Introduction... George & Vicky (considering retirement to The Villages)
 

Hi! I'm George and my wife, Vicky, and I will be doing a 2nd lifestyle visit in July, with plans (if I can take the heat) to move to The Villages around the end of the year. We will be coming down from Delaware.

We just wanted to say hi.

-George

:welcome:

:gc:

Love the Villages. Always sad to go and very happy when returning.

Well ‘hi’ back! We’ve been here for about a month and we love it! We’re going around to all the Villages and looking at them while we’re waiting for our house to sell.

Make sure you go to sales office and buy a map that shows where all the different Villages are - and welcome to Florida’s Friendliest Hometown!

We did something similar 13 years ago, except in just one visit, found an ideal location and moved in after about 5 months, had to wait for my wife to retire. First summer was interesting but I found out quickly to avoid working in the direct sunlight.

We will wish you success in finding a great location and be sure to check out resales as well as new.

Exciting times and best of luck. The Villages is a massive place, don’t limit yourself to new construction and the General lifestyle visit location.

Welcome
 

Congrats and welcome new neighbor. Florida has so much to offer. Enjoy the process and the people:$:

There are the analytical types and the "other" types for making a home purchase decision. Not sure which type you are, but if you take lots of time to decide, then rent for several months and wait for the perfect home to come up for sale. but be sure to take the following into account:

home model type, many types, sizes and custom builds. .
lot position on road for traffic, views (interior vs exterior)
lot position relative to sun and time of day
lot size in case you want to add something (pool comes to mind)
house location relative to highway noise.
house location relative to shopping by golf cart

interior storage versus garage storage.
type of hot water heater
screened in or glassed in lanai
TV/internet service provider options for area
cell phone coverage

the little things other than the shape/interior of the actual house

good luck

Not a simple decision which is why we rented first but in hindsight would have done some things differently

Hi, we are looking to hopefully make the move in a few months as well. We are in Kennett Square; probably not too far from you.

Hi, We did the lifestyle in July also cause I HATE heat. Everything air conditioned and there is so much to do we sold in Mass and moved. It is almost 7 years

One piece of advice I'll give you: Be aware that online forums such as this one, Facebook etc. tend to attract bitter, snarky, unhappy people. If you see answers to your questions like, "Don't move here", or "Why don't you just look it up on Google", these are people who thrive on anger. The vast majority of Villagers are happy, enthusiastic people who consider The Villages to be Paradise. I haven't read the comments generated by your post, so they all may be positive. I'm simply urging you to not draw negative opinions about The Villages from snarky, unhappy people. Float around in the pool and mention you are new- people will embrace you and tell you about the place- it's called, "Pool School". Welcome!

Same here - Did back-to-back lifestyle visits in July and August of 2022 - super hot and humid - but spent afternoons either at home or events at indoor rec centers with plenty of AC - by early evening, got back outside, and the air flow through the golf cart made the temps “bearable”. I’m not a “hot weather” person, but those visits proved I could enjoy the Florida summers in comfort. Bought in November 2022, and closed a month later - best decision of life.

Unfortunately, what you posted is true. There seems to be a major disconnect between the happy, content people you meet everyday in The Villages, and some of the nasty, snarky people that post on social media. Some of those “naysayers” aren’t even Villages residents.

This is great advice. My wife still talks about conversation we had with a couple in the pool when we were visiting my parents a year or so ago. Gave us a lot of great information and were nice as can be.

I am very analytical and we had a spreadsheet with our list, but our list was prioritized differently. FYI, when we bought they were still building houses north of 44, most, if not all Villages residents, had no idea anything would ever be built south of 44, much of the commercial space in Brownwood was still vacant, and Rocky and the Rollers weren’t yet Rocky and the Olders. Also, we were already fairly familiar with the Villages because we have friends who had already been living there for several years who graciously invited us to stay at their home several times.

Our list looked like this.

- We would only look at homes listed below $xxx price, including bond balance. We had two prices, one with an existing pool, and a lower price for a home without a pool.

- Home absolutely had to have a private backyard and room to build a pool/birdcage if one didn’t already exist. Kissing lanai’s were a not starter and a south/west orientation were a bonus.

- Home could not be near anything we deemed undesirable, including unwelcomed noise (major road, pickleball courts, etc…), could not be on a residential road with significant traffic, and couldn’t be near something like commercial space or a sewage treatment system.

- Home had to be in close proximity to what we deemed to be desirable things, including lots of both Championship and Executive golf, regional recreation centers with sports pools, golf cart accessible shopping and dining options, entertainment venues, and town squares.

- Home had to be north of 466A and preferably in the greater Lake Sumter area.

