Question for residents who have lived in TV at least 2 to 5 years
 

For those of you who have been residents of TV for at least 2 to 5 years:

Is it as good as you thought it would be?

If you had it to do all over again, would you still buy in TV?

We would like to hear both the positives and negatives of living in TV.

We have visited TV several times and walked around the squares but have never stayed there. We have heard nothing but good comments but wonder if it as good as everyone says it is.

Thanks for your comments!

It's a wonderful life
 

We found the Villages about 26 yrs ago, couldn't believe all the smiley people, had to be a catch!
Spent 10 yrs coming & going looking for it then gave in & bought in Santiago in 1999 when that was "the end of the earth" Lived there for 11 yrs with wonderful friends & neighbours with whom I am still closely in touch .
Moved South to Tamarind 5 yrs ago to find yet another lovely community & friends.
When we first bought, there were generally only the restaurants around the squares + country clubs that were golf cart accessible, & at that time you could not use your golf cart at night so had bikes or used taxis. Also not much in the way of stores & nearest hardware stores were Ocala or Leesburg,
Yes, things have changed ( in 1999 I could go to square & know most peoples faces) however much change in the way of Cinemas, shopping, entertainment, & recreational opportunities but each Village (wherever you choose to live) has retained it's own community within the greater Villages with everything you could wish for for a wonderful retirement.
Of course you will always find the occasional dissatisfied person, but I notice that though they may complain they seldom leave.
Would I do it again? In a heartbeat! Just wish I could be an American!!!
We are Snowbirds from across the Pond who have been well accepted by everyone & grateful for it & the chance to spend 6 months in our home in the sun

We are snowbirds from UK. and have been regulars here for 16 years. Changed a lot, over the years, but we still keep coming back.
All being well, we will be back there in 5 weeks, 6days and 15 hrs.:a040: Not that we are counting of course!
Hope that answers your question.

I've owned almost 2 yrs and am here 5 to 6 months a year. I'm an outgoing single guy but a little disappointed that I haven't been able to meet more folks. Guess I am the exception

We purchased our CYV there 10 yrs. ago for our retirement home, we are both in our 60's.
Well..we have been retired for 5 years now and we still can't decide if we want to live there full time ! Love spending the winters there because
it's like one never ending vacation. However the atmosphere definitely has changed there over the years, and not so much for the better in my opinion.
It cost money to entertain yourself on a daily basis, it's first come first served for a lot of activities, the restaurants can be a nightmare, and the
tempers flare in the town squares if people can't park close for the intertainment. The home prices are soaring, your green space is shrinking, the water is costly, and your home services have to be scrutinized for fear of getting ripped off.
I'm always happy to come back to Wisconsin after the winter to our lovely home with an acre of privacy, great neighbors, and many friends and family.
If you can afford to be a snowbird there it's the best of both worlds, as we will be in TV this Friday for the winter, absolutely love my life !!

Been here for 4-1/2 years and would not want to be anyplace else.

My only complaints are that I would like to be closer to a beach and I would like to be closer to a major highway.

It's two hours to Clearwater beach so we don't go as often as we'd like and having to drive a half hour down 441 to get to the Turnpike is a bit of a hassle.

Other than that, this is the greatest place on earth as far as I'm concerned.

Been here full time 6 years. Live in a great neighborhood that is always there to lend a hand. Have never looked back, it was a great move.

I have owned a home for 3 1/2 years. I am here 5-6 months a year. Still loving the place!

Retirement couldn't be better!
 

I have been a full time resident of The Villages for just over 5 years, am originally from Ohio, and have lived in the Orlando area, Indialantic, FL, Dade City, FL, and now here.

Even though I still connect with friends in those other areas, none of them had the amenities, activities, or other opportunities to live the active lifestyle that I have here in The Villages. Yes, things are changing, but I am completely happy with my decision to live in The Villages.

Bought in 2012 while we were both working. Hubby retired in 2014, bought a little larger home. I'm still running a company in another state but spend most of my time in TV.

Love it here! When I leave, I count the days till I get to come to my forever home. We have made wonderful friends and I love to golf!

Is this place perfect? For me it is!

Bitsee, our experience has been similar to yours. When we first moved here 10 years ago we were in an area of the villages that was more rural, similar to the area we had moved from up north. When the wind was blowing right we could hear the horses neighing from the farm down the street. Of course everything is all built up now and it is essentially a large city comprised of old people. During the winter if you want to attend the Popular classes at the rec centers you pretty much have to get there 30-45 minutes early and take a number. Not fun. The restaurants are a nightmare to get into. Roads that were built for a smaller population are now stretched to capacity during the high season. teetimes on the executive courses? you better make them well in advance because if you don't, good luck finding a teetime for two people unless it is at seven in the morning or 5 o'clock at night. But of course there are many really nice things about the villages which is why we moved her in the first place. We have made wonderful friends, there are lots of opportunities for socializing and staying active. With the exception of the golf courses, which tend to be in varying condition throughout the year, sometimes terrible condition, the facilities seem to be well kept up. The Sharon is a wonderful addition to the community and we've enjoyed some shows there. There are numerous medical facilities with in a golf cart ride which is very handy. So all in all it is a tossup.

Been here 16 years as a snowbirds. Everywhere has plusses and minuses. Cannot imagine anywhere with more plusses than TV. Sure there are negatives. In my opinion they are minimal compared to the positives. Would do it again in a heartbeat.

Positives-no snow, unlimited activities, New friends, variety of entertainment, low taxes, amount of different exercises to chose from, 2000 plus clubs to join, free golf.

Negatives- crowds Jan-March, hot summer, cool Jan-Feb,we learned to work around all.

Bought 5 years ago and we LOVE IT!!! LOVE our neighbors as well. Such a great community. I loved St. Pete Beach - went on vacation there for over 30 years. I always thought that was where I wanted to be. But, after coming here we decided this was the perfect place for us. When we want to go to the beach, we just go down and visit. There are so many more things to do here.

First time we visit it was 07. Other half was in love and wanted to buy I said no. We visited again three more times and then bought a small home in 2010. Vacation there, bought our second home in 2012 and moved into our third home in 2014. Other half lives there 8+ months a year and loves it. I am still working full-time and will not be there for another 30 months. He would not live anywhere else.

We are nine year residents. When we came we were absolutely amazed at the lifestyle that TV offers, everything you would love to do and then more! However, as we settled in to actually living here we have seen some great changes and, in our opinion, some really good improvements. We think the hospital has improved, medical facilities have improved, quality of doctors etc. etc. The older we get, these are the improvements that keep us living here, not necessarily the availability of the entertainment or restaurants, although it is nice to have them right here under our noses without having to travel to another area. I am centrally located between SS and LSL so I can get to the hospital in 10 minutes, 441 in 15 minutes, 466 in 5 minutes ......... everything I need to live a comfortable life is within a short drive. Had we tried to live out our life in Massachusetts it would have been very different.

On the minus side of this is obviously the enormous number of people who want to move here and live the lifestyle that we love - and after all, if we can have it, why not others. It makes for congestion on the roads and in stores and in restaurants - plenty to complain about if you want to! But, when I return to my former home in Massachusetts the congestion there is tenfold what it is here and it will only continue to get worse and more expensive.

Things change everywhere, and for us The Villages is the easiest and most comfortable place to live as we age.

Moved here full time in Sept.09 from Long Island. World of difference. Would I do it again? In a heart beat, have a ton of friends down here, neighbors are great. Everything I want and need is a short golf cart ride away. Yea it's getting a little more crowded but so was where I came from. Big difference is the weather. Yep it gets hot but I don't have to shovel the heat like I did the snow in the winter. As for expenses we find it a lot more affordable Taxes, Electric & NO home heating oil bills.

Bought in 2012 and again in 2013. Live in TV 6 months of the year. Advantages to being a "reverse snowbird" (live here June through Dec) 1. Less traffic 2. Can walk on almost any golf course June through Oct 3. All bills are paid for due to high rental income 4. Enjoy all TV has to offer including making new friends 5. Love being so active. Disadvantages 1. TV is not the friendliest hometown. Our neighbors are wonderful, but some of the random people you meet (at the pool, playing cards at the Rec centers) are miserably unhappy and are rude to newcomers...and although you do find that in every hometown, it seems people here feel they have "earned" the right to complain...due to their age. If that's the only downside, we picture ourselves in TV for many years to come (part-time).

