Will the Historical Area Endure?
 

Hello,

Our home sold and we are finally moving to TV. To say we are excited is an understatement. We are house shopping this weekend.

My husband and I very much love the original area for its hills, large yards, mature landscaping and the beautiful pool and we love the style of the well maintained manufactured homes, as they are all different. My concern is that this area will eventually be phased out by TV.

Does anyone know if this has ever been a concern?

I must say the developers seem to keep all the ares beautiful and we hope it will continue.

I"ve never lived there, but I've visited there many times to play golf. I think for anyone who bemoans how TV has grown out of its original concept, this area might be a great place to consider. To me it still has the old "Bubble" feel that is missing the farther south you go.

I wouldn't worry about it being "abandoned" by TV. Some complain about changes, like the ones they made at Hacienda, but to me that is evidence of a willingness to change with the times, which is the opposite of abandonment.

You never know but does not seem the developer plan is to keep growing. Would imagine they make money on this area and if so would not think they would sell.

As I recall the developer was buying some of the manufactured homes and tearing these down and replacing with new stick or block homes, not sure if this is still being done.

I do not think you would have to worry. The developer is still involved in this section. They have recently done major improvements to the executive golf courses and are in the middle of building a new Rec Center. Plus, they have been buying up older manufactured homes and replacing them with stick built homes that have the same floor plans and look as those elsewhere in The Villages. And I agree, this area has a "feel" that is unique to anywhere else in The Villages. So keep it on your short list of places to consider.

The beauty of TV is like no other. We currently live in a very pretty gated community on the Treasure Coast. For the same HOA fees we can live in TV. We can't wait! We've visited many times over the past few years and didn't consider moving until last year.

We hear so many cons of being further north but we love the look and feel so much. People tell us we are too young to live north (55) but does friendship really have an age? My dearest friend recently passed, she was 94 and we were best of friends.

When I'm in the southern areas, it doesn't feel the same to me; however, we have friends in Hawkins who tout that the South is the only place to be. We are very torn.

Thank you for your insight and if you have anymore advice, I'm open to any and all.

Thank you putting my mind at ease. I completely agree with the bubble feeling north compared to the South. We just love the North.

That was actually my concern, do they make enough money up there to keep it part of the TV? I don't know how many homes are up there but it didn't feel too terribly big.

Thank you for putting my mind at ease.

Thank you for your insight, it's very appreciated. We inquired about the buy outs, but it sounds like they had to end the program, at least for now, as it was hindering sales on pricier new builds in the southern areas. Maybe once they exhaust that, they will get back to the buy out plan?

Thank you for putting my mind at ease.

Please look into what the cost of insurance is in that area. Many of these homes are self insured because of many are of the manufactured variety. This location is great for shopping and medical needs. But, remember everytime you want to leave that area you will be crossing over 441 in a golf cart if that is what your use to.

I live in a site built house on the historical side and I love it here. There is more individuality in the homes and lots of trees. We have 4 pools on this side, golf, bocce, tennis, pickleball and horseshoes.
There is no place I need to go that I cannot get to by golf cart. This is why I live here. It is close to shopping, doctors and restaurants. Good luck in your choice.

Do whatever is best for you but here is a thought.

You will be far away from the other 4 squares and lots of things to do. Would you suggest you rent for a month or more to explore and pick what is best for you.

I live in the Historic Section. Yes, it's beautiful, I personally feel it's the best. No, they won't be building out. Why? There's no place for them to expand up here. That's /why/ they expanded west and south. North and east are already spoken for and developed by other people.

The developer no longer buys up foreclosures to rebuild. It remains an option for them to do that, but they stopped doing it a few years ago.

The pool the OP is referring to is a priority pool. It's not an amenity, if you want to use it, you have to pay extra. It's part of the Country Club, which is privately owned by the Developer. But yes it is absolutely gorgeous. Our side has three other pools, that are available for all Villagers, and paid for our of our monthly amenity fee. Those are Hilltop adult pool, Paradise family pool, and Southside adult pool. Southside does have a hot tub.

As for age - please keep this in mind, and consider pragmatism and logic over emotion when you read this:

Many residents of the Historic area are REALLY OLD. That means homes here are going up for sale often, because people who get REALLY OLD die. They are replaced by younger people who are not really old. So many of the people moving in, are younger. In their 50's, and early 60's. Yes, your neighbor might be 80. And your 80-year-old neighbor is probably in better shape than you are because she's been living and participating in this incredibly active sports-based community for the past 20 years, while you've been stuck behind your desk 8 hours a day and only participate in sports on your annual vacation. Your 80-year-old neighbor has lots of stories about life, knows everyone in the neighborhood and can introduce you, can help you find a nearby club to suit your interests, and can probably get a kick out of taking you to the square for a night of dancing once in awhile.

And then, when your 80-year-old neighbor turns 95, she might end up having to sell her home and move into assisted living. And the new neighbor will be 55 - but by then you'll be the old lady.

Such is the ebb and flow of aging in the Historic section.

This thread spurs some questions for me.
Is the developer the only one who would be allowed to tear down an existing manufactured home and replace it with a site-built home?

When people raise a concern over whether the developer will continue to take care of the historic section, I thought that other than Orange Blossom CC, everything was owned and maintained by the CDD. Keeping the amenities up to date, and the common landscaping etc. is not the job of the developer, or am I mistaken?

The Village of Country Club has the most homes of any village at 1,778. Silver Lake is #5 with 1,517.

I wouldn't worry.

Could you share with us what the perceived cons are of being further north? We might be able to help, as many of us have actual experience of living further north.

The answer to your question is homes are being replaced all the time and private contractors are putting up new homes on the historic side.

As for the developer leaving the historic side - doubtful.
- Not a good example for future new home buyers
- The Paradise fire station is one of nine in TV and by far the closest to Spanish Springs. The next nearest being Morse and 466.
- The Hilltop water tower is one of five supplying TV
- The Orange Blossom swimming pool is the flagship of TV

The bottom line is how much are you willing to spend for housing, and or, the new bonds ?

We absolutely love the original north part of The Villages, had 4 homes up there to date. I'm a bonified tree-hugger, always have been.
The newest area is also exciting, was down there Sunday. Very alive and full of young, smiling energetic faces.....do you fit that mold ?

If you want the shade trees I suggest you also check out Mira Mesa, La Reynalda, La Zamora, Chatham and Tierra Del Sol just to name a few besides Orange Blossom.
Fenney also has beautiful trees, love that area as well !

Happy Hunting !

The further N you go, the older the people are so golf courses and pools are less busy because people become less and less able or willing to participate in these activities. When I go golfing, I like to book more N courses because they are not as busy and people aren't as frantic.

That is what I thought.

Anyone have the answer?

Oh wow! Thank you. This makes me feel so much better.

The cons: We are too young to live in the North.

The fun is further south.

We will never be able to enjoy neighborhood parties/socials

It's too far to drive to the new town square being built of East Port.

We won't be able to get to activities easily.

We won't make friends because we will be isolated.

There's a negative stigma attached to the historical area.

We would be choosing to live in a trailer park.

It's weird up there, rules aren't enforced.

Spanish Springs is a terrible town square

Nobody younger goes to LSL

Whew... I probably forgot several. However, we don't feel this way at all. Everytime we visit we gravitate to the North. I particularly don't like Sawgrass but I would love boozie bingo. 😄

I struggle with being social and do need to step out of my comfort zone. I think some feel that I'll not do that if I'm in the Northern area.

This makes me feel much more secure! Thank you!

Was trying to decide where to post this question so, I'll pose it to you, Dusty.

As a sort-of adjunct question to the original one -- I'm interested in how the manufactured homes appreciate/depreciate over time. When looking at real estate listings, I've been a bit surprised at how much some homeowners have been willing to invest in remodeling an aged (40+ years), manufactured home.

There has to be a point, related to age or neglect, where maintaining or improving one of those begins to have diminishing returns. Would you say that is mostly accurate? If so, what is the general age where the building itself begins to depreciate and it's mostly only the land value that's relevant? Thanks...

Your friends are Hawkins is correct... Hawkins is the best place to live FOR THEM...

Everyone feels the same thing about where they live... For some, it the Historic area. For others, it's anywhere north of 466. For me? It'a "between 466A and 44"...

Look around. Like others have said, rent for a month (if possible). You'll soon find the place that fits you best...

What is wrong with using the bridge?

Money is definitely on our minds as we are nearing retirement but we could get a regular home for not much more than a nice manufactured home, so it's about the same. My draw to the manufactured homes is that they all look very different and the windows are beautiful. I love the landscaping, trees and rolling hills. I think it's so beautiful up there.

Thank you for the suggested villages, it's very appreciated

Thank you so much!!!

I like the less busy aspect but I do want to be able to make friends. It's very hard for me to make friends, I'm kind of shy and perceived as standoffish or snooty but that's so far from the truth, I just don't know how to jump in. 😄

If there aren't many activities in the north, maybe we should consider moving further south but it sounds like there's enough of everything. My husband was very excited about the archery range in the north.

There is a lot of positive feedback about the North, which makes me very happy.

My wife and I overwintered for many years, and always stayed North of 466A
You are looking at the best areas in my opinion.

