Living on a lake

[Tonig]

I've seen some houses listed that are either directly on a lake or a house or two away. Would you want to live by a lake? Why or why not?

[Bogie Shooter]

For the same reasons people live near water,all over the world. Privacy, beauty, tranquility, etc.

[sallybowron]

We lived on a lake in our home in Cincinnati, however that lake did not have alligators and many fewer snakes! You decide!

[billethkid]

For the same reasons people live near water,all over the world. Privacy, beauty, tranquility, etc.

Ditto.

[retiredguy123]

Lakefront living? Is that something new? I hope you get a big discount for being on the water. Some people actually have to live on the ocean.

[thetruth]

I've seen some houses listed that are either directly on a lake or a house or two away. Would you want to live by a lake? Why or why not?.

On a lake? Is it a lake or is it a drainage puddle? A house or two away. Salesmanship. A golf course view? Well with the leaves on the trees, you can see it if you take a ladder and climb on your roof.

Cost vs value for the money spent. A friend who does not live in the villages lives on a lake-truth it is a drainage pond-SMALL.
When, we were looking thinking etc he said something that I did not realize. In his words you have no privacy. I would expect in a hurricane there is nothing to break the wind. Wildlife. It is beautiful in someone else's place. An alligator great till he stops by for breakfast.

You need to decide WHAT YOU WANT. Most people, me included tend to justify the choice they have made.

There is a lake, drainage pond, not far from us. As it has road frontage, you are allowed to fish there. It is a TINY LAKE. People walk their dogs there. One guy pulls on the grass in his golf cart and fishes-never saw him catch anything. I've never seen alligators there but mostly they survive because you don't see them when they are there. Would you want that by your home-that is your question to answer.

[villagetinker]

One word of caution the view you see today will not be the view you see in the future (unless this is a water hazard on a golf course), and you may NOT be allowed to alter your view (trim weeds or trees). Take a close looks at the deed restriction documents they state that water features may or may not be there all the time. Finally, some of the water features in TV area PROTECTED areas and owned or regulated by the South West Water management district, do not ever try to alter these areas,if I recall correctly you do not even own to the water line.
Bottom line do a due diligence review of any water view property so you understand what you are getting, whats is actually yours and what you can and cannot do in the future.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

I wouldn't want lakeside living because mosquitoes. I don't want to have to spray DEET on my skin just because I feel like having a cup of coffee on the back porch.

A lake VIEW home, would be nice. Maybe across the street, or even down the street from a dead end that ends at the lakeside.

Not interested in retaining pond living though.

[Fredster]

For the same reasons people live near water,all over the world. Privacy, beauty, tranquility, etc.

And some are willing to set aside buying a Ferrari for a special view!
Or they might be fortunate enough to have both!

[vintageogauge]

We bought on a lake/pond in Fenney nearly two years ago, the only snake I have seen since moving here was on the Lake Sumter Sales Office parking lot. There are not a lot of mosquitos as they keep it sprayed, the alligators are relatively small and I like seeing them, lots of different birds and ducks that are fun to watch, they know exactly how far away from the alligators to walk. Owls and hawks make a daily appearance trying to catch small ducks on the water. I have seen no rats, raccoons, or armadillos I have seen a few rabbits but they don't seem to survive very long, most importantly NO CANADIAN GEESE which we had up north they are worse than dogs messing up the lawn. It's very relaxing to watch the sun come up and go down over the water and our view beyond is all mossy oak trees rather than homes which makes it much more private. We lived on a golf course for 13 years before moving down here and I will never do that again, no privacy, have to listen to every curse word known to mankind almost all day long, the maintenance people start mowing and blowing well before daylight and sometimes well after dark in the evenings and you have to breathe the fumes from pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides quite a few time a year. If we were to build another home it would without a doubt be on water.

[jane032657]

We live on Cherry Lake and can see Lake Sumter as well. We have a birdcage and a huge lake view, bugs are not a problem with a birdcage. When it is not bug season, sitting out at the fire pit and looking out at the lake is gorgeous. It's all in what you value and enjoy.

[red tail]

For the same reasons people live near water,all over the world. Privacy, beauty, tranquility, etc.

the only thing worse than living on a lake is NOT living on a lake!

[Topspinmo]

We live on Cherry Lake and can see Lake Sumter as well. We have a birdcage and a huge lake view, bugs are not a problem with a birdcage. When it is not bug season, sitting out at the fire pit and looking out at the lake is gorgeous. It's all in what you value and enjoy.

Isn’t cherry lake and Sumter lake the same lake, and it just got renamed when Lake Sumter lmding was built? I seen some old maps and there was no Lake Sumter in the area?

[Topspinmo]

Here I would be concerned where the street drain run to lake. If they ran through or between the property I would pass? But, that’s me being I live real close to the Lopez ground collapse.

[coffeebean]

We lived on a beautiful very large lake in South Florida for several years. There were no alligators but the wild life was lovely. We had a HUGE turtle attempting to get over the fence to lay her eggs by the water. That was a scary situation. As for privacy....there was none. People would float by in their paddle boats. There was always the possibility of someone looking at our backyard with binoculars. That may not have ever happened but there was always the opportunity for someone to do that.

We are on a dry lot here in The Villages, surrounded by a large thick hedge affording us privacy. I prefer the privacy. I also prefer not to worry about an alligator creeping up on me while I'm gardening!

[jojo]

We chose the lake (retention pond) view and have lived here 11 years. There is a championship golf course on the other side of the pond. One of the best decisions we've made other than the decision to move to The Villages. I put my office in the corner of the open living area so that I can enjoy the water view. We have an occasional alligator in the water but never have we seen one on the shore. There is a sand bar when the water is lower that is a treasure trove for wildlife - turtles, anhingas, a variety of ducks, egrets and blue herons. We love watching the waves which tell us the wind direction. And the reflection of the color of the sunsets in the water is stunning. Never have I seen a mosquito in our yard. The white pelicans are amazing to watch. We eat most of our meals outside on the lanai. We have not experienced any downside to living on water (other than initial cost!).

[vintageogauge]

We lived on a beautiful very large lake in South Florida for several years. There were no alligators but the wild life was lovely. We had a HUGE turtle attempting to get over the fence to lay her eggs by the water. That was a scary situation. As for privacy....there was none. People would float by in their paddle boats. There was always the possibility of someone looking at our backyard with binoculars. That may not have ever happened but there was always the opportunity for someone to do that.

We are on a dry lot here in The Villages, surrounded by a large thick hedge affording us privacy. I prefer the privacy. I also prefer not to worry about an alligator creeping up on me while I'm gardening!

I've never seen a paddle boat or any kind of boat in the ponds and lakes down here, no fishermen either as that is not allowed in most of the ponds and lakes. Some of the lakes are very private, others are surrounded by homes.

[bluedivergirl]

We live on an extension of Evans' Prairie. We chose that because, in our opinion, it is much less likely to disappear during a drought. We have no trouble with bugs.

We do see snakes, alligators and turtles. That is why we live where we do. We want to see them. We don't see anyone in any type of watercraft.

As my name says, I have been a SCUBA diver for near 30 years. I don't bother critters and they don't bother me.

The only critters bothering me currently are the rabbits eating my new holly bushes.

[dadspet]

Living on a pond with the golf course on the far side is the best decision we made in our Village house selection. The pond is very close and enables us to watch the wildlife which includes a multitude of birds, ducks, some turtles, white pelicans, and a lot of hackers (if you play golf you know what they look like - including me). In 5 yrs, there was only 1 resident alligator and to be honest he/she ( I didn't get too close and even if I did I'm sure I couldn't tell) was kind of fun to spot every once in a while. The gator didn't bother us but I don't think the ducks were as fortunate and it has since been removed. An occasional gator does pass through but I think they are just tourists visiting our adult Disney land. We have seen many more snakes on the streets and on an interior lot we previously had, then on the pond. We are amazed at how few musketoes there are, especially if you come from upstate NY. The location is: peaceful, interesting and just plain wonderful. The lots cost a few $s more but like they say you generally get what you pay for and I'm sure we did. Oh, and the great thing about the golf path on the far side of the pond is you really can't hear them much and they all try to avoid the water when they swing. Unfortunately (or fortunately for us) If you're into ball shagging you have to cross the pond and go into the shrubs on the other side of the fairway to find balls, but they aren't really that expensive at Wallmart. Two more things I almost forgot, the sunsets are numerous and spectacular, and make sure there is an ABC store close by since you will probably go thru more cocktails (Only kidding we use Publix).

Good Luck hunting there will be many opinions only but only yours counts (unless your married or course).

