Newbie questions on locations

[Pmount]

Hi all, my wife and I will be moving to TV in Oct. looking each day at homes and particularly with new homes it is confusing to me. For instance, a Sun Kissed in Silver Lake could be more than same home in the new areas. As I understand Silver Lakes is an older area, maybe they are even removing older mobile homes and erecting new ones in those lots? What are the advantages of living in the Spanish Springs area vs much farther South if we go new? I had thought a preowned in Duval or those villages just south of LSL would be our preferred. Our friends just bought a new CV in the Belle Glade area but they will be part time for 2 more years. We will be full time. Seems there are some good prices right now on new Cottages but I know the higher bond and furnishings still are there to be paid for. Have been there 3 times but it is so large it is hard to grasp .

Any insite would be appreciated.

Phil

[njbchbum]

Off the top of my head...the historic neighborhoods [Silver Lake, Orange Blossom Gardens and Country Club Hills] offer NO BOND payments, mature landscaping, larger lots, no traffic, convenience to grocery and retail shopping and restaurants, convenience to a main highway, and we make great neighbors! Some of us are original founding residents and some of us are the children of same and some are in between those age groups. And we have one of the few hot tubs among all of the Villages pools! We also have one of the few dog parks and a brand new park area with walking trail and exercise equipment. Our side offers a convenient brick and mortar post office that is not to be found elsewhere in the Villages. And we probably offer more full-time residents as opposed to seasonal residents. The first aid station is just outside the Shay gate and the hospital is close to our villages, too. And the firehouse is pretty centralized to all three villages next to our regional recreation center...that offers an archery range, softball field, bocce courts with tennis courts not far away - and close to what I affectionately call the billiards hall! The inconvenience to living on our side of the Villages - a 45 minute ride to the other outer limit of development!

Welcome to your search - it's half the fun of getting there!

[villagetinker]

On the other hand, there are some very interesting advantages to an entirely NEW area. Your neighbors will typically be new to the area (aka no local clicks), and everyone will be on the same new to the area terms. This is what happened to us, and we have great neighbors and a wonderful neighborhood. If you get a chance, go to potential neighbors, introduce yourselves and see if it fits. We had a couple that purchased a house in the neighborhood do exactly that and we are great friends, now that they have moved in!

[Barefoot]

Hi all, my wife and I will be moving to TV in Oct. looking each day at homes and particularly with new homes it is confusing to me. For instance, a Sun Kissed in Silver Lake could be more than same home in the new areas. As I understand Silver Lakes is an older area, maybe they are even removing older mobile homes and erecting new ones in those lots? What are the advantages of living in the Spanish Springs area vs much farther South if we go new? I had thought a preowned in Duval or those villages just south of LSL would be our preferred. Our friends just bought a new CV in the Belle Glade area but they will be part time for 2 more years. We will be full time. Seems there are some good prices right now on new Cottages but I know the higher bond and furnishings still are there to be paid for. Have been there 3 times but it is so large it is hard to grasp .

:welcome:
Since you are new to TOTV, you may not know about the Search button (above). You can search by subject.
When I was a newbie, it was invaluable to me.
Enjoy your quest for the perfect home for your needs. It's an exciting time for you!

[hulahips]

I would recommend being centrally located (near Sumter). From here you can reach most places easily as your not all the way out north or south. I personally would never buy in new area just for new neighbors. We have met our friends all through common interests, my husband at softball fields, myself through dancing and both of us through clubs. Women in my neighborhood all play bridge (I don't) and none of the men like sports and my husband does. So look for area you would like to live. Most neighbors will be friendly anyway

[Pmount]

Thanks again for all the replies. Another question is how much difference is there really for insurance for concrete vs frame vinyl and also hip roof vs gable. Is there anything significant that could sway me one way or another?

[slipcovers]

You should rent for a while and get to know your way around. Buying a house is a big decision so take your time. Tv can be mind boggling, you don't want to make a wrong decision on which area is right for you.

[sunnyatlast]

I agree about aiming for central, in the Lake Sumter Landing area. It's not the oldest area and it's not the newest, but yet, the neighborhoods still seem new. We think it's a big advantage to be centrally located and among neighbors who are enthusiastic and dedicated to organizing all kinds of socials and making sure every neighbor feels welcome and connected.

I'd go for a walk in a chosen neighborhood and talk to neighbors. Ask them if there is a neighborhood database listing/printout of all neighbors' address, phone and email addresses. If there isn't one, they're probably not doing much together with the whole neighborhood.

[patleeknight]

We bought new and spent too much for upgrades and didn't get it all done before we decided to sell and go for pre owned. wish we had asked this question before we bought. Not only did we get great upgrades but much better access to everything. We also like the older trees and landscaping

[Fraugoofy]

I specifically choose our home for the privacy and the corner lot. A pre owned patio villa. I wanted privacy above all else so at the end of a busy day I can relax and be alone... and have my much needed quiet time! The Villages lifestyle can be so busy, I almost have to schedule in time for quiet!

[JerryLBell]

The wife and I definitely wanted to move to TV and figured we'd buy a much smaller home than our current one (2100 sq. ft.) and we definitely wanted something with a back yard facing nature. That meant that we were leaning towards the northern portion of TV which has mature trees and such.

