[Golfer38]

Thank you all for your responses. Just a handful of more questions I need to find answers. All comments are welcome.

I currently live in Maryland and will be retiring after 42+ years working in DC and the military. I play lots of golf, so this will play a major part of my decision. I am single (widower) and my current home is much too big but it is nice and quiet in the development. I wold like to have my Villages home be in a bit more quiet area, if there is an area.

I am sure that if I decide to buy into the Villages I will be much smarter in 5 years than I am now. So I am trying to cut that time down a bit. I am going into this a bit blind and, like most of you, it will be a life changer for me. At my age (63) I want (or would like) to make one move and not more if for some reason I do not like my new home. I know its a big spread, but someone asked how much house I am looking for... So around $500K -$1.5M

I understand that I will get a myriad of answers and those are ok with me. I can weed out the points that do not matter and focus on the points that carry a bit more weight.

Bonds: Are the bonds included in the house cost? I know they are listed as separate, but if a bond is paid off, will the house cost more due to the payoff? If there is a bond, would I be better off paying it? Can I include it in the mortgage to pay off?

I think I may rent first as an option if I don't find something next week or in June. Many folks recommend this approach.

With the Lifestyle visit, how long can I stay? What does it cost? Is it a house?

I apologize for the long-winded response. So if it puts you to sleep, you can thank me later for the nice nap.

Jim