[Hopeful2]

Hello Tonig -
Living in a house on the lake in The Villages is simply beautiful. There is nothing quite like watching the rays of the sun dancing on the water ... or watching flocks of pelicans swimming in unison... or watching an eagle swoop down to skim the water's edge. A house on the water is peaceful, calm, and private. We have never seen a snake near our home, nor have we ever been visited by alligators, nor have we ever been bitten up by mosquitoes. Choosing a water lot for our home is one of the best decisions we have ever made and we would absolutely do it again in a heartbeat.

Best wishes to you as you choose your new home!

[dnobles]

If you are talking about a “lake “ in The Villages. Sometimes the smell is awful

[vintageogauge]

If you are talking about a “lake “ in The Villages. Sometimes the smell is awful

Nearly two years living on our lake, no odors at all to date and we have gone through some long dry spells. Maybe the lake you're referring to has sewage getting into it somehow or your talking about a marsh rather than a lake/pond.

[Topspinmo]

Hello Tonig -
Living in a house on the lake in The Villages is simply beautiful. There is nothing quite like watching the rays of the sun dancing on the water ... or watching flocks of pelicans swimming in unison... or watching an eagle swoop down to skim the water's edge. A house on the water is peaceful, calm, and private. We have never seen a snake near our home, nor have we ever been visited by alligators, nor have we ever been bitten up by mosquitoes. Choosing a water lot for our home is one of the best decisions we have ever made and we would absolutely do it again in a heartbeat.

Best wishes to you as you choose your new home!

Hard to be bit inside birdcage

[Hopeful2]

If you are talking about a “lake “ in The Villages. Sometimes the smell is awful

I doubt that the comment above was written by a person who has actually owned a Villages home adjacent to a lake or pond. There is no odor. A water view home is simply beautiful. Why else would people pay a high premium to own one?

[vintageogauge]

Hard to be bit inside birdcage

We go outside of our lanai in the evenings and don't have a problem with bugs, as I stated above they spray the areas around the lakes to keep them under control. We are not mosquito free but no worse than a home on an interior lot that does not have a lake, maybe even a little better off with the spraying.

[capecoralbill]

Here's an article about lakes/ponds in THE VILLAGES:
VILLAGES HAS THAT SINKING FEELING - Orlando Sentinel (https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-2003-03-26-0303260049-story.html)

March 5 2003. letter to Pete Wahl, administrator of the developer-controlled Village Center Community Development District government.

Wahl said the community's engineers are "looking for options" for a permanent fix. He would not discuss any of those options.

Water officials are concerned about a large retention pond The Villages calls Lago Bonito -- Spanish for "pretty lake."

Six homeowners there paid premium prices for waterfront homes. When a hole swallowed all the water last year, they picketed the developer to fix the problem.

[coalminer]

We bought a house on a pond. Great view, wildlife, and privacy. Very few mosquitos. I've only seen one snake and it wasn't a on the pond and not a water snake. Alligators? Come on.

[starflyte1]

I would almost always prefer living on a lake, but would have concerns buying in The Villages. Will the lake always be a lake, or will it be drained like the lake, maybe pond, has been in Alhambra? I don't know what the story is, but it isn't pretty.

[John_W]

A lake would be alright as long as I didn't own a dog or had frequent guests who always brought their dog. That's the only negative being near fresh water in Florida. However, more people here have lost pets to coyotes, even when the dog is no more than 20 feet away, coyotes are very fast. A gator can move 40 mph but you need to be near the water, a coyote can come from anywhere.

Coyote snatches woman’s dog in The Villages | WFTV (https://www.wftv.com/news/local/coyote-snatches-womans-dog-in-the-villages/560325325)

[jane032657]

We are in a villa on Cherry Lake with a fence. It is a perfect location, amazing gorgeous views and safe for the dogs. Going on seven years. Not one issue. And most of us on the lake side have dogs.

[John_W]

We are in a villa on Cherry Lake with a fence. It is a perfect location, amazing gorgeous views and safe for the dogs. Going on seven years. Not one issue. And most of us on the lake side have dogs.

I should of added that caveat to my reply, since I also live in a CYV. If you own a pet, buy a CYV if you want to have a water view, gators can't fly.

This view is for sale right now for $599K in Edgewater Bungalows.

https://image.thevillages.com/api/photo/486695.jpg

[Bay Kid]

For real water views you would need to be on the Chesapeake Bay.