Sent from my SM-N910R4 using Tapatalk

The Villages is everything as advertised and more but not for us. It seemed odd and a little "off" to be around only old people all the time. I missed the seasons, mixture of age groups and ethnic groups, etc. and The Villages was too crowded for me, homes too close together and you can hear your neighbors on their phones and they can hear your conversation if you are on your lanai. All is well in The Villages until you get sick and need ER care. Was extremely disappointed in primary care and felt like I literally got out with my life and back to health care I can trust. I would recommend not being a Frog but Snowbirding. Good luck.

Curious, if it was such a negative experience for you, why continue to hang around TOTV and re-live the unhappiness?

We bought here 10 years ago and live full time in TV. It has changed since we arrived, but the main reason we chose this place is the same. Every place we looked at to retire was similar. A golf course, a rec center, and a house. If you don't golf, your options are limited. When we got here, the myriad options were obvious.

What I have seen change here is that, when we bought, the vast majority of people we met were just thrilled to find a place of this quality to spend the rest of their lives and settled in to enjoy it. As the years has passed, we find more and more people who think this is a resort and all should be provided by the owner/developer. Another trend is one I have experienced in growing up in the Northeast. A parochial attitude that if not done the same as there, it is wrong. Whether it is cooking, golf design/maintenance, speed limits, or whatever, it's as if what they want is the same as where they lived before, except the weather.

As far as crowding, I find it better to consider the high season as the norm, and the summer season as the bonus I get for living here full time. Maybe it's easier to adjust coming from a congested area (SoCal) where homes are built close together. But it works for me.

My biggest disappointment is the amount of car traffic. I really imagined more people driving golf carts than cars, so I was surprised to see so much traffic. It's only October and the number of folks going 20 in a 35 and stopping for no reason at yield signs is increasing every day. I've already told my husband to just take my keys away when I start driving like these idiots.

love, love love tv
 

We moved to Village of La Zamora in 2006 and absolutely love our neighbors and the villages. We moved here from NC, both of us are avid golfers but have discovered that we enjoy so much more. You don't know this yet but you have arrived in paradise. Who you are and where you are, comes down to attitude. Some villagers would not be happy, no matter what! Fortunately, those, are few and far between. I just know that you will love the Villages and TOTV is a great guide on vendors, doctors, and any little question you might ask.

When my in-laws bought back in 2008 and my husband and I came to visit we knew then that we would like to own here someday.
It's been a year now and we couldn't be happier that we were able to buy a house in TV.
Unfortunately for us, we are not able to retire just yet. With all the talk of build-out we took the plunge earlier than expected.
So, we rent it out in the snowbird months and we come down as often as we can. We love everything about TV. You get what you put into it.
We swim, golf, walk the S.R. preserve, use the gym, dance in the squares, eat out, eat in, movies.....on and on.
Finally ~ our house in the Village of LaBelle is available for Jan. and Feb. Email if you know of someone who is looking for a beautiful (IMO) designer home.

Thanks for all the posts! Great information.

We are approaching 60, retired and have been living in our RV and traveling for the past 5 years. We have always been impressed by TV and have been considering it if we decide to come off the road.

Love all the comments. Keep them coming! If you have anything else to say, we would love to hear it. All the comments have been very helpful.

If you don't like The Villages you aren't going to like Heaven.

I grew up in St. Petersburg, Florida, that's about two hours southeast of here on the coast. Later my parents retired and moved to Spring Hill for 20 years. That is also southeast of here and I've been there many, many times.

I often think of returning there and how I enjoyed going to spring training games, the beach, shopping at the mall. Then whenever I take a trip back to Tampa/St. Pete, I realized I don't really want to be out in the real world with all these young people. I don't feel old, but I no longer feel like I want to be in a night club full of 25 year olds. Going to play golf, or softball or pickleball and all the other people are your own age, that's what draws me back. I don't feel bad when running to first base and I'm not as fast as I was at 25, because nobody else is that fast either. That's what I really like about living in The Villages.

