Need Your Opinion

[Retiring]

I value the opinion of those on this forum. Please give me your thoughts on these 3 villages:

Osceola Hills
Pine Hills
Pine Ridge

Whatever comes to mind.
Thanks.

[kstew43]

Osceola had lower Sumter County Taxes....

[villagetinker]

Retiring,

This is a very open ended question, depending on what you are looking for. Do you want to be close to a town Square? Do you want an established area? Do you want to be centrally located? There many things to consider, so you may want to restate your question within a framework of specific questions.
We oved into a new house, new village, far from the established town squares, but near Brownwood, and find the location ideal, but we do not mind jumping in the car and driving 10 miles or more to a location for shopping or entertainment. If you want to get to everything by golf cart, this should be stated.
You will probably get much higher quality answers if you can qualify what areas you are specifically interested in.

With regards to individual villages, I am sure you will get replies that all of the villages are great, with the only major differences being the age of the various areas.

Hopes this helps.

[Retiring]

I don’t want to put constraints on any opinion.

Yes I do want to travel everywhere by GC. I don’t need to be super close to a square because I don’t expect to visit the squares daily.

Think of my request as a brain storming session. What do you like or dislike about these villages? The tax thing is great feedback. Is there a dump odor, are the homes too close together, is the water pressure too low, is it too far from shopping, is it too far from the squares, etc etc etc. Whatever comes to mind.

I like this village because…

I would never build in this village because…

I’m here now and told these villages are where I will find a lot. I need an extra wide lot but that is something I’ll let my sales agent figure out.

[billethkid]

The realanswers in my opinion are as varied as there are residents.

Your final decision will be obvious. You will have found the right lot/home.....WHEREVER it may be.

When all gets said and done, TV is TV. There may be different neighborhoods or neighbors but they are al TV.

If geographic specifics are not an issue then you really can not go wrong where ever it is you choose.

Most offerings in this thread will be based on personal opinions affected by personal preferences. All for good reasons.

You (almost) can not make a bad decision.

[2BNTV]

Make a list of "must haves" and what you "like to have".

Obviously, the most important, is at the top of, "must haves" and working your way down.

When you find your location and the home contains almost all of your "must haves", that's the one!!!

I get the impression you want a brand new home. This will definitely put you near the Brownwood area.

[VApeople]

I need an extra wide lot

Go to thevillages.com, click on Search Homes, then click on Build/Open Homesites, then click on Unit 33 - Pine Hills.

The home sites in dark green are the lots for sale. Click on a lot and see the price.

If you don't find the lot you want, go to a different Unit. A 'Unit' refers to a section of properties.

That is how we found the lot for our new home.

[Deseylou]

We currently live in Hillsbourgh. Love it.
We looked at some new homes in Pine Hills.
The location will not work for us.
It was far from Winn Dixie ( my store of choice)
It was far from Evans Prarie, and golf courses.
Just my humble opinion.

[graciegirl]

We have lived in two places, Hadley and this house off 466. I loved our friends in Hadley and I loved our home but I like the location of where we are now better. It is close to places I go a lot. restaurants, grocery, doctor, dentist, Rec center, and in the middle of all the golf courses. And close to Lake Sumter too.

[villagetinker]

Retiring,

You stated "I need an extra wide lot but that is something I’ll let my sales agent figure out. " It sounds like you maybe thinking of additions in the future. Please note there is an Architectural review Committee that reviews all changes outside the house on the lot, and you must obtain their approval before starting any work outside. If you are not clear on this process, talk to your realtor and get a copy of the deed restrictions for the area you are looking at. As I recall the villages you named are in VCDD 11.

Here is a link to the ARC review:
VCDD Architectural Review (http://www.districtgov.org/departments/community-standards/archreview.aspx)

I agree with many of the above comments. The villages you mentioned are relatively new so there may be limited comments.

Hope this helps.

[Retiring]

Location is an issue and we’re beyond the must-haves stage. I’m stuck with the location TV is currently building out. I’m told these are the villages and that’s pretty much all I have to go on. The extra wide lot is for a 4-car garage with extended double door. Also, a shed that is outside but a part of the main structure, like an extra room. And increased lanai size for outdoor kitchen, among other items. I’m not concerned about the ACC since I’ve seen all these options here in TV. My agent’s personal home is a good example. I will not be asking for anything they haven’t approved before. Agent says none of my requests are an issue as long as the lot is large enough to accommodate. I could not find what I want in resale so it’s new or nothing. Location is important, not so much for the squares but for shopping.

If I can find what I want great, if not I’ll go to plan B – AZ. I’ve compromised my whole life, as we all have, I just don’t feel like compromising with the last home I’ll live in. Actually there is room for a little bit of compromise but not a whole lot of room. My agent is picking me up shortly and we’re going to see some of the larger lots available. I then have to convince them to give me a longer than the 90 day reservation on the lot. I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.

[Villager Joyce]

I think most people will agree that there is not a bad place to live. All neighborhoods are good. Some are more convenient than others to different places. Some have bigger lots. Some are better established. All are good. You can't make a mistake IMHO in moving here.

[Dan9871]

It sounds like you are describing the Premiere homes in the Preserve area of Pine Hills. There are not spec' homes, they are all custom built. The lots there are good sized and because they are custom built you may be able to get exactly what you want. If you can't get exactly what you want there you probably won't be able to anywhere in TV because of architectural restrictions.

[Retiring]

I spent most of the afternoon looking at Premier lots at the Preserve. I can find large lots there and I may end up there. I still haven’t decided which home series. Will I extend a designer a lot or extend a premier a little. I was told approx. $125k for the extensions I want if in a Designer, it would be a bit less in a Premier because there would be less extending. When I reserve a lot I am committing to a home series. It’s going to be a designer lot or premier lot. They are now offering a 120-day reservation period which is great. Also, I can change my mind. I will not lose my reservation money if I ask it to be applied to a different lot. That gives me the freedom to actually select a lot this weekend. I plan to rent here in later Nov and early Dec. I may reserve something now because the best lots always go first. Tomorrow I will go from LSL to the Preserve by GC. I want to see how long it takes by gc.

[jojo]

I spent most of the afternoon looking at Premier lots at the Preserve. I can find large lots there and I may end up there. I still haven’t decided which home series. Will I extend a designer a lot or extend a premier a little. I was told approx. $125k for the extensions I want if in a Designer, it would be a bit less in a Premier because there would be less extending. When I reserve a lot I am committing to a home series. It’s going to be a designer lot or premier lot. They are now offering a 120-day reservation period which is great. Also, I can change my mind. I will not lose my reservation money if I ask it to be applied to a different lot. That gives me the freedom to actually select a lot this weekend. I plan to rent here in later Nov and early Dec. I may reserve something now because the best lots always go first. Tomorrow I will go from LSL to the Preserve by GC. I want to see how long it takes by gc.

Note that the north end of Moyer Loop is closed for construction through tomorrow. So you have to go to the south end to access those homes.

[bob&Gail]

If your in lady lake you will pay a city tax. Plus your a long way from brownwood

[VApeople]

It sounds like you are describing the Premiere homes in the Preserve area of Pine Hills. There are not spec' homes, they are all custom built. The lots there are good sized

What you say is not true. If you look at the map on thevillages.com, you will see spec Premier homes on Conservation Trail and McDaniel place. In addition, they are on crummy lots with kissing lanais.

Farther on down Conservation Trail, you will see a $16K Premier lot across the street from a $475K lot, which seems very strange to me. I have never seen a $16K lot that is 'good sized'.

By the way, there is a $10K Premier lot on Borrowman Avenue. I'm surprised they could even fit a Premier home on a lot that small.

[Retiring]

What you say is not true. If you look at the map on thevillages.com, you will see spec Premier homes on Conservation Trail and McDaniel place. In addition, they are on crummy lots with kissing lanais.

Farther on down Conservation Trail, you will see a $16K Premier lot across the street from a $475K lot, which seems very strange to me. I have never seen a $16K lot that is 'good sized'.

