[VillageGeek]

Hey everyone. There seems to be a lot of people I run into who still feel The Villages will build for many years to come. Then I go to a customer appreciation party and speak to not only my sales rep but other reps who had been invited and they say approximately 24 more months of building and then it'll all be re-sales. The eternal optimists will say 'yeah, that's been said a hundred times but The Villages buys more land and keeps going. All that land south of Hwy. 44 is vast and expansive. They'll just jump 44 and go all the way to the turnpike.'

My question is this: does anyone KNOW if any property south of 44 is owned by The Villages?

When you look over the years The Villages has gotten away from certain aspects. For example, the Transportation Department is privately operated. So is Hometown Property Management, the furniture stores, a portion of Citizen's First Bank, The Insurance companies, country club restaurants. The Design Department has all but been eliminated since everything is back to spec homes (you can't reserve a lot and build.)

My thought is this. I would imagine paying a leasing company to make sure all the commercial property is occupied to me would seem to be less work than being intimately involved in the day to day operation of developing. This is a privately owned company so anything can happen on any given day. It could all stop tomorrow (although we know it won't) but how do the optimists 'KNOW' The Villages won't stop in 2 years?

Thanks.

[Barefoot]

Originally Posted by VillageGeek

...... how do the optimists 'KNOW' The Villages won't stop in 2 years?

We don't have any optimists on TOTV, you'll have to ask somewhere else.

Don't flame me, I'm kidding!

P.S. Welcome to the Forum!

[batman911]

I doubt anyone outside the family knows that answer. There is always more land but prices around The Villages have become problematic to any builder looking to profit. The other problem is acquiring a large tract of land. Appears to be lots of small tracts next to TV property.

[janmcn]

Batman is correct. Nobody outside of the family knows for sure, but the developer has been saying, ever since I arrived in TV in 2000, that they would not build south of SR44. Sometimes you just have to take them at their word.

The few things we know for sure is Gary Morse is 78-79 years old and has reportedly sailed off to another project in Barbados. Whether the next generations are interested in more building, nobody knows. It does appear that they are tying up loose ends by selling off many assets over the past few years.

[Bonny]

Many years ago we went to one of the meetings and they were showing a large map that looked like property just about to Bushnell. Of course that doesn't mean they will use it to make the Villages larger.

[Bizdoc]

I suspect that The Developer is getting out of businesses in preparation for build out. Thinks like furniture stores, media, and transportation are simply worth more while TV is expanding and it makes sense to sell them while they are still "growth" companies rather than waiting for the to peak and decline.

I seem to recall hearing that The Developer would *never* *ever* build in Lake County again. Unless I'm mistaken, Fruitland Park is in Lake County.

I think that The Developer (including all of the younger generations) will keep building as long as there is demand and there is land available at the right price. There is clearly a reason for the agreement to provide the land for a Turnpike interchange as is planned. The Morse family may be nice people, but I don't see them making investments which won't pay off. Ditto renovation of Church on the Square and expansion of the hospital. How many folks are going to say "Gosh - all those extra seats in the Church on the Square. I think that I will buy a house in The Villages..."

That having been said, I doubt that Disney will sell their property to them, so there is a southern limit near Kissimmee. However, I am hoping that they move east to Cape Kennedy soon so that I can look at models in orbit.

Have a safe New Year's.

[mulligan]

Originally Posted by janmcn

Batman is correct. Nobody outside of the family knows for sure, but the developer has been saying, ever since I arrived in TV in 2000, that they would not build south of SR44. Sometimes you just have to take them at their word.

The few things we know for sure is Gary Morse is 78-79 years old and has reportedly sailed off to another project in Barbados. Whether the next generations are interested in more building, nobody knows. It does appear that they are tying up loose ends by selling off many assets over the past few years.

"tying up loose ends" is not the motivation for selling assets. They try to maintain a maximum number of employees. When that number is exceeded, they sell off a business. The number is 2,500. Impressive, and hard to handle.

[JP]

I really don't have any clue what the developer is up to but certainly hope he continues building south of 44R. To have the developer 'present' I feel is good for all of us current villagers.

[tkret]

Originally Posted by Barefoot

We don't have any optimists on TOTV, you'll have to ask somewhere else.

Don't flame me, I'm kidding!

P.S. Welcome to the Forum!

Oh, barefoot, you Canadians are always good for a chuckle. That's why TV is always more fun when you Canucks are in town.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by tkret

Oh, barefoot, you Canadians are always good for a chuckle. That's why TV is always more fun when you Canucks are in town.

Plus they all seem to be nice looking, eh?


Sweetie thinks they will continue building, I think they won't, but wish they would. I feel good when they are at the helm.

[tommy steam]

My thoughts are the powers to be will keep it going for as long as they can. As long as they can put together land deals it should keep going. Why stop a good thing?

[Bonanza]

Well, the word I just heard is that Morse just bought about 2,000 acres in Fruitland Park. Where exactly? I don't know, but nothing should surprise anyone.

Last year I heard that Morse purchased a large tract of land just east of Ocala. I've also heard that it's for his use for "canned hunts." I hope that's not true because that is horribly inhumane and unfair.

[asianthree]

like GG and her husband we are split yes done no not done...but if i knew for sure i would also have the next lottery numbers

[e-flyer]

Originally Posted by VillageGeek

Then I go to a customer appreciation party and speak to not only my sales rep but other reps who had been invited

Hummm, I wasn't invited

[JourneyOfLife]

Often developers look at a development as a project with a beginning and end. Some do not intend to become the perpetual operator of facilities.

If it were me, once the development stopped I would sell off any assets related to the project and cash out. If I intended to stay in the development business, I would already have identified my next project... probably be in the planning stages of it.


I am not sure there is a lot to gain from staying an owner of those facilities other than headaches.