Difference in home prices between TV and On Top of the World Revisited
 

Back in 2008 I wrote an opinion comparing prices in The Villages to prices of home in On Top of the World in Ocala on THIS thread.https://www.talkofthevillages.com/fo...illages-12174/

At that time I said:

"On top of the World prices compared to The Villages
________________________________________
Even with "The Bond" rolled in, The Villages Prices are competitive with or better than "On Top of the World" prices based on an internet promotion I received from OTOTW this morning."

Now, 11 years later, I have a different opinion as regards RESALE homes. I haven't compared new home prices.

Here it is:

There are maintenance free block construction Villas in OTOTW that start in the high $80's with the majority being in the $90's to $120's. To get this price in The Villages (oh, you can't), but the closest you can get is to look at older manufactured/mobile homes in the so-called Historic District. Fixer uppers or pre-1976 mobile homes that can't be financed will be at the lower end of that range in TV. Very few homes start at $120,000 with most in the $129,000 to $140,000 range. Which would you rather be in when a Cat 2 hurricane or fringes of a tornado rip by - a block home or manufactured/mobile? Most resales in the newer sections start well above $160,000 and most of those are wood frame.

There is a difference in "amenity fees". In TV, the fee is currently $159. In OTOTW the fee is $417. But considering this fee includes lawn maintenance, exterior building maintenance, water, sewer, and trash disposal sites in additional to the community amenity package, I claim it a "wash." (The Villages: weekly lawn service $35 x 4 = $140 month, plus W&S = $60 a month, plus trash $25 a month, building maintenance and outside insurance leaves about $150 for amenities.

So, for low-end resale homes, my conclusion is there is more house, and more substantial house for the money in OTOTW. But, it can be said of TV that obviously used homes appreciate more because this price differential did not exist 11 years ago.

If you are paying $140 A month for lawn maintenance you're getting ripped off.

Have you been to OTOW? Absolutely no comparison in my book, financial or otherwise...

Sent from my SM-N920R4 using Tapatalk

Everyone see's thing's differently.

I know there is a 99-year lease on the land in TOTW.

I know I own the property where I live in The Villages.

What is your motivation for pointing out your opinion here? Just wondering? Did you make the move to The Villages? Did you make the move to OTOW?

When I asked about 5 years ago what happens when the 99-year lease expires at OTOW they said don't worry you won't be around. Not an answer. For that reason and others we are happy here. So far.

Peace Out!

It’s like comparing a Ferrari to an Accord, both get you there but only one is truly an experience to treasure!

I'll say. We pay fifty bucks a month.

I think your start your choice with the size of the community.

I think your analysis should mention that the amenity fee in The Villages includes golf on 40 executive golf courses. I don't know much about OTOTW, but I'm certain their amenity fee doesn't include anything like that.

:bigbow:

Thank you for doing this analysis. Clearly there are many other factors in play beyond sticker price. Total cost of ownership & total value received depend a lot on how many of the amenities TV offers a person uses.

I can't say I've done exhaustive research, but TV seems to give very good value for the dollar - even compared to the big Del Webb places. But a lot depends on what you value.

That would be true if it was merely "lawn mowing." I understand it includes mowing, edging, trimming shrubs, and lawn insect control.

Skyking. I took care of my own yard while 9 years in TV because I didn't want to pay that much for service I wasn't satisfied with. If you pay much less than that, your lawn probably looks like crap if you don't supplement the service with your own labor and chemicals. To be fair, I also understand that there are some in OTOTW who aren't satisfied with the level of lawn care provided.

Nucky. You ask what is my motivation? I'm retired - same motivation you had for responding to my post. Seriously, my motivation for bringing this up? To bring my initial 13 year old post, which is now misleading and unrepresentative of the pricing of lower priced resale homes in each area, up to date. And I like to write and compare things.

collie1228: I don't golf. Not everyone does. And reviews I've read about both places concerning golf claim some significant waiting/reservation periods in TV and little to no waiting in OTOTW. In short, the popularity of TV for golfing is creating crowds and waits. The lack of popularity of OTOTW creates the opposite. It's the golf facility to golfer ratio that is most significant. In fact, TVs popularity in general creates crowds and waits for most activities.

