Asking for comments on areas south of 44 for to-be-new Villagers
 

We plan to be Villagers in the next 4 months and just finished our third lifestyle visit: were on a mission to pick a neighborhood. We were focused on the areas around south Lake Sumter/north Brownwood...but we surprisingly very much liked the new areas. Pitched and Putted in Marsh Bend, ALLOWED the people at Edna's to serve us and entertain us with music, Putted and Played in Fenney, enjoyed concerts at Lake Sumter Landing and Brownwood Paddock Square. Looked at houses in those areas as well as St. Catherine and Hawkins. Fell in love with the newer areas and were excited about infrastructure building there. Chitty Chatty seems still to be a little isolated for us. We greatly value convenience to shopping and activities.

Other than distance to town squares being a negative, we would appreciate any/all comments, pros or cons, on the new areas in the south of TVs.

Thank you in advance for your responses.

There has been so much on here regarding the pros and cons of living south of 44. We purchased in Fenney four years ago and have really enjoyed living down here, 30% of the homes sold south of 44 are to Villagers that were living north of 44 so that alone tells you something. I'm only speaking of Fenney as that's where I live. No. 1 is medical, we are very close to the new 24 hour UF Villages Emergency Room, less than 15 minutes to the UF Leesburg Hospital and Emergency Room, less than 10 minutes to The Villages Specialty Care Center and soon to open new Primary Care facility. Restaurants, we are less than 10 minutes away from at least 15 restaurants with more on the way. Entertainment, less than 10 minutes to Paddock Square, later this year the Sawgrass outdoor entertainment area is rumored to be open, probably just before the snowbirds come back. Exercise, there are miles and miles of bike and hike trails down here starting in Fenney and going just about everywhere south of 44, most if not all of the neighborhood rec. centers have outdoor exercise equipment that is well maintained. Dogs, we have two of the 6 dog parks that are in The Villages, I don't like dog parks but they're here if you want to use them. Golf, we have 5 executive courses plus the pitch and putt course and the new 27 hole championship courses are well under way. Atmosphere, this part of TV is very open with lots of green space and water. Amenities, we have all of the amenities known to the northern villages plus several that are not up there with the exception of horse shoes. The only thing we don't have would be box store shopping, you have to go up to Lady Lake for that but I'm sure it will be here in the near future.

Our cousin just did a lifestyle visit and bought in St Catherine’s. It is a beautiful house that they bought. They were looking in the same area as you but in the a new house won. To us the distance to the town squares is not a negative as it is more golf cart time and that is what it is all about for us. No matter where you end up it will be great. Good luck.

If you like an area, think about how difficult it will be to get out to a main road.

For example, turning left leaving Chitty Chatty looks very difficult to me.

As I drive down Marsh Bend Trail, I see lots of cars having to wait a long time trying to turn left. The traffic along that road will probably increase when the road is extended to route 301.

On the other hand, I think it will be easy to get out of Hawkins, St. Catherine, and the other new neighborhoods nearby. Just pull out onto Meggison and then take that road or Morse over to Warm Springs Road.

I did a LOT of on line research during lockdown and had the same conclusion as you. However, when I got here I concluded that the new areas is where I wanted to be. My biggest reason is I am in my fifties and I found that more people my age lived in St. Catherine and the nearby villages.

We are on our 4th home, which means we are now in Marsh Bend. Love it! At first I was reluctant because we were used to convenience on the "other side". Now that we've been here a year and experienced it, we have no regrets. There are less homes and more greenspace; we have no one behind us because we chose a water view and walking trails galore. The wildlife is ever changing and entertaining. Publix is open, Sawgrass soon to come, the Water Lilly bridge allows easy access, 14 minutes to Brownwood from our home via golfcart. So, speaking from experience and not rumors or what I've heard.......it is beautiful and life is good down here! Here's the thing, give it a try.......and if it's not for you change it instead of being miserable.

We rented before buying and decided we wanted to be closer to the shopping on 27/441.
Also closer to the three squares.
All areas have pros and cons and what works for others might not work for you.
People often move here and than move to another area of the villages.
Good luck on your decision.

Our area is best. That’s what you will hear.
We moved right next to Brownwood originally but after a couple years you will never go to squares. We didn’t believe it either but it happens. We moved to Marsh Bend and love it

Yes, we all agree with that statement.

Yes, we agree. Didn't Yogi Berra say, "No one goes there because it is too crowded."

Yes south of 44 is the place to be, all the new stuff shops stores homes .

Areas South of 44...
 

Our experience with "South of 44" is more about "new" rather than geography. New development is South of 44 and that means that each neighborhood is filled with brand new people looking to meet their new neighbors. It seems to us there's a natural inclusivity with being on a circle rather than a long road.

