Help! Thinking of retiring in TV and have some questions

[tekcormn]

I am in Minnesota thinking of retiring there.
Can someone tell me about the Humidity down there ? is it that bad ?
Also, how can I find properties for sale with the BOND PAID ?
Thanks !!!!

[redwitch]

I come from Northern California. We think 20 percent humidity during the summer is high. So, yes, the humidity here is high. Is it bearable? More or less. I rarely sweat in California, even when I was packing to move here in temps over 100. Here, I sweat when it's 75. And, yes, I know ladies don't sweat but I never claimed to be a lady. Regardless, I can tolerate it. I figure if I can tolerate it, anyone can.

Easiest way to find a home with the bond paid is talk to your agent for TV sales and your realtor for MLS sales. They'll find them for you. If you go the FSBO route, they'll tell you if the bond is paid in ads and in person.

Happy hunting!

[JGVillages]

We are originally from Wisconsin. Humidity in Wisconsin summers can be just as bad but because it is Florida the summers are warmer longer. We have been in FL full time for 13 years (Villages for 8 1/2) and honestly the summer days can get a bit humid but the evenings are usually in the mid 70's and beautiful. Wisconsin had a awful mosquito problem but because Florida sprays mosquitos are not a problem. Also remember the trade-off for the rest of the year. You don't have to shovel humidity!

[kittygilchrist]

The humidity is great except when it's really hot. I get nosebleeds when it's too dry. The point is, nobody can tell you whether it's too humid for you or not.

As for the bond, get yourself a real estate agent who works for the villages and one who does not, and tell them that is what you are looking for.

[CFrance]

The humidity is great except when it's really hot. I get nosebleeds when it's too dry. The point is, nobody can tell you whether it's too humid for you or not.
.
As for the bond, get yourself a real estate agent who works for the villages and one who does not, and tell them that is what you are looking for.
Me too!!! I got nosebleeds all last winter, and we lived in MI the last 20-some years. The only difference I can think of is that we had a humidifier on our gas furnace in MI. I have never gotten nosebleeds like this since I was a kid. I was actually glad when the summer humidity hit. yes, we stay inside more, but my nosebleeds are gone.

[Aandjmassage]

We moved from Illinois 10 years ago. At first we only went out before noon or after 5:00pm if we could help it. But even then it was only 3 month of the year most of the time it great.

[Happinow]

When I was researching The Villages before we moved here many people said the humidity was awful. I spite of that we took our chances and moved here anyway! The first year I felt the heat and humidity quite a bit but now after almost 2 1/2 years I don't mind it at all. Yes it gets humid but you plan your day accordingly. It wonderful to go swimming to beat the heat 8 months out of the year. Up north we had to get use to the cold and down here we have to get use to the heat. I'll take the heat any day......as for the bond, like others have said your realtor should be able to guide you. Happy house hunting!

[Colts Fan]

For a list of the pre-owned homes for sale through The Villages, go to The Villages web site. Choose search homes. In the keyword search type in Bond Paid. You should get a listing of properties with the bond paid. You can check this by scrolling down near the bottom of the list of Features on each property's page.

[Bonanza]

Once the weather cools down, the hummidity is low and the weather is beautiful.

However . . . from May through October you can count on high humidity.
BUT -- it doesn't really matter.
You go from your air conditioned house, to your air conditioned rec center,
to the air conditioned movie, to a air conditioned restaurant,
and all of it from your air conditioned car.

If you have curly hair, it will frizz, but so what. You'll look just like everyone else!

[Steph]

Like Redwitch, I'm a transplant from Northern California, just 2 months ago. The humidity is usually not an issue for me, which is not to say there aren't days here and there where it is a bit much. A bigger issue for me is that the sun feels more intense than it did in California. That could be my imagination but that's my impression. But overall, this is a great place to live. Why not rent for the summer months before buying to see if it is tolerable to you?

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

It's hot and humid in the summer. Lived in Sarasota back in the eighties, but I was a snowbird. People who lived here year round told me that you wouldn't believe how bad the humidity is in the summertime. Now I've been living here for 2-1/2 years and find that it's not all that bad. It really depends on you.

I just had a friend from the Boston area come down. Before she came I told her she should move down here since she is retired. Her first words were, "I could never tolerate the humidity". She got down here and she asked, "When does the bad humidity come in?" I said. this is it. And she said that she didn't understand why people make such a big deal about it. It didn't seem much different from Massachusetts.

Some people talk about it all the time, some of us just don't notice it after a while and go on enjoying our lives.

I have a neighbor who is a great guy, but every time I see him, he says something about how hot and humid it is. I always have the same response. "Well, it's August and this is Florida." He's been living here for about 15 years and he still goes on about it. I wonder if he thinks that it's going to change one of these summers.

I personally, would much rather have hot humid weather for a few months than freezing cold and snow. I'd rather not have to put on a sweater. So I don't complain about the humidity. If you are the type of person that loves the winter and goes skiing and doesn't like hot humid weather, you probably should retire to Maine or someplace like that.

But having said that, I think that for a lot of people, once they are down here for a while, they get used to it.

