Quote:
Originally Posted by eweissenbach
I am sure there are many people who love their home south of hwy 44. There are more and more amenities available in those areas and some, if not most, of the area is quite beautiful. I have been coming to TV since 2010 and have owned a Villa in Sanibel from 2018-2021 and a designer home in LaBelle North since then. Who knows how long we will continue to be snowflakes, spending Five months in TV and seven months in Kansas City, but for now that works well for us. The point of this post is that, as far as I’m concerned, south of 44 doesn’t exist. I see no reason to go down there, not that there aren’t good things there, but because everything I need or want exists above hwy 44. I am certainly not bashing that area, I realize there are great reasons that people choose to live there and many, if not most, love it. I think I represent a lot of people who would never consider moving south of 44, not out of a dislike or hate for that area, but just because we find nothing about that area that offers anything that appeals to us that we can’t access north. Please know, I’m not a hater of the new areas, just someone who is very fond of the areas north and with zero interest in the areas south. I presume there are some who feel the same as us, just as I am sure there are others who strongly disagree. Let’s hear it.
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We are also seasoned Villagers, owning since 2015 and visiting several times during the ten year period before that. When we bought, Brownwood was a ghost town, they were still cranking out homes north of 44, Belle Glade recently opened, and there was no Village’s south of Brownwood. I mostly agree with the above, except for the part about the area south of 44 not existing as far as we are concerned. It definitely exists, and it has effected us in both positive and negative ways. The negatives are minimal, but real for this long time northern Villager. They include the fact that there are many more homes competing for the not enough service providers in the area. Examples include our long time irrigation guy is booking over a year out and not taking new customers and swimming pool service companies that simply can’t find enough good technicians. That didn’t used to be a problem many years ago. Then there was the 25% property tax increase necessitated by the infrastructure expenses required for the newer areas. Also, the number of both Championship and Executive golf holes per rooftop has been seriously diluted since we purchased our home, diminishing the overall golfing experience. And forget about taking the Village’s Airport Van if you live in the northern parts of the Villages. Spanish Springs lost the Farmers Market to Brownwood and I can’t remember the last time the Hooligans played in SS, yet they still occasionally have a Brownwood gig. None of these negatives are the fault of residents south of 44, but they are real nonetheless. One the flip side, the positives are real as well. We very much enjoy the bike/walking trails that don’t allow golf carts, which aren’t available north of 44. Edna’s on the green is a gem, decent food in a beautiful outside setting while enjoying live entertainment in a great attraction. Last winter I made a point to swim laps at every sports pool in the Villages and play every Championship golf course. To accomplish that objective I had great days venturing to the new areas via golf cart. Played Grey Fox, swam the Fenney sports pool, then ate at the Fenney Grill. Swam at Everglades sports pool, played Lowlands, then ate at Edna’s. Swam at the Ezell sports pool, played Southern Oaks, then ate at Sawgrass (didn’t particularly like that place). Without the new area, none of those fun and memorable days would have been possible!
If we had just discovered the Villages today and bought a home in the new area, I’m sure we would love it. However, knowing the Village’s as well as we do, if we were buying a home now, we would still buy in the northern area. For us, the abundance of both Championship and real Executive (not pitch and put and putting courses), sports pools, and easy and close golf cart accessibility to multiple town squares, dining, shopping, and entertainment (The Sharon, Savannah Center, and The Tierra Del Sol Theatre) would take precedence over the attractive features of the newer areas. I know the newer areas will eventually have most of that, but at our age I’m not willing to wait for whenever eventually is. Lastly, I am very concerned about the reports I am hearing about the amount of short term rentals in the newer areas. That could be a total game changer in a very bad way. Here is hoping all Villagers, regardless of where they own a home, are having a great day in paradise : )