retiring in 45 days from the carolinas!! [Archive]

tophcfa

11-18-2021, 06:40 PM

Yes, we love the Villages. Before deciding on the Villages, we spent two winter vacations in the Myrtle Beach area and both times we got freezing rain, a little snow, and it was dam cold out. Plus, much of the fun stuff to do in the area was closed during the winter. That’s when we decided that if your going south, don’t stop until you get to Florida.

Djean1981

11-18-2021, 07:31 PM

Welcome.

Laker14

11-18-2021, 08:13 PM

Michael G.

11-18-2021, 10:46 PM

Before moving to Florida, I left Wisconsin with a snow shovel strapped to my car.
The first person that ask: "What's That?" I know I was in the right place.

Garywt

11-19-2021, 12:54 AM

Laker14

11-19-2021, 05:23 AM

Congratulations on your impending retirement. I love the Villages. So does the DW. Come and enjoy it. Lots to love. I played two sessions of pickleball, each one a 2 minute cart ride from my house...tomorrow golf at Palmer, 20 minutes by golf cart... Weather was delightful today....what's not to love?

First off you need thing further from your house to do so you can get a longer golf cart ride, 2 minutes is not enough.

To the OP, we love the Villages, just don’t get enough time there.

My golf group wants to schedule Southern Oaks....if I go by cart that will be close to an hour. We played Lopez last week, that's a solid 35 minutes. One thing I'd do differently is I'd buy more comfortable cart seats.

banksupply

11-19-2021, 05:47 AM

:MOJE_whot::a040:The Villages is fabulous if you get out and do things. We get up and play pickleball, eat lunch, go to water volleyball then often wrap our day with a little golf late in the day. No matter what you have hear about The Villages there is only one thing that is the truth...Wine and Dine and bed by 9! Because your exhausted from having so much fun. We love it.

Rustyboy

11-19-2021, 05:47 AM

We moved here from Beaufort, SC in April. Great people, great weather you will enjoy it.

banjobob

11-19-2021, 05:49 AM

do you love the villages ???... thank you for your thoughts::

Do not buy a house near a pickelball court the constant noise is unbearable all day long early to late in the day!!

DaleDivine

11-19-2021, 05:50 AM

Love this place in PARADISE. Go to YouTube and watch "THE VILLAGES NEWCOMERS"
They put out a lot of good (and bad) info about living in The Villages.
:welcome::clap2:

DaleDivine

11-19-2021, 05:52 AM

My golf group wants to schedule Southern Oaks....if I go by cart that will be close to an hour. We played Lopez last week, that's a solid 35 minutes. One thing I'd do differently is I'd buy more comfortable cart seats.

:1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

Rwirish

11-19-2021, 05:53 AM

Yes but The Villages is way too far north. Cold for several months during the winter.

thevillages2013

11-19-2021, 05:53 AM

srpack

11-19-2021, 06:04 AM

do you love the villages ???... thank you for your thoughts::

We moved here 8 years ago from the Carolinas and love it. Only thing I miss is change of seasons...mostly Fall and Spring.

DIver0258

11-19-2021, 06:38 AM

do you love the villages ???... thank you for your thoughts::

We have owned in The Villages for 6 years, retired here in 2020. We love it here. It becomes a bit hectic when the seasonal folks return. Without the seasonal people a lot of businesses wouldn't make it year round. Its best to experience The Villages a few times before you decide. My best half was sold on the first visit. Remember your life is what you make it.

Plenty to do, lots of friends to do it with. You can be as active or as inactive as you wish. I haven't been in a bad neighborhood yet. You will find some naysayers, what we love about it may not be paradise to someone else. Welcome!

Ele201

11-19-2021, 07:00 AM

Yes but The Villages is way too far north. Cold for several months during the winter. Well, it’s not Miami, for example, which would be warmer in the winter. And the summers here…. Spent a few weeks at TV in July, and the heat/humidity was stifling.

Domenick

11-19-2021, 07:02 AM

Moved here from Charlotte in 2002. Love it. The only concern is finding good doctors. I go to Tampa for anything major. If you have any serious health problems you need to factor that in.

Joe C.

