Vineyard · Utah County
The Villas at Water's Edge
by Leisure Villas
$600,000 to $720,000
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Quick answer
The Villas at Water's Edge is an age-qualified 55+ community in Vineyard, Utah County, Utah, built by Leisure Villas, with about 154 homes. Homes are attached homes running 1,602 to 1,971 square feet, priced $600,000 to $720,000. HOA dues run about $200 per month. New homes are still available from the builder.
It is a residential community, not assisted living or senior care. There is no staff, no nursing, and no meal service. Residents own their homes.
Verified August 2026 by Kris Bowen, Utah real estate broker and senior move specialist. 801-999-8005
The Villas at Water’s Edge is a 55+ community of 154 single-level attached villas in Vineyard, a few minutes from the Utah Lake shoreline. Building since 2018, Leisure Villas is still selling and roughly halfway through a second phase.
It has the most thoughtfully varied floor-plan set of any attached villa community in Utah County, including the Stratford, which has two full primary suites.
Broker's note
This is the most complete floor-plan set of any attached villa community I have looked at in Utah County, and the plans are thoughtfully different rather than four versions of the same box. The Stratford has two primary suites, each with its own bath and walk-in closet, which is the right answer for siblings buying together, a couple who sleep separately, or anyone who hosts family for weeks at a time.
The dues tell a good story. About $185 in 2017 and roughly $200 now. An association that has held increases to that over eight years is being run carefully, and that is worth more than an extra amenity.
Two cautions. First, do not assume you can still buy new here. Leisure Villas' own site now lists six active communities and Water's Edge is not one of them, and the only page they keep for it is a promotional post written before the community opened in 2017. That does not prove it is finished, because the community is not named on their sold-out page either, but it does mean the phone call comes before the plan selection. Second, the wider Water's Edge master plan shows a pier, a marina, and beachfront retail in conceptual drawings. Those are not built. Buy this for the community and the location on Utah Lake, not for renderings.
Kris Bowen, Real Estate Broker · 23 years in Utah
Is this the right fit?
A good fit if you want
- Genuinely single-level, stair-free living on one floor
- Two primary suites, if you need them. The Stratford plan is built that way
- A pool and a movie theater in a mid-sized community
- Being a few minutes from the Utah Lake shoreline and close to Provo and Orem hospitals
- Dues that have risen slowly and predictably
Look elsewhere if
- You want a detached home with no shared walls
- You are counting on the marina, pier, or beachfront retail in the master plan. Those are concepts, not built
- You want to shop entirely online. New inventory here frequently never hits the MLS
- You want to be near Salt Lake family. This is 45 minutes to the airport
The homes
What "single-level" actually means here
Plenty of 55+ homes advertise main-floor living and still put the laundry in the basement or the second bedroom upstairs. Here is exactly what sits on the entry level.
- Primary suite on the entry level
- Laundry on the entry level
- All daily essentials on one floor
Built to be single-floor and stair-free throughout, and marketed as accessible on one level. The Stratford plan includes a roll-in shower as standard, which is worth knowing if that matters to you. Homes where the original buyer added the optional bonus room over the garage do have stairs, so confirm on the specific address.
What to ask the builder before drywall goes up
- Grab-bar blocking in the bathroom walls. It costs almost nothing during framing and is expensive to add later. Nobody thinks to ask.
- Interior door clear width. 32 inches is the minimum that stays workable; 36 is better.
- Whether the primary shower could go curbless later, which depends on the slab and drain location.
- Which entry is step-free. A garage on the same level as the house is usually the cheapest one a home has, and it is almost never advertised.
Amenities
- Outdoor swimming pool with lounge area
- Clubhouse with party room and warming kitchen
- Movie theater
- Billiards and pool table
- Library
- Fitness facilities
- Multipurpose room
- Barbecue and outdoor patio
- Private patios on every home
- Walking and biking trails
Clubs and activities
Amenities are the building. This is what actually happens in it, and it is the truest picture of whether you would enjoy living here.
- Book club
- Quilting
- Movie nights
- Monthly potluck dinners
- Luncheons
- Dinner parties
- Game nights
- Barbecues
- Sports game nights
- Charity events
- Holiday celebrations
No paid activity director. A resident activities committee meets regularly and schedules the calendar, which keeps it genuinely active but dependent on who is currently willing to organize. Ask what is on this month.
The HOA
$200 per month
What the dues cover:
- Landscaping and yard care
- Snow removal
- Exterior maintenance and building insurance
- Trash
- Clubhouse, gym, and pool
Dues were about $185 in 2017 and are roughly $200 now, which is a modest rise over eight years and a good sign about how this association is run. A description from that era noted the insurance covers the structure including the interior; confirm that still holds.
