How did you choose your village?
 

I have been trying to schedule a LV for almost a year but a combination of elderly parents and adult children and COVID have derailed my plans. So I have been scouring the internet for everything I can learn about TV. One thing I remain curious about is how to determine where to live. Some say live in the established areas because there is so much more to do and some recommend the newer areas because there will be more people my age (I'm 57 and single). Any thoughts, suggestions or smart ass comments are welcome.

First we chose the home/home model/view then we saw how it measured against our lifestyle. That is pretty vague but pretty much how it goes. Do you want to be near a square, shopping outside the bubble, perhaps you have friends in a certain area? How much are you willing to compromise one value over another?

We looked south of 466A for used homes and then drove south of 44 to Fenney in it's infancy and just knew this was the place for us. Have been here over 3 years now and have absolutely no regrets, great people, great atmosphere. All of the villages are great, just depends on what you are looking for.

We were in a hurry as our house sold faster than we anticipated.

We knew we wanted to be in an established area not to far from shopping on 27/441 and kind of in the middle between two squares.

Last June rented for a month to get to know the area and lifestyle and had a pretty good idea as to what we wanted.

Wound up in Bonita which is more or less the middle of the Villages.

We wanted another new home and chose the area where they were building. At that point all view lots were gone. (In seven hours).

We loved Hadley and the people there and we like Bridgeport at Laurel Valley and the people here.

It is hard to make a mistake.

I think it is fun, when you are new, to have all new folks around you too. Did it twice here in The Villages.

We love where we live. Close to doctors, shopping, everything.

Your question as to what area to buy is impossible to answer objectively, since obviously ALL the areas of The Villages are obviously desirable. Otherwise there would be no houses being bought in that area and the last time I checked, homes were being bought in every village.

Where you choose to buy is predicated on a lot of personal factors. It may be proximity to shopping, proximity to entertainment, proximity to other friends who may already live in TV, proximity to recreation activities, the desire to be in the "middle of everything", or the desire to be away from the "middle of everything" and have a little peace & quiet, the desire for a particular house style, the desire to be on the cutting edge of the growth, or the desire to avoid all of that growth and mayhem at all cost. And the problem usually is that you don't really know what you REALLY want until you get a chance to experience The Villages first hand. So therefore, I always have recommended to consider renting for several months before making that buying decision. That way, you will get a chance to know what is important to you and it will improve your chances for getting that "dream" place you really want. By listening to all the other people here on TOTV, you will only find out what they felt was important to them. And I guarantee their answers are going to be all over the map (literally and figuratively).

We decided to go new...we had totally remodeled our primary residence and our second home during the previous 3 years....we were not looking to go through that again. First thing that we did was to look at the floor plans that were available...and decided on the model that we wanted. The only square still building new near by at the time was Brownwood....we didn't think that it was that necessary to be close to a square, as they are all easy to get to by car for us. We were the 1st to move into our cul de sac....there's a lot to be said about everybody being new on the street and looking to connect with neighbors. One thing to avoid is backing up to a highly traveled street.

Our Village choose us. It had the Pre-owned home that fit our criteria list and was in our price range. We had a general location in mind (north of 466, or slightly south of 466), but did not target a specific Village. We are very happy with how things worked out.

And with all the investigating everyone does rumor has it people will move once or twice after they get here.

We have found that living in The Village of Chatham Acres is beautiful but a bit of a trip to Spanish Springs.

When the horse that came with the house saw me coming towards her she galloped away at Triple Crown Contender Speed!

:1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

We preferred a new home and at that time the village of Sabal Chase just south of Lake Sumter Landing was being developed. While we like the new model CYV the area south of 44 it is too desolate for us in regard to shopping and all the construction and dirt is unsightly.

We wanted to be 3 miles +- a couple tenths from Starbucks. Our agent thought we were kidding. We weren't. We ended up at 2.98 (or 2.99 if we include the front door) in Amelia. Close enough. :D

That sounds like us.

Although not necessarily because of Starbucks, we want to be south of 466 and within a few miles of Lake Sumter Landing.