11-19-2021, 07:16 AM

The Villages is a much easier lifestyle. I moved down here because my wife and I have some friends who live here. She loves quilting, sewing, line dancing and exercise classes. She also loves riding around in the golf cart, and occasionally going to the pool.
We moved here from Vermont, and I figured that if I pass on first, then she wouldn't be able to put the snowblower on the back of the Kubota to clear our 435 foot long driveway, or bring in the wood for the woodstove, and all the other hard work. I wanted her to be in a place where life would be much easier for her. I, on the other hand, don't golf, and don't care for swimming pools. What I do miss, is the smell of the wood stove on those chilly mornings, going out and shooting the rifle or pistol in the side or back yard. Snowmobiling, and ATV'ing, splitting wood, mowing the grass with my riding lawnmower, and the spectacular view from my backyard are the things that I miss. I also miss watching the deer and the bears in my backyard almost every day. But life is much easier here.

randykw

11-19-2021, 07:16 AM

YES!
Made more friends here in 12 months than 24 yrs in Minnesota.
Golf, Pickle, Billiards, Bike, Walk, Alabama Club, Weather Club, SciTech Club, other activities.
Hope to meet you one day!

ASR1515

11-19-2021, 07:21 AM

Absolutely love it! Had a small house here for the last 10 years we used partially and rented partially. Here this weekend and early next week to close on our “forever” house. Can’t wait to be here full time in the next several months!

RICH1

11-19-2021, 07:22 AM

do you love the villages ???... thank you for your thoughts::
What are you thinking? North & South Carolina is a Great place to live! you will have major Regrets moving to Florida... Property Taxes here are off the chain compared to where you are... visit first I beg you

Glowfromminnesota

11-19-2021, 07:30 AM

Very true. We are in the same boat. Husband works from home in The Villages and I am only permitted to visit a few times during the month due to my job. When he is done with work, there are no activites. Hopefully, soon….

Oneiric

11-19-2021, 07:35 AM

do you love the villages ???... thank you for your thoughts::

Although it is getting much more crowded during snowbird season than 10 years ago, we love The Villages, and would be considered FROGS.

richs631

11-19-2021, 07:41 AM

do you love the villages ???... thank you for your thoughts::

To time consuming to list all the positives. It’s a no brainer especially if your a social person.

MX rider

11-19-2021, 07:52 AM

Although it is getting much more crowded during snowbird season than 10 years ago, we love The Villages, and would be considered FROGS.
We're heading there Dec 30th to check it out for 7 days. We'll be snowbirds. My wife won't move there fulltime because of the grandkids. We're retiring in a year and would like to buy a place at TV. I know it will be busy there, but I'm hoping it's not so bad we won't like it.
We will see. lol

rockyhyder

11-19-2021, 08:00 AM

We retired here from the Carolinas 2.5 years ago and we love it here. We enjoy golf, pickleball, riding bicycles, road trips on the golf cart and spending time with friends. You’re arriving during peak season so pack your patience and enjoy the hustle/bustle. The vibe here completely changes in May to a more relaxed don’t worry be happy theme. Congratulations you picked a great place to retire!

Blessed2BNTV

11-19-2021, 08:12 AM

Bought in 2012 while we both still worked. Retired in 2014 because we wanted to be full timers here.

I think my screen name describes how we feel about living in TV.

MrFlorida

11-19-2021, 09:02 AM

It's like a cruise ship on land. If your active , it's the place to be.

Just jimmy

11-19-2021, 09:14 AM

We moved here from Pennsylvania 4 years ago. We love it. You will always get people complaining about too crowded or too expensive. It’s less crowded than where we were and it’s also cheaper. And much warmer. That’s most important. Also was very hot and humid in July and august up north. We have ac here and lots of pools. You’ll love it.

Bonnie and Dave

11-19-2021, 09:15 AM

What’s NOT to love??

Andrea3051

11-19-2021, 09:29 AM

replied in error....;(

Andrea3051

11-19-2021, 09:33 AM

do you love the villages ???... thank you for your thoughts::
I think you will find that 99% of the villagers will not say a bad thing about TV, they have "drank the kool-aid" which is not a bad thing and this place is very special, however, had I known a few items, I may have made a different decision based on my personal needs or at least had all the info to make the best decision. I was "sold" by a very aggressive sales agent who over promised and under delivered. Thankfully, I am renting ;) but located in the new South of 44 area so my experience may be slightly different.
Pros: very friendly people, very social, lots of activities and beautiful amenities. easy low maintenance living. a happy place
Cons: stores & services are not close by, 10 miles= about 25 min (slow roads & roundabouts), thin & limited Medical & Veterinary options, very buggy but most don't care
Again, this applies to me, its more country living than I anticipated and the limited services & medical options concerns me as a full time single resident.

good luck, I am sure you will love it!

bultmanmary

11-19-2021, 09:39 AM

Yes, friendly people, many activities and a lot of sunshine ☀️

JMintzer

11-19-2021, 10:25 AM

What’s NOT to love??