Two cautions I give every client buying into a newer association
Developer-set dues are introductory. While a builder still controls the association, dues are commonly set low and reserves underfunded, because low dues sell houses. After homeowners take over, boards routinely raise dues and levy assessments to catch up. Ask for the projected turnover date.
Ask for the reserve study, and check its date. Utah law requires a reserve analysis at least every six years, reviewed at least every three, with an annual summary to owners. Under 70 percent funded is a yellow flag. Under 50 percent is a real problem, and the bill arrives as a special assessment after you close.
Who is actually allowed to live here
This is the part that blindsides families, so I would rather over-explain it.
Under the federal Housing for Older Persons Act, a community keeps its senior exemption as long as at least 80 percent of occupied homes have a resident 55 or older. That remaining 20 percent is the cushion associations use to allow a younger spouse, an early-50s buyer, or a surviving partner.
The thing almost nobody knows: HOPA does not, by itself, protect an under-55 surviving spouse. Whether your husband or wife can stay after you are gone depends entirely on the recorded CC&Rs. Some communities include an explicit survivor clause. Some leave it to the board. Some are silent, which is the worst version.
Get these answered in writing before you write an offer
- Can a surviving spouse under 55 remain, and is it written down or left to the board?
- Can an heir under 55 inherit and live in the home, or only rent or sell it?
- How much of the 20 percent cushion is already in use? If the community sits at 19 percent, there is no room left for your spouse. This is obtainable from the association and virtually nobody asks.
- Can a live-in caregiver under 55 stay if one of you needs help?
- How many days per year may a younger guest stay, and does that constrain a summer with the grandchildren?
Location and getting to services
Typical-traffic drive times from The Villas at Water's Edge to the places you will actually go.
How far is this from you?
Enter your doctor's office, your church, or a family member's address and see the drive from this community.
Opens driving directions in Google Maps with The Villas at Water's Edge as the destination. Your address is not saved, stored, or sent to us. It goes straight from your browser to Google Maps.
The question adult children ask that nobody answers
How does an ambulance get in? If a community is gated or has controlled access, ask whether the fire district has a Knox box or gate code on file, and whether the first-due unit carries a paramedic. That detail matters more than the drive time does.
A useful benchmark: Medicare Advantage network adequacy rules set maximum time and distance standards by county type. In large metro counties the primary care standard is 10 minutes or 5 miles.
If you stop driving
The least-discussed risk in active adult housing. Losing the ability to drive roughly doubles the risk of depression symptoms and social isolation, and where a home sits determines how hard that transition is.
- Is there a continuous sidewalk to anything useful, or does every errand require a car?
- What is the walk to a grocery store or pharmacy on the actual sidewalk route?
- Is the address inside a UTA paratransit service area? ADA paratransit generally covers within three quarters of a mile of a fixed route.
- Does a county senior transport or volunteer ride program serve this address?
What it really costs each month
The sticker price is the least interesting number. What matters is the monthly nut, and how it compares to what you are paying now.
Starting here, roughly
—/mo
Based on this community's entry price of $600,000 and dues of $200, with (July 30, 2026 average), plus a typical Utah effective property tax rate and insurance. Utilities are not included.
Run your own numbers (opens in a new tab)These payment figures are an estimate for budgeting and planning only. They are not a mortgage quote, a loan offer, or a commitment to lend. Your actual rate and payment depend on your credit, loan program, and current market rates. Talk to a licensed mortgage professional for real numbers. Connect with our preferred Utah lender.
* Based on what the community and builder publish about the dues, which I have looked up rather than assumed. It is not confirmed against the association's own budget and governing documents, and exactly what is covered can differ by phase, by home type, and over time. I pull the current budget and CC&Rs for clients before they write an offer.
This is the honest case for a 55+ community, and it is the one most people get wrong. The HOA fee is not purely an added cost. It replaces line items you already pay on a larger home, in cash or in your own labor. When someone tells me downsizing does not pencil, we usually find they compared the mortgage and the dues and left out the lawn service, the snow, and the roof they will need in six years.
Typical utilities
Rough monthly ranges for a home this size in Vineyard. Utilities are the line item people most often forget to compare, and they are usually where a smaller home wins.
Estimates only, and they vary a lot. A townhome, a condo, and a detached single-family home of the same square footage can run very differently, and so can two neighbors in identical homes depending on thermostat habits, occupancy, and whether the yard is irrigated. Treat these as a starting point, then ask for the actual bills on a specific address.
For the son or daughter reading this
If you are researching on behalf of a parent, you are asking different questions than they are, and both sets are legitimate.
Some perspective, honestly offered: hands-on help from an adult child drops off sharply with distance. Weekly help hours fall from roughly three when you live on the same block to about one at two to five miles away, and keep falling from there. If you are weighing communities, distance from you matters more than most families treat it.
