[villages07]

Mich,

Here's my take on your questions...mostly opinion based on living here for almost 2 years and probably having bought at the very peak of the market (sigh)

the home prices were inflating at the rate of 18% per year during the boom but have now "cooled off" to 8% - my take: FICTION

>>>prices did go nuts during the housing boom but have dropped then leveled off; in 06, TV commanded some pretty hefty lot premiums for views/privacy. This is an add on they have a lot of room to manipulate; they have also stated cost of housing materials have gone down. My take .... I think TV has already hit its bottom and is on the way back up, ever so slightly but still well below the peak of mid 2006.

summers are hot, but the humidity is not bad; there is a line just north of Orlando where the humidity level drops off from the oppressive humidity of Orlando - my take: FICTION

>>> summers here are quite tolerable, just long; the mornings start out with 100% humidity but the air dries out during the day, clouds start billowing in around noon and a breeze picks up. Evenings are gorgeous. I remember vacationing in Orlando one July 4th and never thought I had been so hot or sticky. Truly does not feel that bad here.

About a third of the TV residents still hold a job of some sort - my take: I suspect that this is high

>>>maybe a little high, but, not that much...lots of people have part time jobs or full time careers or home based business/cottage industry. Of course, I would assume we are talking full time residents only.

it doesn't matter where you live relative to the town squares since most people never visit them; most social activities revolve around the community centers - my take: I tend to doubt it; that town squares are where you want to be for most restaurants, movies, etc.

>>> People do go to the town square and also lots of community/neighborhood events. But, truthfully, location doesn't matter that much..you can pretty much get where you need to go in 20 mins or less. I live in a very central location (relative to the full build out of the Villages) and am happy to be here. I personally might not select a house up in the far NW corner because it seems far from squares. I am 8 mins by golf cart from LSL and glad to be close by.

you can't keep outdoor furniture in bird cages unless you want to wash it off after every rain - my take: there may be an air of truth to this, but probably is exaggerated

>>> probably exaggerated...if you live in an area where there is still construction, then, yes you will be wiping down lanai furniture frequently. Don't think it much matters if it's birdcage or roofed lanai...stuff flies thru the air.

all houses (both vinyl and CBS) need their siding washed twice a year or they start to look dirty - my take: this seems excessive

>>> we have been here 18 months in CBS house with very light color paint....looks fine to me...no need to wash it down. For vinyl, once a year is fine.

all-electric houses are not that costly to operate since the heat pumps are amazingly efficient. My take: I would like to believe this, but I can't imaging electricity being competitve with gas for heat, hot water and the dryer.

>>> gas vs electric for heat is almost a non issue because you just don't use it that much. I doubt we had heat on more than 10 days last winter. I doubt there is a significant diff between all electric house and one that combines gas and elec. You pay enough just to maintain 2 accounts (service fee/base charge) to perhaps make up the difference in usage costs. I have gas and elec and my combined bills average 100/month over the course of the year. It's just not that huge an expense here compared to colder climates.

Hope this helps Mich....