why I used blue on the inside, and one color throughout to make it seem larger. This photo is six months old after we just had the front landscaping refreshed.



Here is a more recent photo since our landscaping has really taken off recently. The landscaping was done by Terrascape on Hwy 301.

Very nice John, I wish we could paint our houses different colors in my villa’s.

[John_W]

Originally Posted by Topspinmo

Very nice John, I wish we could paint our houses different colors in my villa’s.

Just get a petition started and get 2/3s to sign onboard, go door-to-door. Our villas were built in 2011 and we got approval in 2016 to change colors, I say about half or 40 have changed colors, Oscar got most of the work so far. I also see a couple of other villa communities have done the same in our area along St. Charles.

Originally Posted by gatorbill1

2 br cyv had rooms much smaller than pv - could not get kingsize bed, mirrored dresser and other dresser in room without blocking door to patio. Was told to put other dresser in other bedroom by salesperson. Went to pv

Our master bedroom in the model home had the headboard on the exterior wall on the side yard. With a sliding door on one wall and a doorway to the bath and a walk-in closet on the other wall, you were correct, we only had one wall to put furniture.

However, by putting our bed against the window wall we have room for a triple dresser, a high chest with a 60" TV on top and 2 nightstands and kingsize bed. Just have to think outside the box.

[NewJerseyBoy56]

I want that wall in the master bedroom so having someone come over to give us an estimate to put a wall where the bedroom sliding door it to the patio.

[joseppe]

You could also look at some of the new Cabana Villas that are being built south of cr44. They are similar to CYV but most with 2 car garage and straight driveways.

[JohnN]

We have a 3BR corner villa and love it, period. Quite private.
Yes, the neighborhood is probably quieter, but we enjoy quiet. If we want louder, we'll go to the square or wherever. The driveway curve is not any big deal, really. The garage size is 1-1/2 car on most and that may be an issue for you, depending, but that was the singular negative for us.

[Knighterrant]

CYV's are not condos, they are single family homes. Homeowners are responsible for maintenance accordingly. We just sold our CYV south of 44. The newer CYV's in this area have straight driveways with two car garages. The fenced back and side yards are the obvious benefit. Also, CYV can utilize decorative rock for the entire front yard area minimizing yard maintenance - this type of landscaping is not allowed with designer homes. Some of the negatives we experienced, is that there are more renters and snowbirds within CYV neighborhoods - so the yards for some of these occupants aren't as well maintained. The homes are closer together, so it can feel more congested than other areas - especially during the day when there are vehicles parked on the road (landscapers, moving trucks, remodeling trucks, etc.). And the homes are smaller - 1,400 to 1,700 SF. We found the layout of the rooms to suffer accordingly - small bedrooms, small kitchens, etc. Ultimately, I think the positives outweigh the negatives given the price points of CYV. However, The Villages sells Veranda homes that are essentially designer homes with fenced back yards (I think these type homes are only available in the newer neighborhoods south of 44). Which is what we purchased.