What to check here
How far it is from you. Whether the community is gated and how emergency services get in. Cell signal for a medical alert device. Broadband for telehealth. Whether an under-55 caregiver may live in. Whether the architectural committee permits a ramp or grab bars. And the overnight guest limit, which is the rule that quietly prevents you from staying a week to help.
What this community is, and what it is not
An active adult community is real estate, not care. There is no staff, no nurses, no meals, and no call system. If your parent needs help with bathing, dressing, or medication, that is assisted living, which is a different product entirely. Buying here because it sounds like a safer version of a house is the most expensive mistake families make.
Also worth knowing before you plan around it: Medicare does not pay for custodial help with bathing, dressing, meals, or housekeeping. It covers skilled, intermittent home health only. That gap is what actually forces the next move, and it catches families by surprise.
If you are coordinating with siblings
Agree among yourselves before anyone talks to your parents. The fastest way to derail this is one sibling feeling blindsided, and a parent who senses a united front they were not part of will dig in harder.
Decide early who is the point of contact, who handles the money conversation, and who is simply there for support. If the house eventually sells, the proceeds question tends to surface old family dynamics. Naming that in advance costs nothing and prevents a lot.
Paperwork worth locating now, not later
The deed, the mortgage payoff, a recent tax notice, and the HOA documents if there are any. If a parent may not be able to sign for themselves at some point, the power of attorney or trust paperwork matters enormously and is miserable to sort out under time pressure.
If the move is tied to care costs, talk to an elder law attorney and a CPA before anything sells. I am a broker, not a tax or legal advisor, but I work with families in this spot often and can point you to people who handle it properly.
The most common mistake is leading with logic. Parents who feel managed dig in. The families I see succeed start with what would make the next few years easier and more enjoyable, and let the house question follow.
I am glad to walk a community with the whole family at once and give the same honest read to everybody in the room. That is most of what I do.
Other 55+ communities to compare
Worth a look before you decide. I would rather you tour two or three than fall for the first one you see.
Information on this page is gathered from the builder, the association, public records, and other sources believed reliable, but it is not guaranteed and is subject to change without notice. Pricing, availability, HOA dues, amenities, and recorded community rules change often. Cost and utility figures are estimates only and vary widely by home type, size, and household. Verify all details for a specific address, and read the recorded documents, before you make an offer. Kris Bowen is a licensed real estate broker, not a tax, legal, insurance, or medical advisor. Last reviewed August 2026.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
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Are the homes at The Villas at Water's Edge single-level?
Yes. The homes are built on a single floor and marketed as stair-free and accessible on one level. The Stratford plan even includes a roll-in shower as standard. The exception is homes where the original buyer added the optional bonus room over the garage, which adds a staircase, so confirm on the specific address.
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Is there a pool at The Villas at Water's Edge?
Yes, an outdoor swimming pool with a lounge area and barbecue. The clubhouse also includes a movie theater, billiards, a library, a party room with a warming kitchen, and fitness facilities.
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What floor plans are available at The Villas at Water's Edge?
Four. The Bristol Court at about 1,602 square feet with a dedicated formal dining area, the Windsor Court at 1,792 with a dedicated office, the Stratford at 1,924 with two primary suites each having its own bath and walk-in closet plus a roll-in shower, and the Grandview at 1,971 with three bedrooms and a sunroom. Most offer an optional bonus room over the garage.
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Can I still buy new at The Villas at Water's Edge?
Check before you count on it. Leisure Villas' own site now lists six active communities and Water's Edge is not among them, though it does not appear on their sold-out page either. The community was earlier reported to be part way through a second phase. Because new-construction inventory here frequently never reaches the MLS, listing sites will not answer this for you. Call Leisure Villas at 801-653-1291 and ask what, if anything, is still releasing. Resales trade on the MLS regardless.
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What are the HOA dues at The Villas at Water's Edge?
About $200 per month, covering landscaping, snow removal, exterior maintenance, building insurance, trash, and access to the clubhouse, gym, and pool. Dues were roughly $185 in 2017, so increases have been modest over eight years, which is a reasonable signal about how the association is managed.
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Does The Villas at Water's Edge have a marina or beachfront retail?
No. The wider Water's Edge master plan includes conceptual drawings of a pier, marina, amphitheater, and beachfront retail, but those are not built and should not factor into your decision. What does exist is a location a few minutes from the Utah Lake shoreline, which is a genuine draw on its own.
Talk to a real person
Thinking about The Villas at Water's Edge?
I will send the CC&Rs, the HOA budget and reserve study, current pricing, and my honest read. Or just call and ask one question. Both are free.
Call or text 801-999-8005No pressure, no obligation. Happy to talk with you, your spouse, and your family together.