Thinking of retiring to TV
 

My husband and I are strongly considering retiring to the villages. I'm concerned about over crowding especially in the winter. I'm interested if anyone checked out other communities and what made you decide on TV.

Many villagers checked out other communities and we all chose here. Why?? Because it's the best. So many more activities than other retirement communities. Just about everything is golf cart accessible, stores, banks, restaurants, 3 theaters all without having to leave the area.

As far as over crowding in the winter ... that happens all over Florida and some other southern states because of the warmer climate. Many northerners come down to get away from the ice and snow.

Overcrowding is relative to where you come from. We came from San Diego county. One of the reasons we left was traffic. I worked six miles from home and it could take up to two hours to get home using freeway or surface streets. To me, even in the "high" season traffic is not bad. Someone from a rural area would feel otherwise. And we had an influx of people year round. People fleeing the cold in winter and those fleeing the heat of the southwest in the summer.

Attendance at entertainment in the squares peaks during the winter, so we tend to avoid them. We have plenty of time during the rest of the year to enjoy them. Same with getting into classes and activities at the tec centers. But it is still possible to do whatever you want, just with a little more planning. Same with golf. You can still play, just perhaps not the course or time you prefer. The system is set up to distribute tee times as equitably as possible.

As far as why we chose TV, we looked at several places in CA, but almost all had minimal amenities beyond the golf course. Here, there are so many other things to do, the risk is getting too active. We have had to pare back our membership in groups in order to have some leisure time.

I think the best advice is to visit TV during the winter and again in the summer and see for yourself.

I will comment even though I don't live there full time. I have been a snowbird for five years and in my opinion the congestion in the high season is highly overrated. We don't have a problem getting into or suffering long waits in almost any restaurant. (We know which ones to avoid at certain times). The traffic is nothing compared to any big city that I have lived in, and the energy of high season, for example at the squares, is kind of infectious. Getting tee times on the execs can be tricky, but not if you are willing to play a number of courses especially in the early hours. Any inconvenience is worth the overall minor annoyances in order to enjoy the advantages. (PS I pretty much agree wholly with Mike since I saw his post after writing mine)

Why not rent in the winter and experience it all first hand?

It's all relative.

I'm from New Jersey. Many years ago, we would spend hours getting to and from the shore. When we got to the beach if one person rolled over to tan their back two blocks down, everyone else had to roll over. Radios blasted different stations every 10 feet. You could smell each other's coconut butter and baby oil.

When we started to summer vacation in Hilton Head, everyone down there from Ohio and Pennsylvania said it's much too crowded, but not for us. For us it felt empty. You could throw a Frisbee and play other tossing kind of games in the daytime and surf fish in the morning and at dusk.

It's the same down here. If you crowd surf and be flexible, it's absolutely wonderful.

What is your idea of 'over crowding'?

I think for the privilege of lining in this awesome place everyone adjusts for the seasons . Reservations are available for large groups ( 8-10) in the best restaurants during peak times. If you are willing to adjust your dinner hour around 5 PM or 8PM you should be in good shape.

It really is interesting how some places clear out around 8 each night.

I played golf with someone that actually seriously evaluated 20 different retirement communities which took 2 years and he said this place bay far was number one.

Come visit and see how you like it then decide. I know TV is not for everybody but it is amazing how many want to move here.

All the beat

I agree, it's all relative. Whenever my relatives come to visit, it is overcrowded!

That's true for me too, except for the one's I like.

Thank you all. Your replies have been helpful. We still work full time. We will see if we can rent something for a couple of weeks Feb 2016. Not easy since most places are monthly rentals. TV seems too good to be true.

I would recommend that you rent in October or April, which is more likely that you'll be able to find a 2 week rental. The weather is GREAT at that time of year and the crowding is not as prevalent.

There are hotels/motels in The Villages. I would recommend Waterfront Inn at Sumter Landing. Its right in the middle of things.

The point others were making regarding renting for a few months makes a lot of sense following retirement and before you purchase a home.

My wife and I visited a number of retirement communities not only in Florida but Arizona and Texas. Like others have already said----some very nice places out there but no place like The Villages.

2017, 2018???? The Villages may no longer have new homes for sale. It's only a guess when TV will build-out. Contrary to what some say----there will be a day when new homes will no longer be available. However, there will always be resales available in The Villages.

I would not move here without coming to stay for a month at least in Jan-March. I am a full timer, and the differnce between winter and summer crowds used to be huge, but they are very slowly starting to change. We eat out all the time, and have become friendly with a lot of the servers. Several of them said they aren't as slow in the summer as they used to be. I come from an area much more heavily populated than the Villages, but the problem with the Villages is that the population is all located in a relatively small area. It is a wonderful place to live, and I am very happy we moved here. But move here with your eyes open. There are some who will tell you that you won't notice the crowds, but I think it gets very bad at times. There are plenty of classes, but at times you have to go to the Rec center at least 1 hour early to get a ticket to get in the class. There are those who golf 5 times a day, but to be able to do that, you have to be willing to golf as a single. My group of 4 has been shut out twice already. I agree that everything is relative as far as traffic, crowds,etc. but I have seen a big increase in the past 4 years. I am afraid that we will see the demand out weigh the supply before long. I totally hope that I am wrong. So come and have a look, but be realistic .

Other than being full-time, completely agree with this reply. And not just because I am from the same part of the country as he is. :pepper2::pepper2: