View Full Version : Which Is The BEST Villa Community??
We are going out to Orlando in April for two weeks and while we are out there we will be taking a look around some properties and I would be very interested to know which Villa Communities you would recommend for safetly, amenities and quality of villas etc.
How can you expect any of us to say anything other than our own communities????? :D:D
They are all as safe as each other - gated or non-gated, it doesn't matter at all.
Amenities vary - what do you want on the development that you buy on?
Quality of villas is also high everywhere!!
What you put inside the home is up to you so the quality here varies from home to home.
I agree with Carla,
Think it depends on what you want. Near the parks, away from the parks, community pool, golf course etc. When we were last there we did visit a few of the communitys near to where we were staying. They are all very similar, offering lovely villas to stay in.
We wanted to be a bit away from the theme parks, and we are going to the same place next
year.
hamptonlakes
02-12-2003, 16:54
I agree with Carla & Chris
I would say pick what type of community your looking for and then this will help pick a communiyu or a few.
I decide i want a big home on one floor with pool and a nice clean community and i am very happy with what i have pick as i am sure all the other owners are too.
There are many many communities so decide on your pref location, what u want to u it for stuff like that.
Good luck[msnsmile2]
Yes I know what you are all saying but I dont think you would have bought on the first communitys you saw. You would probably have looked at several and dissmissed them in favour of the one you ended up buying on. There must be some that are a little too big or too busy of just badly laid out. Its the bad ones I suppose Id like to know about.
bellaepovera
02-12-2003, 19:12
There are just so many to look at. Why dont you click on the community page on orlandovillas site as they have good write ups on each one.
quote:Originally posted by poopppy
Yes I know what you are all saying but I dont think you would have bought on the first communitys you saw. You would probably have looked at several and dissmissed them in favour of the one you ended up buying on. There must be some that are a little too big or too busy of just badly laid out. Its the bad ones I suppose Id like to know about.
Just about every community in the Central Florida area is represented by at least one owner/villa on these 3 sister advertising sites.
You are asking for the impossible. We just cannot help you here. You will have to draw up a short list of what you want in a community, then find the communities that fit the bill. You can read a description of each community via this forum.
Drive round the communities that suit you and see for yourself.
We cannot possibly tell you what you would like.
Poopppy
It's a bit like asking how long's a piece of string! What suits one of us, doesn't suit the next and so on.
I think what we're all trying to say is that it's what suits you and your family rather than what we think that's important here. That's how most of us made our decision on where to purchase our home(s) in Florida. I don't know about anyone else, but I could just drive into a community and 'know' that I personally don't want to purchase a home there, perhaps even before I've looked at model homes, etc. But, what's 'right' for my family may not be right for yours!
Drive around, check out as many communities as you can, get the feel of them and whether they are right for you. No-one can tell you what's right for you as buying a home is a really personal decision that you need to be happy with, perhaps (or should I say hopefully) for a very long time.
Okay, thats put it another way:-
Are there any communities that are in a bad neighbourgh hood, or have a high crime rate? There must be some. I am looking for a SAFE community anywhere in Orlando for my wife two children and myself and I want to know that I have bought in the best possible area with regards to safety etc
When we settled on the villa we eventually purchased, the community had no impact on our decision - it was the villa itself that sold us. All the communities we visited when touring villas were very nice. This really didn't enter into the decision at all except that we knew we wanted to be near the parks.
As for the safety issue - I think what Carla said above is true. Each one is as safe as the next. I don't know of any bad neighborhoods in or around the communities we represent here - maybe someone else might?
quote:Originally posted by poopppy
Okay, thats put it another way:-
Are there any communities that are in a bad neighbourgh hood, or have a high crime rate? There must be some. I am looking for a SAFE community anywhere in Orlando for my wife two children and myself and I want to know that I have bought in the best possible area with regards to safety etc
There are no STR communities in a bad neighborhood. They are all as safe as each other. No builder in his right mind would build an STR community anywhere near a bad neighborhood because the homes wouldn't sell.
You have to buy what you and your family like the most. For some of us it was a priority to be near Disney, for others they prefer to be further in the countryside. They are all lovely communities, and offer different things. If a gated community is important to you then pick one with that.
So pick what you like and then make your house suit your own needs and be individual. As Carla says there are varying standards of the same villa for rental, to make your stand out from the thousands of others out there you need to offer something a bit special.
As always, remember the 3 golden rules with a house purchase; location, location, location. Pool view and aspect are important.
