fell in love after our first visit
 

My wife and I are from MD and we just got back from a week in the Villages. We want to move down as soon as we sell our current home. The people, the lifestyle, and the overall feel pulled us in.

We both want to simplify our lives and get rid of a lot of our possessions and downsize in TV. We have a couple of questions. One, in the crowded season can one still enjoy the restaurants and golf or is it such a major hassle that you end up staying home? Two, I have a regular group at my golf club in MD (4-15 handicap of about 30 guys), will it be easy to find a like group in TV?

We can't wait to come back!

Where in Maryland are you from? I moved to The Villages about a year and a half ago from Silver Spring. Best thing we have ever done. Spent about 36 years in Maryland and commuting to Washington DC every day. It is just like a slice of Heaven down in The Villages.

I have lived in the Baltimore metro area all my life. My wife is from Germany. We currently live in Reisterstown about 15 miles NW of Baltimore. I retired last July and my wife is planning on retiring in a month so we can stage our home for sale.

Welcome! Yup, TV is easy to fall in love with. Restaurants are more crowded, golf courses are used more, clubs are fuller. So, you either eat earlier or later; accept you may not get the tee time or course you want; arrive way too early for club meeting. But, you do get to eat at your favorite restaurant; play golf almost every day if you want; participate in your clubs, exercise groups. From what I understand, it may take you a little while to find your golf group, but find it you will. Level of play here is from non-existent (like me) to truly awful to very, very good. You'll find your niche.

It's easy to love it
 

We stopped for 3 days last March, fell in love, went back to IL, put our house up for sale, sold it, got rid of a lifetime of "stuff", and moved here last July 2. Our friends and family thought we had lost our minds. We wake up each morning loving our new life here. Our neighborhood welcomed us with open arms. Our village has its own website where we can sign up for golf 5 days a week if we want. It does get a bit crowded during high season but we still were able to do what we wanted. Hope you can come soon.

You will hear that the roads are crowded, restaurants filled to capacity, etc during snowbird season. Trust me, after being in a crowded metro area, this is absolutely wonderful. You can go anyplace in your golf cart, arrive in 15 minutes, and if you get there and find a wait - just go to the bar for a while. It is more crowded in snowbird time, but nothing like the Baltimore-DC area.

Hope to meet you once you get down here.

Hello Maxman,

I'm from Maryland too. Born and raised in Baltimore . . . worked for the Social Security Administration until retirement in 1991. We've lived in Pinehurst, NC for the past 20 years but we close on our home in Tamarind Grove in late June. Like you, my husband and I fell in love with TV lifestyle on our first visit in February and were fortunate enough to sell our home in NC in just 19 days. Can't wait to meet our new neighbors and make new friends.

Welcome to you Maxman. You will find something more wonderful every day you are here.

Hope you join us soon.

Don't forget to bury St Joseph.


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Thank you Chuck. I was reading along on this thread and responded to jadlos post about selling in 19 days and posted as to how she did it so quickly, and then realized I had highjacked the thread (again) and hadn't welcomed Max, so I completely removed that part about selling a house and welcomed Max and so you responded to my post before I changed it...and yours didn't make sense.

Now I have confused everyone.

Thank you Chuck. I also have the Baker group on my side...You can't have too many celestial friends at a time like this!

Chuck was giving me and all of us advice as to how a house quickly....

Come on down, you will love it. We sure love it here, lived in the Baltimore area for 58 years, glad I am here.:024:

:welcome: to TOTV.

I had the same experience several years ago but I wish I had moved immediately like you are planning to do.

Best Wishes for a quick sale of your home.

Moved from MD
 

Lived in Hagerstown all my life and also fell in love with TV on the first visit. After we returned home we decided to sell our business then our home and move here. That was exactly 3 years ago, moved here October of 2009 with no regrets. Never had a problem with tee times, I would suggest becoming a priority member, if you and your wife play 2 to 3 times a week as we do it easily pays for itself. You can also use the country club pools that are not nearly as crowded especially south of 466. On the warmer days in the winter
neighborhood pools are pretty crowded with visitors.

How nice to hear from so many Marylanders. :wave: We are counting down the days. Won't miss all the snow and cold weather. Hope to meet you in TV. We did bury St. Joseph. And he answered our prays, sold our home in six days. Good Luck