New to Villages - Opinions on moving to Fenney area
 

Hi everyone,
I've been reading with great interest all the posts about the relatively new Fenney area. We visited the Villages back in September on a "lifestyle" visit where you spend 4 days experiencing the Villages. We toured the Fenney area and really like the old Florida, natural feel of it. I'm on the Villages app every day looking for new homes for sale in that area (we like the Ruby) to come up. Our Villages sales rep (I read the extensive thread about the realtor vs. sales rep :popcorn:) is also aware of what we're looking for and will advise us when a Ruby comes available. If you look on the app map there is a large white spot (no homes/lots yet) that is just north of Warm Spring Ave. and just west of the new Everglades Rec center. I love the idea of being close to the new Rec Center and Softball fields. I also like the idea of being part of a growing community instead of an established one. I've heard from our Villages sales rep but before making such a huge decision I'd like to get opinions from current Villagers on the new Fenney area and if there are any pros / cons to buying in the area I described. I already know about the prison and blasting from previous posts.

Thanks, can't wait to get down and join you!

Mike in Michigan

Mike, we are in Fenney, on the south side of Fenney Way. Our lot backs onto a retention pond. We have wonderful privacy. We are very happy with our decision to buy in Fenney.

What specific questions do you have?

I'm not really sure what to ask specifically because we only spent 4 days there (and only 1/2 day looking at houses in the McClure village). Are there any things you would change about the Fenney area now that you've been there a while, are you happy with your decision to buy there (it sounds like you are), do you have any regrets for moving to the Fenney area, for those living in the Villages outside of Fenney would they consider buying in Fenney and if not, why. Are there any rumors about a Town Center for Fenney?

I cannot think of anything that I would change. We have no regrets. There are plans for a shopping center. I don't recall seeing anything about a town center (do you mean a town square like Brownwood)?

There are two shopping centers about 5 miles from here - Traverse Square and Lake Deaton Plaza.

I have met quite a few Villagers who have moved from the more northern villages to the Fenney area.

Mike, like you I haven't spent that much time in the Villages. We will be moving so we can be closer to Mother in Law as she ages in places in her house in TV. We built in McClure and closed several weeks ago. We will be moving there full time once I retire in April.
We were able to get exactly what we wanted by moving to the newer areas of TV. Currently we are the only house on our street, there is construction around us but that isn't a concern since we aren't there full time yet.

Best of luck with your decision.

There is talks of another square ( BW, LSL, SS) but where it will be situated I don't believe it was mentioned. The Fenney area is growing rapidly with construction of new homes.
Study the Floor plans as the Ruby may have a related floor plan. We discovered that in our search for what we wanted to build.

Are you sure about that?

If you buy in an established community, you know what you are getting. In a 'growing community' you might be surprised with what eventually happens.

On the other hand, in my opinion, a lot of the resales north of Route 44 are greatly overpriced and they sit unsold for weeks. The reasonably priced houses sell very quickly.

My guess is that it will be south of Route 470.

I saw a document that shows they have plans to two major roads in that area, which implies they have plans for a lot of houses.

We bought in Fenney 18 months ago and really like it here, part of the fun is watching it grow and meeting all the new people that were excited to get down here. In another 18 months we'll have just about everything we need including connectivity to all of TV, shopping, and tons of amenities. If you look north of Warm Springs you are getting very close to the turnpike and my only concern up there is the noise that might be part of that environment. Other than that, all of the Villages south of 44 have a certain charm and characteristic not found in all of the northern villages. Nothing wrong with the northern villages, just a different atmosphere down here, it's a matter of choice. We really enjoy being here.