Poopppy, you're certainly very busy at the moment! Asking about the best Gulf Coast areas, best Disney areas and the best Florida Business to buy to emigrate. Are you really interested in all of these or is there some other reason behind your questions?
Really I am echoing what has been said above. I think you are best off deciding whether you want a villa near Disney or on the Gulf Coast area first, then looking round some communities and getting a feel for what YOU like.
When you have done this and found a community you like then you can always check it out on here. As said above all the communities are lovely - it's down to what YOU WANT.
If the communities are too busy or badly laid out then you will be the one to make that decision when you visit! Some of us like busy areas, some like it quiet. It is all down to individual preference.
BUT FORGET ABOUT BAD ONES - THERE AREN'T ANY :D
steph_goodrum
02-12-2003, 21:15
Since you have expressed an interest in businesses to buy , it seems you may be looking to move to Florida permanently in which case that must surely be your first decision before you start to look at communities. In our case we knew the likelihood of us moving were very slim so we looked a t properties from a rental perspective rather than as a permanent resident. If you have young children are they going to like having to make new friends every couple of weeks or are you better looking at one with more residents.
We like to try and be helpful here but without knowing you , your family etc it is impossible for us to try and tell you which are the areas to go for. As has been said we will all think ours was in the best community AVAILABLE WHEN WE CHOSE TO BUY, that's not to say we wouldn't choose others that have come along since then. It's the same as buying a new car you do your research and buy what suits you (or you can afford) at the time.
Citrus-view
02-12-2003, 21:24
Before we went out spoke to a number of Mgnt compaines and asked them what people looked for from a renter's perspective. - One thing that came back was a gated community was a nice thing to have as American's do like them as ofen it can be mum's with kids.
So this was added to our wish list. So we looked at:
Town Centre, the gates were contolled via a contol pad.
Calaby Park - Beween phase 1 & 2 is a new county road negating the gate house.
Emeral Isle whist it has a gate house, when we visited was not maned.
(appologies to home owners on these communities)
On speaking to builders, the general concensious appears to be that they are an unnessasary expence and they are not going down this route. The exception appears to be "resort communities" and the idea is to stop outsiders from using the facilities.
Like everybody else draw up a wish list - ie lani, pool-bathroom, quiet community, etc.
If you plan to rent it out then you have to look at the magic 15mins from Disney, 2nd master bath etc.
Happy hunting
We already have a house in Spain which we are currently selling. We have toyed with the idea of buying a business in Florida for the last 15 years or so on and off. Florida was our first choice for a villa but we settled on Spain for the short flight time andlower running costs, as I would hate to be dependent on income from rentals to cover running costs etc.
As we are currently selling our house in Spain, we started again looking at Florida as a place to maybe buy a business so that we could move over or a villa for holidays etc. The Gulf Coast is probably our first choice but Orlando is a lot easier to find details on with regards to developments when you are based in the UK.
There's absolutely no point in trying to decide on anything until you've actually been over to Florida and checked everything out for yourself.
Get yourself on a plane and make looking at what's available on the Gulf Coast your priority if you favour having a house there.
Just interested though, as we're thinking of purchasing there, why you're choosing to sell your house in Spain and making a move to Florida?
chrizzy100
02-12-2003, 23:31
quote:Originally posted by pbensur
When we settled on the villa we eventually purchased, the community had no impact on our decision - it was the villa itself that sold us. All the communities we visited when touring villas were very nice. This really didn't enter into the decision at all except that we knew we wanted to be near the parks.
As for the safety issue - I think what Carla said above is true. Each one is as safe as the next. I don't know of any bad neighborhoods in or around the communities we represent here - maybe someone else might?
I have to agree...I picked the Villa...I never thought about the community it was in.......a good fair price was top of our list....
Hi Poopppy,
I am a little baffled as to what you exactly want from us[?][?][?]
Do you want a home in the Orlando area or the Gulf Coast or a business in which area. What sort of business?
You have received replies above from very knowledgable forum members, so why not take the advice from Blott and go and see for yourself.
Mike.
