Once I settled in, I got involved with making music, and now it takes up most of my time. Most of this happens at various rec centers. I haven’t had time to play golf even once. I have my own pool, so I haven’t been to any other pools. What do I get for my money? I get miles of manicured beauty (most from the landscaping and flowers and trees and golf courses, but also plenty from everyone’s hard work keeping their places looking nice). I get the safety of living in The Villages (probably the safest city of its size in the country). A lot of employees and volunteers make that possible. I get about a hundred miles of cart paths where I can tool around if I want to. I get access to endless activities, which is why I’m having the time of my life, even though I only participate in a dozen of them. I don’t know anywhere else in the country where I could do that. If I want to go out dancing, I can do it every night of the week, for free, instead of paying to dance in some bar or ballroom or wherever other people dance. (And I can get free dance lessons if I want to get better at it.) I could go on, but I definitely consider my amenity fee money well spent.

Some people will accuse me of drinking the kool aid but in general, once you add EVERYTHING together the costs are very similar (usually less than $100.00 per month} to other 55+ community’s and no other community even comes close to the amenities, friendliest and cleanliness of the villages. Please don’t tell me place X doesn’t have a bond because there is always another fee to replace it or the HOA is $350 per month. I’ve checked them all out, everyone is within $100 bucks a month

Here is the other side of the coin, it's a both positive and a negative. If you bought your home 5 or 10 years ago, you definitely got a bargain. However if you're newly what in the last one or two years then your housing price is at least one or $200,000 more did any of the other communities within 20 miles of The villages. I live in a community that's very nice with over 1,000 homes mostly stick build but yes some are modulars and we paid much less than the villages and there's still 27 holes of golf for those who want it two pools hundreds of activities and mostly of all nice neighbors. So you can consider it's a positive and a negative housing prices are way up in The villages and it's pricing some people out if they still pay mortgages or don't have the assets to out right buy a home

P.s.
 

And also if I don't have a 100 mi of golf carts paths, I don't need to buy a golf cart and have an extra large garage to put it in also so yes that's a positive and a negative so I can tell you for a fact and more people moving to my community from The villages then move out of the community to The villages

It’s not mandatory to buy a golf cart and it’s not mandatory to get a house with a golf cart garage.

Great explanation
 

We are newcomers and have asked many people, including our real estate agent to explain the bond. You have finally made it clear to us why the bond was different in most of the houses that we looked at.
We currently live in a four year old house with a substantial bond and must consider whether to pay it off or not. Our agent advised us not to, but we feel that this is our forever home.

There are cheeper overall communities. I think it's rather ignorant to say the average pensioner can live here. Remove the bond and the fact your in TV the same house could be 40-60 grand less. Most of us are here for the value we think we get. You can live cheeper but can you live as well. Good luck

You need to check at other places to see what it would cost you. You’ll see this is the best and least expensive. Also there are 2018 free clubs you can join

You get a nice clean hopefully crime free safe and quiet community to live in. This is paradise in my opinion. Well worth the fees established.

So, just curious, why are you posting on this website since you apparently like your community better?

The home owners (1200+) at Pennbrooke Fairways, off 44 in Leesburg, voted to secure a 5 year contract with Spectrum for high definition cable and 400 mbs wifi for $52 (taxes and fees included) a month. This is added to everyone's HOA monthly fee.

I'm tired of Comcast Xfinity here in TV and looking for viable alternatives. Oh how I wish.

Cut the. Cable
 

With a 4-k firestick a d $19/mth streaming service and get over 5000 channels. Including all local channels, all sports channels, all movie channels and much more. Ask me how.

and not mandatory that you live in TV.

If you don't live here, why should you care?

Oranges to oranges
 

Just a comment on comparing HOA fees to what you pay in The Villages. The HOA equivalent is the amenity fee PLUS the district assessment fee you pay on your property tax bill. Averaging the various district amounts plus the amenity fee runs to a little more than $350 a month.