Many older areas, North of 44, have well established "activity groups" and it can be more difficult as a newcomer. Being near a square is not quite as important as there's live entertainment in many other locations throughout The Villages.

Over the next decade (or two) 44 will become the geographic "middle" of The Villages due to the substantial planned expansion further South. Sawgrass is a different approach to a "square" and it's going to be interesting to see how it's received.

We've been Villagers, South of 44, for just over a year and absolutely love it! The challenge for the developer's crystal ball - what will create the magic for the future generations coming to The Villages!

No matter where in the villages you move to there is always a better house or better area thus the reason why most villagers move to another house.

Wow Debfrommaine, it sounds like you think the "other side" is the pit of hell! If that's the case, what do you think of the section of The Villages, yes they are part of us, across 441 and Spanish Springs? We love the fact that where we live on "the other side" has beautiful mature live oaks across the street providing much needed shade in the summer. Every Village has it's pros and cons so we should just all be happy that we live in Florida!! The worst comment to this thread is the one about not liking dog parks, GEEZE!!!!!

We moved to Marsh Bend after living in the northern part of the Villages. Great house, great neighbors, great facilities, and now the shopping center is very convenient. We found many/most of our neighbors were newly retired which sounds like what you are looking for. Marsh Bend is a lovely area.
If you look and look and cannot decide, renting first is always a good idea. The Villages is so huge, and still growing, there is a lot to choose from. Good luck.

Just for clarification, I thought the Southern Oaks Championship Course is going to be 18 holes, not 27 holes as indicated in an earlier reply.

Too remote for me at this time. I prefer the Sumter Landing area. Close to everything important to me, especially golf.

WE love Marsh bend

If you happen to be sensitive to noise, be mindful of a prospective new home's proximity to the turnpike. And...do your due diligence and visit the area at night. When there are no competing sounds in the area, it is amazing just how noisy turnpike traffic can be. Some of those new areas currently under construction are VERY close to the turnpike.

We just bought in St Catherine after renting in a few places over 5 years. We've rented in St James, Caroline and most recently in Fenney. While we liked the areas north of 44, south is what we decided suited us best. We like new construction, "younger clientele", many walking/biking trails as well as new development such as Saw Grass Grove. Each area offers its own pros/cons and is up to you to decide which area offers the most pros for you. Good luck with your search!

areas south
 

finally someone mentioned the turnpike noise. also be aware of flood zones where you may need flood insurance, blasting from the quary and loud speakers from the prison

The houses are beautiful down there but watch out for the bond prices. It adds an additional $25,000 in cost on top of the house, that they conveniently “forget” to tell you. They roll it into the cost of the mortgage so you are not only paying the cost of the interest on the bond but also the cost of the interest on the mortgage bring the interest to almost 10%

We've lived in our home in Monarch Grove for a year now and absolutely LOVE it!!! It takes us literally mins by cart to get up to Magnolia Plaza and all the executive courses are within a few mins cart driving time. We actually use our cart more than our car now!!! Our friends looked for a home in several areas near us, including Hawkins and St. Catherine, but there's currently only one way in/out of Hawkins and if you're in the homes closest to Warm Springs and the church, you'll have quite a hike in/out of that village to get to those homes. They didn't care for the layout at all. Plus, for the foreseeable future, you won't have easy access past the turnpike to Magnolia Plaza or the golf courses by cart unless you go all the way down to Water Lily bridge and back up. Our friends ended up buying a home in Monarch Grove, but for my money, I'd buy something in the areas west of the turnpike as there's no telling how long it'll be before they get the Bexley bridge done. Just my opinion.......

You just covered everything you can do south of brownwood. You are considered isolated. Developer has changed model.

1. And, in addition, everything north of Brownwood is available.
2. Considered by whom? Not those who live here.
3. Yes. Changed to a better model. More colors. More green space. Etc.

It’s called “Marsh” Bend because it was built on filled in swampland with potential settling issues in the future. At least one resident there has died of West Nile virus from the swarms of mosquitoes. There is also lots of noise. It’s not “new” once you move in either. So your used house will face competition from more desirable areas North of 44.

Yes, Southern Oaks Championship Golf Course is going to be an eighteen hole course and not twenty seven. It’s projected to open in the fall or winter of 2021.

If we were younger and didn’t have such good neighbors, we would definitely consider moving into a new home south of 44. It has a lot of pluses. What the heck, might still do it!

Geez...who doesn’t like a good dog park? (Cats)

I thought the dog park reference was a bit odd. We do not take our dog to them, for many reasons.

But, to stay on the OP’s topic, watch out for water treatment, sewer pump stations & debris dumps. There are definitely some within The Villages & they stink when the wind blows in your direction. Ask your realtor but definitely do your own due diligence.

