I'm New, I'm Blue, and I'm Confused Too [Marsh Bend vs Linden]
 

Hello,

My wife and I just put money down on a lot in Linden, but we love Marsh Bend too. Has anyone had a similar experience where you put a lot in reserve, but in the mean time watched for lots or homes to become available in another Village you liked a little better?

First post also, Lancaster County PA resident, retiring in the next 12 months, did Lifestyle last year, rented in Hillsborough this year, leaning heavily on by/build a Begonia or Jasmine, which both will fit on reserved lot.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts or comments, Go Eagles, and have a great summer !!

MrExcite721

Both Villages have some nice lots. We can also “Monday Morning” some of our choices and as The Villages continues to grow there will be lots that might be as good as the one you first picked. Remember it’s a lifestyle and in my experience of 13 plus years the house becomes less important than the neighbors you happen to “draw”.

Both are good choices. My concern with Marsh Bend is how congested and busy it might be with all that is going to be there, rec. center, shopping plaza, ball fields, soccer, RC boats and cars, pitch and put, Cattail, etc., it could take a long time to get out to Warm Springs once everything is completed. However, there are probably just as many people that like a busy area with all the amenities as do not. This is just a personal opinion.

Yes...we put money down on a lot in March with a June Design meeting scheduled. When we put down the deposit on the lot, we knew we had one opportunity to change our mind and select a different lot or purchase a Villages property (new or pre-owned and listed by TV). We had second thoughts about the lot as being too close to Warm Springs (468) and started looking around. Found two homes in DeSoto that we were debating and then found one in McClure that fit most of our needs. We closed a month later.

There are updated/newer home models available but you need to decide what meets your needs...and that's difficult. We found that we needed to be able to "downsize" in our thinking as well as in our actual possessions. Tough to do. Whatever you decide, just get to know your awesome neighbors and choose some activities. Start living the LifeStyle! Best wishes!

Why are you blue? Are you homesick, nervous or what? I don’t understand your consternation. Anxiety is not unusual when making a big move, be assured you will love it here and make good friends.

I understand your anxiety,although we haven't put any money down yet,we have gone back and forth many times on floor plans and series of home. We are still over a year out from retirement so I see all these nice new Villages but I know as they fill up a new Village will begin. I think we will be in the exact same predicament next year at this time. We will wonder if we are buying too much house or not enough. I think if you listen to all these supportive long time Villagers who always say it's more about the lifestyle in TV and the friends you make. All will go well if you keep a positive outlook and be open to all the new experiences ahead. Good luck friends and see you in TV soon.

They say the average Villager moves 3 times, probably because we realize we downsized too much, not enough, prefer a different model or become entranced with a new area. We recently moved to Fenney but were instantly attracted to Marsh Bend after we walked the Hogeye reserve. We love the peace and quiet in the Fenney area but will always keep an eye out. Your reservations are entirely normal. It's like being in a candy store!

We reserved a lot in Marsh Bend and decided a lot in Linden met more of our needs. Our choice was based on the ability to build a pool and extend the lanai to the max. We are now building our "dream home". Fourth home in The Villages and not counting any more.

While admittedly a small sample, based on this unofficial poll (margin of error +-90%)...methinks "they" are wrong. :D


THEY (Poke Here)



.

THEY = real estate sales people!

Yep! :thumbup:

To All:

Thank you very much for your thoughts and feedback, it is a great resource to keep with us moving forward. We are in town over the 4th to pick the final destination, fingers crossed. I will post some updates when it all goes down.

To my future neighbors, we appreciate your warm welcomes, and the feeling is mutual !!

Well, we did it !!!

Bought an Indigo on Demarco Drive in Marsh Bend. Close in August, move in spring of 2020. Thanks again for all of the insight. See you in The Villages !!!!!!!!!!!

Congratulations to you. Let the move in countdown clock begin now!
:coolsmiley:

I think your concerns are valid.

We have lived in Osceola Hills for three years. We love going to Marsh Bend to walk the wonderful trail around Hogeye Marsh and to play the beautiful Marshview golf course.

We have no intention of moving, but if we were, we would definitely prefer Monarch Grove. It will have much less traffic than MB and it will easier to get out to a main road.

I think you may have the traffic situation backwards.

Looking at the map and growth to come the potential traffic on Corbin Trail going south would be much greater. Corbin Trail will cut through from CR501 at Linden down to CR470. Marsh Bend Trail goes form Warm Springs to US301. The Corbin Trail area is about 3x larger than the area serviced by Marsh Bend.

Obviously we don't know what they have planned for south of Monarch Grove but to think it will be less that what is happening now in the areas being developed would buck a very long standing trend. Don't forget also that the Bailey Bridge is slated to be updated to carry both GC and auto traffic and will dump traffic into the area just south of Monarch Grove.

Great information Don, thank you for adding to the conversation !!

I agree with that prediction.

However, I think people living in Monarch Grove will have an easy time getting out to the main road CR501. In addition to Corbin Trail, they could leave on Reagan Road or the new Knudson Run.

When we play at the Marshview golf course in Marsh Bend, we notice that it is a long drive just to reach Warm Springs Avenue. All of the new homes being built in De Luna will also be driving along that stretch of road and I think it will be very congested.

And into the new Southern Oaks Square :)

When is traffic heaviest in the area?

Snowbird season, Jan thru April.

Since there are a lot of smaller homes (villas, cabanas, etc) in the Southern area, I suspect there will be a higher percentage of homes that are vacant during the off-season (like now) and occupied during snowbird season, which means there will be a larger increase in traffic than in the other areas of TV.

If you actually place a deposit on a lot in order to build, you are "allowed" to change your mind once and only once only to purchase another lot OR you are "allowed" to transfer your deposit to a SPEC home. We met with our sales agent to design our home and during that few days of lot selection we kept looking at SPEC homes to see flooring, trim packages, appliances and cabinets. We were about to drop off a check for our lot of choice in order to build then went to see one more home that was "just released" for sale that day. We liked that home very much so the sales agent put that SPEC home "on hold" for us for a couple of hours. We went out for lunch then decided to buy the SPEC home.

Noise FL TP
 

Did being too close to the FL Turnpike influence your decision at all? Looks like many homes & lots in Marsh Bend & Monarch Grove are too close to the highway!

Always great to welcome another PA transplant....:)

Actually, not at all. Our decision was based mainly on the lot size. The lot in Marsh Bend was a bit small than the one we built our home in The Village of Linden. Also, I can walk to Riverbend Rec Center.