Real estate in TV
 

Hello All, I am new to this site. My husband and I are a few years from retirement but are very interested in TV. I am curious as to why there are so many houses for sale in TV? Any comments? Thanks Cathy

Welcome Cathy! You will find a lot of great information on here.

This is a big place. There are over 80,000 people living here and there are 30 executive golf courses that residents use for free and nine championship courses. There are two swimming pools in almost every one of the 62 villages, one for family and one for over 30 only. JUST for STARTERS.

Why are there so many houses for sale? Percentage wise probably not that many. There are more for sale at this time of the year than at other times. It seems that most houses are sold in the spring, after people have visited here during the winter season and then decide they want to own.

When people move here they sometimes opt for a small affordable home while they snowbird. Then when they move here permanently many will switch to another home, sometimes bigger, sometimes smaller. We are an aging group and some of us do leave for the heavenly village.

We bought a house two years ago and are looking for another one when we move full time. During that two years the villages of Hadley, Hemingway, Bonita, St. Charles, and Pennecamp were built, now they are building the village of Buttonwood. People are buying these new homes and moving into them.

There is a lot going on and you need to make a trip down here and see it.
I still can't believe how wonderful it is.

Welcome to you. There is a lot of information currently posted and stored too in the archives. Enjoy.

Thank you so much for your quick reply. We hope to be down in May 2011 to see first hand what the villages has to offer.

Welcome to TOTV, Cathy. This will be a great source of information, as you try to determine whether TV is for you or not.

My best recommendation is that you try the Lifestyle Preview Visit. We made 3 visits before we finally purchased a home. Our first LPV was about 6 years ago, the last was 4 months ago, when we purchased.

Good Luck and welcome aboard!

Welcome to paradise Kathy
 

We can talk till we are blue in the face and it is hard to describe paradise....We looked EVERYWHERE and with out a doubt this is as close to heaven as you will ever get in this world...One of the amazing things, you can literally go everywhere in a golf cart, to SAM's, Walmart, grocery store, well, you get the picture, too numerous to mention, working on 3rd town square, 10th Championship course wil open soon....You really need to visit now, prices will never get better....TOTV is the best place for any questions, and great residents that will greet you with open arms....It is Florida's Friendliest Hometown....

OK Gracie,
It's time you finally confess to being the long lost "love child" of TV founder Harold Schwartz.It's time your family, the Morse's, put you on the payroll, nobody promotes TV in a more positive light :BigApplause:

My sweetheart and I visited on the Lifestyle offer in July and, like most everyone who does, fell in love with TV. It may be a couple years before we leave Georgia to become permanent residents. I have a question; from MEMASON's remark, do I understand that a couple can visit more than once on the Lifestyle offer?

Thanks to all who contribute to TOTV. We're learning so much from all of you!

My wife and I did. I think that the second visit does not normally include all the food coupon goodies that you get on your first Lifestyle Visit.

I do not think the number of homes for sale indicates a problem. As mentioned TV is a large community so you really should look at percentages. The developer is also building and if he could not sell you would see a problem in that area. TV is also building a new town center so again the long term outlook is growth.

I think you also have to consider the demographics of the population. Moving to the area from another area and older than the average residential development resident. I think this means that a part of the population will move back "home" for family or health reasons, or due to a death. Thus I would expect to find a higher percentage of homes for sale than say the residential commuter communities arround where you currently live.

Speak to you salesperson ---We visited actually 4 times

The second time we only received some small discounts and movie tkts
Third and fourth times, only the going rate for the stay which included the golf cart and bikes ----with no other incentives. still worth it

good luck

Cathy and Hottshots,

:welcome:

When we came on one of our lifestyle tours, our agent told us that the average Villager moves within TV three times. Sometimes for a bigger home or to downsize, as others have said, sometimes because they want but don't have space to add a birdcage and/or pool. Some get tired of golf balls in their windows and decide they don't want to live on a golf course after all. Or they wish they had picked a golf course lot. Or a lot that they love becomes available. Some decide they do or do not want to live near water. (It seemed like a good idea 'til they saw the alligator :)).

Some people do move away. Usually, it's either because a spouse died and they are lonely, grandchildren were born or they need to be near a family member who has become ill.

One thing I can promise you. TV is all it's cracked up to be! As much as I've tried to describe it to others, when they've come to visit us, they have been amazed. You will see.

You will see.

Pturner

Everyone developes a mental picture of TV when they hear or read about it. Mine was of a small neighborhood which had a Publix and a few restaurants and everyone drives around in a golf cart. Not until you visit will you realize that the picture you had in your mind was totally wrong. After taking the trolly tour my wife and I both said that we were "overwhelmed". Making a decision on where to live and in what can change later when you spend some time here and realize you may want bigger, smaller, or in a different neighborhood nearer to where you frequent.

We did 3 lifestyle visits, we also visited on our own 3 times. If you look intrested so are they.

You are so right Shimpy. Last night the three of us were at a local restaurant here in West Chester, Ohio. A neighbor stopped by to chat and she asked when we were going back to "that village" in Florida. Sweetie said "That village has 80,000 people and three super Walmarts.....and 32 executive courses and 9 championship courses and....

Then our neighbor said "Oh. That's nice."

Sigh. No one can really understand until they see it. And driving here, leaving the areas of central Florida without zoning, (you all know what I mean) and entering the manicured, perfect area of The Villages, is just like entering OZ, the color comes on, the music comes up.

I can't wait to get HOME!!

Nobody from the outside understands the magnitude of TV. Before I purchased in Buttonwood a neighbor in NY suggested we look into a place where they bought. It was in SC. "They have its own golf course, its own pool and a recreation hall," he said.

When I told him of how many golf courses, pools and recreation halls they have, he kind of looked at me like I was pulling his leg.

When he said "You can save a hundred grand if you purchase in SC," I told him "In the Villages you are buying not only a house but a lifestyle."

He still didn't get it. Maybe when he comes to visit us, he'll get the drift. Old folks used to move to Florida to die. Nowadays they move to the Villages to live.