We wanted a new masonry CYV, and at the time Tamarind Grove was the newest area, that was in 2011. As it turns out, we are 4 miles (20 minutes by cart) to Brownwood, 3-1/2 miles to LSL (15 minutes by cart) 3-1/2 miles to Colony Plaza (15 minutes) and 1-1/2 miles to Trainwinds Villages. I can reach in my golf cart with my clubs 8 different championship golf courses (all 27 hole layouts) in 25 minutes or less and 17 executive golf courses in 15 minutes or less. As a golfer, I couldn't ask for better.

Google Maps Satellite View Tamarind Grove & St. James

When we decided to look at The Villages, we only looked at new houses. Why? We didn't know anyone when we moved down here. We wanted a neighborhood where everyone was new, and hoping to create new friends. For us, it was the right thing to do. We have an amazing group of friends.

We are close to your age and haven't scheduled our Lifestyle Visit, yet, either. At this point, I'm thinking that it would be nice to live in a house that we could walk to a restaurant for dinner and drinks. I want to check out some of the neighborhoods that are within walking distance to the squares and we're also going to check out some of the newer construction, too. Close proximity to a rec center, pool and/or country club would be nice.

I think we'll have to see TV and get a feel for the area before we can really narrow it down to one specific village. We live within a fairly reasonable drive of TV (about 6 hours), so we'll probably spend a weekend there at one of the hotels first, do some preliminary exploring and then come back to do a longer Lifestyle Visit at a later date.

The best way - if you are able - is to rent a home for a month, drive all over, and attend lots of activities in the rec centers. This will help you to substantially make decisions - as it did for so many of us that decided to buy after and/or during said experience. There are so many things to consider that it is difficult to do from afar and never having been here.

My husband and I are 60. Our #1 priority was a golf/water view plus a pool. We searched ALL areas of the villages for a designer or premiere home; we even looked at lots. In the end we chose Briar Meadow for these reasons: Mature trees and landscaping. Can walk to the Lopez restaurant or pool bar. Groceries, gas, Walgreens, dentist, bank, doctor, etc. are just a 3 minute golf cart trip away. There is less traffic in the snowbird months. Sumter and Spanish Springs are a 12-14 minute car trip but we only go there 2-3x month so it's not a big deal for us.
Make a list of your priorities and shop with that in mind.

i didn't choose it - tv broker & bride chose it OR rather, it chose us,,, can't even remember address & we close end of month - osceoola something,,, all i recall is undevelopable land behind us ( broker calls it a 'preserve' but its really a gulch filled w/brush & weed trees ),,, the kissing lanai's were just too voyeuristic for us

Close to a gas station, however they keep jacking up the prices for no reason. $.10 for the Memorial day weekend and $.10 for this weekend both of which probably will not go away

We’ve owned 4 homes here in the last 9 years. Always buy new. You will get the most appreciation on your money. Just don’t over improve if you will sell in 2-4 years. So that being said your village will be where new construction is. You will also be part of the beginning of social groups in your village.

Lake Sumter Landing is the area.......golf ,shops, restaurants, medical, groceries and entertainment. All within a mile and a half. Make sure you get ready to buy new roof, A/C, hot water heater.

How did you choose your house?
 

We wanted a new house, and one that was already furnished - basically a "spec" home. We did not have a lot of time, so those were the criteria. So we bought in what was a new area at the time - Brownwood. Don't regret it at all.

We purchased new, South of 466a, just before TV quit building new homes.

When we bought our home there were only 3 in the neighborhood. We came back 6 months later and the neighborhood was completely finished. If you want to know what your neighborhood will look like, buy after most of it is completed. As for age, don't worry too much about it. We bought when I was 56 (10 years ago). We prefer the area south of Hwy 466 and North of Hwy 466A but there are mixed ages in most all the areas of The Villages. South of Hwy 44 is where all the new construction is going on. Just depends on whether you want established neighborhoods or not...and services are a little light until they catch up with grocery stores and so on.
One final note and this is a personal preference. Looking back, I wish we had purchased a home with a golf course or water view. You spend a lot of time in your house as you get older (or when a pandemic hits) and having a view would be a nice addition. We compensated by buying a little beach condo instead down south a ways...but a view lot is worth considering in my opinion.