By the way, there is a $10K Premier lot on Borrowman Avenue. I'm surprised they could even fit a Premier home on a lot that small.

The lots I saw at the Preserve today were $84, 94, 169, 194, and 545. We didn’t go to the acre plus lots, they are way out of my budget. There were a few “inside” lots but not many. Anyway privacy is important to me, I don’t see myself buying an inside lot.

I will “probably” end up with one of these pond lots. However, nothing in stone yet, still looking.

I really was hoping to find a large designer lot. We looked all day and I don’t think it’s going to happen. I may be “forced” to go Premier, just to get the larger lot. The silver lining is the extensions will not be as great or expensive since a Premier is larger from the start.

[LBSsnowbird]

I live in LaBelle, which is next to both Osceola and to Pine Ridge and Pine Hills. Just moved into a new home about 8 months ago. We love being "down south" in The Villages. I appreciate being close to the Sarasota golf practice facility since practice is what I need most. There is plenty of daily shopping nearby, and that was before the additions at Lake Deaton which I expect will take some of the crowd pressure off the Publix at Colony. It's a quick trip to Brownwood when needed (we don't visit the squares much for entertainment). When we want other shopping, which also isn't often, we typically use our car as it's too long a hike in a golf cart for our taste. At the moment, because the whole area is still being built out, it's less crowded than other areas, and that's especially true at the nearby Rec Centers, although I'm prepared for that to change. Being in a new area means that most of the neighbors are eager to make friends and establish various activities. And, it seems a good bet that there will be future retail development along and south of 44 which may reduce our need to travel up to the hectic part of 441 for shopping for things other than groceries. Overall, choosing this area was a good decision for us and I can't think of any negatives. Best of luck with your search.

[VApeople]

I may be “forced” to go Premier, just to get the larger lot.

Why not consider living in another area outside The Villages? You may be able to find a large lot and have more freedom to build whatever type of house you want.

As we drive around the areas south of Ocala, we see a lot of developments that look nice from the outside. If The Villages did not offer what we wanted, we would sure look elsewhere.

[joldnol]

one advantage of a new area is that social groups start to jell before cliches are formed. We frequently go through those three areas while taking the dogs on cart rides, All are nice. They are farther from the town centers ( Brownwood and Lake Sumter are no more than 20 or 25 minutes away by cart) than other areas down south. Golf courses and pools are all close by. I beleive the lifestyle visits are all out of Alden Villas right next door to Brownwood. If you haven't done so I would schedule one for 4 or 5 days and try the area out.

[Retiring]

I’ve been here a week now and I’ve been going like the energizer bunny. I may have to rule out The Preserve, too much money. One thing I really liked about the preserve is most lots are truly private. I think we found a lot in Osceola (soaring eagle) that may work and has some privacy. My agent has some conflicting literature about the lot. He asked his boss and they are sending out an engineer to get a definitive answer. If they give me a green light I think I’ll end up in Osceola.

Thanks all that have emailed me. Yes, I’m aware not everyone in TV is like Duppa. He or she would not stop me from moving to TV. There’s one in every crowd and the best thing is to just pray for them.

[Schaumburger]

I’ve been here a week now and I’ve been going like the energizer bunny. I may have to rule out The Preserve, too much money. One thing I really liked about the preserve is most lots are truly private. I think we found a lot in Osceola (soaring eagle) that may work and has some privacy. My agent has some conflicting literature about the lot. He asked his boss and they are sending out an engineer to get a definitive answer. If they give me a green light I think I’ll end up in Osceola.

Thanks all that have emailed me. Yes, I’m aware not everyone in TV is like Duppa. He or she would not stop me from moving to TV. There’s one in every crowd and the best thing is to just pray for them.

Hello Retiring, This wannabee wishes you much good luck in finding a lot and building your home in The Villages. :wave:

[VApeople]

I think we found a lot in Osceola (soaring eagle) that may work and has some privacy. My agent has some conflicting literature about the lot. He asked his boss and they are sending out an engineer to get a definitive answer. If they give me a green light I think I’ll end up in Osceola.

