Hopeful Future residents
 

Hello, I apologize in advance for asking questions that I am sure have been answered previously. We have been to TV about 4 separate times and, the Lord willing, hope to be able to move there after the first of next year. We have a few specific questions that we have not quite figured out.
1. Does the Village of Pine Ridge have a bond? We didn't think so because it was in Lake County but just saw a listing stating the "bond was paid" so now we are not sure.
2. Are there pro's or con's to living in one county over another
3. Are the executive courses challenging enough for a 9 or 10 handicap player? We saw that the executive courses have mainly par 3 holes.
4. Reading the posts, it appears that the northern area is still a great place to be. Are the home values staying up compared to the other areas? We see there are more homes for sale in that area, any input on why?

Thank you so much for your input and information!

1. Yes. Pine Ridge houses have a bond, very similar to the rest of The Villages. On a $200K house in Pine Ridge, your total bill from the county, including property tax, bond payments, non-ad valorem fees, etc. will be about $4,000 per year.
2. Yes. Property taxes are significantly cheaper in Sumter County, especially as compared to Lake County. Avoid Lake County if you can.
3. The executives courses have mostly par 3 holes, and will not be very challenging if you are used to playing on a traditional 18 hole course with par 3's, 4's and 5's.
4. The northern area is fine, but the houses and the people are older. If you buy an older house, it probably will not appreciate as well as a newer house. Obviously, more pre-owned houses will be for sale there because people die or move to assisted living, or back north to be closer to family. They are building some new houses in the north.

Good luck.

I play from the Blacks at the Executive courses and you'll still have some holes over 200 yards, and most around 150, so at least you're needing a skill level to shoot par.

Play the level 4 per three's. My guess is you will be challenged.

My husband is a 10 handicap and plays the championship courses. He only plays the execs when he is playing with me. He does not think the execs are very challenging except for Pelican.

Thank you so much for the info!! Hope to be there soon

Hey I disagree to some degree , we are buying in Country Club Hills or Orange Blossom, I was a 2 to a 4 hndicapper on an executive course in Ohio, and have yet to 6 over on the Hilltop Executive. I am getting ready next week to challenge the Orange Blossom CC as soon as the weather cools down a little bit. They are building new homes in Country Club Hills, Orange Blossom, and Country Club Hills all the time with 2 bedroom 2 bath for low to medium 200s with NO BOND.... There is a lot less traffic on the North Side of 441/27, plus they have the best swimming pool in The Villages with a hot tub also. This side also has great rubberized walking paths. Also living on this side you also have the opportunity to travel the famous golf cart bridge over 441/27 on your way over to the best square in my opinion in the Villages called Spanish Springs. So what are you waiting for ??? Get here now........Dont wait another minute.....Besides I need some good golf competition.......Did I also mention a very nice Country Club restaurant with very reasonable prices....

I enjoy the Executive courses for the walk, the practice and meeting new players. Most are very beautiful.

Tax rates vary by county. Having a homestead exemption makes a huge difference.

Here is a rough estimate of annual taxes on a $200K property by county:

Lake: $1960
Marion: $1720
Sumter: $1640

Per Florida Property Taxes By County - 2018

You could not be more correct! Not to mention that the historic side does not suffer from traffic jams and houses generally enjoy larger lot size and mature landscaping. And it is a blessing to have a brick & mortar post office that can be reached by golf cart!

Don't rule out the "older" sections, sometimes/affectionately referred to as the historic section.....without visiting there in person.

Contrary to some opinion it is not the place of the old(er) only.
Very mature/very nice landscaping/very well kept/......many of the manufactured homes have been remodeled or updated. Many, many have purchased the manufactured home and torn it down and replaced with a site built home. This is an increasing trend in the past few years.

The homes are smaller, hence lower price of entry into TV and all the same amenities.

We built our home in 2004.....14 years ago....hopefully not too old.......most of us old folks are not abusers of what we own......the notion of older or where the old(er) folks live is, in my opinion, inaccurate......ESPECIALLY here in TV.

One cannot measure age/activity/health/etc with a northern yardstick....ya need a Villages yardstick!!!

We live in Palo Alto on the north side,have a designer home, our neighborhood was built in 1997. The age range is from 55 to 88, everybody watches out for their neighbor. We live in Sumter count our taxes have went down our value has recovered from the crash. We,re 7mins from our church ,bank ,doctor, drug store, town square, and supermarket. Were happy here. Make a list of what's important to you a look for it everyone has their wants. Len & Mary

Thank you again for all the great info. I had not logged in for a while to see additional comments...I apologize. We are hoping to put our house here up for sale right after Christmas!!!

I do have another question...we have heard that the "villa" neighborhoods tend to cater more towards the snowbirds and are somewhat vacant in the summer...so potentially not consistent neighbors and a chance to build as many relationships. Is that holding true for the Villa's in Finney? We don't know where we will land yet, but would appreciate input!

I’m not sure if the Southern Villa neighborhoods have more snowbirds but there are a lot of rentals from there I see on rental sites. There are some even available for this winter.

Some of your questions have been answered already, but I'm curious that you have been here more than once and don't already know the answers to a couple of them.

If a villages property doesn't say bond paid, then there is almost definitely a bond, regardless of location, but if it's a pre-owned property, some of the bond will have been paid.

There are differences in taxes in one county or city limits vs. another. Find out what they are and factor that in when comparing properties you are interested in.

Can't comment much on the golf except through my sister-in-law's eyes as she is probably a single digit handicap golfer. She prefers to play 18 hole rounds on full length courses (referred to as championship courses here). There are executive courses that offer holes more challenging than others but few replicate, as a hole, the entire front or back 9 of a championship course. The executive courses are good to enjoy 9 holes, work on aspects of your game, have fun with friends, but you may, ultimately, prefer championship golf.

Ask any villager their favorite village or area and 99% of the time the answer will be the village or area that they live in. That's one of the great things here. The newer areas tend to have a younger demographic while the older areas the opposite, but there are exceptions on any given street in any given village.