[colleen720]

Here are a few more things I have in my budget you might want to consider, if you haven't already:
Home maintenance (future roof, AC etc)
Golf cart maintenance/repair
Golf cart insurance
Golf cart towing plan. I purchased Kart Aide
If you golf - trail fees and golf reservation system

[Angelhug52]

Hopefully you are already securely employed. Salaries here may not be same as where you are moving from. If you can only afford here by working best you have emergency funds and a back up plan. Jobs ,economics of areas change. Look what happen during Covid. You might want to plan for surprise situations.Good luck. And since your parents live here already you probably are already almost a Villager.

[huge-pigeons]

Your list is based on what house cost? Size? If you want to buy a new premier home in Eastport, you are looking at around $1,000,000. Your $1100 a month mortgage won’t cover it. If you want to buy a 20 year old villa in old Spanish springs, then you will be closer in your estimates.
Also, bond costs are all over the place depending on where you live. We are in the $32,000 range, Newell area has $40,000+ range, and the new Eastport area is over $50,000. Our yearly cost for our bond is over $2500.
A smaller house, you will probably be in range for electricity. For a larger designer home, our costs is $100 more than your monthly estimate. Gas charge is 1/2 the cost, there is a $20 minimum charge for gas and if you have gas for cooking, dryer, and hot water, your price will go up.
If you and your spouse are active, you probably will need 2 cars and a golf cart unless you want to spend a lot of time in your golf cart to go to a function.
If you want to get a sports car, you won’t be looking at a corvette, they aren’t sports cars, they are a muscle car. Plus they are a dime a dozen here. If you want a sports car, look at a Porsche, Audi, Ferrari, Nissan Z, and others, these will get you the sports car feeling plus all the looks you want.
If you want more accurate expenses, please state home cost, location (village or square), driving habits to see if you need 2 cars or not based on your lifestyle.

[sallyg]

If you buy a new home there will be an annual bond payment and probably a maintenance fee. The sales staff may gloss over these expenses, but ours turned out to be over $2000/year, and that is on the low side. (Purchased our home approx 10 yrs ago).

[asianthree]

Originally Posted by sallyg

If you buy a new home there will be an annual bond payment and probably a maintenance fee. The sales staff may gloss over these expenses, but ours turned out to be over $2000/year, and that is on the low side. (Purchased our home approx 10 yrs ago).

10 years ago what extra expenses for $2,000 over and above that you didn’t prepare for. For us our new houses 2010, 2012, 2014, 2022, the budget I estimated was within $100 for the year, without any help of our sales rep. She only wanted a sale could care less, if there were problems.
Might be helpful for OP if you list what you didn’t include

[BrianL99]

Did anyone read the posters original post? He said "home costs". His cost to provide "shelter". Not how much to buy a Corvette. He specifically asked about "hidden costs" related to housing/shelter.

If he asked about "hidden overall costs" to live in TV and play golf, something like the "cost to buy tees" would be an example. Private club golfers don't buy golf tees ... move to The Villages and you're buying tees all the time. Unless of course, you adopt the habit of picking them up from range and collecting them, on slow, "non-mat" days.

[ronda]

Originally Posted by WiscoDogsDad

HOWDY!

My plan is to be a Villages home owner by the end of next summer. I'm a planner.

I have a spreadsheet started, for estimated/budgeted costs of maintaining the home....this spreadsheet is ONLY about the house...not food, not clothing, not entertainment/lifestyle.

It is...as far as I know...fairly comprehensive as it's been compiled with the help of my ten-year Villages veterans....my parents.

If you were blindsided by any monthly home costs, I would appreciate your insight.

You have my appreciation, in advance.

You seem like you want to be comprehensive. You probably need to budget in large one time expenses. Depending on how old your roof is, or your AC system, they will need to be replaced at some point. The roof replacement is a biggie. The insurance companies are mandating replacement something like every 12 years. Water heater replacement is a also costly.

I would also budget in inflation year over year. Mybe look at a 5-10 year period.

[WiscoDogsDad]

Originally Posted by Angelhug52

Hopefully you are already securely employed. Salaries here may not be same as where you are moving from. If you can only afford here by working best you have emergency funds and a back up plan. Jobs ,economics of areas change. Look what happen during Covid. You might want to plan for surprise situations.Good luck. And since your parents live here already you probably are already almost a Villager.

Thanks, Angelhug,

Yes. I have been with the same engineering/construction management firm, up here in Wisconsin, for almost 23 years. They have completely ratified my relocation and want me to work for them, full time remote, for as long as I wish. I'm really blessed.

I'll be working through the time it takes to get housekeeping set up, put a new car in the garage, and pay the mortgage to zero.

