Newer or Older

[Kickstart]

Hia newbie here with a couple of questions.

Would anyone like to offer an opinion on if we should aim for a new recently built villa/community or an established older one?

Are the older villas larger/smaller have more space around them, or does it depend on which community you choose. Do some have larger plots, less overlooked and so on. Are the older houses starting to feel a bit tired do the newer ones have better facilities?

A lot of questions, but there are a lot of villas out there and I wanted to make sure we make the right choice. I'm sure almost any villa would be more than adequate but we don't want to make a poor choice.

[blott]

Plots (or lots as they are called) are individual things which would differ with the price paid for each home and also some communities are better on spacing than others. The more attractive the view (or less overlooked) are therefore normally the more expensive of the lots available.

With a new build community, there could be some construction occurring. Established communities obviously don't have this problem.

[Kickstart]

Thanks for the information. At the moment we are just looking to rent.

Any opinions on the 'ideal' community welcome.

[Carla]

Kickstart, your question is almost impossible to answer!! Every community is ideal for someone. As owners, we all have returning guests, so our communities must be ideal.:D:D

Your best bet is to decide what you want for your holiday and what facilities you need. List your must haves and then send out an enquiry for villas and communities that fit your criteria. The further in advance you do this then the more choice of villas you will have. Do bear in mind that the longer your list of "must haves" is, then the less likely it is that you will actually find a home that matches every one of your criteria.

Enjoy your searching and have a great vacation. :D:D

[fiona]

I would agree with Carla in that any community will be ideal - it just depends what YOUR requirements are.

What I would do is make myself a list of what I want, whether it be south-facing garden, 2 master suites, near the parks or further in the countryside etc. and work from there.

Sorry, I mis-read your posting initially :(!!

[chrizzy100]

quote:Originally posted by Kickstart

Hia newbie here with a couple of questions.

Would anyone like to offer an opinion on if we should aim for a new recently built villa/community or an established older one?

Are the older villas larger/smaller have more space around them, or does it depend on which community you choose. Do some have larger plots, less overlooked and so on. Are the older houses starting to feel a bit tired do the newer ones have better facilities?

A lot of questions, but there are a lot of villas out there and I wanted to make sure we make the right choice. I'm sure almost any villa would be more than adequate but we don't want to make a poor choice.


You have to be happy with it first...you're paying for it ...its your home.....:D

I was looking for two living room....more than one bathroom....and very little garden....this time I wanted a new house......
but I found some of the resales beautiful.....tax and running costs can be higher in some areas...I've found the ground tax high in Polk......and going up as my house has gone up in value from the price we paid a few months ago which is a good bad thing.....:(

[huckleberry house]

Hi Kickstart

Welcome to the forum.As Carla says draw up a short list of what sort of facilities are important to you for your holiday,some things to consider may be a South facing pool to ensure you get the sunshine,location,number of bedrooms etc,and whether you will be spending a lot of time at the Villa as this can help decide what is important,some facilities may get little use if you are going to be out every day and arent necessarily worth spending more on,location and good views may be more significant to you if you will spend some rest days there.
Have a look on www.villasflorida.com and www.orlandovillas.com at some of the villas available to see what you can get for your budget.You can either choose a specific villa or do a general enquiry stipulating your requirements and see what is available.
The earlier you look the better as some villas get booked a long time in advance for peak weeks good luck with your search:)
Lesley

[Kickstart]

Just referring back to my original post:
The question was new or old? Which is a better bet for size, condition and layouts

We know we want a 3 bed villa, pool not overlooked, American family neigbours (not all holiday homes), space around the villas, large plots, conservation areas near by, a view if possible. We tend to do theme park one day and relax the next day so a good location is important, we probably wouldn't go home during the days at the park, so it doesn't matter if it's a bit further out.

The communities I thought suited us would be:
Sunridge Woods
Briar Grove
Calabay Park
Crescent Lakes
Bridgewater crossing
Oak point
Sunset Lakes

However I am already finding that a fair few villas are booked for 2nd April to 16th April, (we are stuck with the school holidays). We have already booked our flights as Virgin was sold out for this period and, as we wanted to fly direct, we have booked with BA. I'm sure I will find a wonderful villa using this site (or others) but as I said I don't want to be squashed into a little box with a cage looking at lots of similar boxes.

If anyone would like to offer some alternative suggestions I would welcome the input.
I'm also interested to note that, as a rule, the UK homeowners tend to ask for a higher rent than US owners. It can be difficult to decide why one villa is £550 per week whereas another might be £450 just by looking at the photos.

