Are some Villages locations better than others?
 

Newbie here and not yet a Villages owner. But, we're strongly considering a possible move here.
My question is, are some Villages better or considered more desirable than others? Also, is there much difference in the property tax rates in the counties wherein Villages neighborhoods are located? I'm particularly interested in Marion County Villages locations, as its a bit closer to our 2 of our 3 grown kids, who live in north FL and is also farther away from the Orlando metro area, which I'd like to avoid. I know noting about any of the various Villages developments but it just seems reasonable that some may be better and/or more desirable than others?
Will appreciate input from "seasoned" Villages residents. Thanks!

You’ve asked a very provocative question and many will no doubt have opinions. SUMTER County has the lowest taxes of the three counties. That’s undisputed! Some villages are closer to shopping than others. Villages located at the fringes of TV, especially those next to undeveloped non-Villages properties, have a high risk of being neighbors with commercial use or some other objectionable development. Proximity to Orlando, even in the most southern of the new villages, is a non issue. You really need to spend time here and judge for yourself. Good luck with your search.

I asked something similar once and when I got to The Villages, I found each area had its own unique advantages. You have to come and drive around and see what you like. I made a list of what was important to me, some other people may not consider at all, such as strength of EMF waves. We had cancer in the family previously.
I love the area I chose because it’s close to Barnes and Noble as reading is my weakness. Each to their own.

We purchased in Spanish Springs area and we love the convenient location. We are close to Publix and WinnDixi plus Target, Bealls outlet, Belk, hospital, ect. Taxes seem better here in Sumter county too. We also have friends in Dunnellen and they like having a new house, so guess it depends on your preferences and budget
. Hope this helps. Good luck!

Agree with the above post, although Sumter's taxes are no longer significantly lower than the other counties after the 25% increase. What areas are better than others is an individual choice, and what is good for some may be totally different for others. The only generalization I will make comparing different areas is that if Championship golf is important to you then avoid the new Villages area south of 44.

Pick something south of 44 and you can't go wrong.

It really depends... ( I hate that answer because it says nothing helpful...)

Depends upon what you value and how your ranking of different things. Some of these are: Do you Golf? What type of course do you like? Do you want to be close to a social area (one of the squares)? Do you want no yard maintenance? Do you mind traffic noise? Do you want total privacy? All of these are different in different areas of different villages.....

And of course, How much do you plan to spend?

Trying to be the most helpful I can be I would suggest that you do these things BEFORE looking here or anywhere (if you are seriously looking):

1) Determine your NEEDS (these are must haves)
2) Determine your WANTS (these are additions to your list from 1)
3) Determine your BUDGET (what is the TOP $ you are willing to spend ), and DON'T offer any higher when looking

Be COMPLETE with these lists

Give this info to your realtor and see what they can do. You will tell if you have a good representative if they DO NOT try to push you above your budget (if they do try to push you higher, find another realtor right away - don't waste your time).

P.S.- be sure to look for home in these 3 sources: MLS, VLS and FSBO.

Thanks to all who have replied so far. Keep your great comments and advice coming! ;>) Should have mentioned in my original post that I could care less about golf. I gave up on it well over 30 years ago, was never much good at it, altho I did once legitimately break 100 with a score of 99 on 18 holes. For me it was aggravating, I didn't find it enjoyable and have absolutely no desire to try it again. I'm more in to boating, fishing, RV'ing, travel and outdoor recreation. I also like old car restoration and woodworking. We have scheduled a 4 day stay in a villa there, around the end of October and hope to learn a lot from that. Thanks again!

I do not agree with this advice. South is not close to big box stores and the shopping/restaurants corridor on 441/27. If shopping is not important to you, by all means, check out the areas south of 44.

South of 44 is the future of The Villages nobody has what they have down there but it’s getting better and better and it’s in Sumter County .ck it out

I also disagree
 

South of 44 has no Savannah Center, no Sharon, no Studio Theater, and currently no Town Square. While there probably will be a Town Square at some point, I doubt if the most southern areas will get any kind of musical and dramatic venues that are at all comparable to the three I mention for many, many years. The "old" Villages, north of 44 in my opinion will be more "vibrant" for activities, and the areas south of Rt 44 may well be more beautiful places to live.

Due to your specific interests, I would personally suggest somewhere in the vicinity of Spanish Springs (points north, west, south) or the "historic" section, which is northeast and east of Spanish Springs.

Here's why: that is the closest to the Ocala Forest, which has RV, fishing, and outdoor recreation opportunities. Boating is limited to small outboard motors, jetskis, and similar. Canoeing seems to be the most popular boating type on the many streams through the forest.

I would say, even if you want newer construction, that you probably would want to look at homes located between Lake Sumter Landing town square and Spanish Springs town square, in the northeastern sections of The Villages.

The western edge of the forest is only 10-15 minutes' drive from Orange Blossom, which is part of the historic section of the Villages.

Proximity to Orlando is a non-issue as someone mentioned before. It's around an hour away (depending on where you start from and how fast you drive).

The older sections including the actual "historic" section and the other neighborhoods nearest Spanish Springs is closest to the 301 and 441 routes out of the Villages to the north, which you say you are also looking for, due to family living nearby.

You can find a variety of home types in the area, from some of the original tiny 780sf single-wide trailer homes in Silver Lake, to condo-style townhouses right in Spanish Springs (if there are any for sale, I don't see any listed on the Homefinder right now), a few newer construction homes, and a number of 1200+ sf, 2 bed, 2 bath, many with "bonus" rooms that are sometimes used as a third bedroom with no closet.

There are also a smattering of higher end designer homes with 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2+ car garages, spas, granite countertops, fireplaces, etc. etc. etc.

Most of this area is older homes. By "old" I mean between 10 and 25 years old (so - barely out of diapers, if you're a New Englander :) )

As an 11-year resident living between Hwy 466 and 466A, I find all areas attractive. I wouldn't mind living in any village. I could be happy in the historic section or Spanish Springs or Sumter Landing or Marion County or even maybe in the newer areas south of Hwy 44, except for the lack of conveniences near by. They are all good. It's a tribute to the fine planning of the Developers. This place is beautiful.

On the other hand, buying the wrong house in any neighborhood could be a deal breaker. Not knowing what might be built over the fence, busy street, bad neighbors, barking dogs, loud TVs, etc. For instance, I wouldn't choose to live in one of the neighborhoods that empties on to Morse Blvd. N of 466 without a traffic signal; you could wait all day to turn left onto Morse due to the traffic going to/from the hospital/doctors' offices.

So. my opinion is any area in The Villages is great, provided you choose the right property.

I a way your budget will help you decide where may be best. A Ballpark Range would help people to help you better. Not being nosey at all. Before you put down any of your money be sure to speak with an Insurance agent so there is no surprise on the price for the coverage you desire. Please be aware that in Florida that the age of the roof is very important to many people. Even more so if you have a Mortgage. You also need a Villages agent for their homes and an MLS agent for their homes. Best of luck.

Listen to Carla B, this place is beautiful.

OP, so many variables go into choosing a permanent location. It is difficult to choose a permanent location in a short visit to TV. One idea is to rent for a while (at least three months) to get a “real feel” for the Villages. Think about it if renting prior to buying might be something that makes sense to you. By all means, enjoy your first visit to The Villages as you will find residents willing to share their stories and experiences with you and answer most any question you might have about this place we call The Villages.

In that we have lived in so many different homes, our experiences have taught us to live in the middle. Like prey animals it better protects you from predators that frequent the edges of the heard. Also, we buy homes with an East facing patio so the in the afternoon the Florida sun does not drive you off of it. Look for a loop or a street that is not a main through route with lots of traffic and stop signs. That said, the benefits of The Villages compensates for any negative you can come up with.