I have been planning this move for almost a year, already, and will continue to plan, scrimp, and research through the home-buying process....that will start in April, after I've sold up here, and moved into a furnished month-to-month rental, in The Villages. I'll be renting so that I am under minimal pressure to buy quickly. A "motivated buyer" is a disadvantaged buyer.

[44Apple]

Originally Posted by huge-pigeons

If you want to buy a 20 year old villa in old Spanish springs, then you will be closer in your estimates.
Also, bond costs are all over the place depending on where you live.

And if in the old Spanish Springs area, your bond would be zero or close to it.

[WiscoDogsDad]

Originally Posted by BrianL99

Did anyone read the posters original post? He said "home costs". His cost to provide "shelter". Not how much to buy a Corvette. He specifically asked about "hidden costs" related to housing/shelter.

If he asked about "hidden overall costs" to live in TV and play golf, something like the "cost to buy tees" would be an example. Private club golfers don't buy golf tees ... move to The Villages and you're buying tees all the time. Unless of course, you adopt the habit of picking them up from range and collecting them, on slow, "non-mat" days.

Many thanks, Brian. That was the original intent of this inquiry. In my mind "home costs" are a subset of "total costs to thrive" and the residents of The Villages are uniquely qualified to chime in on this subset of my retirement expenses.

Great to hear opinions on the periphery of the inquiry, but you've lasered in on the question.

[nn0wheremann]

Originally Posted by WiscoDogsDad

Outstanding....thanks....probably should have listed what I HAVE, to facilitate answers....For review and critique:
Type Mthly est - 2024
Mortgage 1100
Electric 150
Gas 25
Villages Utilities (Amenities embedded) 350
TV 80
Internet 45
Landscaping service 90
Mowing service 65
Exterminator service 40
Bond 100
Real Estate Taxes 250
HVAC 15
Homeowner's Ins 200
Auto Ins. 140
Painting, ext. 25
House washing 6
Flatwork washing 5

You have it covered.

[WiscoDogsDad]

Originally Posted by sallyg

If you buy a new home there will be an annual bond payment and probably a maintenance fee. The sales staff may gloss over these expenses, but ours turned out to be over $2000/year, and that is on the low side. (Purchased our home approx 10 yrs ago).

Thanks, I would be thrilled to understand (as alluded to by AsianThree) as much detail about the $2k per year incremental costs that you had in YOUR blindspot. Apologies for the hassle and I'll understand if this juice is not worth your squeeze.

[WiscoDogsDad]

Originally Posted by nn0wheremann

You have it covered.

LOL, thanks, NWM!

I'm sure as heck trying!

[Heytubes]

If you’re a Veteran you get an extra property tax exemption.

[WiscoDogsDad]

Originally Posted by huge-pigeons

Your list is based on what house cost? Size? If you want to buy a new premier home in Eastport, you are looking at around $1,000,000. Your $1100 a month mortgage won’t cover it. If you want to buy a 20 year old villa in old Spanish springs, then you will be closer in your estimates.
Also, bond costs are all over the place depending on where you live. We are in the $32,000 range, Newell area has $40,000+ range, and the new Eastport area is over $50,000. Our yearly cost for our bond is over $2500.
A smaller house, you will probably be in range for electricity. For a larger designer home, our costs is $100 more than your monthly estimate. Gas charge is 1/2 the cost, there is a $20 minimum charge for gas and if you have gas for cooking, dryer, and hot water, your price will go up.
If you and your spouse are active, you probably will need 2 cars and a golf cart unless you want to spend a lot of time in your golf cart to go to a function.
If you want to get a sports car, you won’t be looking at a corvette, they aren’t sports cars, they are a muscle car. Plus they are a dime a dozen here. If you want a sports car, look at a Porsche, Audi, Ferrari, Nissan Z, and others, these will get you the sports car feeling plus all the looks you want.
If you want more accurate expenses, please state home cost, location (village or square), driving habits to see if you need 2 cars or not based on your lifestyle.

Thanks, HP.

I'm looking at everything from Courtyard Villas, to Designers, to Verandas. Watching my budget and the target mortgage amount is $150K on a 30-year. I won't overspend on the home and be house-poor in the years I should be as carefree and happy as possible.

Vehicles and vehicle expenses are not really...by my choice...in this "home costs" subset of my total budget. I drive a Subaru and am a singleton....one vehicle at any given time. Pay cash. I guess that rolling auto insurance into the line items is contradictory, there. Vehicle ownership and maintenance was not considered part of this subset.

I am basing my line item estimates on my parents' real life experiences with the monthly costs for their Designer Lily model in the Buttonwood neighborhood. It's about 1900 square feet and was built in 2006, I believe.