[Bettiboop]

You brought up a lot of good points and definitely something to consider when deciding whether or not The Villages would be for you.

My husband and I are going through the same process of deciding for sure if it is where we want to settle for retirement. So far we've loved every minute we've spent there, but we do plan to spend more time there to get a good feel for the lifestyle, the communities, bylaws, etc. We swore we would never live in another HOA type community, but it might be a trade off that we are willing to make unless we uncover something that we are not yet aware of.

My husband is retired military but is getting close to a second retirement - this time from the DOD. Technically, he can retire at any time but wants to work a couple more years. We will use that time to downsize our belongings and to make more visits to TV, so we'll be ready to make that move when the time comes.

Good idea to visit TV as often as you can in the next few years so you can see for yourself. I believe you will be pleasantly surprised. Do a lifestyle visit where you can "live" in one of the villages and be allowed to experience the Village lifestyle just as if you were an owner!