Community "Choice"

[ugotme]

Coming up for a lifestyle preview in Oct. Probably looking to buy new but very seriously considering a resale. IF you had a choice of communities which would you pick? Also, are the newer communities "younger?"
Thanks for your input.

[coach]

Mine is the best.

[Bogie Shooter]

There are no bad ones.
Yes, the newer ones tend to be younger or young at heart.
You cannot go wrong.

[Ohiogirl]

on the street where you find a house you are considering buying. You can at least ask questions like how many snowbirds (if you care), where people are from (if you care), how many dogs (if you care) whether or not there are any regularly scheduled get togethers, etc. Try to engage in conversation and see what else pops out.

If you are uncomfortable with knocking, try to walk around or take a golf cart ride and talk to anyone you find out in their garage, yard, etc.

If nothing else, you will probably get a sense as to how friendly the immediate neighbors are.

I moved a lot as an adult with young children. After 1 move to a neighborhood with very few kids, I started knocking. Felt like I at least got a feel for the neighborhood.

[eweissenbach]

There are no bad ones.
Yes, the newer ones tend to be younger or young at heart.
You cannot go wrong.

True, but if I were going to buy used I would favor Virginia Trace, Largo, Sabal Chase, Bonita, Hemingway and Duval. They are South of 466 between Buena Vista and Morse. Here is a link to a map of all the villages. Maps of The Villages, Copyright Tee Up Realty, LLC (http://www.thevillages4rent.com/maps/index.htm)

[jojo]

I would add Mallory, Amelia, and Hadley. Beautiful terrain and conveniently located between LSL and Colony Plaza. We are about a 7 minute cart ride to Publix or to Sweetbay.

[buggyone]

Mallory Hill, Caroline, Virginia Trace are all beautiful communities south of 466.

I live in Glenbrook which is north of 466 and it is an area built around 2002-04
and is very nice.

Harmswood is a great place, too, which is north of 466.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

If I had a choice I find something in the vicinity of Lake Sumter Landing. It's centrally located and there's always something going on in the square.

People are people are people and I haven't met anyone here who isn't nice.

[PJOHNS2654]

Spanish Springs, walk to everything or golf cart it.

[janmcn]

If I hit the lottery, I would buy a pool home in Bridgeport at Lake Miona. It is centrally located, has beautiful big oak trees, and has it's own rec center for when company arrives.

[jimbo2012]

We bought new.

We saw a few things in our search, resales are fine to a build date of 2005, that when the building code changed mandating many(long list) improvements.

Resales may have an established click on the street that can be an issue.

Many new homes R less than resales, that is a fact.

It appears to us the seller wants to be compensated 100% for their upgrades, which you may not like. You're buying what they personalized not what your own ideas were.:ohdear:

I know others will disagree on that point.

New has a 5 year termite and 1 year complete home warrantee.

New everyone is on the same playing field sharing the excitement of setting up the home and everyone is seeking to meet each other.:coolsmiley:

This same camaraderie of all new owners should allow for their community center to reflect the new owners wishes rather than dealing with centers that are set in their ways.

I think all the communities are great, that IMO should not be the criteria, but in all fairness have not moved yet.

Anyone living here please correct me if I'm off point on my opinions.


.

[dkrhardy]

We bought new.

We saw a few things in our search, resales are fine to a build date of 2005, that when the building code changed mandating many(long list) improvements.

Resales may have an established click on the street that can be an issue.

Many new homes R less than resales, that is a fact.

It appears to us the seller wants to be compensated 100% for their upgrades, which you may not like. You're buying what they personalized not what your own ideas were.:ohdear:

I know others will disagree on that point.



New has a 5 year termite and 1 year complete home warrantee.

New everyone is on the same playing field sharing the excitement of setting up the home and everyone is seeking to meet each other.:coolsmiley:

This same camaraderie of all new owners should allow for their community center to reflect the new owners wishes rather than dealing with centers that are set in their ways.

I think all the communities are great, that IMO should not be the criteria, but in all fairness have not moved yet.

Anyone living here please correct me if I'm off point on my opinions.


.


You have pretty much hit all of the points WE thought about when we bought! You are right when you say others have differing opinions. There are some really good buys on the resale market, but so many have things we don't care for. Just gotta find that one that rings your personal bell.
Don & Kaz

[Bogie Shooter]

If I hit the lottery, I would buy a pool home in Bridgeport at Lake Miona. It is centrally located, has beautiful big oak trees, and has it's own rec center for when company arrives.

Probably more like a rec center near by rather than having its own rec center.

[wendyquat]

We were lucky enough to find pretty much what we wanted in a cyv in Largo last year Two minute walk to rec center, PO, and 2 pools. We like being off Canal St. True the area is 6 years old and most of the owners are originals and more "settled" but that suits us. In contrast we have friends that bought new and they are busier than we are with weekly driveway parties, etc. I guess it depends on what you are looking for. Largo will be about the center of TV when Brownwood is completed! You will meet your wonderful, happy neighbors and be happy either way!

