Younger Villagers moving in
 

I am a 24 year old man, single, no kids, work from home and am looking to buy my first house. I would love to live in the Villages and know about the 80/20 rule when it comes to 55+ communities. I am quiet, and old soul, respectful of others and always maintain a clean living space/ yard. What would be the honest reaction to having a young person live next door?

There are some new Villages developments coming that are open to younger people. Look up the Village of Middleton on YouTube. Anyone will be able to live there.

At 24 though, you are NOT an old soul. You are just getting a decent start.

When my daughter comes to visit, Villagers we do not know come up to her and say “Yay, a young person! Can you help me with my iPhone?”

Be prepared to assist all your neighbors with their electronics.

Seriously? Sounds like another one of "those" threads. Should generate lot's of replies. :) You didn't state your gender but not sure how your age would fit in with a young person's lifestyle here. I guess you could join the Villages Single's Club. Lots of 70-80 yr old ladies (or men) looking for young guys (or gals). The 24yr old bar scene is very hot here and the nightly music on the squares fits right in with your age group. As long as you clean up after your dog and don't drive your golf cart over 20MPH you should fit right in. Seriously though (LOL) I'm sure a 24yr old can find a more age correct community in central Florida or anywhere in Florida but if the golden oldies and golden age is your thing then welcome. EDIT: Sorry, no Costco or Trader Joe's within 50 or so miles.

Why not wait like everyone else... You are likely an awesome neighbor and may be an exception, but many younger people just do not have a compatible life style. They have multiple dogs, tons of belongings, and multiple cars that overflow onto the street. What if you decide to have children later on - I guess you could sell and move elsewhere? Check out Middleton when it opens.

Our 26 year old daughter lives with us. On multiple occasions, (we have been here 6 months) people have come up to her and asked "can I help you." when she responds, No, I live here. Every time she gets the "no you can't." We tell her to be as respectful as she can to say "yes I can and yes I do."

oh hello! We need more like this!

80/20 Rule
 

The 80/20 rule does not apply here. Yes, Middleton is opening up and younger people can live there. But in most Villages, as I understand it, the rule is that at least one member of the household must be 55 or over and that no one under 18 can remain for more than a month. So, people in their 20s living here (not in Middleton) are living with the parents/relatives. Twenty-somethings do live here, but not at anything like the 20 percent level. I have never encountered a 20 something living here, though again, I know it happens.

I am saying that if having a few people of your age group around you is important to you, that can't be guaranteed. But that may not be important to you.

OP states he is a man and seems pretty confident about it

I personally love seeing young people around as long as they are respectful of the peaceful environment we enjoy here, which you say you would do. I think you should definitely consider further south where most of the new development and younger people are, but as a somewhat younger person myself at 57 I have felt welcomed in older villages as well. Playing sports is the one drawback at times where once again further south may be better for you.

Re-think that strategy. You don't want to get old before your time.

Experience the world
 

I don't think anyone would mind you living here, but you're really doing yourself a disservice. At this point in your life, you should be enjoying your youth and maybe finding someone you would want to spend the rest of your life with. If I was your age this would be the last place I would want to be.

The most important thing to consider that if you ever have children you will have to move. Also there is almost no nightlife after 8pm especially south of 466A and during the day almost 100% of the patrons of the restaurants and bars are over 50.

But there are several reasons to live here. It is a very quiet place especially at night and has very little crime. Very few houses have more than two people live here. It is great for commuting to Orlando as the turnpike still flows fairly smoothly.

But if you are a party animal you will be bored stiff.

Look out Cougars, a Cub is moving in! ������

This is SO wrong..you do NOT have to have one over 55 household member to live in The Villages!!

I remember our first Christmas tree lighting and asking the young couple standing next to me if they just bought here in TV. The young lady responded 'I've never seen so many old people in my life!'

I was just gonna mention that he needs to go find a cougar. Which for those of you that don't know what that is that it's an older woman that likes younger guys...

I started looking at The Villages at about 30 just to visit friends. I said I always wanted to live here (and yes the 80/20 does apply here). Now that I am retired, we just bought our first house here and will move in next month. I would not have a problem at all with you living here but I would say, think about it. What if you do meet someone and they want to have kids. Or after you are here a year you see that you don’t have things in common with the older generation? Yes, you can sell and move somewhere else but the hassle and the headache. Just please think about it so you don’t make a mistake. But I would welcome you, age don’t mean a lot, I just want people who are respectful, clean, take care of their stuff and gets along with everyone. That is the world I want to live in and that is why I chose The Villages.

OP, please disregard the rude comments and the incorrect statements.
You do not have to have someone 55+ living with you, and the comment about seeking psychiatric help was WAY out of line and downright rude.
You are certainly free to live your life wherever and however you want. Many people choose not to have children and it's nobody's business to tell you that you should.
There are many people here who spend their lives putting their noses in others business, but don't base your opinion of TV on the comments on this board. If I had, I never would have moved here.

My 27 yo lives with us
 

My 27 yo lives with us and everyone has always been great to him. We’re originally from Buffalo, our last address there was East Aurora. Go Bills!

Let's talk financials and I'll state the obvious. Where is a 24 y/o going to come up with the money to buy a house here?

He clearly stated he was a MAN

Just a question.....why would a 24 year old want to live around old people? 😎. I’m 70, been living in TV for 6 years and love living here, but at 24.....just don’t get it. We had a wonderful young couple in their 40’s living next to us for 4 years and were not completely happy in TV and moved where there were people closer to their age and now love there new home.

I wouldn’t mind at all. There are older people who are not any of the characteristics you describe and they live here. I don’t know if it would be allowed though. But there are options nearby.

You are seeing it.

If you want to live here, people won't care.

I would be happy with a neighbor who maintains their property and leads a quiet lifestyle. Age is no barrier here though you might find a social life with individuals closer to your age lacking... The music and activities are varied enough to meet just about any taste regardless of age in my experience. Hope we see you soon.

Most people do not care how old you are but this is an old crowd and you have a lot of living to do. The non age restricted communities would be better for you. As to it being quite “below”466A, do not listen to that junk. The older community just doesn’t party late in most of the Villages and the oldest people seem to be in the oldest section. The newest section, below 44, probably has the youngest by group.

Do yourself a favor and consider renting for a year or so before you buy. This place isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be.

Not trying to dissuade you, but you better think more about it.

I have 2 young men in my immediate neighbor group, and another one around the corner. 2 are your age, the other is around 40. We LOVE having them as our neighbors! 2 of them (my immediate neighbors) really engage and are quite social. One loves to host large neighborhood parties. I think we are helpful to him, and I know he is helpful to us!

There is also a FB group called Young People of the Villages. They get together and do things sometimes. Sometimes the group does pretty chill things like get together to play games, sometimes they sow some oats that would not be a welcome sight around here. I hired one of them to play music at our driveway party! He was awesome. :-)

Consider moving south of 44. It’s a younger demographic down here.

Finally, one of the things that I think is so special about being here is the connection we have with our neighbors. My sister LOVES her neighborhood, not because she likes the houses, but it’s the friends she has made. Same with us. At 24, it might be tricky to find things in common with your neighbors here. I’m sure everyone will be pleasant! But who will your tribe be? I am developing a nice friendship with the 40 year old, but it’s still kind of different than hanging with the 55+group. 24 would be a huge gap. One I would welcome, but wondering how I can connect at such vastly different life stages.

Good luck in your decision making process!!

Welcome to move in near me. The 80/20 does apply.

Apparently quite a number have it figured out;

• U.S. homeownership rate by age 2021 | Statista

Quite honestly, this is a myopic response. You are clearly stating this based on where you are from and your experiences.

I know a few 20-somethings with VERY good, high paying remote jobs. I know one guy who invested in his first 4-plex apartment building at age 21 (lives in one, rents out three), and is on his way to owning a slew of rental units.

If OP is from a high value region (like California), then coming up with $300,000 is not a lot of money when the median home price is in the 700-800,000's. Heck, $500,000 won't even buy you a small run down condo in a dump of an Orange County neighborhood like Stanton or Santa Ana.

My nephew is a real estate agent and in his middle-20's, He is doing quite well (especially in this market) and selling 2 homes a month for the last few years. With an average commission of $10,000 (at 1.5% after costs, etc.), he's making $20K/month for past two years. That's $250,000 a year. So in the past two years he has grossed half a million dollars. He's a saver, so $300,000 (cash) for a Villages home is not out of the realm of reality.

As long as you help me with the gardening, trash, washing of cars, maintenance of golf cart, putting up and taking down Christmas decorations...WELCOME!!!!

And look at how many here took the bait.

Hope you will be on our softball team.

Making sure silence does not get mistaken for consent!

Visit mom and dad
 

How long is a visit 6 months is not a visit

Why would you want to live here At your age?

I would welcome you as a neighbor. With that being said ... I don't think you would be happy for very long. I am retired and I find myself going to Tampa/Clearwater to find any nightlife.

WELCOME! We need more diversity here in The Villages......