Talk of The Villages Florida - Looking to purchase in The Villages within the next 12-18 mos

Talk of The Villages Florida (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/)

- Nuts and bolts of The Villages (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/nuts-bolts-villages-139/)

- - Looking to purchase in The Villages within the next 12-18 mos (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/nuts-bolts-villages-139/looking-purchase-villages-within-next-12-18-mos-355849/)

1. You don’t want to buy down south if you want to be close to stores/entertainment.

2. I live ‘between the 6’s’ and I’ve never had a problem with ageism. We moved here in April of last year we have so many things to do with the members of my community that it takes up 3-4 days every week. We have people between 50 something and 70 something.

3. I live close to Rainey Trail/472 and it hasn’t gotten too busy yet. They are building some new condos and apartments and I don’t know how that’s going to affect this street.

4. You have to buy in Spanish Springs. Even if you could get something for that price in other places, it won’t be a comparison like for like. SS is one of my favorite areas and we go there frequently.

5. This is a personal observation, but when you come, look around. You will see a marked difference between north and south. I’m talking about trees and flowers. They’re everywhere up north, in the south not so much.

Just did a quick check for homes in the north end....quite a few nice ones in your price range I might add.

Patio Villas are okay, but the cottage homes have a better feel when you walk in them from my experience. More square footage, nice garages, and the lots are much more roomy than the patio villas.
The Villages northern landscape is so much more beautiful, easy access to shopping and restaurant's, and the age of the residents has certainly evolved into a mixed bag...not just for
" OLD " people anymore !

Welcome. Stay away from the newer sections. Bonds are ridiculously high, housesl landscaping is lacking on new homes, lack of shopping, lack of medical care, no libraries, few gas a stations. few executive golf courses, etc.

For my ten cents, all I would add is wait until you're nearer retirement before buying.
7–10 years is a long time with housing markets, and to be maintaining two houses.
Older properties in TV do need maintaining, and some of the replacement costs are high, plus the amenity fees, insurance etc. are added costs.

Come down for one or two week visits at different times of the year, explore, and when you are sure TV is where you want to be, you will have a much better idea which area you would want to settle for.

If you like relative peace and quiet, avoid any street with a through area, golf cart shortcut, near pickleball courts, or where we are renting!
Good luck.

Always suggested that you rent before you make decisions. Lots to consider. You can PM me if you like

We just purchased in the northern area, and yes some of the neighbors are in their 80's but most are like us in the 50-60 range. The houses are 20 years old but they have mature landscape, and are built with quality. There is allot of restaurants, and shopping nearby, and lots to do with the many recreation centers and country clubs.

It took us a year to make up our mind as to which one to buy, and Robbie Audette who works for The Villages reality was outstanding at helping us 352 360 5535 cell..

Many Villages actually buy three homes.. The first one was to big/small or the wrong Village, so they move.. Take your time and figure out which one is right for you..

You can actually rent a unit for a week that comes with a Golf Cart, and use that time to get a feel for which Village fits your needs.

Research your TAXES, INSURANCE and HIDDEN Maintenance Amenity FEES... If your concerned about Budgets you might look elsewhere

Quote:

Originally Posted by MNViking (Post 2401797)

I know I sent a Thank you for orginal post. Not sure where it went. My error probably.

Thanks for all of the great information. It is and will be useful. I agree with the last poster Florida is very HOT, it is what it is. MN is very cold! I have a sister who has a place in Bradenton, and I have lived as a youth outside of Orlando on the AFB. Yep, AF Brat and lived in multiple locations, and was born in CA. The last place I lived on a base as a youth was Grand Forks, AFB in North Dakota. Trust me I will take the heat, and stay inside for a couple of months!

Living in two places is not my thing, as my wife will not be retired. That poses an issue. I value the Frugal Parameters that were stated, are lower taxes or an unincorporated, where are the resources coming from? Share responsibilities? Something else to search on.

We won't be down there FULL time for a few years, that is why buying within the 12-18 months of being picky and finding a deal are important. I mean it would be terrible if I had to quickly by a place, but that isn't the case... I am just seeking help in the right direction before I commit. Hope that makes sense!

Now, can you state the Villages that you live in if you care to, and tell me like 5 reason those villages fit your needs? By all means I know most will go I am not doing an assignment for this Midwest joker, but it is nice to know/reevaluate the decision that was made.

