Talk of The Villages Florida - View Single Post - How to take best advantage of first visit
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Old 04-11-2016, 01:04 PM
goodtimesintv goodtimesintv is offline
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Talk to people at the town squares and at restaurants and pools. And because you have little time here, use the car to see more distant areas of TV. Getting lost (which is extremely easy in this huge place) is a waste of valuable time, as is trying to learn when you need a golf cart tunnel under major avenues, and how to come out of them and still be on the right track.

In shopping for a home, consider that the house itself is not nearly as important as the neighborhood and the visible activity level and interaction of the neighbors. (That can be observed by going for a walk or lounging at the pool and talking with people in a neighborhood where find a house you think you'd like.)

One reason I say the house itself is not as important as the neighborhood and neighbors is that the houses/villas are available by the dozens in all regions of TV. But not all neighborhoods are prone to being interactive and connected.

Our friends bought a pristine ranch style home in a beautiful neighborhood near Glenview, because of its uniquely private back yard. Now that they live there, they see they have none of the neighborhood interaction we have because their neighbors (original owners of the homes) are mostly either dying or headed for (or are in) the nursing home, with the spouse having to go there every day/evening, which is exhausting and extremely saddening. That happens in most neighborhoods, but not in numbers at a time as our friends are seeing.

Lastly, don't agonize over the "perfect house". Just get here. Every day, people learn the lesson that our days are numbered, when a newly retired or about-to-retire couple has one of them die of cancer or something like that when they're just getting started in their hard-earned retirement years. Many don't think that will happen to them at age 57 or 61 as we have seen, but it does.

Getting here is more important than buying the "right house" right off the bat. Selling and moving to a different home is easy here, as evidenced by the norm of "on average, villagers move 3 times while living here".