[blueash]

Not to be contrary, but I would suggest you look at the dew point as a measure of your likely discomfort. The difference between dew point and relative humidity is explained here:
Wx Savvy | Science (http://weathersavvy.com/Q-Science_Dewpoint.html)

You can compare your discomfort with differing dew points by noting how you feel in your home town when the dew point is 50 vs 60 vs 70. Much of the summer months the dew point is over 70 here. As others have said, it is sweat season. You learn to tolerate it, or stay inside. Come down for a visit in August to you can judge it at its worst. Like any other place you consider, there are pluses and minuses. The dew point here is a minus, but is far outweighed by the positives.

[bluedog103]

As a kid growing up in Alabama I was used to intense heat. I had 3 uncles who lived a few miles from what is now The Villages. When my parents said we were going to Florida to visit relatives in the summer I really, really didn't want to go. The combined heat and humidity were, to me, near unbearable. I hated it, even though my uncles had kids my age to play with. That was in the days when everything wasn't air conditioned, but even then, as a kid, there was no way I was staying indoors all day.
Now I'm a snowbird. For us, that's the best of all worlds. It gets me out of the northeast and all the snow in the winter and gets me out of the intense heat in the summer. Someday I'll have to pick a place to live out my days and I honestly don't know if that will be the north or the south.

[asianthree]

Before you think of coming in retiring full-time maybe you should come and visit during the high humidity season. I think you will find either you love the summer is here or not. The rent will be less during low season. So you can enjoy the amenities with less crowds.

[NoMoSno]

It really takes a couple summers to adjust.
If you want to speed up the adjusting, do your own yard work at 9am.
90 deg., heat index 110 deg.
Drink lots of Gatoraid.
Lose 3lbs. each mowing :thumbup:

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

Before you think of coming in retiring full-time maybe you should come and visit during the high humidity season. I think you will find either you love the summer is here or not. The rent will be less during low season. So you can enjoy the amenities with less crowds.

I was just going to suggest that you come down for a lifestyle visit during the summer months. That way you will have a week in the humidity and be able to spend a few days with a real estate agent who can show you homes with the bond fully paid.

You can also search homes listed on thevillages.com for homes where the bond is fully paid. You'll find that mostly they are in the older sections north of 466 and to the east.

By the way, my wife and I just got back from a seven mile bicycle ride. It's now 11:30am. I feel great.

[Bobs GolfCart Speedometer]

We moved here from Minnesota 6 years ago and love it. Don't mind the humidity at all. What I really don't miss is all those dark, cloudy, cold, gloomy days we had in Minnesota from November to March.

[Halibut]

It's all relative, right? We lived in Singapore and Indonesia for a decade or so and to us, the humidity here seems comparatively low! My wife uses the hair-frizz index, which is about a 50 out of 100. As others have said, it's also much easier on the skin than an arid climate.

[justjim]

Frankly not much different than Central Illinois in the summer---it's just summer is about twice as long. Your body does adjust.

We are currently snowbirds but did live for three summers in Central Florida and really didn't notice much difference---just longer. Most Floridan's take "trips" in the summer.

[CFrance]

Oh, I give thanks that I will never, ever again have the corners of my thumbs split at the nail in the winter. Such a tiny cut for so much pain.

[perrjojo]

I think you have gotten great answers about the humidity. It really varies as to personal opinion. My feeling about the bond being paid, why does it matter? If the price of the home plus the price of the existing bond seems reasonable, go for it. Many homes with bond paid have that figured into the asking price.

[Wandatime]

I don't mind the heat too much, but I am very undecided about what to do with my long, thick hair in this humidity. I look like a poodle. A sweaty poodle. Do all the ladies give up their long hair and just go short? :undecided:

[graciegirl]

I don't mind the heat too much, but I am very undecided about what to do with my long, thick hair in this humidity. I look like a poodle. A sweaty poodle. Do all the ladies give up their long hair and just go short? :undecided:


That is a very interesting question. I have witnessed a lot of long do's become golf cart ready do's in a SHORT time.;)

[pbkmaine]

Or you can have it cut for the curl. I have not yet found a place here that does it, but there's a salon in NYC called Devachan for people who love their curls. It needs to be cut right and you need the right products, but it's much less maintenance than trying to keep it straight.

[CFrance]

You could wear it up in the summer and down in the winter. I'd give it a try before chop-chop.

[mtdjed]

I came from the Boston area and used to be bothered by temps in the high 70s. I never thought I would ever be able to golf when the temp was in the 90s with high humidity. Well, I was right I still can't golf (well) at any temp. But I am out there trying. I now go back to Boston and feel that the high 70s is a bit on the cool side.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

I came from the Boston area and used to be bothered by temps in the high 70s. I never thought I would ever be able to golf when the temp was in the 90s with high humidity. Well, I was right I still can't golf (well) at any temp. But I am out there trying. I now go back to Boston and feel that the high 70s is a bit on the cool side.

One of the ways that you know that someone is from Florida, is that they refer to anything under 70 as "chilly".

I remember when I first moved to Sarasota back in the eighties, I saw people wearing jackets in 80 degree temperatures.

