Questions About Lifestyle Visit
 

I have been looking extensively into the Villages for quite a while now and really want to visit and feel it is a great place for retirees. My DH has agreed to do a lifestyle visit. Because I really want to buy a winter home there, I want to make our lifestyle visit interesting and fun so I can get him onboard. All I have read about LS visits is people driving around in a golf cart trying to figure out the lay of the land and visiting the different areas and rec centers, etc. I am wondering if I can set up things beforehand or even when we get there. We don't golf but my husband goes to the gym 6 days a week so would like to visit a state of the art gym. He loves music, so I am sure the nightly concerts would be great. He especially likes doo wop music if that makes a difference. I would be interested in trying out pickle ball. We have never played but are in good shape but I don't know how you go about it. Do you make reservations? I heard that it is very competitive but are there just pickup games for beginners? He's not a swimmer but I love water aerobics. Bocce sounds fun too. Bike riding sounds great also. I know there are many clubs but with only a one week visit, probably not doable or practical. We are coming in early December if that makes a difference in the activities. Thank you in advance for taking the time to read and answer my post and I am looking forward to visiting the Villages and ultimately buying a home there.

If I recall correctly, our lifestyle house had bikes in the garage
We don't golf either. We used the golf cart to check out the scenery, go to breakfast, etc. The Villages app shows events/ activities for each rec center.

Your Rep can arrange activities like intro to pickleball, gym, water aerobics, concerts at the Sharon, etc.

I sent you a PM, with info

While it may be a tad too early to plan things out for a December Lifestyle visit, I would recommend you peruse and become familiar with the Recreation Department's website. (VCDD Rec News). You can use it to determine what activities you want and where they may be held. That way you can map out how far it is from your Lifestyle visit location (which I assume will be the CYV cabanas near Brownwood Paddock Square and the Brownwood Hotel & Spa).

The gym/weight rooms of the Rec Centers are an additional membership fee, so they may or may not be available to you on a Lifestyle visit. The closest to Brownwood are probably Ezell and Fenney (Village Community Development Districts). Coordinate with your Villages Sales Agent. I recommend Sarah Hudson (352-396-2106) or Joe Robinson (352-644-3436).

Also, if the gym is that important, inquire about guest passes at the gym located on the edge of Brownwood Paddock Square, they offer a three-day guest pass on their website (The Villages Brownwood- Genesis Health Clubs Florida).

As far as the nightly music in the Squares, you might keep this link handy for when they get scheduled: Nightly Entertainment - The Villages Entertainment

We had a GREAT time on our LifeStye visit. We are not big golfers, so it really cemented the allure of The Villages for us in that there were plenty of other activities and events to enjoy. The accommodations were outstanding and a real value, the price for what you got (a fully furnished three bedroom house) was very helpful. We really ended up just downloading the Villages GPS app and tooling around on the golf cart all over the place to become accustomed to the offerings (BPS, LSL, Edna's, etc.).

Hope all this helps.

P.S. - Check out this link also: https://online.flippingbook.com/view/10419946/

EDJ

Thank you so much!! I will be sure to download the app.

Also plan to visit some open houses throughout the Villages on you own.

Going on you own can be a good way to meet other Rep's you may"click" with.

Consider renting for a winter.
Remember there is a difference between being on vacation in a place or living there. Grocery shopping, doctores etc.

Another side of The Villages, how it is run and who does the running.
Lot of info here,
Village Community Development Districts

Oh, that's a great idea. I am interested in a Courtyard Villa pre-owned. I like to be where it's busy so thinking between 466 and 466A. Not interested in new construction down south. (never know if it could end up as famous last words, lol).

Nicer homes/locations sell quickly so establishing a relationship with a Rep and/or Realtor is important.

My advice to you is -

The day before you get to the Villages, check The Villages Homefinder webpage. Zone in on the area between 466 and 466A, and filter it for Courtyard Villas.

Pick at least two that are a) still available for sale, which you can tell because there's an actual price on the listing and b) in your budget.

