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Originally Posted by Kenswing
Hi There!
We are still five years out from retiring but are pretty sure that the Villages would be a good fit for us.
We currently live in WA and want to live someplace warmer with plenty of activities. The winter aches and pains are starting to catch up to us.. lol
With the Villages being so large and varied how did you decide which village to live in? We plan on doing the Lifestyle Preview Plan once or twice between now and the time we retire but is it possible to see everything during a 4 or 5 night stay?
And does it really matter what village we pick? Are there real differences from village to village? I guess I'm really just looking for a starting point in my research. Any advice is greatfully welcomed.
-Ken
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Hello Ken,
Welcome to TOTV!
I am a long time wannabee (going for the Guinness Book of World Records). I have visited The Villages several times since 2011, and I have done several 7 and 8 day rentals and one Lifestyle Preview Visit since then. I would love to visit The Villages for a month at a time, but I still work full time.
TOTV is an excellent resource for newbies and wannabees to get information about moving to and living in The Villages. Go onto The Villages web site to see the new and preowned homes for sale. You can also see preowned homes for sale by non-Village real estate agents by going on realtor.com.
As you get closer to actually purchasing a home, you may want to draw up a list of "must haves" and "nice to have but not a deal breaker" based on location, number of bedrooms, price, new vs. preowned, size of the garage, age of the house, etc.
The Villages now has a population of 115,000+ people, and is spread over 3 counties (Lake, Marion and Sumter). Construction will be going on in the far southern parts of The Villages for several more years, in The Village of Fenney which opened about 5 months ago, and the other villages to be developed in the future near Fenney. So build-out is still quite aways down the road, if ever . . . but that is another subject.
Can you see everything in a 4 or 5 day visit -- no, but you can get a taste of what life in The Villages is like. In addition to visiting The Villages through the Lifestyle Preview Plan, you may want to consider renting from a homeowner in The Villages for a week or two during the slower season. Many Villagers own rental homes in The Villages that they rent out for weeks, months or on a long term basis. From May through October it is easy to get a rental for 7 or 8 days. I was just in The Villages for 6 days in early September; I rented a home on the Historic Side (the area where The Villages started in the 1980's).
Don't be shy about asking questions on TOTV. As was previously posted, do your homework on moving to The Villages.
All the best to you as you start your research.