That's like saying "Beeltejuice" 3 times!

davem4616

11-19-2021, 10:27 AM

we enjoy life in The Villages

just about everything that you need is here and there's plenty to do

the people are friendly and there's virtually no crime

it's not as warm as Ft Lauderdale is in the winter, but you don't have the traffic, nor the iguanas that we had when we lived there...but you do have the 'love bugs' twice a year

We're very pleased with the medical community here too

tedquick

11-19-2021, 11:41 AM

do you love the villages ???... thank you for your thoughts::

My wife and I visited 6 or 7 times before we purchased. We decided on the second day of our first visit that we wanted to live here when we retired. We "lived" each time we visited in order to see how we could take advantage of TV's amenities once we moved here. We toured homes on each visit so that when we knew we wanted to buy that we would already know the floor plan that we wanted. We purchased about 8 years ago in a village that was about 10-12 years old at the time because we knew that we wanted to be close to town centers, The Savannah, The Sharon, good restaurants, and large box stores like Lowe's and Home Depot. We bought about half way between Spanish Springs and Lake Sumter Landing and completely redid our home as we had built our last two homes "up north". We flat love the lifestyle down here. We are involved in a number of groups both from the neighborhood and from church. My wife is part of a small group of women who regularly do trips together on nearly a monthly basis, both on land and sea. We are as active as we want to be as well as secluded and private as we want to be. We are blessed to be here as we can choose to live exactly as we want. Best of luck to you.

Michael G.

11-19-2021, 01:26 PM

Look at it as "Gods waiting room", and enjoy your stay

Michael G.

11-19-2021, 01:38 PM

We'll be snowbirds. My wife won't move there fulltime because of the grandkids.

There's something to think about here when it comes to grandkids.......they don't stay kids forever,
They soon have a life of their own, school/friends/cell phones/computer games/romances/summer jobs/sports.

How many people we know that live in the same location of grandkids, and they
never have time for the grandparents when they get older.

Move to TV full time, arrange enjoyment for your own life, fly them down for a week or two, you'll see them everyday.

Just a Thought

oxfordreb52@gmail.com

11-19-2021, 01:41 PM

If you are a golfer, there are over 700 golf holes in The Villages and swimming pools galore. There are over 3000 organizations you can belong to and enjoy. Pickle Ball, Tennis, Water Volley Ball, Corn Hole, Shuffle Board, Bache Ball, Model Airplanes, Trains, etc. It is like being on vacation all the time. Great food in and around The Villages, plus shopping. The best aspect of this place is the entertainment at the squares. And this is just the beginning.

John41

11-19-2021, 01:45 PM

do you love the villages ???... thank you for your thoughts::

Excellent place to retire if you want to be active. Lots of clubs.

wyealbert

11-19-2021, 05:17 PM

We have been here almost 8 years and love it. You will always have "whiners" that gripe about almost anything--just ignore them.

Karen Cruiser

11-19-2021, 06:05 PM

After 25 yrs., I still hate the Florida heat. We moved into a community that has indoor tennis, indoor pickleball and an indoor pool. If you prefer all the sports out in the heat, you’ll be fine. If you prefer indoor activities, look for another place.

tophcfa

11-19-2021, 06:11 PM

//////

La lamy

11-19-2021, 06:12 PM

Congrats on your impending retirement!! The Villages is retirement paradise. Rent for a few months before buying. There's so much to experience and figure out, I'm sure you'll love it.

frose

11-19-2021, 06:45 PM

poor quality homes, people bitchie, restrictions awful, not bad weather, can't wait to leave.....looking for a house??moved here from north carolina.. should have went further south, not in a 55 old people community