- The homes price had to accurately reflect the condition of the home with particular emphasis on important things like the roof, HVAC system, flooring, kitchen, etc…

- We had no preference for the homes model/design except it had to have a minimum 2 bed/ 2 bath/two car garage and meet our other higher priority constraints.

Based on both our timing and criteria we were pretty much limited to pre owned homes. We rented long term in the fall, retained the services of both a VLS agent and MLS realtor, and identified every home on the market that appeared to fit within our criteria (including a few homes for sale by owner). Very few of the homes that fit our criteria had a pool because of our price constraint. During the next three weeks we saw a few homes almost daily until we saw a total of close to 50 homes. Every home we visited we began our tour outside, and we never went inside almost half the homes after going into the back yard and seeing no privacy, hearing traffic, or hearing/seeing someone we found undesirable.

We then reviewed our spreadsheet and made a list of only a few homes to visit again that passed our initial screening. The list was then narrowed down again to six homes. We made a couple offers that fell through, one because of price and the other because we learned the land behind the home had its zoning changed from agricultural to commercial. We crossed a couple other homes off our list after going there after dark and hanging out in the back yard and hearing traffic noise/seeing light pollution that turned us off. At the end, we made a take it or leave it offer of $10 K below asking price on the very first home we visited, with a contingency that we had 10 days to determine that a pool could be built in the back yard. Our offer was accepted and the next day I set up a meeting with a pool designer from T&D who pulled the homes plot plan and sketched out a pool design that would fit within zoning requirements.

Buying the home was lots of work, but we wanted to be one and done and to this day have no regrets. At the end of the day, we got our home, built a beautiful brand new pool and birdcage, did extensive landscaping, stained and sealed our driveway, screened in our front porch, put in an overhead garage door screen, put in a new slider going to the birdcage, bought three golf carts and a used BMW convertible, and came in right at our maximum home price budget with everything. After almost 9 years we did have to put on a new roof and we will be needing a new HVAC in a couple years, but we knew that going in and it was reflected in the homes price.

Hope this information and thought process helps the OP, and best of luck.

Wasn't really a prioritization, but just some ideas to keep in mind to organize one's location decision. Many focus on the interior of the house, beds, baths, etc, and less about the location. But here, there is more options for locations than for house styles. I don't have any information about preferences nor budget.

Always best of luck to the new owners and hopefully they find the right place the first time.

Such as?

Florida room faces west

Florida room 8 ft deep wish original owner stretched it to 10 ft or more.

Basically stretched house so our kitchen was bigger and garage longer.

Happy with what we have and have made it work.

Two items

I agree with the above post. Make a list of your must haves. Things you can't compromise on. i.e. Type of home and size. Size of garage, two cars plus golf cart or whatever.

Regarding heat. That was one of my primary concerns. I used to perspire in New England at 75F. First, you do get used to it and as you get older even like it. Summer is a great time to visit cooler places or take tours.

And it only took me 10 years in the south, to learn that a northerner always looks for the closest parking place and a southerner looks for the closest shady parking place. That lesson can apply to any activity.

Remember, you can spend some time here first before you buy.

Best Wishes

We are too. Where are you tinking of buying?

If you can’t take the heat why move to Florida?

Hi George and Vicky,

Welcome and enjoy your time in The Villages! I recommend that you do go for a visit in July. That way, you’ll find out if you “can take the heat,” as you said. I’ve seen that people feel differently about high temps — some enjoy it, others spend a lot of time in the A/C (like me)!

My husband and I have lived here now 19 years. The first summer seemed a little hot----but there is something true about developing "Florida Blood". Now the heat does not bother us as much. We love the summers as well as the other seasons. Our lanai and birdcage faces North and we never get any direct sun. We have ceiling fans in our lanai and can be out there year around. Don't let the fear of heat scare you away. We are from Indiana, and there have been summers when it is hotter there than here. Welcome, and you will love living here.

Great decision.
We did ours in 2019. I spent 4 days talking to as many people as possible to find negative views. I never found anyone who regreted their decision to move/retire here. I only found people who regretted working longer so they had more money to retire, only to find their health deteriorated in those extra years.

After 4 days we placed a deposit on a designer lot, went home thought about it, came back 90 days later to finish up with designers only to conclude we actually hated the lot we’d originally chosen. The Villages is great though and we swapped for a different one that is PERFECT. We have brilliant neighbours which is also a massive plus.

So my tips. Go look at properties at different times of the day and night. We don’t have any noise from traffic, but man does the wildlife make a racket after dark ������������������������ (we like that - its part if the appeal of being here).

Watch GoldwingNuts videos, not just current but some of the past, then go look at the neighbourhoods from his videos to see how the areas have changed once people move in.

Do your research on future developments, your perfect lot may not be on the market when your here, waiting until its comes available is well worth it.

