[TVWannabe]

This is my first post, but I’ve been lurking for awhile. I appreciate all of the good information available here. My wife and I made a lifestyle preview visit in July 2008. We loved it. We loved it all! The Villages blew away everything else we had looked at up to that point. We plan to visit again this summer.

I’ve noticed people here at TOTV aren’t shy about bragging about Florida’s friendliest hometown, but I was hoping you could share your thoughts on a couple of other communities, using The Villages as the benchmark. Our priorities are friendly people and access to golf.

Spruce Creek is a Del Webb community just north of The Villages. Friends of my parents live there, and they prefer it because it is smaller and they feel they get more for their money. Any comments?

Also, what can you tell me about Sun City Center? Their own website isn’t even very informative.

http://suncitycenter.wcicommunities.com/

Thanks!

[Ooper]

I believe the only thing you get more of at Del Webb is a bit more square footage for the money. It is smaller and it truly is a gated community... but they only have 1 restaurant and 36 holes of golf. I think TV offers sooo much more. But when you come down to TV for your next visit... check out Spruce Creek for yourself... only you know what you really want.

[jinker]

Both of my sisters lived in Kings Point, a gated community within Sun City Center. I visited them several times a year. Most of Kings Point is multiple family condos, very few single family homes. It was managed by WCI but I understand the residents have purchased the Kings Point common facilities and WCI is only involved in the new construction in other areas of SCC. Golf in Kings Point required a large initiation fee, yearly greens fee and trail fee. My hubby thought it was too expensive. Association fees included the club houses, cable tv, lawn service, shuttle bus, exterminator, outside maintenance, water, sewer and some other things that I can't recall. Sisters were not happy that the association fee went up about 10% almost every year. I thought the SCC itself had little to offer- very few national restaurants or stores, but you are between Sarasota and Tampa. Great outlet mall in Ellenton. Major dept stores in Brandon a suburb of Tampa. Probably would still consider retiring in Kings Point, but since both my sisters went back to the St Louis area, we have decided to locate to central Florida hoping to avoid having to evacuate during severe weather. We are also looking at several communities, but find more info on TV thanks to this website. Plan to make lifestyle visits later this year and narrow my choices. Then the real challenge will be selling our current home.

[Army Guy]

TVWannabe, we had be looking for 5 years! Just about every gated, semi-gated, adult, etc communities from North Myrtle Beach to Daytona. TV was out last visit, and we like you were just blown away. Yes, others may have this better and that better, and no place is perfect although we would like to think some are. BUT over 5 years of CONSTANT looking, reading, visits, research, mailings, etc, TV is TOPS in all areas and the most affordable and cost of living after the sale.
That is why the wife and I have decided to make TV our HOME. Now to just find the right CYV and make the purchase, that is the final step we are executing now!!!

Army Guy

[Bryan]

Be advised, there are more than one Spruce Creek retirement communities in the area.

Just north of TV, actually probably bordering on a portion of TV's northern boundaries, is a retirement community called Spruce Creek South. I understand it used to be a Del Webb development but no longer is.

Much further north of TV, probably 8 miles or some (up near the Market of Marion but south of Belleview) is the Del Webb Spruce Creek Community, which is the one discussed above.

It's good to know there are two by similar names so you don't get more confused than you already are, after five years of looking (lol).

[rshoffer]

I have friends in Spruce Creek-Del Web. They got A LOT MORE house for the money. They have a nice club house, 36 holes of golf, restaurant. They have a very nice indoor pool and fitnes center that is INCLUDED in their amenity fee. It's smaller, more intiment.... more people know each other. Much less traffic. They come to the squares here frequently, go to the movies here etc.
They do not have "free" executive golf and , of course, it's NOT the Villages. Nevertheless, I was quite impressed with that community.

[Army Guy]

rshoffer, when you say a lot more house, what year dollars are we talking? Right now we feel the deals in TV are tremendous compared to other places we looked in home price.

Army Guy

[shermark]

Army Guy,,, before you sign on any dotted line,,check out everything but be sure to look into Stonecrest. Better built homes and larger yards and better deals. Much more options with these homes. I spoke to a realtor there. His name is Bob Coffey ( used to live in TV ) and you should talk to him before you make a move.

[rshoffer]

Originally Posted by Army Guy

rshoffer, when you say a lot more house, what year dollars are we talking? Right now we feel the deals in TV are tremendous compared to other places we looked in home price.

