Early exploration at The Villages vs surrounding areas and towns

[senior citizen]

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[Russ_Boston]

It sounds to me like water is very important to you. So yes please give Mt. Dora a good looking over.

One thing to not dismiss would be TV's approximation to many of these lakes you mentioned where you could dock your boat. You couldn't walk to the dock from your house but...

Mt. Dora does remind me of lakeside/seaside NE town but personally I'd be bored real quick. But if you're the type of person that wants to be on your boat most of the time then perhaps it would appeal more to you. Personally I like the variety that TV has to offer.

Mt. Dora is about 25-30 miles away from most of TV. About 45-50 min drive http://maps.google.com/maps?q=mt+dora+fl&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&oe=&rlz=1I7ADFA_en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wl

You might want to look into Harbor Hills just across from TV. It has nice homes and is right on Lake Griffin: http://www.harborhills.com/

[senior citizen]

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[2 Oldcrabs]

Top of the World in Ocala. Appx 20 mi away. Over 55 community, similar to TV but a lot less amenties and golf. Lots are bigger, houses are 20%-30% cheaper and the builder is more willing to do upgrades. More laid back. If it was up to me, TOW is where I would buy. But since my wife wants TV, we will be buying in TV when our house sells up north. ( Since the "debt" issue in DC has come to the fore front, people seem to be holding off making an large purchases.)

[Ohiogirl]

Mount Dora is a cute town, kind of "Old Florida." I've been there about 3 times. Takes about 45 min. from our house in Sabal Chase - might be a little closer from Hadley or Sanibel, but only by 5 or 10 minutes. You have to go thru Leesburg and Tavares, lots of traffic lights.

The website for Lakes of Mt. Dora says it is planning 4 phases with a total of 950 homes. That's probably about the size of some of the smaller villages in TV. Not necessarily bad, just different. No way it can offer all the amenities of TV, but it does have a nice lake and a nice town. Depends what you want. You should look at many places if you are unsure TV is for you. I would start early as I think you could look at various retirement options for years, in Florida alone.

Talk to many people in TV - just strike up a conversation at a bar or on the golf course or along the boardwalk at Lake Sumter. Ask where people have looked and what they thought, then look for yourself. Sometimes people will make a comment you might never have thought of yourself, and it might turn out to be very insightful. We have learned a lot this way. We have done this just about everywhere we've travelled, when possible.

You would be surprised how many retirees are in the 2nd (or even 3rd) retirement location, but it seems to me that we have met many Villagers who moved to TV from a previous retirement location than the other way around, although I am sure there are some. My impression is that those who retire to TV and then move away, are usually moving back "home" instead of to another retirement community.

Maybe I'm wrong about this, and I'm not sure how we would ever know, anyone have stories about this?

[senior citizen]

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[senior citizen]

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[Ohiogirl]

I drive my (electric) cart 2-3 times a month up to Piedmont or to Mulberry Rec Center or to golf or to Walmart from Sabal Chase, which is the 2nd village south of Lake Sumter Landing.

Once I got to know my way around, it takes about 30 minutes to Mulberry, less to all the other stuff. I would definitely drive the cart, way more fun than driving a car, just allow about twice the amount of time as driving a car.

When you get confused, just pull over (not right by a curve or intersection, and someone will almost immediately stop and help. It is truly the way to experience the Villages. I think you might find that although the Villages IS big, it is planned so that you can live it big or small - some Villagers probably never leave their quadrant, just use the square/restaurants nearest them, and the closest pool and rec centers - and that's fine, but you don't have to.

I think it does attract joiners, and those who like the expanse of things to do - not for everyone, just like some people love living in a small town and others need to be in a city. There are pluses and minuses to both.

[senior citizen]

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[senior citizen]

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[DonH57]

I know what you mean about boats. I have a small 12 footer and will have to check on storage unit prices and garage sizes when looking at houses. I hate the thought of having to sale it. We'll see.

[Bogie Shooter]

We were wondering if anyone could honestly answer whether or not they did any pre research exploration in other vicinities around The Villages prior to actually buying a home in The Villages?

Obviously, The Villages "sells itself", but has anyone looked at Mount Dora for instance. Some folks tell us it's only 12 miles away; others say 20 miles distance. Hubby would like to look at it.......simply for the sake of the boat launch areas and the marina........although he has said he has no problems at all with selling the boat if and when we do buy in THE VILLAGES, which as of now is our first choice, sight unseen.

We've been getting advertisements from The Lakes of Mount Dora which is another , yet smaller, 55+ community. The homes are walking distance to downtown Mount Dora which supposedly is reminiscent of a New England small town and one of the best places to retire (according to some retirement magazine). The homes are also walking distance to Mount Dora's harbor which looks lovely.

We'd appreciate some honest replies. No need to sell TV to us. We are coming down for a very extended lifestyle visit, but also want to see Mount Dora, Tavares, Eustis.......whatever is on the chain of lakes or Lake Harris Chain of Lakes.......again, he's quite willing to sell the boat and join the Deep Sea Fishing Club at TV.............but we both think that while we are down there, we should not miss out on Mount Dora. A realtor from M.D. sent us a ton of stuff from their Chamber of Commerce, including maps of the waterways, etc.

General opinion of the town of Mount Dora?
Many thanks in advance.

If you are going to be here for a month, you should be able to visit all the other sites you have mentioned.....probably even enough time to get a sales pitch from each. You are going to get differing opinions on the others, you must decide which is best for you.
Your site visits will be worth far more than any web sites, brochures or opinions of posters here. If you want us to make the decision for you.......buy in The Villages.

[senior citizen]

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[senior citizen]

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[senior citizen]

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[Bill-n-Brillo]

......Your site visits will be worth far more than any web sites, brochures or opinions of posters here......

Ditto!

Sandy and I made numerous "scouting" trips to FL over the past 2-3 years. We looked at all types of 55+ communities - TOTW, Stone Creek, Summer Glen up in Ocala, Lake Ashton further south in Lake Wales, etc., including a number of manufactured housing communities as well. All were very nice. We pretty much scoured greater central FL. We chose TV based on the infrastructure and the number of things there are to do and get involved in. Frankly, several of the other communities were more desirable to us based strictly on what kind of (and how much) house you can get for the money. But for us, the draw to TV was how active the environment is. Nothing else came even close. Not a sales pitch, just our perspective.

And if the house you're renting is within TV, you CAN get to the squares via golf cart.

Bill :)

[senior citizen]

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[kb8tpw]

We have friends that live in Hawthorne which is on US27 south edge of Leesburg. It is on Lake Harris I believe. They are there for boat slip purposes and very happy. Also, we did check out, very thoroughly, Summer Glen, which is between Top of the World and The Villages. Other than "lifestyle" and amenities they have much better housing, price and quality wise, than the Villages. The Lifestyle hooked us, as many others. With the length of your stay you should find something that suits you and it may or may not be the Villages.

I should mention that when we get together with our friends in Hawthorne they always come to the Villages and we have never been down to see their place or ride their boat... Maybe there is a story there.

[Bogie Shooter]

A few people have told me it's really far from the northwest quadrant in Marion County to say, Lake Sumter Landing, or even Spanish Springs.
Our original thought was to use the golf cart, but it's electric and goes for 70 miles.....so that's 35 and 35 back? What if it konks out? We will see when we get there..............but good to know you are managing with yours. I'm not looking at the map at the moment, but I think Mulberry is someplace near where we will be............it looks like the closest supermarket. Thank you!!!

What if you car konks out? It is approximately 7-8 miles from Mulberry to Lake Sumter Landing. You can visit both squares with the cart on a full charge with power to spare. If your cart konks out you will have more helpers than you can deal with. Those folks telling you, it's really far, need to get out more.

[mrfixit]

Please RESEARCH CAREFULLY. "On Top Of The World" has recently abandoned its CDD (Community Development District) status with the State of Florida. I personally do not know what this means for the OTOW residents. But 2 couples I know of ..are now "MOVING ON UP" (south) to The Villages, because of that.

[batman911]

Terra Vista at Citrus Hills is another smaller community that has really nice homes. Quieter than TV and has a really nice large fitness facility. It's only about 30 minutes from TV. We visited there twice but decided on TV instead due to the variety of activities available.

http://www.citrushills.com/

[Mudder]

By all means you can drive your golf cart anywhere in The Villages from where you are staying. You can even play a round of golf and get home with no problem. It will only take you about 20 minutes to get to Spanish Springs and a little bit longer to Lake Sumter. Please use the golf cart, you get a much better idea of what the villages is all about when you travel by cart. from where you will be you can go to Publix to do your food shopping in your golf cart.
Harbor Hills is very nice, large houses, not only retired folks live there, not to many activities, but worth a look.....and the Sunday brunch is excellent!
Don't know anything about Mt. Dora but my interest in a day trip there has been peaked.

[senior citizen]

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[senior citizen]

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[senior citizen]

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[senior citizen]

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[senior citizen]

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[rubicon]

senior citizen: You are wise to explore your choices carefully.

[senior citizen]

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[faithfulfrank]

Good friends of ours have a place in Hawthorne with a boat. They love it there. Many things to do.
We are in The Plantation, about 2 miles south of Hawthorne.

The Villages is a one of a kind place. There are many nice communities in the area, all nice, all a bit different from each other. We have friends in Arlington Ridge, Legacy, The Villages, Hawthorne, Royal Highlands, etc,etc....

These places are like a rack of shoes...all look nice, all a bit different.....try as many on as you can....one will just "fit right".

Check on HOA's the rules, the fees, how stable they are money-wise, etc. I like the fact that the place we are in is all owned by US, not the developer.....the financials are rock solid, HOA fees are low, and no CCD or bond fees.

The good news is there is hardly a bad choice out there...there ARE a few, so look well. Congrats and enjoy!!

Frank

[eweissenbach]

Here's my 2 pennies worth. We will buy in TV within the year, providing we are successful selling our home. I have had boats for over 30 years, and currently live on a lakefront property with a 2 well covered dock, a pontoon boat, a bass boat, and a waverunner. I have had a lot of fun boating, fishing, etc., but will not miss the maintenence and expense involved. We spent April in TV for the last two years, and absolutely fell in love with the lifestyle. As far as I can tell, the lifestyle of TV is unique from other retirement communities. The active lifestyle of TV is not everyone's cup-of-tea, so I totally understand others making different choices, but for me the lifestyle (dancing, golf, swimming, pickleball, dining out, people watching, lifelong learning...........) is the most compelling factor. In fact I never really liked Florida before visiting the Villages.

This past April I played golf with some people who lived in Stonecrest, and on their advice we spent an afternoon looking there. For awhile the housing options turned our heads, but on reflection we realized there was virtually no one "out and about", on carts, walking, bicyling etc. unlike TV. We went to the pool and no one was there - we went to the rec center and it looked Spartan in comparison to those at TV. The golf course looked less well maintained and not very busy either, this on a Saturday in the mid-80s. In other words, it was a nice community of houses, with very little else to offer IMHO. The salesman we talked to continually talked about the ability to get to the villages by going cross country and across the GC bridge. If getting to the Villages from Stonecrest was such a selling point, why not just buy in the Villages? I talked to another gentleman with whom I played golf, who lived in Del Webb. He said he wanted to move to Florida, but his wife said she would move only if they DIDN'T move to the Villages! Why I asked? Because it was just too busy was his reply. Ergo, the very reason I love it is the reason she hated it. To each his own. By the way I am a small town boy, who has lived in small towns, rural areas, and major cities, and I find each of them to have certain advantages, but as I get older the convenience of shopping and numerous resturaunt choices appeals greatly to me.

[kofficer]

I went out to the Harbor Hills site, and you have to look around but they do list some prices, they start at $249,000 for the 1620 sf. house, and that is before any upgrades. As they didn't list what is standard, no way of knowing how much you might put in upgrades. House was beautiful though. A lot of nice upgrades. Large master, large spa bathroom, open kitchen . . . I don't believe you can actually get that in the Villages in that square footage.

Lee and Richard in Tampa for now.

[senior citizen]

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[senior citizen]

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[senior citizen]

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[kofficer]

I really don't think they were built yet. Myself, I am headed for the Villages in the next year at some point, we have looked everywhere, we live in Florida, and there is no where that can offer what the Villages offer, that I have found. You can make the villages, as small a world as you want to. Just depends on what you like to do. I like having the options and the golf cart transportation and the hospitals close by and the restaurants, and Katie Bells and.. and ... and ....

[jpharmat]

Is there any way that you could buy a home in TV and rent a boat slip on the lake ? I don't know if this is do-able... maybe just another option for you.

[eweissenbach]

Obviously, in northern climates people have to fight the elements all winter long and into springtime as well........so it definitely sounds as if TV helps those come out of hibernation............except I just read that the "real feel" was 112 degrees in Lady Lake........

The "real feel" or heat index here, one hour north of Kansas City, was 111 today and I worked outside most of the day. The Florida summer is no more oppressive than here, it just lasts longer.

[Pturner]

Senior Citizen,
You are wise to check out all of your options while you're down here shopping for a retirement community to call home.

You raise an issue though about which I've wondered. If one chooses another retirement community, why does it matter how close it is to TV?

No doubt that TV is not for everyone. TV is unique with its huge variety of activities, clubs and amenities, and the breadth of its golf-cart accessibility. Other retirement communities offer more home for the money, and/or boating, more fishing opportunities, fewer restrictions, more peace and quiet or any number of other things that some retired couples would prefer. I get that.

But once one decides that TV is not for them, why does living near TV matter? There are 55+ communities all over Florida (and all over the country). Living near TV affords neither the golf-cart lifestyle nor access to TV clubs and amenities, except the town squares. Oh, and the golf courses, but golf courses are ubiquitous in many areas.

Other communities often advertise being "close" to TV. So what?

Am I the only one who wonders? :shrug:

[eweissenbach]

Senior Citizen,
You are wise to check out all of your options while you're down here shopping for a retirement community to call home.

You raise an issue though about which I've wondered. If one chooses another retirement community, why does it matter how close it is to TV?

No doubt that TV is not for everyone. TV is unique with its huge variety of activities, clubs and amenities, and the breadth of its golf-cart accessibility. Other retirement communities offer more home for the money, and/or boating, more fishing opportunities, fewer restrictions, more peace and quiet or any number of other things that some retired couples would prefer. I get that.

But once one decides that TV is not for them, why does living near TV matter? There are 55+ communities all over Florida (and all over the country). Living near TV affords neither the golf-cart lifestyle nor access to TV clubs and amenities, except the town squares. Oh, and the golf courses, but golf courses are ubiquitous in many areas.

Other communities often advertise being "close" to TV. So what?

Am I the only one who wonders? :shrug:

Phyllis; That is EXACTLY why we decided to forget Stonecrest and concentrate only on TV. As I stated in a previous post, the salesman there could not praise the Villages enough and continually emphasized the proximity and ability to get to Spanish Springs and the rest of TV. I looked at the access and thought, hmmm, that may not last for long. But, the big thing for me was, if TV is so good and accesability so important why not just live there? You can get more home for your money in Stonecrest, and I am sure other retirement communities-----if the primary activity you want to enjoy is stay home.

[angiefox10]

We spent years going up one coast and down the other and many of the communities in the middle. What we found were pools and rec rooms the kids ad taken over, only one golf course for the community. The homes in the front of the communities were nice, but when you went a few blocks in, the yards were shabby in most cases.

They were built for 55+ but didn't seem to do anything to promote the friendship that TV does. I'm not sure what good it would do to own a golf cart for most of them as they really weren't that big.

We could find lots of homes (even then) that were cheaper then The Villages, but nothing like the lifestyle in TV.

For us... None of them were what we were looking for... We knew it then. Didn't even take any paperwork away... They all looked the same and so if we were to move to one of the other communities, it wouldn't have mattered much which one we moved to.

But then... That's just me!

[jackz]

Senior Citizen,
You are wise to check out all of your options while you're down here shopping for a retirement community to call home.

You raise an issue though about which I've wondered. If one chooses another retirement community, why does it matter how close it is to TV?

No doubt that TV is not for everyone. TV is unique with its huge variety of activities, clubs and amenities, and the breadth of its golf-cart accessibility. Other retirement communities offer more home for the money, and/or boating, more fishing opportunities, fewer restrictions, more peace and quiet or any number of other things that some retired couples would prefer. I get that.

But once one decides that TV is not for them, why does living near TV matter? There are 55+ communities all over Florida (and all over the country). Living near TV affords neither the golf-cart lifestyle nor access to TV clubs and amenities, except the town squares. Oh, and the golf courses, but golf courses are ubiquitous in many areas.

Other communities often advertise being "close" to TV. So what?

Am I the only one who wonders? :shrug:

P: I think it is called "TV envy".....

[senior citizen]

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