So, after coming to TV multiple times over three years and spending days looking each time, we bought a not-so smaller house (1910 sq. ft.) in a new neighborhood way down south (Dunedin) surrounded by houses. Why the change? Well, we just fell in love with the model (Sunflower) and the colors in this particular house. We also feel we might be surrounded by a somewhat younger population as this is a new neighborhood and most people moving in might well be recent retirees and that could make it easier for us to meet and make friends. And last, we decided that we can get out and see nature, we don't have to live in it. The yard work I've put in to our current house over the last year or two has just got me fed up. I'm ready to move to TV and be on what amounts to a permanent cruise. Out having fun all the time and not feeling like we have to veg on the back deck to recuperate from our jobs.

That's what I like about TV, there seems to be neighborhoods and houses for all kinds of needs.

[JMEZARIC3]

Hi all, my wife and I will be moving to TV in Oct. looking each day at homes and particularly with new homes it is confusing to me. For instance, a Sun Kissed in Silver Lake could be more than same home in the new areas. As I understand Silver Lakes is an older area, maybe they are even removing older mobile homes and erecting new ones in those lots? What are the advantages of living in the Spanish Springs area vs much farther South if we go new? I had thought a preowned in Duval or those villages just south of LSL would be our preferred. Our friends just bought a new CV in the Belle Glade area but they will be part time for 2 more years. We will be full time. Seems there are some good prices right now on new Cottages but I know the higher bond and furnishings still are there to be paid for. Have been there 3 times but it is so large it is hard to grasp .

Any insite would be appreciated.

Phil
Find a good agent working for The Villages and a good MLS agent.If you are buying new you only need a TV agent but look at preowned and work with the TV agent and MLS agent.
Step 1. Pick the type of home you want.Patio,ranch/cottage,designer or premier.
Step 2.Pick a floor plan and note the model name.A good agent can crooswalk that model to other models with the same floorplan.Over the years the developer has changed model names but kept the same floorplan.
Step 3. Pick a location.If in a new area work with the TV agent,if not new work with both agents.
You should be able to find the home you want in any section of TV.All lots in TV are equal except the lots with a view. You pay extra for the view.Anywhere between $25,000 and $100,000 plus depending upon the view.
My advice would be to select the home type and not limit your selection to one floorplan.This would expand your acceptable home pool tenfold.
As for location,search this site for related topics.Only you can pick the location best for you.Decide want you want to do in TV.
My selection was Lynnhaven.One minute walk to the Churchill Rec Center and Family pool,3 minutes to the neighborhood pool 5 minute cart ride to three executive courses,12 minute cart ride to Sumter Landing and a 10 minute cart ride to shopping.
But my wife and I spent some time in TV before buying,two Life Style Tours,March of 2012 in Bonnybrook and March 2013 in Duval.

[villagetinker]

Thanks again for all the replies. Another question is how much difference is there really for insurance for concrete vs frame vinyl and also hip roof vs gable. Is there anything significant that could sway me one way or another?

I am sure you will find a significant difference in insurance costs. As I understand it, the hip roof tend to have less wind damage then gable. Also, as I understand it, the basic construction wood, block, poured concrete also have an impact on fire and wind damage.

I would talk to an insurance agent to get some ideas on the differences. We specified our house to be block or poured concrete and hip roof for the above reasons. Your realtor should be able to point you to the designs that meet your requirements, and let you see samples of the ones you are interested in.

Also, do a search on the specific model(s) that you are interested in, to see what other people say about these.
Hope this helps.

[vette]

Thanks again for all the replies. Another question is how much difference is there really for insurance for concrete vs frame vinyl and also hip roof vs gable. Is there anything significant that could sway me one way or another?

Most insurance carriers will offer a discount for concrete homes and hip roofs. But it isn't that significant to alter your preference,

[Pmount]

Thank you all for great response and help we want a cottage-meaning that is what we can afford and I think we realize that the Amarillo is basically the same. Sun kissed or Hamock but our dream is Allamanda because of the Florida room already included. Hard to find preowned in our range. Not sure new in the Pine Ridge is for us because of distance. Need to sell up here first but once we get a good bite in ours,will send my wife down to look for neighborhood. Friends have new CYV in Belle Glade she will stay in. Looking forward to meeting many of you and will be back with more questions soon!

Phil

[EnglishJW]

When we first started seriously considering The Villages one of the primary things we were looking at was the possible location to buy a house. For us, we wanted to be close to Lake Sumter Landing or maybe somewhere between LSL and Spanish Springs. There are still plenty of reasons why we would prefer to be in one of those areas. We aren't. We are in Hillsborough. As we learned more about TV we began to understand that the activities you prefer or the clubs you are interested in are likely to be taking place all over TV. Pickleball might be south at Eisenhower and Soccer could be north near the Polo Fields. Your Bridge group might meet in the east at Colony while your dinner with friends will be toward the west at Cane Gardens. While we are actively involved with many things in or near our own village, we actually spend much more time away from it. There seemed (at least to us) a trend where newer residents spent more time at the closest square (or another square for specific reasons - maybe to hear Rocky & the Rollers) while people who had been here longer spent little time at the squares. I think it is important to carefully consider where you want to buy a home in TV but it may not matter as much as you might think. As others have said, enjoy your search.

[JoMar]

As you can see, everyone has an opinion but what works for someone else may not work for you. I agree with the poster that suggested renting before you buy so you can fully get a feel for both locations and the culture of The Villages. Unless of course, you have the resources to move a couple times. No one here knows your lifestyle, preferences or spirit of adventure so making a recommendation on where to live would be tad presumptuous on our part, but that's my opinion.

[asianthree]

Or you can end up like others and move 2.8 times. First home for us was new, second home new, our last home preowned we are very happy