To Originl Poster,
Based on your 2 posts and your expressed interests, I strongly agree with the advice and suggestions in Jazuela's post, above.
But also, if you're truly interested in moving to a +55 retirement community I'd suggest that you also look at the separate communities of Del Webb Spruce Creek and Stonecrest. You can buy a nice home in either community for a lot less money than you would pay for a similar home in The Villages. Both communities are in Marion County and are along the vibrant Rt 441 corridor on the north edge of The Villages.
I live in The Villages and I love it but both my wife and I are avid golfers. If we didn't golf I can tell you we'd be living in Stonecrest right now.

Developer did their homework, every village is great but from following newbies on TOTV if you are a:

Bowler, SS area has both bowling facilities
Hospital location is SS, also there is NO BOND in Lake County, (could save home owner bunches)
Box stores all locations now, 441 has h depot, lowes, walmart, target, sams
Grocery stores all locations, SS 2 publix, winn dixie, aldi
Traffic is better north, sumter landing busier
Entertainment SS Sharon Morse, Savannah, Tierra del sol
Gas stations a little light south, important if you own gas golf cart

Hope this helps, welcome to paradise.

My personal prejudice, Lazamora, smaller village, 90 residents. close to my favorite golf, hacienda lakes, Mira mesa, golf range close, woodworking shop close, pet park close and GREAT neighbors, and beautiful trees (4 some this is a negative but we love them), cook with gas, comcast, seco, teco
also close access to lawn bowling, air gun range, pickleball, tennis, beach volleyball, chula rec. Center, and family pool and adult pool, only 2 homes 4 sale, they sell quick here.

make sure you fit age wise further north the communities have older residents south of 466a--the communities are younger--I live in Tamarind grove & use the Spanish Springs MVP, the Admiral uses the Brownwood MVP--big difference in the average age of their clientele-my trainer is @ MVP, SS-they have a dedicated train room--Brownwood does not

Yes, my Village is best. And everyone thinks the same thing. Here are some things to at least consider.

Don't buy on the very outskirt edges of the Villages. Something bad could build next door.

Don't buy next to the power line. It does impact value.

Don't buy backing to a road that is bold printed on a Villages map. It will be a busy street.

Don't buy backing to a treatment plane. They will smell bad sometimes.

And this one is my personal favorite, don't buy on any water, you will have more bugs, snakes and bad things live in Florida waters.

No.

Eh - the age thing is subject to change on a regular basis. The oldest of the original owners of the old section were at least 55 when they moved in, in the early 1970's. I don't know if any of them still live there but if they do, that'd make them just slightly over 110 years old. I'm thinking they're gone and were likely replaced at least 20 years ago by the next batch of 55+'ers. Those folks would be in their 90's. Of them, I'm guessing a bunch of those are gone, and have been replaced by people who are now in their 60's.

Meanwhile, the batch that came after the original, were likely replaced by people, who were replaced by other people, who are now in their late 50's/early 60's.

And so on and so forth. Sure there are a lot of older folks still in the old section. But it's very attractive to the younger folks because it's much more affordable (you can get a smaller original double-wide for under $140k). It's a great "introduction" to the Villages lifestyle.

In my neighborhood I see a pretty wide variety of age groups. Mostly over 70, but with a generous peppering of late 50's up to mid-60's. And a couple of folks in their 40's helping out mom and dad.

We bought in The Villages, not for the golf, but for the extraordinary array of clubs, fitness, and sports activities that have more than quadrupled since we bought. The scale is what works for The Villages, providing an unprecedented number of options. My problem daily is pondering what I'm going to trade off when I make a decision of what to do. We did take up golf after we got here and enjoy it too.

Yes, some areas of The Villages are more desirable. Everyone I speak to agrees...it’s the area where they live.

You also asked about property taxes, and I have not seen anyone address this issue:

Yes, even after the recent increase, Sumter County has the lowest county property taxes in the Villages.