Like my current place in MN:

Just a tad north and west of the Twin Cities. 12-15 miles from first nice suburbs considered a growing area.

I bought it in 2010, brand new when the market in housing had crashed so got a great deal. 2700+sq ft, in what is considered an older community by people with children standards but over the last 3 years significant changeover as the city grows.

Close to multiple restaurants, and entertainment areas. Big movie/theater/dining out type people so that is a bonus.

Easy shopping multiple grocers around.

Great people, and pleasant neighbors with a very well kept neighborhood. :)

Also a family cabin within 2 hours from us, that is utilized in the Summer. Now I may just fish year-round salt and freshwater. Who knows!

Again, appreciate the responses!

:coolsmiley:

To help address your original post. We live in a courtyard villa in Monarch Grove which we bought in 2020, been here full time since 2022. Monarch Grove is south of 44, just south of Warm Springs.

We absolutely love this area. We don’t have the heavy traffic some of the areas more north do, around the popular shopping areas. If we need to go to Sam’s, TJ Maxx, anything in that area we are 20-25 minutes away which is fine for us, at this point we don’t really need to do a lot of shopping.

We are close to things like grocery stores, golf courses, emergency room, vet clinic, as well as restaurants in Wildwood or Leesburg in addition to any in The Villages.

We routinely go by golf cart to Brownwood (17-20 minutes away) because I work part time there. We also go to some of the more northern golf courses and Lake Sumter Landing. Not a long ride.

The new areas of East Port are opening and we are within 10 minutes of there.

We love it here, good luck to you!

Quote:

Originally Posted by FloridaGuy66 (Post 2401590)

I saw some new homes listed in the low $300's in the paper this week.

I personally would NEVER buy used in TV. Much better experience to move into an area at the same time as all of your neighbors. Plus the new areas, the average age is closer to 50, not 80 like Spanish Springs.

I inherited my mom's house in Spanish Springs. There are "younger" people moving into this area due to these factors as well as proximity to Spanish Springs, close Amenities, within our little area, and lots of shopping. I can walk to 2 different pools. The are more and more lots being sold and rebuilt on based on the age of the homes, and these are done by younger people. I have been coming to the villages for 25 years, and have seen/ visited all the other villages as they were built and through the years. Spanish Springs is by far my favorite! Added bonus- less traffic, easy drive to Ocala, Leesburg, etc.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MNViking (Post 2401498)

First of all, let me express my thanks for the responses I am hopeful I will receive. There is a ton of information on this forum, just not the easiest to navigate when seeking specifics. I am sure each of the Villages has a specific tone and tenor to what is liked/disliked and valued so all thoughts are welcomed.

First, what my lovely wife and I would seek in a potential move is fairly simplistic as we will be also living in MN for at least 7-10 more years but would like to have a place down here and then transition into this as our retirement home. My wife is a little younger than I am, so she will more than likely still be working and will seek to get into HR in the area. Let's not get the horse before the cart on that I guess.

Our interest would be in something under the $300K mark with Bond already paid, that is something we would be comfortable with, by no means are we rich and we do not want to be house-poor. Just rather be comfortable. As my earnings slow, it is a practical thing as I would rather go on cruises than have a larger home. I am rather social, my wife is more of an introvert unless there is a good comfortable vibe for her. Then she will blossom a bit with some commonalities with people. So the social aspect of a Village is about a 6/7 out of 10. So some proximity to a rec area/town square is a need. (More for me than her, but she is always happy to tag along).

Relatively quiet neighborhoods from traffic noise as that will be bothersome to her. I am learning the areas, but have no clue about the general roads and how loud the traffic can be vs the highway being nearby. So guidance on that is fantastic.

Also, if you don't mind and I get I am asking a lot. (If your Village is in my price range.). I would love to hear why you value or love our Village with some supporting information, neighbors, community, proximity, dining, etc. Followed by: Would you pick that location again, or would you select another Village. I dislike moving, so once I/we get there that I am very hopeful would be the place.

This is a start, and I may ask questions again based on responses, but would really like to iron out some of our thoughts on locations to become more actively focused in searching. Right now, I look all over the place. I have nothing truly against manufactured homes, but that would not be a preference based on storms from my general knowledge of how we handle tornadoes up here vs wind storms/hurricanes down there.

I appreciate you taking the valuable time to respond, and look forward to a more centralized place for me to learn a bit more and share with my wife.

