The Renovation Math — Read This Carefully

The floor plan is a classic split-bedroom layout: primary suite on one side, guest bedroom on the other, living space open through the middle. Vaulted ceilings throughout. Plantation shutters. Pass-through kitchen window. The enclosed Florida room runs the full width of the back — that's where the pond view lives, visible from the kitchen, the living room, and the porch at once.

The kitchen and baths are original to the 1985 build. Functional, and ready for a buyer to modernize. A realistic kitchen-and-bath renovation in this market runs roughly $50,000–$80,000.

Now the part I want to be precise about, because overstating it would be the fast way to lose your trust. Updated and renovated villas in Waterberry have been trading meaningfully above original-condition units — recent activity has clustered in the low-to-mid $300,000s, with fully renovated units asking higher still. That spread is real, and it's why this villa is priced where it is.

What that spread is not is a promised return. Nobody — not me, not a listing site — can guarantee what a specific renovation adds at resale. Finish level, timing, the market, and the individual unit all move that number. What I can do is hand you the actual closed comps for this community and let you run your own math. Call before you visit and I'll send the comp sheet.

What the Two HOA Fees Actually Cover

This is the number most buyers get wrong, because there are two separate associations here, not one.

• Waterberry association: $288/month
• Master Boca Chase association: $65/month
• Combined carrying cost: $353/month — that's the figure to use when you run your monthly budget.

What that covers: cable TV, lawn care, all exterior maintenance, exterior painting on roughly a seven-year cycle, parking, security, trash removal, and full clubhouse access — heated pool and hot tub, sauna, fitness center, lighted tennis courts, shuffleboard, library, and billiards room. Read that as every cost you are not writing a separate check for. No lawn service bill. No exterior painting bill. No roof call after a storm.

The barrel tile roof falls under association exterior maintenance. If you've owned in Florida before and priced a roof, you know what that line is worth. Residents also reach the broader Boca Chase amenities — additional pools, walking and biking trails, basketball courts. The social calendar runs year-round: movie nights, card games, book clubs, live shows, holiday parties, organized group trips.

Verify all fees, and whether this is a homeowners or condominium association, via estoppel before closing. That distinction affects your financing and your insurance.

What Your Days Look Like

Mornings start in the Florida room. Coffee, pond, sunrise. That routine doesn't require a car.

Two minutes from the gate, Publix sits at the Clint Moore and 441 corridor. In that same stretch: Café Landwer for breakfast, Israeli-Mediterranean with outdoor seating. Villa Rosano on Clint Moore for Friday-night Italian. Il Fiore West Boca on Yamato Road, five minutes out, for real pizza. Lazy Dog on Glades Road, ten minutes south, for a proper dinner or Sunday brunch when family visits.

Mizner Park in downtown Boca is 15 minutes east. Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach is 20 minutes north. Red Reef Park is about 11 miles — reef-protected, calm water, roughly 18 minutes without traffic.

If You're Bringing a Dog

Boca Raton was certified a Better Cities for Pets city in 2024. The walking and biking trails inside Boca Chase give you a morning loop from the front door. Mizner Bark Dog Park is 15 minutes east — over two fenced acres, off-leash, separated by size. Bark Beach at Spanish River Park runs off-leash hours on weekend mornings. Lazy Dog on Glades Road has an actual dog menu.

On the pet policy itself, I'm going to be straight with you rather than repeat a number. Published sources disagree on whether Waterberry permits one pet or two, and on the exact weight limit. This is the single most common question I get on this listing, and it's the kind of detail that ends a purchase. Get the current pet rule in writing from the association before you travel. I'll request it for you — just ask.

What to Check Before You Offer

• Pull the estoppel for both associations — Waterberry and master Boca Chase. Review reserves on both.
• Confirm whether this is a homeowners or condominium association. It changes your financing options and your insurance.
• Ask about capital improvement projects planned in the next 24 months.
• Get the pet policy in writing (count and weight limit).
• Confirm the association application and approval timeline before going under contract. Approval is required prior to closing, and there is a minimum credit score requirement.
• Check the FEMA flood zone designation for this parcel.
• Inspect roof, AC, and plumbing — 1985 build.
• The application, rules and regulations, and 2026 budget are attached in the listing documents. Read them before you write, not after.

Buyers carry interior insurance (commonly an HO-6 policy on attached villas), typically in the several-hundred to low-four-figure range annually — get a real quote for this unit. Florida's Homestead Exemption applies to primary residents only; seasonal owners keeping a northern primary residence do not qualify. Verify with your tax advisor.