Plenty of opinions and reasons on here about living in "Southern Oaks" or not living there. Nothing to be gained by challenging either point of view. I'll just give you my own perspective. We moved down here earlier this year into a rental north of 44 with no intention of buying in Fenney. We had plenty of knowledge about TV and our opinion of Fenney was that it was a beautiful village but if we can't jump on a cart and go to the places and do the things we could do from the rest of TV, we weren't interested. But, that's where all of the open houses were for new homes. So, we had a 3 month plan to find a pre-owned home but after only being here 4 days, we found the home we wanted. Like FenneyGuy, we are on the south side, backed up to a pond with privacy in a designer Veranda. We've watched the area grow daily for the past 6 months, and in a year, we can take a reasonable golf cart ride to Brownwood and then points beyond if we wish. We don't regret a thing, but that's just our opinion.

15 years ago when Buena Vista did not go south of 466 there was no talk of negatives from growth. A few complaints like where did the buffalo go, etc.

Then the population was around 35,000....now approaching 135,000. There has been nothing but improvement coming from the growth.

Now Fenney and points south....exactly the same situation.
TV has a consistent standard and has demonstrated getting better at what they do.

Too many of the negative comments are from those who do not live here and have no real knowledge of TV environment and lifestyle.

When one sees what they like just buy it.....and enjoy it.

I am not knocking the new southern part of the Villages, just pointing out that if golf is important to you I would look elsewhere. Also, I know everyone has different criteria when looking for a home, for us the model of the home was way less important than having some privacy and not being on a busy road. We are on a dead end road with little traffic and associated noise and our back yard abuts a preserve. The model of our home is not ideal for our needs, but we are so happy with the location we don't care.

We bought in Fenney last October. Since we are not retired yet, we only get to visit a few times each year. The growth in Fenney continues to amaze me. In the past year, Fenney has been built out, Desoto and all it has to offer was opened, two new golf courses and Willow Tree Rec Center opened. Roads are being improved, golf cart access is in the works, plans are being revealed for commercial development. Not to mention all that is happening across the street on Warm Springs. Fenney is a beautiful area! Each and every time we visit, we fall more in love with the area and appreciate all the new friendships we've made. You can't go wrong by making this area your forever home.

Thanks so much for all the input, I'm so excited about getting down there. The Villages is a special place. Let me give you an example, my dad is 84 and VERY active (tennis 2x a week and plays in a 70+ softball league). This past spring he didn't get a call to play on the 70+ team because at 83 it was hard for him to keep up with the "young" guys. There are basically no 80 plus teams where he lives so he didn't get to play. I love the way The Villages handles the softball leagues in such an inclusive manner, my dad would never have to feel too "old" to play. Anyway, back to my original post, after reading your input, I should probably clarify that I'm only 52 so our intent is to buy in the next few months as new homes become available and then rent it out (probably to my parents) / vacation there until I turn 55 and retire and can move down full time. I'm figuring in 3 years there should be a lot of new features in Fenney that aren't there now, and I'm hoping the prices are more reasonable now before all the new development is in. I've been looking at the pre-owned homes in other areas and it seems like you pay the same if not more for a pre-owned house of the same design, probably part of that is the bond but it does seem like the home prices appreciate at a fast rate.

What you are getting, new or old, in The Villages is a bunch of nice old people. Mostly nice old people.

The pace of growth and construction in TV is like no other place I have ever experienced. If you buy or build the first home in a neighborhood you will likely be amazed at how soon the neighborhood is built out. When we first came in 2010 the villages around Lake Sumter Landing were the southernmost areas in TV. Each subsequent year when we came in January we were blown away at the growth we saw, and how established these new areas actually appeared. When they began moving dirt/sand south of 466a we thought, that is getting pretty remote - Ha! We finally this year bought a villa for part time living in Sanibel, and love the location - close to shopping, rec centers, and 15-20 executive golf courses. We have looked at many open houses in the Fenny/DeSoto area and are amazed at some of the options and enhancements they have made in that area. We, personally, would not likely ever locate to that area, not because of any perceived limitations or problems, but simply because we love the area we are in and it is close to the things we first fell in love with almost 9 years ago. I think people who are moving here and experiencing The Villages for the first time will find a lot to like in Southern Oaks area just as we did years ago in the north-central area. You can't go wrong IMHO.