We love it here and like so many others have said, the only bad thing is leaving !!!!!

One last thing. Some have said don’t just go new. One plus side of a new village is that most people are first timers and are looking for new friends. That said, if your friendly, like a chat, you’ll soon meet your neighbours and will feel at home straight away.

And finally…. Ask if your village has a Facebook page. If not start one. We have around 500 people in ours who are there for you. Our organises lots of socials, puts out birthday wishes, recommends tradesmen, warns of prowlers, always has someone whose available to drive you or accompany you somewhere.

If you are a Golfer shopping for homes in The Villages DO NOT purchase a New Home in the Southern Areas, which lack enough Executive Golf Courses. Rather, I suggest that you buy a pre-owned home in the Middle or Northern areas which have plenty of Executive golf courses nearby. Also, the Bond is usually paid off on homes in the North and Middle areas, plus you are MUCH CLOSER to Shopping & Restaurants. Golfers shopping for homes in The Villages should NOT purchase a New Home in the Southern Areas, which lack enough Executive Golf Courses. Rather, they should buy a pre-owned home in the Middle or Northern areas which have plenty of Executive golf courses nearby. Also, the Bond is usually paid off on homes in the North and Middle areas, plus you are MUCH CLOSER to Shopping & Restaurants.

Any chance you’d be willing to share some of your hindsight?

When we first moved here, we told or sales agent that we did not want to look at new construction. We bought a four-year-old home right in the middle of our target area. Our second home, bought four years later, was new construction. The difference made me regret not buying new the first time.

Welcome, and good luck on the pursuit of happiness. The Villages truly has something for everyone, and you will no doubt find your slice of paradise here. And, as has been mentioned, pay no heed to the naysayers, curmudgeons, and developer-haters that occupy this and other online platforms.

Our story little different bought first new house PV as a vaca home for both sets of parents, us and kids.

Bought 2nd new house a 3/2 2 car cottage, used as an investment long term, eventually our retirement home.
By the time semi retired plans changed needed more sf and that coveted golf cart garage. Sold PV and bought a preowned designer.

Plans changed again from the first time we came to TV in 2007. Parents aging and our needs changed. Needed 4/3 with 2 primarys and wanted a pool. Built this house in Richmond, we always moving south to newer areas of TV.

Unlike many who are one and done, who just can’t fathom move to a house that might work better. We find no attachment to any house here, so moving is just a phone call to packers and moving guys. We still maintain up north for the hot summers here, and when a change needs to come again, not a big deal.

About the People
 

The house selection is very important, but what makes the Villages the Villages is the PEOPLE! Friendly volunteerism complement our community in so many ways. Enjoy the company of openness so many and ignore the few who really live by themselves here. We are all in the same boat so embrace and live life to it’s fullest!

Perhaps you could be the one that is so important in the rest of our lives, let er rip:a040:

It's not just the extreme heat, but the unbelievable humidity.

Hi Back! Like others have stated I hope you don't base anything on the Villages by these forums. People in "real life" are so much nicer.
I agree hanging at the pool you meet some great people...much more then the squares . Just more intimate I guess.
I found housing advice completely best to take as suggestions. Drive /golf cart around different times of day and get the feel of the mood of areas. Some people are "city" people who like to be super close to restaurants and shopping so don't mind traffic. Some like just enjoying paths and activities and hanging around friends. Some like big yards Some never use thier yards. So be who you are...there are open houses every day new and old. Educate yourselves on bonds taxes and the feel of different Villages. Enjoy and welcome. We love it here. And we don't even play golf or pickleball. Smile.

I guess it depends on where you are from. I found the humidity in SC worse than here. It's not stagnant. But if you are from up north give it time. You get used to it. I love the heat on these old bones. ������

So far I dont get what all the heat is about as i am from arizona and that is bad..........93 is not hot to me.........2nd villages are over rated

coming from Scottsdale AZ otherwise known as Snottsdale the villages to me are very over rated........my opinion and not being snarky either

Cut & Paste much? It's becoming monotonous...

Great post.

We wanted to be in Sumter County, a big plus was to be in the area that uses Seco for electricity. Much less expensive than Duke.

Looking to move to The Villages
 

[Great advice bsloan1960. Anyone looking to buy in The Villages should spend some time here and make their decision on where to buy. Too many people run their mouth without really knowing about an area they have not lived in. People who have not lived south of 44 will tell you don't move there because it's too far from everything or will tell you don't move close to the Turnpike because of the noise. I live in Hawkins which is close to the Turnpike and in the house we never hear anything. Once in a great while if we are outside we will hear a little noise but rarely hear anything. Only you can make the decision on what you are looking for. Take your time and good luck!!