However, there is something else to watch for if this is important to you. Parts of Sumter County are in the Village of Wildwood, or Lady Lake, or (?) other incorporated areas. You will pay property tax to Wildwood on top of your tax to Sumter. There are many areas that are in unincorporated Sumter County. No town tax. That can save you $800 -1200 annually.

Yes.

Better and more desirable are relative terms, varying in meaning per different individuals.

All answers will be biased based on the individual answering and their measure of like/dislike.

Accept them all with an open mind!

There is not a bad location in TV. You will recognize that when you spend some time here.

Other than visiting your grown children 2 or 3 times a year, what are you going to do the rest of the time? Myself, I like being 3-1/2 miles from either Brownwood or Lake Sumter Landing Square (LSL). I think those are the best venues for bands and the movie theaters. So we live in Tamarind Grove, it was the newest village in 2011, and I've lived here since then, eight years.

If I had to do over, I would chose maybe Duval or Gilchrist, only because they are closer to Buena Vista and you can avoid driving your golf cart on the side of a road in a golf cart lane. Those villages you can almost go directly to the separate golf cart trail (MMP) alongside Buena Vista. Otherwise you're riding along maybe 3' from a car going 35 driven by a person about 70 years old. It's a scary thought, and we have to drive on the side of St. Charles Blvd for about two miles going north to LSL or 1/2 mile going south to Buena Vista. Regardless, I only drive my cart when I play championship golf, which is once or twice a week. Distance wise, Duval or Gilchrist are about the same distance from the two squares.

The squares are just a small part of living here, I have eight 27 hole championship golf courses I can reach in 15 to 25 minutes in my golf cart. I just played with some guys on Friday who live in Jacksonville and they thought it was great to be able to drive your cart to the course. I don't play on the executives, those are good for golfers just starting out, but you can find those just about anywhere in TV.

Shopping, we are 20 minutes from 466 which has Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Walmart, and many other stores. We are 30 minutes from 441/27 which has another Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Kohls, etc. However, if there is crime, usually shoplifting, it's along that area.

In our immediate area we have Colony Shopping Center 3 miles away which has Publix, Walmart Groceries & gas, and other stores and restaurants. Less than a mile away is the new Trailwinds development which has Lowes, Aldis, ABC Liquor, Jersey Mikes, Burger King, Circle K, Wendys opens tomorrow, Taco Bell under construction, 11 bed ER under constructon and a credit union and many more planned.

At Brownwood Square area I enjoy the MVP Health Spa, my wife and I have been going there since May 2014 and they have classes like Zumba, Spinning, Group Power, etc all with professional paid instructors. Since I turned 65 I signed on with United Health and have their Villages Medicare Advantage plan and there is no premiums and our MVP membership became free.

I guess I just like the area about 466A and Buena Vista the best. We also have two regional rec centers, Seabreeze and Lake Miona, both within 10 minutes away. Neighborhood rec center Sterling Heights and several neighborhood pools.

Since you've mentioned taxes, your thinking about price. The northern areas I believe resales will be cheaper, one reason those homes were built about 2000. Areas south of 466 started about 2005 and as you move south my village for example is 2011 and across 466A Gilchrist is 2013. One item you'll find in the newer homes is vaulted ceilings, in the north areas those are sometimes less, and when living in a smaller retirement style home a vaulted ceiling gives you a bigger feel.

Age is also a big difference, but that will change when some of us die. For example, when I moved here in 2011 my village didn't have a softball team, so I was put on Calumet Grove, one of the northern most villages. I was 61 and was the youngest on the team by many years. Now that I'm 69 that doesn't mean as much, but if your around 60 you might find northern areas have older residents. As I said, this will change because we all die sometime and new people will eventually take over, and who knows, those areas may become the youngest.

I would go to a lot of open houses when you are here. Go to each square and check out the crowd and the bands. Go to the restaurants and theaters, Savannah Center and the Sharon for live shows. Play some golf, if you have a salesman he can arrange free rounds with a cart. Enjoy exploring The Villages, Florida.

John - in his second post, the OP states he doesn't play golf, but he does like boating, fishing, RVing, and other "outdoor" activities. The Ocala Forest is immediately to the east and northeast of the Villages, and it checks off every one of those boxes. So - if you want to be as close to that as possible, PLUS in reasonable proximity to "points north" - then the older areas of the Villages - not necessarily the historic section, but any points between Sumter Landing and Spanish Springs - would be optimum exclusively for location purposes.

The short answer is NO!!! I still say there will be areas that you might prefer due to your interests!

I would make a list of "must haves" as opposed to "would like to have", in possibly selecting an area or home you might want to buy.

After one has lived here for awhile, it's more important to be closer to doctors and shopping and one doesn't go the squares as much.

TV is vast so I would make sure I get a map when you visit so you can analyze where you might want to live. Renting for awhile is good to determine exactly where you might want to live.

Sumter county still has the lowest taxes even after an increase after 14 years.

The area south of 44 is beautiful but I think it's a little too rustic for me, (IMHO). It really comes down to personal preferences. Marion county is north of 466 and can be close to Rt 42. It's a little north of where I lived and people seem to love it. It seems to be more peaceful and traffic is less from what I heard.

Don't get too riled up over making a perfect decision as most people have three homes before they found the right home. That's not me as I don't like to move. I am a one and done type of person.

Whatever decision you make, it won't be a bad one as TV is a beautiful place to live.

yes!

If cost is a big issue also consider the bond that comes along with a home. The bond balance due is effectively part of the cost of the home. Northern homes have little to no remaining bond balance due, the middle of the Villages homes typically still have a few years left to pay off the balance, and as you go further south and get into new construction you will be responsible for the entire bond. On occasion you may be lucky enough to find a home further south were a prior owner opted to pay of the entire bond balance rather then paying it off in installments over time, but those are hit or miss. Good luck with your search.

As long as you’re not 75 plus, if so you may miss it all:popcorn:

You have to decide for yourself which area would suit you best. Look at a map and use your brain.

For example, I hate to turn left onto a 4-lane street if there is no traffic light, so that ruled out many houses along Pinellas, Hillsborough, Odell, etc.

Since those streets have two car lanes and two golf cart lanes, they are 4-lane roads to me.

They are already working on a championship course south of 44 and it's a very short drive to courses north of 44.

Also, the further north you go the older the homes are and replacing a roof and HVAC system can equal the cost of Bonds on some of the new units.

Hubby and I do not golf but we much prefer The Villages lifestyle. The golf cart accessibility is the best in the world here in The Villages. Neighboring communities can not compare.

There is the "elephant" in the room, as mentioned in another post (s),

South:

Noise from turnpike
Lack of golf accessible gas stations
Prison noise and lights
Critters

But

It's beautiful and many young folks

You'll see a great majority of posts talking about proximity to grocery, entertainment etc .. all in terms of "minutes" .. only 5 or 10 minutes from here or there.. And then there are people that don;t mind taking a golf cart ride to walmart or their favorite golf course that takes 45 minutes each way, when a via car it might take 15.. After living in Atlanta for 20 years, there aren;t enough cars here to make a good traffic jam, and anything located inside the bubble (that area considered inside the villages) is conveniently located. On the other hand, if you;re moving from small town America and think a ten minute car ride is a day trip, then pay attention to trip times already mentioned. So during your life style visit, explore as many areas as possible, take a couple of trolley tours, visit the squares and restaurants (and bars), and most of all .. talk to as many residents as possible .. Welcome

Although with many of them, the roofs have already been replaced. The older homes in the north, that have shingle roofs, are already years older than the typical expected lifespan of a roof - which is only 15 years. Even a "30-year" roof is only expected to last around 20-25 years. The homes built in 1992 during the original expansion are now around 27 years old.

Most of the homes I've seen on the Homefinder site in that area specify updated HVAC systems, so it shouldn't be hard to find something up to date even in the older sections.