JerryLBell

11-19-2021, 07:30 PM

My wife and I lived in North Carolina for 20 years, loved it and planned to retire in either North or South Carolina (with South having somewhat better tax benefits for retirees). Then, on the recommendation of my wife's cousin, we stopped in at The Villages for a look around. We couldn't believe what we saw - it just seemed too good to be true (though getting around at first was kind of overwhelming). We stopped again a year later and it was everything we remembered (though a little easier to get around this time). We came back a year later and bought a house. Having lived here going on 5 years now, I have to admit that the place isn't 100% perfect (no place is), but it's pretty darned close. We absolutely love living here and hope you do, too.

kkingston57

11-19-2021, 08:20 PM

Personally I love The Villages. Wife is having a hard time adjusting to the weather. We came from Palm Beach County. 10-15 degrees lower in The Villages in January and February and 4-5 degrees(average 90-95 average) warmer here than in Palm Beach However did not have one day last winter where in I could not play golf. Full disclosure, I do not play in the mornings during the cold months.

Do have heavy thunderstorms in the summer. We do live in the area known as the lightning capital.

Suggest vtisiting in January and July. That way you you can experience some of the coldest and warmest days. Mid October thru most of December and Mid Feb thru Mid April are fabulous.

My biggest complaint(if you consider this a complaint) is that there is TOO much to do here. Spend a lot of time deciding what to do. Full disclosure again, we are both very active.

kkingston57

11-19-2021, 08:27 PM

I think you will find that 99% of the villagers will not say a bad thing about TV, they have "drank the kool-aid" which is not a bad thing and this place is very special, however, had I known a few items, I may have made a different decision based on my personal needs or at least had all the info to make the best decision. I was "sold" by a very aggressive sales agent who over promised and under delivered. Thankfully, I am renting ;) but located in the new South of 44 area so my experience may be slightly different.
Pros: very friendly people, very social, lots of activities and beautiful amenities. easy low maintenance living. a happy place
Cons: stores & services are not close by, 10 miles= about 25 min (slow roads & roundabouts), thin & limited Medical & Veterinary options, very buggy but most don't care
Again, this applies to me, its more country living than I anticipated and the limited services & medical options concerns me as a full time single resident.

good luck, I am sure you will love it!

Need to check out areas north of 466. Almost everything I need is less than 1 mile from erverything including: 3 grocery stores, Home Depot, Lowes, hospital, 2 of the 3 doctors I see regularly, Sams Club, new BJ's, at least ten chain restaurants.

Houses are older but amenities are very mature.

Andrea3051

11-21-2021, 09:55 AM

Need to check out areas north of 466. Almost everything I need is less than 1 mile from erverything including: 3 grocery stores, Home Depot, Lowes, hospital, 2 of the 3 doctors I see regularly, Sams Club, new BJ's, at least ten chain restaurants.

Houses are older but amenities are very mature.
you are correct! I tried out Lake Sumter but since I am on the younger side, I found it too mature for me and felt very out of place there.

2BNTV

11-21-2021, 01:07 PM

I have been in TV for 8 plus years and I can say, "I love it here". :smiley:

The developers keep TV immaculate, The paper comes everyday like clockwork. The trash is picked up on schedule and my landscaper comes every week.

It is a leisure lifestyle with plenty of activities. There are 3,000 clubs in TV.

TV is a big place so I would recommend you rent for a couple of months and explore the many area's that might want to live in and see if it's right for you. Get a map from TV sales office.There are a lot of things to consider before you make a final decision.

Best of luck going forward!

Matrixclient

11-21-2021, 01:58 PM

View and subscribe to emails from this publisher before you move here. Not a too friendly place.
Do a web search for villages-newsdotcom

JMintzer

11-21-2021, 09:52 PM

View and subscribe to emails from this publisher before you move here. Not a too friendly place.
Do a web search for villages-newsdotcom

Interesting comments from someone who only joined the forum a week ago...

Laker14

11-23-2021, 08:15 PM

you are correct! I tried out Lake Sumter but since I am on the younger side, I found it too mature for me and felt very out of place there.

I live between 466 and 466A... I love it in this spot.

And while I may be older than you, nobody ever accused me of being "mature".
Ripe, maybe, but never mature.

Laker14

11-23-2021, 08:18 PM

anybody who thinks this place isn't friendly is IMO, overly sensitive. If anything, I sometimes wish I could just finish my front yard project without a neighbor coming over to engage me in conversation. But then I remember I could do this job anytime, and visiting with neighbors is a blessing.
I have never been anywhere where people were so engaging, friendly and helpful as here. It really is amazing to me.