[justjim]

The Village you pick can depend on a lot of variables including what you like to do. For example, if you plan to golf a lot at the executive courses, you might want to pick a village near a number of executive golf courses. If you want championship golf, then perhaps near the championship courses. Maybe your "thing" is the town square. Some Villages are closer to the square than others. However, for most of us, after a few months we found that we went to the grocery more times per week than the square. Most likely you won't be far from a recreation center no matter where you choose. Of course, if its a "new" house you want, you will buy where they are currently building. Good luck----hope you find what suits your needs.

[asianthree]

True, but if I were going to buy used I would favor Virginia Trace, Largo, Sabal Chase, Bonita, Hemingway and Duval. They are South of 466 between Buena Vista and Morse. Here is a link to a map of all the villages. Maps of The Villages, Copyright Tee Up Realty, LLC (http://www.thevillages4rent.com/maps/index.htm)

i agree

[LvmyPug2]

The right Village for you depends on your interests. Some neighborhoods have lots of social get togethers and some do not. Our friends live in an area where folks are friendly but they on don't have block parties or many village specific get togethers. Our neighborhood has some sort of party or gathering almost weekly and our Village has a social club that is very active with things going on every day. Just stop folks and ask...we've all been new here and we know what is like making these decisions. Besides most of us love to talk about our Village.:laugh:

Don't worry too much about how far the Village is from a square. When we go to a square, it is always for fun...music, craft show, a movie etc and we are not in a hurry. We almost always take our golf cart and although it only takes us 10 mins via the direct route, we often go the "long way" because we simply enjoy the ride.

[bandsdavis]

We just bought recently (resale) and focused our search in Villages that were fairly central to the activites we wanted to do. Some are in the Spanish Springs area, some are more south, especially Lake Miona and Seabreeze Rec Centers. We bought in St. Charles, our house is just 3 years old but already has some of the upgrades we were considering. Love the house, the neighbors are great, and even though we are a bit of a haul to Spanish Springs, we don't find it inconvenient at all. Heck, we're retired! A little extra drive time in the golf cart is not a bad thing!

[kathy and al]

We bought new.

We saw a few things in our search, resales are fine to a build date of 2005, that when the building code changed mandating many(long list) improvements.

Resales may have an established click on the street that can be an issue.

Many new homes R less than resales, that is a fact.

It appears to us the seller wants to be compensated 100% for their upgrades, which you may not like. You're buying what they personalized not what your own ideas were.:ohdear:

I know others will disagree on that point.

New has a 5 year termite and 1 year complete home warrantee.

New everyone is on the same playing field sharing the excitement of setting up the home and everyone is seeking to meet each other.:coolsmiley:

This same camaraderie of all new owners should allow for their community center to reflect the new owners wishes rather than dealing with centers that are set in their ways.

I think all the communities are great, that IMO should not be the criteria, but in all fairness have not moved yet.

Anyone living here please correct me if I'm off point on my opinions.


.
Jimbo: I think you have it right on the money on most of your observations. I might disagree to some extent on the "many new homes are less than resales". When you factor in the bond (which is not quoted as part of the selling price) then it can substantially increase the total overall cost of the new home thus making it a lot more expensive than advertised. There are some incredibly great values on resales in the Villages at this time, however, there are many who would prefer new and only new.

[asianthree]

something that is important to all.... can you get the ICE CREAM home in the cart with out it melting. option 2 eating it while you drive home if you can't:icon_hungry:

[buggyone]

We bought new.

We saw a few things in our search, resales are fine to a build date of 2005, that when the building code changed mandating many(long list) improvements.

Resales may have an established click on the street that can be an issue.

Many new homes R less than resales, that is a fact.

It appears to us the seller wants to be compensated 100% for their upgrades, which you may not like. You're buying what they personalized not what your own ideas were.:ohdear:

I know others will disagree on that point.

New has a 5 year termite and 1 year complete home warrantee.

New everyone is on the same playing field sharing the excitement of setting up the home and everyone is seeking to meet each other.:coolsmiley:

This same camaraderie of all new owners should allow for their community center to reflect the new owners wishes rather than dealing with centers that are set in their ways.

I think all the communities are great, that IMO should not be the criteria, but in all fairness have not moved yet.

Anyone living here please correct me if I'm off point on my opinions.


.

Actually, Jimbo does bring up a good point on his post. The part about in a new community when basically everyone moves in at the same time, you are all in the same boat and all bond together. That can be both a good thing and a bad thing.

We have a group of friends who moved in about the same time as us. They are all in St. Charles and it was just being built 3 years ago. They are all within a 2 block radius of each other and they all know what is going on with everyone else in the area. If one person tells someone something, it is known to the entire "loop" within a day. For example, one of my St. Charles friends told his neighbor that his PSA number was 5.5. Within a day, he got phone calls from several neighbors telling him what a needle biopsy felt like. Very much like an extremely small town in how word spreads so fast among neighbors. Yes, it is friendly, but personally, I enjoy a little more privacy than that.