Are you looking at lot S190.93 in Soaring Eagle? It looks like it would hold a modest house with a 4-car garage, but you would not have much privacy in the back.

I think you should look outside TV for a better lot. I suspect that all of the good lots in Soaring Eagle have flown the coop.

[bbbbbb]

[QUOTE=Retiring;1285097]I value the opinion of those on this forum. Please give me your thoughts on these 3 villages:

Osceola Hills
Pine Hills
Pine Ridge

Hi, the best we can offer is to get a good map, also the maps are shown on the website for the villages. To move here, it seems to us that location, location the Realtor song is really important. How much do you want to drive, or golf cart or walk? So think on that and study the maps. You can also go to www.mapquest and show the Villages Fl.
Good luck. bbbbbb :icon_wink:

[coconutmama]

We like Osceola Hills but all are good. Can get to Sumter in about 5-10 minutes longer by cart than from our previous neighborhood near Sumter. Since we're retired, enjoy the ride. Can't get the life style in any other community. There are 4 executive courses nearby plus Belle Glade CC. Colony Plaza is nearby as well as Lake Deaton. Plus just go out the end of Morse to Leesburg,etc. Hope you enjoy your new build.

[Nugent47]

Hi,

I bought last November in Osceola Hills Soaring Eagle. Newer Village and love it.
There is only one way in and one way out so you do not have any cross thru traffic.
All neighbors are new and open to friendship.

[stujake]

I value the opinion of those on this forum. Please give me your thoughts on these 3 villages:

Osceola Hills
Pine Hills
Pine Ridge

Whatever comes to mind.
Thanks.

Pine Hills and Pine Ridge are both in Lake County, where the taxes are substantially higher than Sumter County for the same price house. Osceola Hills is in Sumter County, so taxes will be lower. All three villages must be accessed from Morse Blvd. Westbound traffic on CR 466A must make a left turn onto Morse to reach any of those three villages. Even during the summer, it often takes 2 to 4 light changes to make your turn. In season, it could take longer. Another factor in Osceola Hills may be the location of the pool relative to the house you are looking at, so you need to check out the house location relative to the pool. The pool for Osceola Hills is on the east side of Morse. You might want to look into a resale in the Village of Labelle. Good luck with your house search

[THUNDERCHIEF]

i value the opinion of those on this forum. Please give me your thoughts on these 3 villages:

Osceola hills
pine hills
pine ridge

whatever comes to mind.
Thanks.

stop and ask people on the squares in person, much better to talk to people and exchange thoughts

[Retiring]

Great information from everyone. I am very appreciative you took the time to offer input. After a week it’s time for me to go home. I viewed many lots. The preserve was out of my budget. Although, the preserve does have cheaper lots but there was nothing special about those lots. We found a lot in Osceola. My agent had two data sheets about the lot, one contradicted the other. TV Sales was to send an engineer out to the lot on Friday to get us a definitive answer. It’s now Tuesday, we haven’t heard anything from the engineer, and my time has run out for this visit to TV. When I return I will be here as a renter for a month. I will pick up where I left off and maybe I will find a lot at that time. Thanks to all for taking the time to give your opinion. It’s people like you that makes TV the great community it is. God bless and protect the people of TV.

[SALYBOW]

I value the opinion of those on this forum. Please give me your thoughts on these 3 villages:

Osceola Hills
Pine Hills
Pine Ridge

Whatever comes to mind.
Thanks.
We have been looking at all three. IMHO Osceola is very far away from everything. Pine Hills and Pine Ridge are basically the same area so the answers would be similar. They are very convenient to Colony, the new Walgreens and side businesses, are not too far from Sumter and close to Brownwood. They are as close as many Villages to Spanish Springs and shopping. The taxes in Pine Hills/Ridge are 2.5% higher but the purchase prices are lowered to offset that. The Rohan Rec center is right there for both of them and Eisenhower is nearby. Emergency equiptment and golf courses are very close. It depends on where you feel you will be happy. Welcome to the Villages, have many nice days. :wave: