I think this issue is a lot more complicated than people are seeing it, and the OP may be justifiably concerned. The differences between the old and new sections are not so much the quality of homes and amenities, but differences in demographics. Let’s assume, just for illustration, that most folks retire at around age 62. So the population north of 441 would be in their 90’s, north of 466 in their 80’s, between 466 and 466a would be in their 70’s, and south of 466a would be in their 60’s. Now, when all the new homes are bought, only resales will be available. As the oldest population expires, the bulk of the resales will be in the northern villages. On the other hand, the bulk of the new retirees will be baby boomers in their 60’s. So, are these new retirees, say over the next decade, going to be happy moving into older homes that are surrounded by people 20-30 years older? And, if they choose to pass on The Villages for that reason, what will happen to all those homes for sale in the older sections?
I have seen this, on a much smaller scale, in our south FL condo. When the last survivor passes on, the heirs dump the unit for half its value. The next owners are either young divorcees, or landlords, who do not give a hoot about maintaining the place. When we finally retired, we ended up being the youngest retirees, in our mid 60’s. Thank goodness that we discovered The Villages.
Now, you could argue that it can’t happen here, and I hope that it’s true. But elements of this scenario are almost unavoidable, over the long run.
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