We have owned in The Villages for 3 years and originally planned to have 2 homes when we retired. As retirement drew closer, we decided the responsibility of 2:homes (after owning 2 Homes for 3 years) was more trouble than it was worth. We sold our NH home and moved here full time in January. The original plan was to travel (within the US) during the hot summer months. Well, that didn’t happen due to COVID-19. Neither of us are big fans of heat and humidity, but I’m happy to say we survived one of the warmest summers in years.
In NH, we spent the bulk of colder months inside, unless skiing or clearing snow. Florida, is the reverse. More time is spent inside during the summer. Golfing, yard work (if you enjoy it) and other outdoor activities are done earlier in the day. We thought it would be much more difficult this first year with Covid, activities closed and no travel, but it really wasn’t terrible.
We do have a pool home here and believe it’s been a real blessing. Most of our summer was spent lounging at our pool, enjoying life and retirement.
The virus definitely put a twist in plans for our first summer of retirement. By doing this, it allowed us to really get to know our neighbors (from a distance) and form amazing friendships. We took car rides to no where ( not exiting our vehicle) for a change of scenery on a few occasions and cart rides to explore unfamiliar areas of The Villages. When golf reopened, we carefully played as early as possible.
As it turned out, we were very grateful to be “stuck” here. It’s definitely a beautiful community and people make the best of any situation, good or bad. Had we been in NH, we wouldn’t have had as many options or encounters with neighbors making us very isolated.
We have no regrets and are happy with our decision. Life is what you make it, even when it throws you a curve.
Do some serious soul searching, it’s a huge personal decision. That being said, regardless of your decision you can always amend your plans later if you feel the need.
Best of luck!
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