Century Village Deerfield Beach vs. Century Village Boca Raton (short sales, apartment)

[JimT7406]

Century Village communities are literally a city within a city with thousands of units in each one. The community can be calculated in square miles, meaning very big communities. To me they are the same inside and outside, not much difference. I will say CV Boca is set in a much quieter area then the Deerfield CV. Gated/HOA communities are a fact of life in South Florida.

[City Guy997S]

Originally Posted by ndcairngorm

Thanks, JimT! I'm also wondering - and maybe only someone who lives there could comment - do you think one might get sort of a "bird in a gilded cage" kind of mentality in these places? Because they're gated and because things might be a little different "outside?" Or maybe gated situations are a fact of life in Florida.

This was touched on in a different thread but if you are buying a 20-25K condo to retire in then there is a very good chance you are poor. CV Deerfield, Kings Point Delray are full of low income retirees. Boca CV has a higher price point so it rules out a lot of low income buyers. They gate these places to make it feel secure for the residents but in reality these are not wealthy people so they have nothing really to steal unless you want food stamps and a 15 year old Crown Victoria!

This was an award winning documentary on Kings Point:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAureRakiSk

[ndcairngorm]

Reviving this thread. A quick perusal of condo prices in Deerfield Beach shows at least 4 above 100K for sale. I realize this is still a low price for a Florida condo but I don't think I would call the people who live here poor. For 50% of them, according to a recent count, this is their second home.

[willg]

Originally Posted by ndcairngorm

Reviving this thread. A quick perusal of condo prices in Deerfield Beach shows at least 4 above 100K for sale. I realize this is still a low price for a Florida condo but I don't think I would call the people who live here poor. For 50% of them, according to a recent count, this is their second home.

...and I think that # is higher in my parents unit Harwood "F." Parking lot is really empty they said outside of November-March.

100k for a condo at Century Village? Certainly got to be one of the 2-bedroom units. Some of the buildings are in much better shape than others. Hurricane Wilma(?) went through and caused some significant damage to a few of them.

[City Guy997S]

Originally Posted by ndcairngorm

Reviving this thread. A quick perusal of condo prices in Deerfield Beach shows at least 4 above 100K for sale. I realize this is still a low price for a Florida condo but I don't think I would call the people who live here poor. For 50% of them, according to a recent count, this is their second home.

2 listed today as new listings:

http://www.realtor.com/realestateand...67-15745?row=4

Both under 47k.......I'll stand by my earlier comment...poor people!

Also keep in mind asking and selling are two different things...

[veggienut]

Originally Posted by City Guy997S

2 listed today as new listings:

http://www.realtor.com/realestateand...67-15745?row=4

Both under 47k.......I'll stand by my earlier comment...poor people!

Also keep in mind asking and selling are two different things...

Not much square footage. How big are the ones in Century Village~? I know someone that lives there and it seem very small, like less than 800sf.

[ndcairngorm]

Some of the 1 bedroom units are very small; a typical 1 bedroom runs from 700 to 850 square feet. Two bedrooms start at about 825 square feet and go on up to 1100 or just over. Most are in the 850-950 sq. feet range.

I agree the prices of these units are low, but price per square foot is not, as you can see from these footages. HOA's, however, are not low. Most all of them run between $400 and $500 per month.

[City Guy997S]

Originally Posted by veggienut

Not much square footage. How big are the ones in Century Village~? I know someone that lives there and it seem very small, like less than 800sf.

The one in the link is a 1/1 @ 603 sq ft. It just happened to be the newest listing.

CV Boca has more expensive units and is the nicest of the 4 CV properties. Deerfield is older and not as nice which is reflected in its lower prices. Most of the Deerfield units don't even have central air but rather window units.

Remember for many of these buyers, the sq ft sizes was what they were used to in their rent controlled apartments. These were never intended for wealthy folks downsizing from their 5 bedroom Long Island homes! I think some CD posters have family that live there and they don't want to believe that they live in a poor area but then again they are probably the same type that brag that their family moved down to Flariduh and got a beautiful condo near Bocahh.......(after all Century Village Deerfield is about 1 mile from the Boca line)

[veggienut]

Originally Posted by City Guy997S

The one in the link is a 1/1 @ 603 sq ft. It just happened to be the newest listing.

CV Boca has more expensive units and is the nicest of the 4 CV properties. Deerfield is older and not as nice which is reflected in its lower prices. Most of the Deerfield units don't even have central air but rather window units.

Remember for many of these buyers, the sq ft sizes was what they were used to in their rent controlled apartments. These were never intended for wealthy folks downsizing from their 5 bedroom Long Island homes! I think some CD posters have family that live there and they don't want to believe that they live in a poor area but then again they are probably the same type that brag that their family moved down to Flariduh and got a beautiful condo near Bocahh.......(after all Century Village Deerfield is about 1 mile from the Boca line)

The lady lives in the Deerfield Century Village. Her home was HUGE. It was almost 2800 square feet upstairs and 1400 square feet downstairs. And she went from this beautiful house that they enlarge to include a Jacuzzi to Deerfield Century Village.

[JimT7406]

Clearly Century Village was not built for the wealthy but it is also not a community filled with thousands of poor owners either. It is a mix from full-timers to snowbirds and everything in between. They are both generally well kept and secure communities with plenty of activities and facilities. It is not for everyone but it is a good alternative especially those that have limited incomes, want to downsize or just want a second place to live in the winter.

I did a quick search and there is likely more but since January 1 CV Deerfield has had at least 11 closed sales between $100-137k. In CV Boca there were 19 closed sales between $100k and $175k. Like everywhere else prices have rebounded nicely in the past few years. The HOA is really not that high when you consider that it includes cable, internet, water etc. The only unit bill likely will be your electric bill. If you homestead you likely will not have any real estate taxes either.