Hi, we do like it here for sure,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, however, we would really like to see some controls on the drinking and driving. The erratic behavior by the drunks is a bit unnerving. I have found in a dangerous message, not to be on a multi modal path after the end of happy hours, had two close encounters by guys who seemed to be loaded. However, a lot of the drivers are very courteous and we wish it would get contagious. Riding a bike is good for your body low impact exercise but being driven off of a path and being nearly sideswiped is a real item. One cart with two occupants, overcame me, I always get over as much as possible, so the passenger used his hand to swat my rear view mirror. (We drive bikes and a cart also) Drinking is a major problem here and making the almighty dollar is more important than some kind of controls. We have been here one year now, I have never seen anyone get a ticket on the multi modal paths. Golfers will overcome us and pass us by at some incredible speeds while we are going 19 to 20 mph. Yes we are considering the safety seriously and may soon look elsewhere. Other than that, we think it is great.

This has been mentioned numerous times on other threads pertaining to golf carts. The police can only ticket speeding carts when using the cart lane on city streets. The MMP paths are private property, the police can ticket a cart driver who is drinking on the paths while driving but not speeding. So when driving on the side of Odell, St. Charles, Pinellas, Hillsborough and the like, that's when you fall under police powers. However, you probably know, there is no speeding ticket for golf carts. If you're going more than 20 mph while on one of these city streets, your cart no longer fits the state's definition of a golf cart, your ticket will be for driving an unregistered vehicle. When you appear in court, you'll need documentation from a golf cart shop that the golf cart speed has been adjusted back to 19.9 mph or less and your ticket will be at least $240. So if you feel unsafe driving your cart at night on a MMP, then do what we do, drive your automobile to the square.

Best decision we have ever made.

Continue to love it more and more here. Being a bit of a gypsy at heart, feel very content, safe and happy. We find the expenses very affordable and people as nice as anywhere else - and we have moved a lot. I came here in my 50's and work full time - no regrets. Good luck!

Been here 8 1/2 years and love it as much as the first day. The changes have been positive - The Sharon, Rohan, Eisenhower, many new restaurants, shops etc. I'm also amazed at the maintenance and upkeep of all the wonderful facilities. It is more crowded in season but manageable. There are options if you don't want to go to the "free" classes at the rec centers. The Lifelong Learning College has many fitness classes and you are guaranteed a spot - same with MVP. As I read this thread, it appears that others have experienced far more horror stories with bad drivers than I. I can't say I've ever had a near miss. Yes there are some speeding drivers but that's fairly ubiquitous throughout the country. I love the activity choices, good neighbors, tennis friends, bridge group, the nightly entertainment at the squares and the beautiful landscaping etc. I volunteer at the Villages hospital and it is definitely improving. I tell everyone that moving to The Villages was the best decision we've ever made.

I've lived in The Villages for three years now, and I hope you're taking the feedback that you're getting to your inquiry with the grain of salt. This forum has a long track record of verbally attacking anyone who says anything negative about The Villages. The standard response to negative comments is generally some version of "If you don't like it, leave". Consequently, people stop voicing their opinions. In other words, it's important to keep in mind that this forum is not a representative sample of the overall population of The Villages by any stretch of the imagination.

Some truth to that...just like those who praise TV are accused of being blind supporters of the developer who can do no wrong. It goes both ways.

Have lived in villages over 3 years. I find the increase in population , traffic, morse bridge & $400 million in bonds situations very disturbing.. The worst of all is the tv health center disaster. On lifestyle visit they touted the wonderful health centers that would be available to use. Health care is vital to 65 & over retirement community.
My husband & i have wonderful health coverage through retirement packages. It was accepted for 3 years until we were notified that as of 12/31/16 we are out. We can join medicare advantage(way inferior & more expensive than my current plan.) also be warned you are signing up for the 2017 med adv plan. Agents told us many changes possible for 2018 version. Please no rude comments such as "so when are you moving". Not an option for everyone. We made a huge error in moving here. Have no one to blame but ourselves.

We have been here over 12 years.
I f we had it to do over again, we surely would. With one exception, I would buy more tha a couple more homes here.