The developer doesn’t own the homes, they would need to buy your home and replace it.
The developer doesn’t operate the amenities in this area.
They do operate the championship golf courses, which are in the best condition. Hacienda Hills is getting a brand new pro shop, and that area got a new pool
The developer does own Spanihs Springs and is investing in SS. If they don’t Villagers wont come and the real estate will lose value.

I don't know. I hope others who know will answer. I live in a Designer in between 466A & 44

Wow! I think the only one that might be true is: it would be a longer drive to Eastport. I just did a Google Maps & they tell me that from Orange Blossom Hills Country Club to Eastport town square is 16 miles (via car), they predict it would take a half hour. It would be up to you to decide if a drive of 16 miles is too far.

A shocking thing might be the older neighborhoods do have socials & driveway parties, & whatnot.

I am north of 44 & south of 466A &my neighbors are extremely friendly. There are driveway get togethers for as many days as you want. Could be every day - rainy days excepted. It would be up to you to join in.

As for the activities, well, that depends on what activities you want to do. I just looked at the Thursday supplement & I found Sunshine Bingo at the Chula Vista Rec Center (I think that's close to where you are looking). I don't know Sunshine Bingo - no mention of booze. Maybe someone who knows will chime in.

The rest seem kind of subjective...

As for stepping out of your comfort zone, I think The Villages is probably the easiest place on earth to do that. The invitations will arrive, north or south, it is up to you to say Yes.

Everything you’ve written is what I’m going through right now! My husband likes the Spanish Springs area and I’m trying to get him to the Sumter Landing area but he LOVES the trees up north. I’ve been here for two weeks in a rental and we are looking. Send me an email if you want to commiserate over lunch.

The developer has no part in the decision-making process for the manufactured homes. If you buy a mfg. home that's in bad shape and you want it deconstructed and build a site-built in its place, you absolutely can. You don't need the developer's permission. You /do/ need ARC approval and the home has to be up to spec and follow zoning laws and deed restrictions. So, you can't put a sidewalk in near the curb. You can't have a 2-floor house with an in-law suite, you can't put in apartments or townhouses or condos, you can't have outbuildings that aren't attached to the main home, and so on and so forth.

People who buy on the Historic Side own their property, just like people in all single-family homes in The Villages. The developer doesn't own them, and neither does any CDD.

The Historic Section doesn't exist within a CDD at all. Instead, the VCCDD oversees our amenities and water service and the town of Lady Lake, in Lake County, oversees our roads, sewers, trash pickup, etc. Technically it's called:

Village Center Community Development District: Lady Lake/Lake County

There's also a section of the Historic area, most of the southwest corner of it, that is in something called Enclave Parcels. I think at one point they tried to annex themselves, or maybe the county line cuts through there, or something.

The historic area is without a doubt one of the nicest areas in the entire Villages. We rented there long term before buying and strongly considered buying there. We still go there often to play Hilltop and Silver Lake (and Orange Blossom during the off season), use the outdoor exercise equipment, walk the dog around Lake Paradise, ride our bikes around the area, and use the gate that gives us access to Lowe’s, WaWa for ethanol free gas, and Tropical Smoothie. After taking the bridge over 441 you get a different vibe than anywhere else in the Villages, in a good way. The historic area will definitely endure, and it abides, just like the dude : )

My first home was in Country Club Hills in the historic area. That seems to me to be the best looking area. I was on St Andrews Blvd down from the country club. Just choose wisely and be sure the home is solid. Very nice area. Good luck. (I now live closer to Sumter Landing in a courtyard villa that suits me better)

I made my move here when I was 55, and similar as you, one of my best friend is 98!
I love the historic section for its mature landscaping, more character and real "village" feel. The value of a well maintained manufactured home is much preferable to a newer built and I love the bigger lots. There are a lot more younger people here now too, but as you said, age is just a number.
I like to play pickleball further south a lot, but it's easy enough to drive there. Have fun with your search!

The north part of TV (north of 466) is really looking old and dated. I would agree with the developer, it’s time to start knocking down old houses too. If you like that look, go for it. If you like going 25 mph on Morse, go for it, if you like the lack of separate and safer golf cart paths but rather share Morse with bicycles, golf carts, and cars, go for it. If you don’t like natural gas, stay north. If you like the older age group, 75-85, buy in the north part. If you shop everyday and like the busy 441 area, then the north is your area.
The south is where the developers fixed all the issues of the north and made them better in the south. Newer looking homes, separate golf cart paths from the roads and even separate paths for walking and biking from the golf carts. Natural gas, much younger group, updated looks, south of 44 is the best. Sure the area might cost more like in bonds, but well worth it overall.
Eastport is going to be even better, they are going to put in some cool new things like a dragon boat lake, indoor pickleball, and the same separate paths.