Then call the sales rep assigned to you, and tell him you'd like to see those specific homes, and you'd like to schedule them close together on the same day. So - say - 10am on a Tuesday for one, and then 11:30 for the second one.

This will give you time to roam around the area, see the actual neighborhoods they're in, and even see what's nearby, in golf cart distance that would interest you. It'd give you time to see THOSE rec centers and pools.

You'll be assigned a lifestyle property south of there, and the drive by golf cart could be anywhere between 15 minutes and 40 minutes, depending on where your lifestyle property is in comparison to the neighborhoods you want to check out.

The good news, is it'll be after breakfast, and you can have a late lunch at whatever shopping plaza or town square is nearest the second of those homes you check out.

For vacation, my advice would be completely different. But for an actual lifestyle visit, where you're looking to see if this is a community you'd want to actually live in, you need to look at the neighborhoods and their proximity to the activities you are most interested in. You'll also need to look at the facilities that host those activities, and see if it's a liveable match for those interests.

For instance - if you have a dog, you might prefer to be closer to a dog park, rather than closer to a supermarket. If you have medical needs, you might want to be closer to the hospital instead of prioritizing the proximity to the nearest archery range, even if you like archery.

It will help to actually try and drive these distances with a golf cart because - even though you don't play golf, it is an incredibly convenient mode of transportation. You will very rarely ever have to deal with traffic lights - and each of those lights can take 5 minutes. It takes me less time to take my golf cart to Spanish Springs town square than it does for me to drive my car. And infinitely less frustration. Sometimes the guy ahead of you just doesn't want to move until the light turns orange and when it's your turn, you're stuck behind the red light. Again. So that's 7-10 minutes for just one single traffic light, and the Square is only 1.5 miles away from home.

TV Christmas parade at the POLO Fields is Dec 10th. You get to see many of the different clubs in TV that might pique your interest. districtgov.org Click on the various departments but especially recreation. Then click the various choices like socials, etc. to get more info.

Yes, I want to do that but need to at least see the place first. Most people who rent their houses want a 3 month commitment and even that is scare to get. I agree that it is advisable.

Check out Vacation Rental By Owner website and specify The Villages for the location. There are rentals available for shorter periods. You can specify your dates and when viewing the properties , and see the rental availability for each property. Here you are also renting mostly from the property owners so the fees usually are more reasonable without a 3rd party involved.

V acation R entail B y O wner

Don’t worry about scheduling too much stuff - just get a taste of things, and enjoy.

If you decide this is the place for you would strongly suggest renting somewhere for a month or two to see where you might want to hang your hat.

I am wondering if perhaps two lifestyle visits might be an option. One to decide whether TV is a place you can have fun and a second to decide where and what it should be. There are many rec centers where you can try Bocci, Pickleball etc. Visits to local gym can be arranged, bicycles can be ridden, and things such as music at the square can be enjoyed and be made fun.

But at some point, you would/should concentrate/work on what, where, and economics of such a move. We had two lifestyle visits. The first was to see what TV was all about and look at home style options. The second was to zero in on making it happen. I wouldn't describe either visit as strictly vacation fun. Rather, best described by me as fact finding and decision making.

All the activities you mentioned can be arrange with your Rep. Pretty much every activity, sport, club, etc have entry level groups, if it applies.

There a few gyms at some rec centers and a couple that are external facilities, meaning outside business within the Villages.

I suggest you get Villages GPS app. It’s not the same as the Villages App. It cost a one time fee of around $7 but the golf cart navigation is better in my opinion.

The best way too see and explore is with the use of a golf cart and you will have one included. Because it’ll be December and the carts are “open” bring something in case it’s too cold for you.

Have fun !!!

The lifestyle visits are now at the CYV right across the Water Lily bridge.

you are planning a visit at the start of high season. It will be crowded, just be aware. Go to Village Community Development Districts for all information Villages related. You can rent during the off season for a month or couple of weeks, during high season people want to rent for 3 months and it is VERY expensive. A week is not nearly enough to see everything here.

Honestly you don’t have to set anything up. The place sells its self. Golf was the furthest thing from my mind now I golf 3 times a week. You will be sold after driving around and admire the beauty

Use YouTube
 

We bought in The Villages sight unseen. We had never been here. We love it. I recommend you use YouTube to learn. Search for these YouTubers.

1. The Villages with Skip Smith. He is a long time villager. Some of his newer stuff is odd, but his older stuff is very useful (look in the pre-pandemic/early pandemic timeframe). He will also communicate with you.

2. The Villages Florida Newcomers. We found them very helpful. They take you through moving here to living her.

3. To Retirement and Beyond. New Villagers who get into how they got here and why.

There are no bad neighborhoods.

I recommend Mary Cook for The Villages Real Estate and Ira Miller for MLS.

Feel free to PM me.

We wound up doing two lifestyle visits just because TV was so big with so many options. Most other 55+ communities could easily be done in a stay, but TV is unique because of its size.

Our first stay was just understanding the scale of TV, the differences between the three main sections (North, Center, and current South), the differences in housing and how the models have changed over the years (ie the Bridgewater model from a few years ago and the current are very different from a kitchen perspective), never had a golf cart before so could you really get around with that? We visited various clubs at different recreation centers, went to different pools, ate at places all over TV, and just focused on things "inside the bubble".

Our second visit we did some of the same things, but focused more on the housing and neighborhoods we liked and decided on general location. We also went outside the bubble and looked at what surrounds the TV boundaries, the stores we liked to shop at and how far away they were and evaluated healthcare. Toured lots of homes, model homes, and looked at the (then) new developments. We also timed our visits between high and low season to gauge if the crowds were too much as well if the summer heat was a deal breaker.

We followed all the Youtube posters (there are 12-14 different channels now). We also took into folks realtor and sales agent recommendations, but quickly realized that they were opinions and wound up doing our own research. We read the sales agents bio's on the website and contacted a few just to see how we would mesh. Did the same for MLS. Be open to opinions and advice, but do your own research!

My advice is to be open on both the type of house you think you want and the general location you think you are interested in. We found our assumptions that we arrived with for our first visit were completely wrong.

That begets two questions:

1. Are those CYVs going up for sale now?
2. What is there to do (yet) near the Water Lily Bridge that will attract new buyers?

At least the current/previous CYVs were very close to Brownwood Paddock Sq.

We were placed in Alden Bungalows in June for our LSV. I requested to be close to Brownwood, so that’s what we got. I would highly recommend letting them know you’re only interested in pre-owned homes above 44, and that you don’t want to stay down south. Have a great time!

Three Things
 

Welcome to The Villages. Enjoy your visit. I offer three items of advice.

1. Plan a second Lifestyle Visit. Use the first one to see all the attractions. If you like what you see, use the second visit to look for houses or villas. There are so many things to see and do here, don't waste your first visit looking at houses

2. Check with the local newspaper, The Villages Daily Sun, to see if you can order a one month subscription to be mailed to you. Start it a month before your visit and you can then lay out the events and attractions you want to see.

3. Rely on the representative assigned to you. If there is one thing that is certain about The Villages, it is that Lifestyle visitors are treated like royalty. The rep will get you darn near anything you ask for, whether it be tee times, show tickets, passes for the gyms etc.

Don't worry about the rep giving you a "hard sell" akin to what happens when you visit a "timeshare" resort. There are no sales presentations you must attend. To the contrary, unless you ask your rep for help or advice, you will not see or hear from him/her during your visit.

Your sales rep will take you around to see different villages and Rec centers as much or as little as you like. No pressure.

The Villages
 

Use your lifestyle visit to determine what area you'd like to buy in. Then rent a house in that area for a few weeks or a month to really get a good feel for the community. You can post your requirements on this facebook page. Any landlord with an opening can then reach out to you.
Log into Facebook no fee to either party!

Go to the top of this page, click on Entertainment, drag down to Clubs, then spend a few hours reviewing the some 2000 registered clubs here, most of which meet at recreation centers. You could even print out the pages of the ones you like and make a notebook. You won’t get to visit many of them, but that should be enough to whet your appetite. What you end up doing if you move here may be quite different from what you thought you would be doing. For example, maybe you thought you would be playing pickle ball, but instead you get immersed in pool volleyball or some card game.

I don’t golf, but I enjoy driving past the many golf courses. It’s like driving through a park.

Here is a list of all of the activities by Center and by hour. Big participation rates at the Regional Rec centers (Ezell, Eisenhower, Colony Cottage, Seabreeze) for pickleball, water volleyball, aerobics, etc. https://online.flippingbook.com/view/10419946/2/

Based on your post, you'll never regret a visit focused on buying. TV is absolutely the best game in the active, 55+ retirement community. You will find all that you want here!

The villages contact (sales.rep) can help you make pre arrangements. They can either be entirely hands off or very involved, depending on your wishes.

So from the OP original post, she would like to plan a fun filled trip to convince spouse to buy a winter home. First she needs to find activities that he will enjoy, places to eat that he would enjoy, visit town squares to see how much activity and interaction residents have.

Doubt one week will convince him to buy, but you never know.

So Op scout the restaurant menus, buy the newspaper to see all the town square entertainment you might enjoy. Go south, and enjoy the walking trails, stop by a few pools and relax. Don’t get discouraged if he isn’t won over this visit. But if he doesn’t want to return than regroup and try again in a year.

However explain to him if you did buy, you could rent out during high season, and recoup every dollar, except for all of your mortgage. Sometimes profit wins those on the fence over

You will love The Villages… the key is to find your neighborhood…. The only suggestion is to Stay Away from the Turnpike..

One word of caution
 

[QUOTPamela1130;2130619]I have been looking extensively into the Villages for quite a while now and really want to visit and feel it is a great place for retirees. My DH has agreed to do a lifestyle visit. Because I really want to buy a winter home there, I want to make our lifestyle visit interesting and fun so I can get him onboard. All I have read about LS visits is people driving around in a golf cart trying to figure out the lay of the land and visiting the different areas and rec centers, etc. I am wondering if I can set up things beforehand or even when we get there. We don't golf but my husband goes to the gym 6 days a week so would like to visit a state of the art gym. He loves music, so I am sure the nightly concerts would be great. He especially likes doo wop music if that makes a difference. I would be interested in trying out pickle ball. We have never played but are in good shape but I don't know how you go about it. Do you make reservations? I heard that it is very competitive but are there just pickup games for beginners? He's not a swimmer but I love water aerobics. Bocce sounds fun too. Bike riding sounds great also. I know there are many clubs but with only a one week visit, probably not doable or practical. We are coming in early December if that makes a difference in the activities. Thank you in advance for taking the time to read and answer my post and I am looking forward to visiting the Villages and ultimately buying a home there.[/QUOTE]

We have all experienced the time share and other gimmicks. When your village’s sales agent says call me for whatever. They are not going to call and harass you.
We had friends doing the life styles visit and after three days of not being contacted, they called. Wanting the sales agent to come and answer questions.

I recommend that you actually do make use of your sales rep. They'll set you up for visits to see houses if you want, or recommend places where you can find [insert favorite] food for dinner. They can tell you why some folks prefer the newer places, and others prefer the older places. Tip: they will always play up the positives, so save yourself time and don't ask for the downsides to different geographical locations. Their stock answer is: "everyone wants different things, every area has its own unique features."

They're also the ones to ask what a bond is, and why some ads say "no bond!" and others don't specify. They can show you a layout of general costs for new properties, and even new construction. And they can make suggestions based on your interests for events or amenities nearby that you can check out.

These are SOME of the discussions you should have with your Sales Representative. Thank can be a huge help if you ask and if you let them know what you are looking for!

Thank you!