[Carla]

Kickstart, with regard to your last statement about rental rates, I think that you will find that most UK owners include tax in the rate quoted, if quoting in GBpounds, whereas US owners add on the tax afterwards, to the rate quoted, which is the way it is done in America. This tax is between 9% and 12% depending on the county that the villa is in.

Also you need to take into consideration that some homes may have many more facilities than others. Don't judge any of the homes on price alone, as you need to look at what is being offered.

Old or new doesn't matter. The homes are all well cared for, on well cared for developments. None are small. The developments that you mention are beautiful.

You're asking for Easter, so many of the homes on this site will already be booked. Send out your enquiry ASAP, stating that you want pool not overlooked, to be on a residential and rental development, space around the villa, large plot, conservation areas near by, a view if possible. Then short list the villas that you really like, from those returned to you as available for your dates, and ask the owners for more detail on the home and it's surroundings. We are always happy to answer any questions.

[huckleberry house]

Kickstart

I am biased but your list of requirements totally describes Thousand Oaks,much more conservation than the standard sub divisions with trees everywhere and a gorgeus natural Lake.With regards to prices these are often linked to the purchase cost of the property,obviously the cheaper you get your villa the lower you can ask for rent.Purchase price is linked to size of property (sq ft not number of bedrooms, and location) the dearest properties being a south facing pool with a special/unusual view.Some villas may sound the same in their description but can be significantly bigger,I know of some 4 bed villas that are only 1300 sq ft while others are 2500sq ft so please do not judge on price alone as the old adage "you get what you pay for" often applies.
I would advise you to put out an enquiry as soon as possible because you may find there is little choice left now for Easter 2004.

Lesley

[blott]

I totally agree with Carla that you need to look at what's being offered in each individual home instead of choosing just on price. All the homes on OV are beautifully cared for and presented whatever their location. None of the homes are little boxes and they will have a lot more space than you're likely find in the average three bedroom home in the UK! In general, home owners don't pay extra for a great location or view and then have a tiny house built on an expensive plot/lot.

However, I also have to agree that many homes will have already been booked for Easter, probably for some time, so you need to make a general 3 bedroom home enquiry very soon in order to get some choice, particularly so as you have already booked your flights and your dates aren't therefore flexible.

When you get replies to your enquiry, check out the community description pages for where they are located to give you an idea about the amenities and general area. This is located at http://www.orlandovillas.com/community_display.asp

[huckleberry house]

Hi Kickstart
Given your dates I would advise you not to restrict yourself to any particular size house.There may be some 4 or 5 beds available that would be perfect.I would also do a general enquiry on both www.villasflorida.com and www.orlandovillas.com as they have different villas on each site.Hopefully there will still be something available that you like the look of.And I wouldnt concern myself too much how old or new the villas are,just find out what is available first.

Lesley

[Kickstart]

I did do an initial wide search and sent off for availability, but this was early in the process and I didn't really know what to look for. I think my ideas are firmer now so I might have to upset everyone and do another search request.

Thousand Oaks looks great but there do not seem to be any 3 beds available. It is only me, my wife and 2 girls, so I think a 4 bed would be a bit extreme, plus the price for a 4-5 bed would be an unnecessary additional cost (£850 per week vs £550 = £600).

PS Lesley, your house looks fantastic, so if you are offering any special deals...

:)

[athurstance]

Kickstart - I'm sure nobody will mind you putting out a new enquiry at all - that's what we're here for. You should be able to get a 4 bedroom for around £600 to £650 a week for Easter and a 3 bedroom a bit cheaper.
There are some great villas on the the two websites and I'm sure they can't all be booked for Easter yet although unfortunately many will be. The sooner you get yourself booked up the better though as others have said Easter is very popular - we're out there ourselves when you're planning to go - it is a super time to be in Florida.

[chrizzy100]

quote:Originally posted by huckleberry house

Kickstart

I am biased but your list of requirements totally describes Thousand Oaks,much more conservation than the standard sub divisions with trees everywhere and a gorgeus natural Lake.With regards to prices these are often linked to the purchase cost of the property,obviously the cheaper you get your villa the lower you can ask for rent.Purchase price is linked to size of property (sq ft not number of bedrooms, and location) the dearest properties being a south facing pool with a special/unusual view.Some villas may sound the same in their description but can be significantly bigger,I know of some 4 bed villas that are only 1300 sq ft while others are 2500sq ft so please do not judge on price alone as the old adage "you get what you pay for" often applies.
I would advise you to put out an enquiry as soon as possible because you may find there is little choice left now for Easter 2004.