FTR: We watch youtube videos, read the websites, look at Zillow, Redfin, etc for listings. So we are trying to do our best on our own, but doggone it people living in the area are certainly just as valuable if not more!

Also, even though the Vikings lost last night I am always accepting others to jump on whatever Viking train that will be available in the next several years! We all know Purple looks great on guys and gals! (Not Green and Gold!). ;)

Hi. Welcome to the dream! Like you and your wife, we are also still working (55 & 56). We had the same thoughts, wishes, etc ... about a home. We also thought we would be in the north (we aren't). We also wanted no bond (we have one). We also were contemplating manufactured (we don't live in one). We also didn't want to go over $300k (we did). We also didn't want to be house poor (we aren't).

So how did we end up where we are? Basically, home owners insurance dictated where we bought. It's sad that the Florida insurance industry has so much leverage on the housing market. It's unfair to sellers and buyers, but this is the way it is, for now, at least.

When buying a home you will factor in many things to appease the insurance overlords; age of roof is extremely important but so is the year your home was built. Building codes change all the time and anything over 20 years will be very hard to get insurance on. You will likely be underinsured. Trying to get insurance on a manufactured home was impossible for us. Even the Villages insurance couldn't find coverage for us.

The next thing to consider are any updates and upgrades you would want to do to make your house your home. There are extremely beautiful pre-owned homes but every one we looked at needed some major work. (New floors, new windows, new appliances, concrete work, etc...) Also, pre-owned homes are typically higher priced than new. Usually because they've paid to have a big lanai, plantation shutters, etc... Once we crunched the numbers, it was much more affordable to buy new even with a bond.

The next thing to consider, and someone also pointed this out, is that when you're moving into an area and everyone is new, there is a definite camaraderie amongst neighbors and the village as a whole. Like your wife, I'm extremely introverted but you know what? The Villages really gets you out of your shell and comfort zone, quickly. I'm doing cardio drumming, line dancing, art classes, bunco, beanbag baseball, golf, community events and even dancing at the squares. So don't count that out of her future. I'm sure in her own time, she will become more adventurous.

I would highly consider looking at cottage homes. You'll get a much bigger home and garage for not that much more money. They are also designed like a ranch style versus long and narrow, offering more light. But the villa neighborhoods are the most charming! The houses are very nice but typically the garage is tiny.

With that said, you'll likely want to do some things to a new home that will cost money out of pocket, like landscaping (highly recommend Son Life, very affordable), deeper kitchen sink, you may want to paint (new homes are only white). Even with the many upgrades we did, we still saved about $20k buying new.

I hope this information was helpful and not overwhelming. Just know that whatever you decide to do, it will be the right choice for you.

Take your time and be picky. There are plenty of deals cropping up all the time. Look for a newer roof and AC before even thinking about buying a home. If the home you want is older, certainly hire a home inspection guy before signing. The Villages is a nice area.

Don’t overthink all this. Keep it simple.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FloridaGuy66 (Post 2401590)

…except for the 40-somethings we played golf with last year who purchased a home in the Spanish Springs area. Not a good idea to generalize an area based on your opinion.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MNViking (Post 2401498)

You’ll likely not find ANYTHING $300k or less…Especially if the bond’s paid. You might find an old manufactured home (glorified trailer) in the North that meets your financial needs, or the odd ‘patio villa’ but not a CYV for that price. You’re looking at $330-350 for a CYV. As for the separate “Villages”, they’re all the same—except for Fenny with its expansive oak trees and its own restaurant and pub. And maybe that special enclave up by LSL…but those houses are $1M and up. The only thing, inho, that differentiates one Village from the next are its CCRs (rules); they’re all slightly different. Know this! If there’s no fence or wall surrounding the home you seek, you can NOT erect one. In TV, it’s you neighbors that count. Hope for good ones…

North of Rt466 is a very nice area. One thing you might want to think about is that the further South you go, in the Villages, the more likely you will find Bonds on the homes. The best deals (in my opinion) are the homes where the bonds are paid off. Buy a new home and you can add $30-50K to the price of the home.
I do know of a home currently for sale in the Santiago village that is move in ready and the owner has reduced the price substantially. Now, is a buyer's period because inflated interest rates have caused the prices of homes to fall. The home I mentioned is already about $50K lower than the seller could have priced it early last year. With all the improvements and the bond paid off, it seems like a pretty good deal.....and in a great neighborhood too. Just saying. Buy now, before the interest rates drop and the home prices rise again.