Army Guy

Our friends have beutiful Lantana style home, pvt backyard on a pond. enclosed beautiful lanai, all granate countertops, 245K

[Taj44]

Originally Posted by rshoffer

I have friends in Spruce Creek-Del Web. They got A LOT MORE house for the money. They have a nice club house, 36 holes of golf, restaurant. They have a very nice indoor pool and fitnes center that is INCLUDED in their amenity fee. It's smaller, more intiment.... more people know each other. Much less traffic. They come to the squares here frequently, go to the movies here etc.
They do not have "free" executive golf and , of course, it's NOT the Villages. Nevertheless, I was quite impressed with that community.

We found the fact that it only had 36 holes of golf to be a negative. There have been years when the golf course was in poor shape, and that was the only option you had for golf there. In addition, there aren't as many rec center activities. For example, I've spoken to people who used to live there who now live here in The Villages, and they talked about playing cards. Here all you do is go to the rec center and you can immediately join in the organized card games. Over there, you have to meet neighbors and hope someone inivites you over to play. She said it took her 2 years before she made enough friends to be able to participate in card games. I guess it depends on what you are looking for in you rFlorida home.

[KayakerNC]

Originally Posted by Taj44

**snip** Here all you do is go to the rec center and you can immediately join in the organized card games. Over there, you have to meet neighbors and hope someone inivites you over to play. She said it took her 2 years before she made enough friends to be able to participate in card games. I guess it depends on what you are looking for in you rFlorida home.

Well said.
"Florida's Friendliest Home Town" is much more than just a sales slogan. It's a lifestyle choice.

[JohnN]

We visited quite a few 55+ communities. All were similar enough with a clubhouse and golf and a nice neighborhood. Del Webb and the others are exceptional communities.

We visited, and bought in, The Villages because it does have so much to offer. Sure it's big, but you pick and choose among so much to do. Yes, you can drive along 27 and get to the square, but it's sure cool to take a golf cart there, to the bank, grocery shopping, etc.

We bought a patio villa for $10's of thousands less than anything else around, and we love it. I know, I know.. the BOND.. $10K , so what.

We love it here.. in TV, wouldn't change anything. Just one opinion

[shermark]

with this type of posting, you could get 100 different answers and 100 different opinions. Alot of people are biased towards TV and some are biased for other developments. There is nothing wrong with this. Some people love TV and all that it has to offer and some don't. Some like Stonecrest and some don't. They like a faster paced lifestyle at tv. You could get so many opinions your head will spin like the exorcist. I always think 5-10 years ahead and try to envision what the development will look like. Are the grounds clean and well landscaped,etc. Is the golf course in good shape? The final decision is yours so check out the ones that catches your interest and do the research and then decide if this is where you want to spend the rest of your life. good luck in your search and thank you for serving in our military.

[spk7951]

We spent some five years researching and visiting 55+ communities before deciding on TV. Had the list down to three when we stayed here in 2007 on our 1st Lifestyle visit. Of our three finalists they had similar size houses which were maybe $50K more at TV back then. We visited StoneCrest twice during that 2007 stay and almost bought there. But the one clubhouse, one restaurant and one golf course was a turn off for us. Also an issue was that folks there kept telling us how easy it was to get to TV for entertainment or dining. So for us we knew we could afford the house we wanted in TV and the answer was obvious as to which lifestyle we wanted to have in retirement.

[Army Guy]

rshoffer, that may be a good deal, but with us not lloking at homes in TV only the CYVs Savannah because we want smaller then we have now, and a super small zero maintence yard, and privacy, all of which I can get in The CYV, and it is a stand alone home. I can get all this right now, brand new for roughly $180 and that includes all the upgrades we want. Now granted we have to get the upgrades put into the CYV after we buy, since they are all built to spec, but no problem to us, time is on our side.

shermark, first THANKS! The Army is all I have ever wanted to do. Second, we have looked around and for us what me & the wife like TV has it all. When we were making our list of places our top one before seeing TV was in Myrtle Beach, same sqft but a triplex condo was going to be about $280. To join the golf course, $20,000 then $130 a month min. Me & wife golf so that was a biggie for us. Then they had basically zero anything else, except a beach cabana on the ocean. Neither me or wife cared about that. they did have neighborhood pools. Maint fee was $350.00 a month, which included insurance. I did a check with my company and it will only cost me $40.00 a month in TV. So dollars and cents wise TV is dirt cheap compared to anyplace else. And we like all the activities we have options to do.
And you can believe that we will look as we say in the Army, "down in the weeds" as we already are! I am very detail oriented so is the wife. So we will definitely kick the tires, etc before we sign for TV.

But all in all, it boils down to personal choice and what we each want in our lifestyle. No person is wrong, no person right. We each choose what is best for US. And that is why for the past almost 30 years and a few more months I put the uniform on. That is what makes the USA the envy of the world and why some would like to see it go away!

Army Guy