Rent for 6 months. If you play pickleball or another sport, go to different courts etc and check out the crowd. Check out the pools. Don't rush.

We chose Collier, near Brownwood Paddock Square, because the following things were important to us: accessibility to championship golf courses (hubby plays several times a week, and wanted golf cart access), proximity to shopping for groceries, bank, drugstore, etc (several options a golf cart ride away), and a newer home (at the time, homes in Collier were around 5-6 years old). We are very happy with our choice!

We also rented 2 years prior, and used that time to familiarize ourselves with the various locations, traffic patterns, amenities, etc. the area south of 44 is lovely, especially the walking/biking being separated from golf cart traffic. Maybe if you listed what’s important to you, we could mention areas in the Villages that best meet that criteria.

Good luck - and have fun looking!!

Most neighborhoods are friendly. Find a home you like, meet your potential neighbors, then make your decision.

We rented for a month to visit friends with no intention of moving but after a couple weeks guess what? We looked nowhere else other than Fenney as the surrounding nature was what spoke to us. 2 years in and still pinch ourselves we found this neighborhood. We were 58 when we moved and the newer areas are definitely a younger set. A plus with ant new village is that everyone else is new and extremely easy and quick to make friends as all in the same boat so to speak. They finish villages all at once so once completed construction where you live isn’t an issue so nothing to put you off south of 44 that way. So My advise is to rent a month south of 44 (10 villages and counting to choose from) and check it out before deciding one way or the other.

We chose Fenney because of the beauty and nature. Love it but sometimes it would be nice to be closer to stores and restaurants. Eventually there will be amenities nearby. Do hope it's in our life time. LOL

Rented for 3 years in different areas, before we bought first vaca home in 2010, new. Second house 2012, new wanted 2 car garage. Third house 2014, preowned needed a 2 car with golf cart garage. It’s about the house for us

I rented for a year and fell in love with Emmalee Villas. Centrally located really friendly with many singles men and women. Youngest male is in his forty’s.
You can also try renting for several month stays.
Enjoy your search!

I put the Sorting Hat on that they use at Hogwarts, and after some deliberation it told me Pollo Ridge. It was easy!

I put the Sorting Hat on that they use at Hogwarts, and after some deliberation it told me Pollo Ridge. It was easy!

If you have been searching so long for information, you have probably read the two or three books available about The Villages online. If so, you know that they are all woefully inadequate and riddled with typing errors. (I wrote to the author of the biggest one and offered to proof-read his book FOR FREE, but he didn’t even reply!) I’d like to see a book about The Villages that has several pages about each village. It should have a full page map of that village, showing each lot and house (as seen when you search for houses on Zillow and increase the map magnification). It should break down the types of houses (for example, courtyard villas, stick frame or cinder block), give the date of construction. It should give the approximate distance to various amenities, such as stores, golf courses, pools, recreation centers. It should give the pros and cons of each village. It should show the distance to various busy streets. (I know that there is at least one village that has a large percentage of gay men. If I were gay and considering a move to The Villages, I’d like to know which village that is!) All this information is available, and the authors could put it in their books, but they haven’t. It would be so helpful!

I’d also like a listing of all the restaurants in The Villages area and how to get there. What are their specialties? How are they rated? How about all the grocery stores, and dry cleaners, and other stores, all marked on a map, or a bunch of maps? What about including a list of all of the clubs? (Granted, they are available on Talk of the Villages, but they should be in the book, too, which could be updated yearly.) How about chapters on various hobbies and the people who practice them and how? How about information about house direction and the size of garages? Don’t you wish you had that book?

I’d really like to have a good quality laminated map that shows every village and ideally every lot. Sure, GPS is nice, but so is a map. There are a couple maps online that have that information, and I’ve printed them out over several pages, but I’d like a bigger one.

There are a number of useful videos about The Villages on YouTube (I especially like the drone videos). However, a lot of them are very badly made. Some guy sits in his lanai and rambles on for twenty minutes. He has useful information, but why not make notes and use them and cut out all the rambling? Why not rehearse?