Lesley


4 Bedrooms are going to be very small in a 1300sq ft house....I thought ours were small in a 2639sq ft.....we have 1200sq ft down stair at our home here with just 2 bedrooms and you can't swing a cat....

[huckleberry house]

Hi Kickstart

Thanks for the kind words,unfortunately I am booked at Easter for yours truly and special deals are against my religion and my Bank balance:D,
Not all 4 beds are that much dearer than 3 beds though,and sometimes additional expense is worthwhile in order to secure the right house for you.It sounds as if you know what you want and it would be a shame to spoil what will be an expensive holiday anyway and not enjoy it because of penny pinching in the wrong department. I still think you should try a general search rather than restrict your size,you are not obliged to book any of the villas on offer and until you see what there is available you cant be sure of prices etc

Lesley

[wrpac00]

Hi Kickstart,
Like some people have said it depends upon what suits you and of course how much you want to pay. The vast majority of properties on this site have their own pools, personally that did not appeal to us (each to their own as they say). We bought a property in a community that has three large heated swimming pools, 2 Jacuzzi's, 2 Floodlight Tennis courts, Basketball, Gym, Kiddies pool and play area, pool room to name but a few. Contrary to what some people think it never gets overcrowded and we like to meet other people including the locals who live there.

[hamptonlakes]

HI Kickstart, i am a new owner who has bought and older property which was build in 2001 on hampton lakes, i went to orlando back in July to go look at different new and resale properties and i did at first find nothing until the last day i was going home the real estate agent called me and said a repossetion property has just come on the market at half the price of the new homes, so I went to look at it and fell inlove with the property has everything you need including furniture and cutlery as the add said just bring your toothbrush :D

I was a little worried about the associate fees but as people say you get what you pay for, my home is a 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom, private screened pool home which is on a great community and i got all this for $167,000

i would say that it is upto the individual what community they want to buy and also there budget

[mm69340]

quote:Originally posted by hamptonlakes

i went to orlando back in July to go look at different new and resale properties and i did at first find nothing until the last day i was going home the real estate agent called me and said a repossetion property has just come on the market at half the price of the new homes,:D


Hey hamptonlakes- sounds like we had the same Realtor. The same thing happened to my husband Dan. He saw a bunch of properties that he liked, we were going to talk about it- the day his plane was leaving our Realtor called and told him about a 4 bed 3 bath home he really should see before he left! Guess who owns it now!!!:D

[chrizzy100]

quote:Originally posted by hamptonlakes

HI Kickstart, i am a new owner who has bought and older property which was build in 2001 on hampton lakes, i went to orlando back in July to go look at different new and resale properties and i did at first find nothing until the last day i was going home the real estate agent called me and said a repossetion property has just come on the market at half the price of the new homes, so I went to look at it and fell inlove with the property has everything you need including furniture and cutlery as the add said just bring your toothbrush :D

I was a little worried about the associate fees but as people say you get what you pay for, my home is a 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom, private screened pool home which is on a great community and i got all this for $167,000

i would say that it is upto the individual what community they want to buy and also there budget


What houses were they showing you....gezzzz.....if that was half price....you must of been looking at $334k homes....tons of good builders are building new homes for way under that.....unless all of them are now sold....?

[florida4sun]

I think he was pulling your leg. $167k is way over half price. If its in good condition and has good lot then it still sounds like a good buy anyway.

Martin


quote:Originally posted by hamptonlakes

HI Kickstart, i am a new owner who has bought and older property which was build in 2001 on hampton lakes, i went to orlando back in July to go look at different new and resale properties and i did at first find nothing until the last day i was going home the real estate agent called me and said a repossetion property has just come on the market at half the price of the new homes, so I went to look at it and fell inlove with the property has everything you need including furniture and cutlery as the add said just bring your toothbrush :D

I was a little worried about the associate fees but as people say you get what you pay for, my home is a 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom, private screened pool home which is on a great community and i got all this for $167,000

i would say that it is upto the individual what community they want to buy and also there budget

[chrizzy100]

[quote]Originally posted by florida4sun

I think he was pulling your leg. $167k is way over half price. If its in good condition and has good lot then it still sounds like a good buy anyway.

Martin

The $167k OK....I'm glad about the leg pull on new builds .:D....there are still good new build buys out there....but I think they are becoming fewer in number.....resales are the way to go now.....