New to Villages - Opinions on moving to Fenney area
 

Hi everyone,
I've been reading with great interest all the posts about the relatively new Fenney area. We visited the Villages back in September on a "lifestyle" visit where you spend 4 days experiencing the Villages. We toured the Fenney area and really like the old Florida, natural feel of it. I'm on the Villages app every day looking for new homes for sale in that area (we like the Ruby) to come up. Our Villages sales rep (I read the extensive thread about the realtor vs. sales rep :popcorn:) is also aware of what we're looking for and will advise us when a Ruby comes available. If you look on the app map there is a large white spot (no homes/lots yet) that is just north of Warm Spring Ave. and just west of the new Everglades Rec center. I love the idea of being close to the new Rec Center and Softball fields. I also like the idea of being part of a growing community instead of an established one. I've heard from our Villages sales rep but before making such a huge decision I'd like to get opinions from current Villagers on the new Fenney area and if there are any pros / cons to buying in the area I described. I already know about the prison and blasting from previous posts.

Thanks, can't wait to get down and join you!

Mike in Michigan

Mike, we are in Fenney, on the south side of Fenney Way. Our lot backs onto a retention pond. We have wonderful privacy. We are very happy with our decision to buy in Fenney.

What specific questions do you have?

I'm not really sure what to ask specifically because we only spent 4 days there (and only 1/2 day looking at houses in the McClure village). Are there any things you would change about the Fenney area now that you've been there a while, are you happy with your decision to buy there (it sounds like you are), do you have any regrets for moving to the Fenney area, for those living in the Villages outside of Fenney would they consider buying in Fenney and if not, why. Are there any rumors about a Town Center for Fenney?

I cannot think of anything that I would change. We have no regrets. There are plans for a shopping center. I don't recall seeing anything about a town center (do you mean a town square like Brownwood)?

There are two shopping centers about 5 miles from here - Traverse Square and Lake Deaton Plaza.

I have met quite a few Villagers who have moved from the more northern villages to the Fenney area.

Mike, like you I haven't spent that much time in the Villages. We will be moving so we can be closer to Mother in Law as she ages in places in her house in TV. We built in McClure and closed several weeks ago. We will be moving there full time once I retire in April.
We were able to get exactly what we wanted by moving to the newer areas of TV. Currently we are the only house on our street, there is construction around us but that isn't a concern since we aren't there full time yet.

Best of luck with your decision.

There is talks of another square ( BW, LSL, SS) but where it will be situated I don't believe it was mentioned. The Fenney area is growing rapidly with construction of new homes.
Study the Floor plans as the Ruby may have a related floor plan. We discovered that in our search for what we wanted to build.

Are you sure about that?

If you buy in an established community, you know what you are getting. In a 'growing community' you might be surprised with what eventually happens.

On the other hand, in my opinion, a lot of the resales north of Route 44 are greatly overpriced and they sit unsold for weeks. The reasonably priced houses sell very quickly.

My guess is that it will be south of Route 470.

I saw a document that shows they have plans to two major roads in that area, which implies they have plans for a lot of houses.

We bought in Fenney 18 months ago and really like it here, part of the fun is watching it grow and meeting all the new people that were excited to get down here. In another 18 months we'll have just about everything we need including connectivity to all of TV, shopping, and tons of amenities. If you look north of Warm Springs you are getting very close to the turnpike and my only concern up there is the noise that might be part of that environment. Other than that, all of the Villages south of 44 have a certain charm and characteristic not found in all of the northern villages. Nothing wrong with the northern villages, just a different atmosphere down here, it's a matter of choice. We really enjoy being here.

Plenty of opinions and reasons on here about living in "Southern Oaks" or not living there. Nothing to be gained by challenging either point of view. I'll just give you my own perspective. We moved down here earlier this year into a rental north of 44 with no intention of buying in Fenney. We had plenty of knowledge about TV and our opinion of Fenney was that it was a beautiful village but if we can't jump on a cart and go to the places and do the things we could do from the rest of TV, we weren't interested. But, that's where all of the open houses were for new homes. So, we had a 3 month plan to find a pre-owned home but after only being here 4 days, we found the home we wanted. Like FenneyGuy, we are on the south side, backed up to a pond with privacy in a designer Veranda. We've watched the area grow daily for the past 6 months, and in a year, we can take a reasonable golf cart ride to Brownwood and then points beyond if we wish. We don't regret a thing, but that's just our opinion.

15 years ago when Buena Vista did not go south of 466 there was no talk of negatives from growth. A few complaints like where did the buffalo go, etc.

Then the population was around 35,000....now approaching 135,000. There has been nothing but improvement coming from the growth.

Now Fenney and points south....exactly the same situation.
TV has a consistent standard and has demonstrated getting better at what they do.

Too many of the negative comments are from those who do not live here and have no real knowledge of TV environment and lifestyle.

When one sees what they like just buy it.....and enjoy it.

I am not knocking the new southern part of the Villages, just pointing out that if golf is important to you I would look elsewhere. Also, I know everyone has different criteria when looking for a home, for us the model of the home was way less important than having some privacy and not being on a busy road. We are on a dead end road with little traffic and associated noise and our back yard abuts a preserve. The model of our home is not ideal for our needs, but we are so happy with the location we don't care.

We bought in Fenney last October. Since we are not retired yet, we only get to visit a few times each year. The growth in Fenney continues to amaze me. In the past year, Fenney has been built out, Desoto and all it has to offer was opened, two new golf courses and Willow Tree Rec Center opened. Roads are being improved, golf cart access is in the works, plans are being revealed for commercial development. Not to mention all that is happening across the street on Warm Springs. Fenney is a beautiful area! Each and every time we visit, we fall more in love with the area and appreciate all the new friendships we've made. You can't go wrong by making this area your forever home.

Thanks so much for all the input, I'm so excited about getting down there. The Villages is a special place. Let me give you an example, my dad is 84 and VERY active (tennis 2x a week and plays in a 70+ softball league). This past spring he didn't get a call to play on the 70+ team because at 83 it was hard for him to keep up with the "young" guys. There are basically no 80 plus teams where he lives so he didn't get to play. I love the way The Villages handles the softball leagues in such an inclusive manner, my dad would never have to feel too "old" to play. Anyway, back to my original post, after reading your input, I should probably clarify that I'm only 52 so our intent is to buy in the next few months as new homes become available and then rent it out (probably to my parents) / vacation there until I turn 55 and retire and can move down full time. I'm figuring in 3 years there should be a lot of new features in Fenney that aren't there now, and I'm hoping the prices are more reasonable now before all the new development is in. I've been looking at the pre-owned homes in other areas and it seems like you pay the same if not more for a pre-owned house of the same design, probably part of that is the bond but it does seem like the home prices appreciate at a fast rate.

What you are getting, new or old, in The Villages is a bunch of nice old people. Mostly nice old people.

The pace of growth and construction in TV is like no other place I have ever experienced. If you buy or build the first home in a neighborhood you will likely be amazed at how soon the neighborhood is built out. When we first came in 2010 the villages around Lake Sumter Landing were the southernmost areas in TV. Each subsequent year when we came in January we were blown away at the growth we saw, and how established these new areas actually appeared. When they began moving dirt/sand south of 466a we thought, that is getting pretty remote - Ha! We finally this year bought a villa for part time living in Sanibel, and love the location - close to shopping, rec centers, and 15-20 executive golf courses. We have looked at many open houses in the Fenny/DeSoto area and are amazed at some of the options and enhancements they have made in that area. We, personally, would not likely ever locate to that area, not because of any perceived limitations or problems, but simply because we love the area we are in and it is close to the things we first fell in love with almost 9 years ago. I think people who are moving here and experiencing The Villages for the first time will find a lot to like in Southern Oaks area just as we did years ago in the north-central area. You can't go wrong IMHO.

The pros you have seen. It is absolutely beautiful down there. If you like executive golf, there are 4 wonderful courses. The prices are very reasonable now.

The biggest con is you can’t take your golf cart everywhere. Though the Villages will have connectivity in the next 18 months, it will be awhile before the commercial infrastructure matures. After all, you don’t want to put restaurants, hardware stores, kitchenware shops and clothing stores places where there aren’t enough people to sustain it. So you will be driving a car places. For a lot of people that is not a big deal.

However, if you want to rent your home out, the newer area is not as popular as those near existing restaurants and squares. A few renters don’t even bring cars, so for them the southern section is not an option. Since it is a newer area, there are lots of folks that aren’t quite retired yet, so there are more homes in the short term rental market there.

For someone who is in their 50s, you have plenty of time to watch the community build around you. For your parents you may want them where they don’t have to drive a car to tennis and softball. My parents are about that age and they moved here a year ago. They found a home in an area close to Lake Sumter, where many of the neighbors are their age. They have made a ton of friends, and yes, they don’t feel old any more. It makes me feel better that they can get to doctor’s appointments, activities, and church in a 20mph golf cart. Right now they still are good drivers, but I’m not counting on that forever.

Summed up very well! I agree.

My wife and I moved here two years ago and live in an area that was an empty field two years before that. We're close to Brownwood and not all that far from Lake Sumter Village, plus all the other shopping, dining and what have you in the area between 466 and 466A. We love it here and the location is perfect for us. We have made lots of good friends in the neighborhood, mostly with people who bought about the same time as us when this was a brand-new neighborhood. When Fenney opened up, it seemed kind of distant and disconnected. After more than a year, it still seems isolated to us and distant from dining and shopping.

My niece retired and she and her mother moved to The Villages this year. They surprised us by picking a place in Fenney. They have made so many friends there and are incredibly active in clubs and sports. They love it there the way we do here and are always excited by the fast pace of growth and the promise of what is to come. About the only negative they see about buying a place in Fenney is that it's nearly built out and there are almost no places left to buy! However, there are a couple of new neighborhoods that have opened up just to the east of them and they are just as nice as Fenney.

I believe those roads will be used for the industrial parks that being planned for the area.

I'm a firm believer that one should rent before they buy. This isn't a place where the house should be the deciding factor, but where the lifestyle is judged about how it fits you. We moved to Hillsborough just over 4 years ago, our friends all chastised us for buying way down south. There is nothing there they said. Well now we have Restaurants, shoe stores, clothing stores, grocery stores etc. (and many are the same as those in the northern areas) , 3 Championship Courses, 6 Executive Courses, all below 466A and all within 4 years. Our Regional Rec Centers are destinations, I know very few that have visitors that don't take them to Eisenhower for the military history or Rohan for The Villages History. I would believe that unless you are planning on dying shortly, you will experience the same within the next 4 years. While I still believe you should take a couple years of rentals to figure it out, if you decide to buy be assured that The Villages will find the amenities you need and they will catch up with you.

Until it grows you’re dad may be disappointed in tennis down there. He will have to travel up to 466A or glenview if clay court player only. As far as I know no plans to build tennis complex down there?

Actually there are courts at Eisenhower and Rohan and Manatee and Big Cypress. There will be tennis down there.

7 miles away and in time

When the area is filled in, everything that people need will be at hand, just like everything else in this well planned town.

So, you’re saying clay courts, which only available in district 3 and 4?

[QUOTE=JoMar ….. While I still believe you should take a couple years of rentals to figure it out, if you decide to buy be assured that The Villages will find the amenities you need and they will catch up with you.[/QUOTE]

That is exactly what we are doing. We have a 2 year lease starting in April 2019. We want to experience at least 2 summers in TV to be sure we can tolerate the heat. Although we absolutely love the location we will be in, we will be taking time to take a good close look at the southern areas as they develop and grow over the next couple years. One never knows...

IMO the summer heat is often overly concerning to people. Depending on where you have lived, I suppose your tolerance can vary. I have lived in the middle of the country all my life, Missouri, North Dakota, Minnesota, Kansas. The summer heat in Missouri and Kansas is often greater than in TV. This summer the heat in Kansas City from May through August was consistently greater than there, and the humidity was equally oppressive. We spent this late July and all of August in TV just to see how the summer weather would affect our lifestyle. We found it a non-issue for the most part. Just didn't do a lot of strenuous activity in the afternoon. We will probably never be full timers for family reasons, but will probably always spend part of our summers in the beautiful Villages.

The industrial parks being built are west of Coleman near I-75, not close at all.

It is all opinion
 

Like most things people will say what they did is the smartest thing.
You are the only one who can decide what is important to you.
My wife has a driver's license but does not drive a car but she does drive our golf cart every where. From our location, we can easily get to Publix, Winn Dixie, the Library etc by car, by golf cart and by bicycle-for us a great location. I wished for a store like a Lowes or Home Depo and they built one about a year ago. We also have three villages pools, and two rec centers close enough to walk to.
ADVICE-if you can, I would consider better quality cabinets in the kitchen and the baths. Unlike where we used to live your mail does not come to your door but you need to pick it up from a central area. Ours is about half a mile away so
a minor inconvenience. We have a two car garage plus a golf cart garage. Unlike some of the other models our home the golf cart garage has the same depth as the regular garages. A plus for me as I have a work table as well as woodworking tools in there. The question was ducked when we bought our place. BUT, the soil here is sandy, limestone, clay. Probably not an option but I would add about 50 pounds or organic matter per 100 sq foot of lawn and beds BEFORE THE PLANTS ARE PUT IN.

I would worry about traffic noise from the turnpike.I live north of 44 on Lake Deaton and I can hear a lot of turnpike noise, especially in the early morning having coffee on my lanai. I hope the Morse empire is pushing FL DOT to construct many miles of noise barriers.

I've lived in Fenney for 18 months and have never heard turnpike traffic noise. However, the villages that will be north of Warm Springs avenue as well as when they build east of 501 are getting close and most likely will hear the traffic there.

And meanwhile, while people are thinking about whether they want to live there, every day homes are sold and it will continue. It will be part of the contiguous Villages in a couple of years and people will find something else to wonder about and the prices will climb. NO. I don't sell real estate. Glad we bought when we did and we may someday buy new again. We have done it twice here. We live on 466 and the traffic noise doesn't bother us, but we were told it would.