Quote:
Originally Posted by MNViking
First of all, let me express my thanks for the responses I am hopeful I will receive. There is a ton of information on this forum, just not the easiest to navigate when seeking specifics. I am sure each of the Villages has a specific tone and tenor to what is liked/disliked and valued so all thoughts are welcomed.
First, what my lovely wife and I would seek in a potential move is fairly simplistic as we will be also living in MN for at least 7-10 more years but would like to have a place down here and then transition into this as our retirement home. My wife is a little younger than I am, so she will more than likely still be working and will seek to get into HR in the area. Let's not get the horse before the cart on that I guess.
Our interest would be in something under the $300K mark with Bond already paid, that is something we would be comfortable with, by no means are we rich and we do not want to be house-poor. Just rather be comfortable. As my earnings slow, it is a practical thing as I would rather go on cruises than have a larger home. I am rather social, my wife is more of an introvert unless there is a good comfortable vibe for her. Then she will blossom a bit with some commonalities with people. So the social aspect of a Village is about a 6/7 out of 10. So some proximity to a rec area/town square is a need. (More for me than her, but she is always happy to tag along).
Relatively quiet neighborhoods from traffic noise as that will be bothersome to her. I am learning the areas, but have no clue about the general roads and how loud the traffic can be vs the highway being nearby. So guidance on that is fantastic.
Also, if you don't mind and I get I am asking a lot. (If your Village is in my price range.). I would love to hear why you value or love our Village with some supporting information, neighbors, community, proximity, dining, etc. Followed by: Would you pick that location again, or would you select another Village. I dislike moving, so once I/we get there that I am very hopeful would be the place.
This is a start, and I may ask questions again based on responses, but would really like to iron out some of our thoughts on locations to become more actively focused in searching. Right now, I look all over the place. I have nothing truly against manufactured homes, but that would not be a preference based on storms from my general knowledge of how we handle tornadoes up here vs wind storms/hurricanes down there.
I appreciate you taking the valuable time to respond, and look forward to a more centralized place for me to learn a bit more and share with my wife.
FTR: We watch youtube videos, read the websites, look at Zillow, Redfin, etc for listings. So we are trying to do our best on our own, but doggone it people living in the area are certainly just as valuable if not more!
Also, even though the Vikings lost last night I am always accepting others to jump on whatever Viking train that will be available in the next several years! We all know Purple looks great on guys and gals! (Not Green and Gold!).  |
Hi. Welcome to the dream! Like you and your wife, we are also still working (55 & 56). We had the same thoughts, wishes, etc ... about a home. We also thought we would be in the north (we aren't). We also wanted no bond (we have one). We also were contemplating manufactured (we don't live in one). We also didn't want to go over $300k (we did). We also didn't want to be house poor (we aren't).
So how did we end up where we are? Basically, home owners insurance dictated where we bought. It's sad that the Florida insurance industry has so much leverage on the housing market. It's unfair to sellers and buyers, but this is the way it is, for now, at least.
When buying a home you will factor in many things to appease the insurance overlords; age of roof is extremely important but so is the year your home was built. Building codes change all the time and anything over 20 years will be very hard to get insurance on. You will likely be underinsured. Trying to get insurance on a manufactured home was impossible for us. Even the Villages insurance couldn't find coverage for us.
The next thing to consider are any updates and upgrades you would want to do to make your house your home. There are extremely beautiful pre-owned homes but every one we looked at needed some major work. (New floors, new windows, new appliances, concrete work, etc...) Also, pre-owned homes are typically higher priced than new. Usually because they've paid to have a big lanai, plantation shutters, etc... Once we crunched the numbers, it was much more affordable to buy new even with a bond.
The next thing to consider, and someone also pointed this out, is that when you're moving into an area and everyone is new, there is a definite camaraderie amongst neighbors and the village as a whole. Like your wife, I'm extremely introverted but you know what? The Villages really gets you out of your shell and comfort zone, quickly. I'm doing cardio drumming, line dancing, art classes, bunco, beanbag baseball, golf, community events and even dancing at the squares. So don't count that out of her future. I'm sure in her own time, she will become more adventurous.
I would highly consider looking at cottage homes. You'll get a much bigger home and garage for not that much more money. They are also designed like a ranch style versus long and narrow, offering more light. But the villa neighborhoods are the most charming! The houses are very nice but typically the garage is tiny.
With that said, you'll likely want to do some things to a new home that will cost money out of pocket, like landscaping (highly recommend Son Life, very affordable), deeper kitchen sink, you may want to paint (new homes are only white). Even with the many upgrades we did, we still saved about $20k buying new.
I hope this information was helpful and not overwhelming. Just know that whatever you decide to do, it will be the right choice for you.