One thing to consider is that if you use your golf cart a lot, you may be using your car much less. If you only drive your car a thousand miles a year at The Villages, maybe you don’t need a new one. Save yourself hundreds of dollars a month! And do you really need a big SUV, or can you get by with a much smaller car that is easier to park in that tiny garage with a golf cart beside it. If you say you need it because it is safer, Bear in mind that an open golf cart offers much less protection than a small car. Plus, a small car may be $20,000 less than that SUV.

A large percentage of the homes in The Villages are only 1100 to 1200 square feet. If you are single, do you really need a king size bed, or is that just wishful thinking? Do you really need big chests of drawers, or could you keep all your clothes in your walk in closet on shelves? How much do you REALLY think you will be entertaining? If you aren’t entertaining, how many seats do you really need? For years I had only three comfy chairs in my living room. Now I have two chairs and one loveseat. (Why? I’ve only had one visitor to my house in the past year.) If you don’t have two or three seating areas and couches, 1200 square feet doesn’t seem nearly so small. And do you need a dinner table that sits six or eight plus another table in the breakfast area if there are only two of you? There’s more room! One table for four may be all you need. And why have various sets of china and other dinnerware and more than one set of flatware? You could probably get by with service for six. Twelve? Who are you kidding? It’s not very likely.

If you are buying, at present you can get 3% interest on your mortgage. That’s amazing! There are several useful YouTube videos that explain the costs of living here, and one of the books does, too. Here are some costs to consider. (These are off the top of my head and are probably inaccurate, but in the ballpark.) My bond is paid off. If you buy a new house, how much is the bond? $200 a month? How much is the Amenities fee we all pay? $168? There is trash pickup, whether or not you are here. Electricity will probably cost you at least $100 a month. There’s a water bill. I pay about $800 total per year for homeowners insurance and flood insurance and hurricane insurance, etc. Car insurance is very cheap in The Villages—especially if you don’t have an expensive car. Pool cleaning costs me $2,000 a year. Mowing my tiny lawn also costs about that. Then there is fertilizing and weed control and weed pulling and tree and shrub pruning. Roughly, for me, all of this is about $800 a month on top of the mortgage.

I hope this helps.

Location (where do you want to be), new/pre-owned, etc...lots to consider. We wanted to be in the center of the villages between 466 and 466A and within 10 to 15 minutes by Golf Cart to grocery shopping. Also, I read an article about moving into an already established neighborhood. They said that sometimes the groups are already formed there and it is harder to fit in than it would be to move into a brand new area where everybody is in the same boat at the same time… New owner, not familiar with a lot of things, Just starting out issues, etc. We lucked out in our neighborhood. There still are groups that were formed before we moved here, but plenty of very nice people that welcomed us with open arms.

I found Jerry and Linda's Villages Newcomers VLOG super helpful. I just moved here after in April after two 7-14 day visits in late 2018 & 2019. I arrived April 24, was under contract within 24 hrs, closed May 29 and moved into my small Colony Patio Villa June 16. It's been the best decision of my life!

I compromised on a couple of things but stood VERY firm on not being squished between two other homes. I didn't want to be staring at the side of someone else's home. I have the most beautiful large lot and love it. I've already met so many nice people!!!

YouTube

I read all "we" replys. As a single, your realities may be different. Rent for awhile and explore the many different Village neighborhoods. But, be aware, that as you live here things change. The oak lined street you loved, can turn into stone yards with trees cut down. The convenient shopping to a favorite group of stores, restaurants expereince turn over when rents go up. Established neighbors may not be as welcoming to a single. The singles club may be 90% women. The big plus is, when things return to normal activity, there are so many activities to choose from. Their are organizations and churches to become a member of. A ton of activities to elect to be involved in. And,10 months of the year, the weather can be 'perfect.' Good luck to you.

We tried to imagine what our day-to-day life would be living in one of the villages.

In my case, I truly hate having to turn left onto a 4-lane highway without having a stop light to control the traffic.

That rules out most of the villages because there are many 4-lane highways like Pinellas, Hillsborough, and Moyer (2 lanes for cars, 2 for golf carts) and we refused to live in the villages along those roads.

That is why we chose Osceola Hills. When we leave our neighborhood, we come out to a roundabout where it is easy to turn left. Every time we drive down another 4-lane road and see someone struggling to turn left, I am glad we live where we do.