Celebration or The Villages for a vacation home

[Tiffany]

So we are thinking of buying a condo/townhome in either Celebration or The Villages to use as a vacation home. My husband will be able to retire in five years and at that point we would spend about four months in FL and the rest of our time up here in MA. We might go down for short visits during the other times of the year but not for extended periods of time. He does not want to rent out the place when we are back in MA.

So which one would you choose?

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Third choice. Look at Solivita which is South of WDW but not nearly as far as The Villages and not as expensive as Celebration. Check out www.solivita.com for more information. And we have lots of snowbirds here.

And I would very strongly advise against a town home; they have stairs. Same thing for a condo unless you are either on the ground floor or it is an elevator building.

 

[GeorgeG]

I don't know a lot about Celebration, but I do know about The Villages. We have a lot of snowbirds here and even some who haven't retired yet and just use their homes here for vacation. One such couple is just two doors away and they rent out their home when they are not using it. We don't have much along the line of condos, but you might like one of the villas. They come in different styles and price ranges.

We're an hour from WDW and about that from Sea World and Universal. Either coast is about an hour and a half and an easy day trip. There's even a lot to do right here in The Villages.

 

[Tiffany]

Third choice. Look at Solivita which is South of WDW but not nearly as far as The Villages and not as expensive as Celebration. Check out www.solivita.com for more information. And we have lots of snowbirds here.

And I would very strongly advise against a town home; they have stairs. Same thing for a condo unless you are either on the ground floor or it is an elevator building.

Thanks for the info on Solivita I will check it out.

 

[Tiffany]

I don't know a lot about Celebration, but I do know about The Villages. We have a lot of snowbirds here and even some who haven't retired yet and just use their homes here for vacation. One such couple is just two doors away and they rent out their home when they are not using it. We don't have much along the line of condos, but you might like one of the villas. They come in different styles and price ranges.

We're an hour from WDW and about that from Sea World and Universal. Either coast is about an hour and a half and an easy day trip. There's even a lot to do right here in The Villages.

Hi,

I have been looking at the Villas and the new cottages. When my husband is 55yrs I will only be 45yrs do you think we would be comfotable in the Villages? Would I be able to participate in the various activities? I would be working remotly from our home and he would be looking to do something part time.

Would we be able to actually buy something prior to him turning 55yrs old?

 

[stichy]

I would love a place in Celebrations. One of those cute victorians. But way too expensive. My grandmother lives in the Villages and loves it. She has her own golf cart that she drives around the place. She has a cute one story ranch. The only thing she is missing is a pool. But there are lots of other pools that she can swim in. They have a couple of golf courses that she loves to play on.

 

[JimB.]

My DW & I purchased a 3 story, 2100 SF Condo in Celebration last year with the intent that it will (eventually) be our retirement home.

IMHO, it's one of the best things we have ever done.

Make no mistake, Celebration is not perfect. Far from it. With the real estate market in the crapper, it has some of the same issues that many other communities have. Some of the business space in Town Center is vacant. A fair amount of empty residential properties.

But the residents are (by & large) committed to keeping the community vibrant and active. And preserving it for the residents (who finance it). I.E. - You live there, you have a coded Celebration ID card which opens the gates to the neighborhood pools & some other facilities. You cannot have more than 4 non-residents with you while using the common facilities, unless it is a pre-planned function or a Community wide event ( & some other stuff I'm not real sure about)

It is expensive to buy & live there, but it is a LOT cheaper than it was 3-4 years ago. Our townhome sold in early 2007 for $370,000. We bought it last May (2009) for $182,000 off of a bank foreclosure. And we FINALLY finished the painting last month!!!

CROA fees are $207 / quarter. There is also an $800 extra assessment on annual property tax bills that (I assume) goes to Celebration. If you live in a Condo, you have Condo HOA fees on top of that.

But last July 4th, My DW and I walked 15 minutes to Town Center to watch July 4th fireworks and walked home while the traffic was at a standstill.

Celebration Hospital is in the community. Osceola Fire/Rescue has a Station in the community also. World Drive (the main entry road to WDW) ends in Celebration at the south end. If you do not want to, you never have to even look at 192 to get on WDW property. Last friday my DW & I got from the garage of our Condo to Main Street, USA in the MK in 40 minutes. Not bad, considering it's the height of the summer season.

I can't comment on the other communities mentioned, Never been to them. Isn't The Villages near Ocala? That's a nice rural region of the state, but about 2 hours drive to WDW (if that is a factor for you). Never heard of Solvita, but I've probably been by there without seeing it (not a slam, but down there it's really a "keep your eyes on the frickin' road!!!" driving region)

Whatever your decision, Good Luck!!

 

[GeorgeG]

Hi,

I have been looking at the Villas and the new cottages. When my husband is 55yrs I will only be 45yrs do you think we would be comfotable in the Villages? Would I be able to participate in the various activities? I would be working remotly from our home and he would be looking to do something part time.

Would we be able to actually buy something prior to him turning 55yrs old?

They are pretty strict about the 55 years, but there are exceptions. The good news is that only one of you has to be 55. Yes, you could participate in everything. Most of the people now moving in are baby boomers who are able to retire earlier so the average age is going down. I can't say this would be a fun place to live for someone in their 30s, but 45 and up should find a lot to do.

 

[webprinter]

Third choice. Look at Solivita which is South of WDW but not nearly as far as The Villages and not as expensive as Celebration. Check out www.solivita.com for more information. And we have lots of snowbirds here.

And I would very strongly advise against a town home; they have stairs. Same thing for a condo unless you are either on the ground floor or it is an elevator building.

Are the monthly fees as high as The Villages? Do you get free golf at Solvita? It looks just as nice as The Villages but somewhat smaller. We were looking at The Villages also.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

My monthly fees at Solivita run about $300.

But we are a gated Community, which The Villages are not.

The fee includes:
Security (including three gates with 24 hour staffing)
All road upkeep
Basic (about 70 channel) cable TV
All Landscape Maintenance - they mow all the grass 42 times a year, prune, mulch, etc.
All irrigation is a separate water system and not billed to the homeowners.
All of the amenities including the main and neighborhood pools.

Belonging to the Golf Club is an extra cost for those who want it.
About 85% of the families own golf carts for getting around the property.

All the houses are single family on one level with garage. All are concrete construction. Some of the smallest houses are duplexes, with two houses attached along one wall, but with separate garages and driveways. Usually they are corner houses wiuth each having an entrance on separate streets.

Currently there are about 3,500 occupied houses and plans to build about another 2,600 (but the area is eight square miles.

And there is a new hospital with construction starting across the street from the main entrance.

 

[DMRick]

I have a good friend in Solivita..it's a beautiful area. Prices of houses have come way down (they are always trying to get us to buy there too). They have so many activities and trips to take advantage of..they just love it. I love their home, and they have a nice casita (is that what it's called..a little separate house) that is great for company.

Third choice. Look at Solivita which is South of WDW but not nearly as far as The Villages and not as expensive as Celebration. Check out www.solivita.com for more information. And we have lots of snowbirds here.

And I would very strongly advise against a town home; they have stairs. Same thing for a condo unless you are either on the ground floor or it is an elevator building.

 

[AllyBri]

Lots of great bargains in Celebration right now.

Can't tell you how wonderful it is to come home from the Parks in just a few minutes, the Villages can be a real hike back an forth. We have friends there (big Disney fans) that is the one thing they hate, the travel to Disney. They are actually considering a move to Celebration.

One of the other nice things about Celebration, just about everyone is a major Disney fan.
But do look at everyting before you buy.

 

[Tiffany]

I would love a place in Celebrations. One of those cute victorians. But way too expensive. My grandmother lives in the Villages and loves it. She has her own golf cart that she drives around the place. She has a cute one story ranch. The only thing she is missing is a pool. But there are lots of other pools that she can swim in. They have a couple of golf courses that she loves to play on.

Thanks for the feedback Stichy. I have been doing a lot of looking on line etc and it does not look like there are any condo/townhouse complexs in the Villages. We are looking for something that when we are back up in MA we do not have to worry about the property being taken care of in our absence.

 

[Tiffany]

My DW & I purchased a 3 story, 2100 SF Condo in Celebration last year with the intent that it will (eventually) be our retirement home.

IMHO, it's one of the best things we have ever done.

Make no mistake, Celebration is not perfect. Far from it. With the real estate market in the crapper, it has some of the same issues that many other communities have. Some of the business space in Town Center is vacant. A fair amount of empty residential properties.

But the residents are (by & large) committed to keeping the community vibrant and active. And preserving it for the residents (who finance it). I.E. - You live there, you have a coded Celebration ID card which opens the gates to the neighborhood pools & some other facilities. You cannot have more than 4 non-residents with you while using the common facilities, unless it is a pre-planned function or a Community wide event ( & some other stuff I'm not real sure about)

It is expensive to buy & live there, but it is a LOT cheaper than it was 3-4 years ago. Our townhome sold in early 2007 for $370,000. We bought it last May (2009) for $182,000 off of a bank foreclosure. And we FINALLY finished the painting last month!!!

CROA fees are $207 / quarter. There is also an $800 extra assessment on annual property tax bills that (I assume) goes to Celebration. If you live in a Condo, you have Condo HOA fees on top of that.

But last July 4th, My DW and I walked 15 minutes to Town Center to watch July 4th fireworks and walked home while the traffic was at a standstill.

Celebration Hospital is in the community. Osceola Fire/Rescue has a Station in the community also. World Drive (the main entry road to WDW) ends in Celebration at the south end. If you do not want to, you never have to even look at 192 to get on WDW property. Last friday my DW & I got from the garage of our Condo to Main Street, USA in the MK in 40 minutes. Not bad, considering it's the height of the summer season.

I can't comment on the other communities mentioned, Never been to them. Isn't The Villages near Ocala? That's a nice rural region of the state, but about 2 hours drive to WDW (if that is a factor for you). Never heard of Solvita, but I've probably been by there without seeing it (not a slam, but down there it's really a "keep your eyes on the frickin' road!!!" driving region)

Whatever your decision, Good Luck!!

Thanks for the info.

 

[Tiffany]

Lots of great bargains in Celebration right now.

Can't tell you how wonderful it is to come home from the Parks in just a few minutes, the Villages can be a real hike back an forth. We have friends there (big Disney fans) that is the one thing they hate, the travel to Disney. They are actually considering a move to Celebration.

One of the other nice things about Celebration, just about everyone is a major Disney fan.
But do look at everyting before you buy.

Any thoughts on the different condo complexs. It looks like you can get a lot of good deals in Siena

 

[Feralpeg]

I currently own a home in Windermere. I am a five minute drive from the back of the Magic Kingdom. I love it here, but some day, I will no longer want a single family home to maintain or need this much space. At that time, I plan on moving to The Villages. I have checked it out and it has everything I will want. There is so much to do there. I don't want to just sit around in a nice house waiting out the rest of my days. I want people like myself looking to have a good time. It is a very reasonable drive to Orlando from The Villages.

 

[JimB.]

Any thoughts on the different condo complexes. It looks like you can get a lot of good deals in Siena

We looked at Siena. It's a nice complex, but the Condos themselves were just too small & the floor plans we looked at just did not work for us.

I do not remember if Siena has garage parking or if they are attached if they do.

We bought ours in Georgetown in North Village. The townhomes all have attached 2 car garages. Some of the (but I do not think all of them) flats have garages also. A bigger complex that is a bit more spread out. More green space than Siena. It's also a "self managed" complex, where all the other condos have management companies. This may or may not hold down HOA fees. Not really sure.

It's basically a matter of taste. Siena looks ok, but it just was not for us.

 

[Tiffany]

I currently own a home in Windermere. I am a five minute drive from the back of the Magic Kingdom. I love it here, but some day, I will no longer want a single family home to maintain or need this much space. At that time, I plan on moving to The Villages. I have checked it out and it has everything I will want. There is so much to do there. I don't want to just sit around in a nice house waiting out the rest of my days. I want people like myself looking to have a good time. It is a very reasonable drive to Orlando from The Villages.

Thanks for the feedback. That is what we like about The Villages there is a club for everything and you could golf everyday if you wanted to.

 

[Tiffany]

We looked at Siena. It's a nice complex, but the Condos themselves were just too small & the floor plans we looked at just did not work for us.

I do not remember if Siena has garage parking or if they are attached if they do.

We bought ours in Georgetown in North Village. The townhomes all have attached 2 car garages. Some of (but I do not think all of them) flats have garages also. A bigger complex that is a bit more spread out. More green space than Siena. It's also a "self managed" complex, where all the other condos have management companies. This may or may not hold down HOA fees. Not really sure.

It's basically a matter of taste. Siena looks ok, but it just was not for us.

Does Georgetown have a pool and fitness center as well?

 

[JimB.]

Does Georgetown have a pool and fitness center as well?

yes