Good luck in your search, enjoy the process & welcome!

Realize everything is a matter of opinion. Many, in my opinion, have a need to defend the choice they have made rather than admit others have perhaps made a better choice than they did.

We also did three of the life style visits. Since, you say we there are at least two of you.

I would suggest you write things down. What is important to you and what is important to the other or others in the at least two. Writing things out makes all of us think about what we are saying. You then assign each care a number order in order of importance.
In writing it does not change or get spun. See where you agree and disagree. Often it is a surprise.

My opinion, my personality it is far less expensive and less stressful to do it right the first time rather than doing it over and over and over again. The realtor told us the average villager moves three times. We have been here almost 9 years, in the same house and we are happy. What to I regret? Frankly, I miss the basement we used to have. In the villages, I don't think anyone has a basement and due to the soil, the rain etc a basement would be an indoor swimming pool that you would hope to stick the next buyer with.

I'm no math wiz. We recently paid off our bond. At the time we bought, eight years ago,
the amount of the bond was far less than it is now and the interest rate was 5%.
When, we paid it off we were told the rate would be renegotiated in two years. That was roughly a year ago. Due to current interest rates going down, I assumed. perhaps incorrectly that it would go down from the 5% we were paying. I've seen people posting it is now 7%-that is not confirmed by me.

Check what you are saying. While you send one check for the bond with your mortgage they are not additive 7% interest on the bond plus 3% on the mortgage. It is paying two loans with one check. One loan is 7% the other 3%. Even the terms are different.
You can decide to pay more into your mortgage and pay off a 30 year mortgage in whatever you choose say 15 years 10 or 28 years. By law there is no penalty. The bond on the other hand you do not have that option. You need to pay it off in full.

Hello and good luck on your home purchase.
Generally speaking, a vast majority of the new homes are located in the Southern Sections and the demographics of the Southern section vs those living north of CR 44 are the age of the residents.

A draw-back of living in the Southern Section is that you will need a car for many of your travels throughout The Villages. Although there is full golf cart connectivity in The Villages, you will need a car, especially to travel anything north of CR 466A. Traveling to any point north of 466A from the Southern Sections is not practical.

Good Luck and welcome to The Villages.

I don't like dog parks and many others feel the same way if even 30% of the residents liked and used dog parks they would be way over crowded with dogs and people. Now back to the original topic.

We have lived in DeSoto over two years and are happy with our decision. Here are what I see as the pros and cons south of 44:
Pros:
1. Newer homes and less to update
2. Lots of walking / biking paths that don’t have golf carts on them.
3. Typically easier to make friends when everyone is “new”.
4. Lots of green areas.
5. Good choice for Executive golf courses.
6. Lots of new types of things like the Pitch and Putt, Ednas, and Sawgrass Market.

Cons:
1. Noise. If you are sensitive to noise south of 44 may not be for you. There is definitely turnpike noise in the background. Also, in DeSoto the cement plant on 470 can be quite noticeable in the mornings.
2. Lack of championship golf. If you want to be within a 30 minutes cart ride of 6 or more championship courses you need to be north of 44. While the first 18 hole course will be ready probably by the fall, the other two planned courses (18 and 27 hole courses) have not broken ground and are several years away.
3. Lack of big box stores. It will probably be 5 to 10 years before there is sufficient population south of 44 to support the big box stores. That means a trip north will be required. If you need to be close to these stores move north of 44.
4. Living in a construction area. This can get tiring with all the dirt flying and fires being set to clear land.
5. Lack of restaurants
6. High bond amounts

It really depends on what you value and want. You have to decide your own priority.

Any other supposed negative things you forgot ?
Most of what you said has been debunked by those actually living there.

Golf comment
 

If a variety of championship golf is important to you, better stay north of 44. If exec or pitch and put is fine south is ok and I have been surprised has some new paths and wrinkles that are nice.

This pretty accurate. The only change that I would make is replacing "lack of" with "farther distance from".

"Finally" ????

As in "Finally I can jump in there with some negative comments about an area that I don't live in." ????

You speak like you know all of the southern villages. Turnpike noise is not heard all through the southern villages, as far as I know not any flooding down here like there is in the northern villages, remember Irma and how the tunnels up there were flooded, etc. not down here. I have lived here for 4 years and have never heard a loud speaker from the prison, the quarry blasts are once every 6 weeks or so and last a maximum of 2 seconds, most people down here have never felt one. The nearest railroad tracks are on the western side of 301 unlike the northern villages. It's very peaceful south of 44 and most of those that bought homes on the east side near the turnpike knew it was there before they purchased their homes. I'm a very light sleeper and like peace and quiet, if there were the kind of noises you talk about near my home I would have moved long ago.

Best post yet.