[graciegirl]

Actually, Jimbo does bring up a good point on his post. The part about in a new community when basically everyone moves in at the same time, you are all in the same boat and all bond together. That can be both a good thing and a bad thing.

We have a group of friends who moved in about the same time as us. They are all in St. Charles and it was just being built 3 years ago. They are all within a 2 block radius of each other and they all know what is going on with everyone else in the area. If one person tells someone something, it is known to the entire "loop" within a day. For example, one of my St. Charles friends told his neighbor that his PSA number was 5.5. Within a day, he got phone calls from several neighbors telling him what a needle biopsy felt like. Very much like an extremely small town in how word spreads so fast among neighbors. Yes, it is friendly, but personally, I enjoy a little more privacy than that.

"Point" taken. Ouch!

[ugotme]

something that is important to all.... can you get the ICE CREAM home in the cart with out it melting. option 2 eating it while you drive home if you can't:icon_hungry:

Now that is a VERY important point. Never would have thought of that.
Thanks.

[jgbama]

One thing that "struck a nerve" (which is why I'm getting my dog in this fight) was the statement that younger people tend to buy new (even though the "young at heart" was added), or below 466. We looked in new Sanibel and saw lots of "not so young" owners. We loved everything on or East of Canal Street. Gosh folks, this is a retirement community. Age is a number, pure and simple. I have friends 15 years my junior who act like they are 100. In fact, my 27-year is actually in bed right now, 6:30 CDT, and he is between jobs. Also, don't think for a minute that the best friends, neighbors, golf buddies and dancing partners are below a certain age.

So please, don't continue this "separation of ages" flavor that seems to be painted here.

We settled on a pre-owned because of the corner lot, a beautiful oak tree in the front yard, bond paid, small pool completely enclosed in a birdcage, two car garage, etc., etc.. We move in a month and only met two neighbors before closing last week, but were more than welcomed to the neighborhood. Plus they have three socials a year, which we like. Not enough "togetherness" that someone knows what my PSA number is! :evil6:

Finally, the one thing that makes TV special is we all came (or are coming) from somewhere else. Being welcomed, even as one week visitors, was one of the things that made us fall in love with TV. I don't buy "you won't be as accepted moving into an established neighborhood" that some shared on other threads. Opinions folks, that is all we are giving here is our personal preference and our opinion!

Not trying to ruffle feathers here, but want newbies to this forum to understand they need to pick out a village based on their needs, finances and priorities. Don't base those decisions on just a few posts on TOTV. We picked our home because it is five minutes to either square (1 need), my favorite golf courses are on or just off Morse Blvd (2nd need), and saved us $40K (always a need). . . OH YEAH. . . DW loved it! :laugh:

OK. . . my dog is "back on the porch". Time for a "five-o'clock" (bourbon and branch water) and put my boogie shoes on! :beer3::pepper2:

Good luck on whatever choice you make. You picked TV, so that is a wise choice! :beer3:

[ssmith]

Some very valid points. Agree that new homes base price is cheaper but bond is higher. Older home owner may want more for upgrades, bond may be totally or paritally paid. Also used home may have some room for negotiating the price...new home no negotiating the price. New home blank slate and can make choices based on your preferences.....all points to consider.

[dkrhardy]

Some very valid points. Agree that new homes base price is cheaper but bond is higher. Older home owner may want more for upgrades, bond may be totally or paritally paid. Also used home may have some room for negotiating the price...new home no negotiating the price. New home blank slate and can make choices based on your preferences.....all points to consider.

Yep! There is no best solution, just the one you can live with.

John (jgbama) - your boogie shoes have cleats on them! I know, I've seen them.

Don & Kaz

[bonnie3456]

Thanks for the link - very useful info.

[Barefoot]

I don't buy "you won't be as accepted moving into an established neighborhood" that some shared on other threads.

Good point. I think it is a misconception .... "you won't be as accepted moving into an established neighborhood". People are always buying and selling. Neighbourhoods are always changing. No Village is stagnant. There are newbies in every neighbourhood. We've owned two homes in TV, both in areas about six years old. We've been warmly welcomed in both areas, and invited to participate in neighbourhood activities. And now, we are welcoming newbies into the area.

[kentucky blue]

If I hit the lottery, I would buy a pool home in Bridgeport at Lake Miona. It is centrally located, has beautiful big oak trees, and has it's own rec center for when company arrives.

Every Village in TV is wonderful,you just need to do the extensive research needed to find the one that is best suited for you.My final 2 choices,after a year of intensive inquiry, and meeting as many neighbors as possible, came down to Bridgeport at Lake Miona and Largo.I chose Largo and have never looked back,everytime i make the turn off Canal i just have the biggest smile on my face, knowing i made the best decision possible for me and my lady.

[ugotme]

Thank you ALL for your input. Although I felt most of the responses would be as such - "whatever you are interested in." Was just curious if anyone had any strong feelings either way about any particular communities.
Thanks for the responses and keep em coming !