Talk about too much traffic?
I guess that depends where you are from. Traffic always moves along; a little busy during what some would call a rush hour. And maybe a little busier when the folks who live north get here. Being retired, there is no hurry.

We have watched TV more than triple in size since 2004.
We have also watched as TV attained a population size that was attractive to major national chains, food and retail.

In 2004 there was no Arnold Palmer CC, no Lake Sumter Square, no Home Depot, no Rolling Acres shopping center, no Kohls, almost none of the major restaurant changes, etc.

So the growth has been good. The way TV is planned with a sort of decentralized mail, pool and rec center location most close in needs are attended to within a few minutes from the house.

If one is flexible on when or where to play golf one will always get a t time. Restaurants....once past the early bird diners, there is no problem.

We enjoy TV as much as day one 12 years ago.
Ya see we are retired and we are not in a hurry!!!

Health care is a choice here just like any other place. There are amazing doctors and dentists and some that aren't so great. We wanted to get into that health care system and they wouldn't take our insurance from the very beginning. I think it was created to offer an alternative to some of the really not so great doctors who are around, just like the Southern Lifestyles and the restaurants...but everyone has an opinion as to the reason. It was meant to make money, not lose it for sure.

If you go back and read JoJo's post above, I would say that is how 90+ percent feel.

I love it here. LOVE IT...nine years now.

Still happy to be here
 

Bought 10 yrs ago, starting our 7th season as seasonal residents - we are Florida residents but spend 4-1/2 months or so in Ohio in the summer.

Like a lot of people, we wish the Villages had maxed out at 100,000 or less like we were all told, but still think there's no other place with so much to do for so little. I disagree with the poster who said it costs a lot to entertain yourself here. We spend much less day to day here than we do in Ohio.

We are too tired to go out and spend much as we play pickle ball (free here, have to buy balls temporary nets in Ohio in summer - pay rec center fee in winter), go to rehearsals (husband is a musician) in a golf cart, play duplicate bridge for $3 (it just went up from $2) whereas at duplicate bridge centers in Ohio it is $8/game. Social bridge and other card games are either free or $1 with a chance to win a few bucks. Pools are free, as are tons of exercise classes and things like water polo. And of course, there are the executive golf courses - free if you walk, very reasonable trail fee if you take your golf cart.

Groceries are more expensive here than in the Midwest, but probably not the northeast or west.

Lots of free interest groups and charities to volunteer in. Movies a little cheaper than most places, and lots of entertainment options are either free or not particularly expensive. More to do here than anywhere we have heard of. Every time we visit relatives in Ft. Myers (and we don't like to go often because of the traffic and because there's not that much to do), we meet people who are in process of moving here!

It's not for everyone, though. If you are not a joiner and a doer, you might not be happy here, or if you need to be near the water. We just do a long weekend or occasional visit to a beach area - for us, fun to visit, but wouldn't want to live there.

End of this month we will be residents of the Villages 4 years. Would not make any drastic changes. During snowbird season, it's a little busier but we get thru it. Winters are warmer than they were in Illinois. Summers are hotter than in Illinois....but still lovin' livin' here.

I tell everyone that it's not all that great here and they will be much better off to wait and buy...a few months before build-out.




:D

[QUOTE=Garden guru;1307679]I've lived in The Villages for three years now, and I hope you're taking the feedback that you're getting to your inquiry with the grain of salt. This forum has a long track record of verbally attacking anyone who says anything negative about The Villages. The standard response to negative comments is generally some version of "If you don't like it, leave". Consequently, people stop voicing their opinions. In other words, it's important to keep in mind that this forum is not a representative sample of the overall population of The Villages by any stretch of the imagination.
Yes, we see your point. The drinking and driving is very popular and the drinking crew really gets riled up if we mention the problem. So the scene is to ignore it, there is nothing we can do, tolerate it or move. Too bad that someone has to be killed or maimed, maybe if someone sues the place for the push on happy hours???? Those folks perched on a bar stool for hours, well,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, they do not walk home, they drive, have seen it first hand. Also on the modal paths, it can get real scary at times. So be careful and be aware, the guy or gal in the car or cart may not do what you might expect from a careful driver.
bbbbbb :popcorn: