[birdiebill]

I suggest to anyone considering moving here to do as my wife and I did. We knew we were leaving our northern home for a year around home in a warmer climate. We had originally contemplated moving to South Carolina to be near our older son, his wife, and our four grandchildren. We knew the area around Beaufort, Bluffton, and Hilton Head very well since we had been there many times over the years visiting our son and his family.

We passed through the Villages on a vacation trip and spent one night and one day here. Our first impression was very favorable, but we decided we needed a lot more information than a quick visit could provide. While we were told about the Lifestyle Visit opportunity, we did not believe that we could obtain all the positive and perhaps negative information/feel about The Villages in five to seven days. So our decision was to rent for an entire month (May 2016). By the end of that month we had the information WE needed and have now been living here for nearly two years. We suggest anyone planning a major move to a prospective retirement area to actually spend an extended amount of time there prior to deciding to move there. That time can be multiple visits over time of at least a week per visit, or one visit of at least one month. Do your due diligence by your experience, not by someone elses.

Summers are hot, but we knew that. January through April are crowded, but we knew that. We knew all about deed restrictions and rules on purchasing new and pre-owned. We learned all about amenity fees, taxes, floor plans of multiple models, and many other things.

There are some negatives but none that were deal breakers for us. Just as with any community of 100,000 people or so, there are a few "bad apples in the bushel."