Can only echo the comments of other Owners - you need to decide what you want i.e. Golf Resort, Close to Disney, a little in the Country etc. Then look at the specific villas available in that area that fit your requirements. There are definately NO unsafe areas at all - they are all fabulous you only need to browse the community information and probably all your questions will be answered.
bellaepovera
03-12-2003, 01:36
Just Remember homes on the Gulf coast are veryyyyy expensive so it does depend how much you want to spend.
steph_goodrum
03-12-2003, 02:10
Also on the Gulf there are fewer communities which will allow short term rentals so you have to make sure that you have proof that you can actually rent out the property.
phil moloney
03-12-2003, 02:13
Poopppy you are obviously in the very early stage of thinking about Florida. well there is so much more than sunshine available it is indeed easy to get confused! You could start by visiting Florida, checking the communities on this site, have a look at all the beautiful villas. If you are selling in Spain that might take you a while and of course a chat with your accountant is a must. Where is your villa in Spain? Do you get to visit it often? There is so much to do in Florida whatever community you buy in, my advise is get definite about your plans.
If you are coming to buy a business here, look for a community with some permament residents. Especially if you have kids. Or even in a non rental neighborhood such as I finally decided on. You have a different set of priorities when you are living here to just coming out on holiday. Communities which are predominantly rental can be lonely places when you are here full time. Ypu keep asking for "bests" Best business to buy, best community etc, The answer is there arnt any bests. They are all different and you must ask yourself what suits YOU not us. Come and look as everyone has said, There is no substitute for first hand knowledge. And take your time. Look at loads of businesses and loads of houses. Its an important decision and in the case of the businesss life changing.
hamptonlakes
03-12-2003, 13:59
Me and my father have looked at expanding our business to Orlando for the past 5 years but never taken the plunge. We are commercial decorators and decorate the major department stores up and down the UK, Scotland & Ireland. We have looked at commercial decorating in orlando like work at disney, builders
We have never taken the plunge as of yet that is [msnsmile2]
Thanks for all your replies. We ARE going out to Orlando to look around in April as I mentioned in my first letter on this topic. We are also looking around the Gullf coast as well while we are there, so I'll probably know more of what we are looking for once we get over and have a look and weigh things up.
kathrynanncooper
03-12-2003, 16:50
When we decided to buy a home in Florida, some 11 years ago, we visited some 20 different developments. We took a video of each one that interested us and we made our final decision as to which one we wanted to buy when we got back to the UK. It happened to be that we decided on the first one we had viewed.
As everyone else has said - it has to be what suits you and your family at the time.
The more my wife and i study and talk about the idea of buying in Florida the best option for us seems to be to buy in Orlando but as far west as we can within reason. So Royal Palms, Tuscan Ridge & Four Corners look like they will be worth taking a look at as we are straight on the I4 for a day on the Gulf coast
chrizzy100
03-12-2003, 19:23
quote:Originally posted by poopppy
The more my wife and i study and talk about the idea of buying in Florida the best option for us seems to be to buy in Orlando but as far west as we can within reason. So Royal Palms, Tuscan Ridge & Four Corners look like they will be worth taking a look at as we are straight on the I4 for a day on the Gulf coast
I think everything in Tuscan Ridge is sold out......... the Village side is I know that....because the houses were such a good price for the sq ft you get....I think the Country ones are gone too...because most of those were STR...and went first....
Beverley
04-12-2003, 00:16
We have guests staying at our villa in July who wanted to buy on Tuscan Ridge.
They were shocked at how quickly Tuscan Ridge had sold out.
They are now on the look out for a 5 bed resale in the area.
chrizzy100
04-12-2003, 00:31
quote:Originally posted by Beverley
We have guests staying at our villa in July who wanted to buy on Tuscan Ridge.
They were shocked at how quickly Tuscan Ridge had sold out.
They are now on the look out for a 5 bed resale in the area.
There were still a few plots left in the Village in May..lucky that was the place we wanted..but the countryside plots had all gone....both group of houses were a good buy....we fell in love with our place the min we walked in the door.......[msnsmile2]
Beverley
04-12-2003, 12:05
We were the same Chrizzy. We had looked at loads of houses and they were all beautiful but we both instantly felt that this was the right one for us.
From what my guests said there weren't any plots left at the Village either. I'll advise them to double check though.:)
chrizzy100
04-12-2003, 18:50
quote:Originally posted by Beverley
We were the same Chrizzy. We had looked at loads of houses and they were all beautiful but we both instantly felt that this was the right one for us.
From what my guests said there weren't any plots left at the Village either. I'll advise them to double check though.:)
The plots left in late May were gone by early June.....the prices were really good....the plots are not oversized.....but I was looking for a smaller garden then we have now....and the house itself was the big thing.....it was like the plans were made with us in mind......:D
floridadreamvilla.co.uk
04-12-2003, 21:22
I'm locking this topic now before is descends out of control. A few people seem to be keen to try and hi-jack it and take it in a way that distorts the truth which is a real shame.