Whenever we go to a rec center for an exercise class, or whatnot, the person at the desk scans our IDs... Year round...

What houses were YOU looking at? When we we house shopping, there were plenty of Block/Stucco homes with tile floors, granite kitchens and baths...

I'll agree on the power lines (when we bought, Chitty Chatty and Bradford were where the new builds were and that area had a lot of power lines. But since then, there are plenty of villages without them. More to be built on the far side of the turnpike...

There is plenty of land set aside for shopping centers, along with privately owned land waiting to be developed.

They are currently building a shopping center adjacent to Middleton and will have another shopping area in Eastport...

The gas station in the Marsh Bend shopping center is awaiting permitting to open...

No embarrassment... Just let the person at the desk know you want to take a peek around, that you're looking at buying a home. They'll be happy to assist you...

On rare occasions I forget my ID I just give them my ID number. Most will enter that number and my face and information pops up.

Yes, and if you answer "we're visiting potential homeowners and want to have a look around" they'll either tell you "oh - go ahead!" or they'll give you the tour themselves.

If you want neighbors who actually welcome you to the neighborhood when you're ready to finally move in, you'll avoid renting your home out for short-term rentals via Airbnb or other "independent" rental method.

You could try the Villages' own Property Management company, which takes a fee for their service and you'd make less per night/week/month. But you'd also know that the place is being properly cared for by a company that has a VERY specific financial interest in ensuring the property is kept up and presentable inside and out, all the time - not just when the neighbor calls you to tell you the handyman you hired to mow the lawn never showed up or the current tenant has their three kids sleeping in tents on the front lawn.

"MYTH" is right, lol, it seems there is no end to the percentage of people who don't quite "get it" that a gated community and a community with gates, are very different. My own cousin was just fooled by this same circumstance in another state, so it's not just Florida, or just the Villages. Always ask ! IF YOU pay a huge premium for streets and roads in addition to the HOA fee, you "probably" have found a private community. I think deep down people know when they can't afford a private community, like my cousin, but... when it sounds like a dream come true, don't ask too many questions, or the bubble might burst ! It's a very nice retirement community with a lot of advantages, but private, gate passes (used to $50 each, and although not even needed, they were mandatory when we built ....LOL !) live people in "gate houses"... smoke and mirrors, it screams safety to seniors.

The gates are there to slow cars down , so golf cars can safely cross the streets...

Maybe, but this is what The Villages website says about the gates:

"The Villages offers many safety and security services including gated neighborhood entries and The Villages Public Safety “Home Away” house check and community watch program."

,,,

Yes, why not invite let EVERYONE IN on the pretext that they “looking” for a house. Not that OP is not sincere but boy, can I think of others…

As far as gates go, the confusion is that they “look” like gates. They are actually traffic signs. If we had red/yellow lights (with cameras) in their place, which may happen if too many gates are driven through accidentally, no one would talk about a “gated community”. Just as traffic lights don’t filter traffic, neither do these gates.

I read where it says “Villages offers many safety and security services” etc… they mean vehicle safety by controlling traffic, when it comes to the gates. They just lumped it in with other services to make it sound more vague. And some people jump to the conclusion, they have gates, it MUST be a gated community.

Ah gracie, go ahead and say what you want…….😀

Honestly, the home we buy will determine if we rent it out or not. If we get something under 300k, we probably wouldn't. But one we just looked at that's almost 700k, that would be a different story as we wouldn't be willing to spend that much if we couldn't recover a good chunk of the monthly expenses until we actually move full time. We'll have to play it by ear as we go.

Please, no!