[manaboutown]

I have found that my body after about a year adjusts to a new climate, be it hot, cold, arid or humid.

A few years back some friends moved to Northern New Mexico from Indialantic, Florida. When they came over for Thanksgiving we took a walk together. They were all bundled up in down jackets and wore earmuffs! I wore my indoor clothing outside, just a shirt and jeans and was quite comfortable. After a year they adjusted to their new climate.

[Michigandress]

I am in Minnesota thinking of retiring there.
Can someone tell me about the Humidity down there ? is it that bad ?
Also, how can I find properties for sale with the BOND PAID ?
Thanks !!!!

My views:
It is no more hot and humid here than it is on a really hot humid summer day in Minnesota. The difference is that it is like that every day in the summer here. You just work around it and plan your activities accordingly.

As to the bond, as long as you know the amount, it's existence or non existence shouldn't affect your house selection. Just remember to add it to the advertised price in making comparisons and keep it in mind when making an offer.

It is surprising that the Developer has gotten away with not disclosing the amount, or even existence, of the bond in his advertising.

[ukbill70]

My wife and I moved from Northern Illinois a year ago and the humidity is not much different except that it lasts longer here. We went to visit friends in North Wisconsin ( Gull Lake ) last July and the Humidity was higher than TV.

As a previous poster stated "You don't have to shovel humidity". Given a choice of Snow/Cold or Heat/Humidity the later wins every time.

[Madelaine Amee]

My wife and I moved from Northern Illinois a year ago and the humidity is not much different except that it lasts longer here. We went to visit friends in North Wisconsin ( Gull Lake ) last July and the Humidity was higher than TV.

As a previous poster stated "You don't have to shovel humidity". Given a choice of Snow/Cold or Heat/Humidity the later wins every time.

Someone once said to us "heat is uncomfortable, cold is painful".

[rjm1cc]

You might be able to look at the counties Tax Assessor site. The bond has to be a public record. Make sure your sales contract lists the amount of the bond including none if that is the case. Bonds are used in several hundred FL communities so ask for any house you might be considering.

[GoldenHurricane]

I am in Minnesota thinking of retiring there.

Can someone tell me about the Humidity down there ? is it that bad ?

Also, how can I find properties for sale with the BOND PAID ?

Thanks !!!!


Rick!?!
This is Kim. I've read through all the responses on this thread, and I think there is a genuine sincerity here from the group to inform you truthfully. Today is one of those hot and humid days, which you may not want or be able to tolerate outside. Instead, we chose to go to a movie this afternoon. They keep the theaters, restaurants, etc., so cold, you'll find most women are draped with sweaters or jackets inside. My daughter borrowed and wore one of mine for the movie. My cat generally likes to go out on my screened in porch from time-to-time thru the day. At 6:10 pm (heat index still around 100), he asked to go out. At 6:12, he was meowing to come back in!
Good luck in your research, and I'm glad you have discovered TOTV. It's a great forum to have all your questions answered.
P.S. Golden Hurricane = University of Tulsa alumnae. I may be the only TU grad in TV!

[slipcovers]

My views:
It is no more hot and humid here than it is on a really hot humid summer day in Minnesota. The difference is that it is like that every day in the summer here. You just work around it and plan your activities accordingly.

As to the bond, as long as you know the amount, it's existence or non existence shouldn't affect your house selection. Just remember to add it to the advertised price in making comparisons and keep it in mind when making an offer.

It is surprising that the Developer has gotten away with not disclosing the amount, or even existence, of the bond in his advertising.

I definitely think that the bond balance should be disclosed on the listing sheet. However, it is not disclosed with MLS either so don't single out the developer.

[Advogado]

I definitely think that the bond balance should be disclosed on the listing sheet. However, it is not disclosed with MLS either so don't single out the developer.
You are correct.

It would seem that the MLS Realtors would benefit from bond disclosure by everyone since the bond is very high on the new houses (being sold by the Developer) and much smaller or nonexistent on the pre-owned houses (being sold by the Realtors. Therefore, not disclosing the bond gives the Developer a major competitive advantage. I don't know why the Realtors haven't made an issue out of this, especially since it appears that they and the Developer don't get along.

[janieb]

My first experience in Minnesota was when I moved there from southern California in January, 1977. The 1st 10 days I was there, it did not get up to 0, quite the shock for someone who grew up in the LA area. Since then I have lived in MN, IL and MI and I have not found the humidity to be much worse here than those places but the temperature is definitely hotter and as others have said, lasts longer. However, I have to say that I was so happy that last winter was my first snow bird winter down here rather than up in MI or MN and I am happy to be a full-timer now.

[Shimpy]

I don't mind the heat too much, but I am very undecided about what to do with my long, thick hair in this humidity. I look like a poodle. A sweaty poodle. Do all the ladies give up their long hair and just go short? :undecided:

Actually I prefer women with a neat short hairdo.

[gomsiepop]

Don't hesitate to move to The Villages. There is sooooo much to do here that you would be too busy to even notice the heat. The best decision I ever made. The only time I go up North is to visit the kids and grandkids for Christmas. Greatest place to live once I retired.