I understand TV is 10 times larger, has fee simple ownership without maintenance built into the fees and has publicly maintained and publicly accessible streets which helps keep fees down. Each community caters to a different market. I also noted that appreciation of lower end homes was greater in TV than OTOTW - prices have appreciated more for manufactured homes in the historic district than for block-constructed villas in the original section of OTOTW. That difference in appreciation resulted in the OTOTW Villas becoming less expensive, and therefor potentially a better value for those looking for a lower cost, safer, maintenance free home.

I'm also noting that it is easier to type TV than it is to type OTOTW in all caps.

I'm sure many will disagree with some or all I wrote. That is the fun of forums, isn't it?

I remember you, sir. You had just moved from Destin or were moving from Destin, or thinking about moving from Destin, when I started posting on this forum and I asked if this place was a scam because it seemed too good to be true, and you jumped all over me and I was very surprised. I was new at forums but I have learned a lot since then. Did you leave The Villages?

Once the snowbirds leave golf is a whole different world here.
Steve

Everything here is, Steve. Seven more weeks?

Very appreciative of them, but those rascals make it crowded.

By "jumping all over" you, do you mean that I expressed a litany of reasons why The Villages was NOT a scam and was in fact a great place? Yes, we've been gone from the area for a couple of years. We may return, either back to TV or elsewhere in the area. I trust I gave you the truth back then. Are you glad you made the move?

That is true of most places and most activities in Florida.

If you are comparing the physical house and associated fees, yes TV is not a great bargain. But TV is FAR more than the physical house. I’m not a golfer but I believe the golfers in TV are pretty happy. As for me it’s about the 2000+ clubs that allows one to keep busy 7 days a week. Also, the cleanliness is superior to most communities. Our, or my, existence in retirement involves more than where I put my head to pillow.

However, I do thank you for making the comparison. Information is always a good thing.

I was curious after reading this statement. I find this statement to be wrong.
I went to the tee time system to see what/how many tee times were available for tomorrow Tuesday Feb 12.
I stopped counting at 75 for the championship and 75 for the executive courses.
If you want to play golf in TV you can, without waiting.
Unfortunately you must have "read where" right here on TOTV somebody's complaining no tee times. Digging deeper they most likely were complaining they could not get a tee time between 9:00 and 9:30 on one course.
The whole post included many generalizations and opinions not backed up with facts.

Yep.
Steve

You got that right! We pay $45.00 a month!

Since you are talking about a Courtyard Villa...Remove the grass end of lawn service. $$$ Saved ..You're Welcome in advance.

Actually, I am not speaking of courtyard villas. Those start in the high $190's +. I was speaking of the more affordable homes in the historic section - below $150,000. Every one of those have lawns. My whole comparison deals with comparing resale homes in the $80,000 to $130,000 price range in retirement communities with lots of amenities.

My comment was based on a number of observations speaking in generalizations. Obviously there are exceptions and situations where specific golfers are able to play sometime, somewhere the next day. Also, generally speaking, especially during snowbird season, snowbirds get first priority because they have played the least while full timers who previously played often must defer.

My experience has also been to arrive at least 45 minutes early to get a seat for many events. Dance lessons were particular noteworthy, with one or two instructors trying to teach a hundred people. It doesn't work, at least not well.

I live I CYV with stone lawn. Actually IMO grass is easier to maintain due to the shrubs and bushes dropping leaves and twigs. Trying to get the rocks clean much harder that just mowing grass

I agree. We also had a CYV without grass. We had several trees and lots of shrubs. To keep a tidy look it took an hour or two a week to keep things trimmed and cleaned up. Thing is, if you do it yourself without a lawn, at least you don't need a mower and edger and chinch bug and mole cricket spray.

Having looked at OTOTW several times before deciding on The Villages it appeared to us that OTOTW was appealing to person shopping for the best price, while The Villages was targeting the person looking for the best value.

The price you pay for the house here in The Villages is higher than most other places, but few offer anything close to the overall lifestyle value here. I guess it boils down to what you are looking to get out of your retirement years and how active you want to be.

:clap2:

It's warmer here!!

Thanks for this post. The OP obviously has no real knowledge of golf in TV. I play three times a week in two different groups (two on championship courses and one on execs) and we never have any problem in getting a reasonable tee time.

I agree! We came to the same conclusion.

We visited three times, different days and hours. The houses are attractive and well-priced, but there are very few people out and about. The sense of community we in TV enjoy was not there.

We chose TV, and nearly 4 years later, no regrets.

SO AGREE.
Me and mine. We LOVE The Villages.

I know. I know. I am tiresome.

Yea, if you walk on the executive golf course....otherwise it cost over $100 for six months if you choose to use you're got cart!

:icon_wink: Or $141 for 12 months. (has been for years!) Which is great if this is your home and not your vacation destination or your golfing destination. :ho:

:gc:

So, your point is?

Included in your priority membership

Also if you pay the 141 yearly trail fee
Steve

Up in RI there were a bunch of houses on a lake that had a 99 year lease, a few years ago the leases came up. The new owner told the house owners that he wanted them to get off the property. As you can imagine, people (who had spent years there and made many upgrades on their houses) were very upset. The owner said they could take their house or sell the to him (cheap). After some lawsuits (which I'm not sure made any difference) and some government intervention, they all came to some understanding and they could stay. Not sure what to final agreement was, but the point is that after the lease is up, it's up in the air what happens.

I have been staying in TV for the past 4 winters at an Aunts house. This year I decided to find a place in FL to buy for next winter. I went to OTOTW and many others. None of them compare to TV! OTOTW was the closest but still not comparable when it comes to an active community. We were there on a late Saturday morning in February and during our hour tour saw less than 20 residents! The town square was empty, nothing was open. When I asked about this I was told most people were probably grocery shopping. Really! I will be back to TV in the fall to decide on my winter home. Any suggestions on what I should look for or stay away from? I know we want a Roman shower and a golf car garage.

Not to us. Who was the first to make us feel at home when we were rudderless? New Kids on the block. Lost and unsure of ourselves. I know who loved us while Mrs. Nucky had tears streaming down her face over doubting our decision. Who gave it to us straight, give it time here and you will probably love it and if not get your money back and move back to hells half an acre where you can die from shoveling snow. That would be You Graciegirl, Henry & Helene & The Kitty Cats!

We stopped at OTOW so I could show Mrs. Nucky what the alternative was to The Villages. I'm glad we picked here and so is the Wifey. Our relationship with our kids and grandchildren is better than ever because each visit is special not just run of the mill and we are not babysitters anymore we got promoted to grandparents. Nobody at OTOW even said hello. We just didn't feel a part of. We were greeted like royalty here and are grateful to everyone who made us feel that way. Someone on day one said to me at the pool, Where you from son? I said NJ and he said I knew it because of your Big Mouf! :1rotfl::1rotfl:

I try to pay back the kindness to new people when possible. There is no price tag that can be put on the friendliness of the residents of The Villages. What we have is $$ PRICELESS $$.

I couldn't stand not getting a straight answer at OTOW about the property ownership, nobody of authority would give verbal or more importantly Written Guidelines about a 99-year lease. It might have been an acceptable thing if they answered any questions about it. They did not.

I like to own the Property that the Love Shack sits on. It makes me sleep better than The My Pillow Products. :1rotfl:

We've made some great friends here and some of them we haven't even met yet. It's because of the Bolts in my neck and I look like Herman Munster! :duck: