That depends on what you want and where you’re going.
 

The Turnpike entrance and points south are closer. Publix and Winn-Dixie are 3 miles away on route 27. There’s also a number of restaurants, Ace Hardware, Walgreens and other businesses at the corner of US 27 and route 38.

You should consider the new area of Richmond just south of Brownwood that is being developed. Supposed to have courtyard villas. That is the PERFECT location. They will sell very FAST.

Anyone would be crazy to buy way down there with lack of amenities, shopping and restaurants. Look at preowned north of 44. Better location, value and a lot less bond.

Moultrie Creek is right across from the high school stadium - lights, noise, traffic. It is not very close to other established age restricted villages. If you have grandkids in Middleton you would be very close and that would be good. I do not know what other villages are opening up except in the Richmond area.
As for new construction - you cannot customize very much, but you may be able to pick a good lot. Many of the materials they used on our custom home in 2021 were below builder grade and installed by barely skilled labor. You do not know how your house will turn out. I have seen new construction spec houses that turned out much better. Good luck!
There actually exists homes that are several years old that have truly never been lived in or even some that say they have never been lived in even though they were rented out a bit.
Whatever you get, make sure you hire an excellent home inspector or maybe even two. If purchasing new, have one within first six days of closing. Have another at 10 or 11 months.

Do you go shopping or patronize restaurants on the 441/27 corridor? That is a haul from south of 44. I would not want to be that far from that corridor of retail and restaurants. But......that is just me.

Dabney will be very near to the new hospital, lots of retail space down there that will be built in the near future, medical facilities are being built all over the place south of 44, 3 new championship courses near Dabney, and you are near to Leesburg for all of their shopping and restaurants, also much, much closer to Orlando and Tampa via the Turnpike and I-75 than areas up north.

Buy where you like it but for me? Well I am NEVER getting a golf car and theres NO LAW saying that you need to have one there. Even thou they claim its fun to ride them it is not enjoyable for me and I am sorry but IF I can get somewhere in 10 minutes by car versus 30 minutes with the cart well theres your answer. My time is also valuable and do not want to waste it driving around at 18 miles a hour all day !!!

If your asking these questions it looks to me like you already know the answer. Look at a map and decide what is the best location for your move to TV. Keep in mind things can change quickly when it comes to real estate. My suggestion is don't get your mind locked into a brand new house which comes with that bond. Consider preowned homes many of which have no bond or a small one left to pay off.
Their are many preowned homes available right now and many of thousands of dollares invested in them with major upgrades you won't have to do with a new home.

Hacienda is adding around 25 brand new villas. Right close to Spanish Springs too.

In my Village (south of turnpike) I've never heard of people voting on when to have driveway parties. People just have them, they usually let everyone know ahead of time in the Facebook group specific to my Village and sometimes put a few flyers on people's doors. They happen about ever 1-2 weeks in my area. Usually starting at 4pm since it's a younger crowd.

That whole 2pm = close knit theory is pretty hilarious.

I've been in TV for many years in three different places. Never heard of voting for a party time either.

The northern area is so underrated. Realtors love this area. Close to everything and the least crowded during the winter months.

The other option would be to look at the new homes being built in the last section of Richmond, this would put you just south of 44 and Brownwood!

Next gen of retirement residents are shopping online for groceries or anything from retail, rarely need medical facilities or hospitals. Gas stations needs are too few and far between because don’t save on gas from not driving to groceries and retail.

Its been at least 10 years since we hit brick and mortar, our kids never shop Brick, and only time our grands saw a retail space was once a year for Santa pics at Summerset.

Yeah, we are different. My time is precious but hardly valuable. Gone are the days of a full time job and young kids. I have plenty of time in a day, just running short on days. I want the golf cart life. I want to be out in the open air. I want to drive my car as little as possible. Having said that, I'd prefer most destinations within a 20 minute or so cart drive.

We have been here for 8 years. We do not have a golf cart and have no plans to buy one.

Yes, I enjoy playing golf with my wife. We can easily walk the exec courses and we especially like the Micky Lee pitch and putt course, where I get a lot more practice putting than I get on a 9-hole exec course.

Can you explain the last line in your note. Why do parties start at 4 if you are younger ? That also reminds me of my shocking revelation during my lifestyle visit; everything closes at 9pm lol. Just gonna have to get used to it (or age into it). Up here I get disappointed when the bands end at midnight. Do neighborhood parties end at 9 as well in TV ?

You will find older residents are eating dinner at 4ish. Our neighborhood parties start around 6pm and once can hear band way past midnight. Nobody complains about the noise, because almost all of the neighborhood is at the party. Streets are lined with carts, food trucks with good food, everyone dancing, having conversations, and enjoying the entertainment. South of 44 is very different, than any of the 4 neighborhoods we lived at. It’s so entertaining to see people out after 6pm:MOJE_whot:

You'll have no problem

Excellent reply.

From what I'm reading it sounds like your desires for a golf cart life, and "new build" could be at odds. Good reason to get down to those areas with a cart and see if the two goals are compatible. If they are, you are all set. If they aren't you'll have some decisions to make.
Best of luck.
Reading descriptions of the social life schedule in the new areas makes me realize there is something for everyone, and that I chose well, for me, being in an older 'hood. I love it that when we have card night I'm in bed by 9:30. I'm often at the PB courts or driving to a golf course before the sun is over the yardarm. What works for me doesn't work for everyone.

Not everything closes at 9pm. In my area (south of the turnpike) they usually don't go as late as 9, but mosquitoes can be a big factor in that as they tend to be the worst just after dusk.

I sometimes like going to the bars/restaurants to watch primetime football games that usually end around 11-11:30pm and I haven't really had a problem finding places in the squares that are open that late to see the whole game.

Yes, I can see where weekly parties til midnight in neighborhoods could be problematic as everyone is different. It'd be nice if maybe the newer town squares could stay open late on weekends.

Unfortunately I won't have access to a cart when I'm down here next week, but I feel I can estimate based on car times. I also watched the great drone videos from that guy (GoldWing something). Eastport has a long way to go. But I was here in summer of 22 and Richmond was just starting. And now there are a whole bunch of newer villages completed. It moves fast. And I kinda like the idea of being right there as that progress unfolds. The people selling me on the north have not convinced me. I want to be close to my daily and weekly activities. I can drive further for my monthly or annual activities if need be. And I do believe an age gradient exists from north to south. And we all know that once TV gets a reputation (STDs, Loofa's, lol) it's hard to shake.

I think I know what I'm going to do, and these responses have assisted my reflection on the situation. Of course it could all change once I'm down here next week. I want this to be my last winter in Wisconsin. But the only urgency now is the discounts in Dabney (which are rapidly going away, but I assume more are coming). I will spend time there but I feel it will always be isolated (my original question on this post lol) as there seems to be little benefit to adding another bridge in the future. I guess I knew that already.

I will likely wait and see what becomes available near Eastport over the next 8-10 months. I've figured out what type of housing I want as well as the orientation (I think). Once something becomes available I'll have my agent pounce and then 30 days later I'll be here.

I would strongly advise to rent a cart for at least a couple of days. We almost made a terrible mistake when we bought in 2022. We were almost about to put an offer on a pre-owned home but then decided to take a golf cart from Brownwood area to check the distance. Based on the car ride we thought it would be like a 15 min cart ride but was over 30 mins. That was a dealbreaker for us, but we never would've known that if we didn't spend an hour doing that cart ride. The subsequent home that we ended up purchasing we felt good about as it passed our golf cart test with flying colors. 9 mins to Brownwood and was about the same price as the other place.

Outstanding. Thanks. Any places show Packer games ?

Wise strategy.

To help you forecast:

My observations - Historically, the Villages has roughly 3-4 new Villages under construction simultaneously.

Starting from first home construction, they complete each Villages in about six to nine months.

They start a new Village every 2-3 months.

Others opinions will vary.

To each their own. I am young (61) and prefer to accommodate my neighbors' wants and needs. To me, CLOSE KNIT means doing just that. Maybe some young people still work in your area. In my neighborhood, we are all retired. We spend the mornings participating in group activities, (golf, hikes, biking, local trips, beach volleyball, etc) then have lunch either at a restaurant, in each others homes, or a large driveway party. The night is ours to enjoy. There is no one more important to me than my wife. I look forward to dinner with her, watching the sunset, and taking our evening stroll. It is my favorite part of the day. Wouldn't miss it for the world! Every couple in my neighborhood feels the same. I am confused as to why an after 4 party means better????? If you enjoy who you are with, TIME ON A CLOCK is not a factor.

I live in Dabney. Sawgrass is an easy run by cart (4-miles). Brownwood is a haul by cart, so we use the car. 470 is the on/off ramp to the TP and >35mph road, so will never have a cart path along it. Maybe they could get a TP underpass along 48 to the south, but there's nothing there yet and that's no shorter than running up to Sawgrass and using that bridge to go to Eastport. Eastport is a simple fast run across 470 by car (maybe 4-miles), which I'm fine with. We're just a 3-miles (no cart) from Winn Dixie, Publix, etc., 2 miles to the Post Office, TV purchased a couple thousand acres to the South, so there will be more town squares (someone told me they aim for around every 5 miles). The other issue will be bonds the developer uses for infrastructure, around ~32k for us, the Enclave ~72k, and what they'll be around Eastport idk, but there's a lot of infrastructure to pay for. I always traveled by car before moving to TV and it didn't bother me, so consider whether you want to live life based on golf cart access or just access.

I am near Sawgrass Grove so the drive to the 466A areas are somewhat far. Living in Lake Denham or Dabney you will be going to Leesburg and Okahumpka by car more often. It will take years for stores to come to the area. It happens very slowly in the villages.

To get to those places, you have to turn left on 470. We drove along 470 last week and the east bound traffic was very heavy. At that time, it must have been very difficult to come out of Dabney and turn left on 470

Gators in Brownwood.

They could use a traffic light there. It is busy and the cars are going very fast. There are lights at Morse and 44, 466a and 466. Same with buena vista. There is even a light at Meggison and 44.

I'm not so sure about all of that. The nearest "new" golf course is Southern Oaks, and can be 10-12 minutes depending on where in Dabney you start from. The two courses under construction on the other side of the Bexley bridge will be about 15-17 minutes. Shallow Creek which will open in April would be about 25 minutes. Between 15 and 25 minutes will be up to 6 new exec courses. Along that Newell/Lake Denham/Dabney corridor I'm not aware of any plans for new golf courses, and I doubt there is room. As far as the hospital goes, that project is on hold indefinitely and is unlikely to be built in our lifetimes, if at all. Commercial development---who knows, again availability of land in that area is a factor (currently). Lastly, if looking at CYVs, be aware many of them built south of 44 have been purchased by investors and turned into Airbnb's----and it doesn't look like any STR restrictions are coming soon.

You are correct. A traffic light at the 470-Meggison intersection would be very helpful, as would a traffic light to help people in Chitty Chatty pull out and turn left onto Morse Road.

Don't hold your breath waiting for the county officials to make those decisions. They are too busy building a much needed sidewalk along Route 44.

I agree. I can't wait for that sidewalk along 44 to be completed so everyone can admire how nobody is walking on it. :1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

As has been said many times both on this website and several others, the sidewalk on SR44 and the work on SR44 is part of an FDoT project and the county has absolutely no say in it.

With respect to 470/Meggison Rd, 470 is slated for expansion to 4 lanes by Lake County in the near future. The composition of traffic control devices will be determined by Lake County and the FDoT during the expansion.

As for the 470 intersection and the 468/Chitty Chatty intersection, neither at this time have sufficient traffic volume to warrant the installation of additional traffic control devices. While you may have to wait 30 seconds or more to execute a left turn, it can be executed safely, and in most cases, more quickly than if one had to wait for a traffic light to cycle.

Curious why the hold up. It's looked completed for 6-+ months but there are barriers blocking use?

In our case, we truly hate turning left onto a 4-lane road like Morse without a stop light to help us.

Like the UPS drivers, we plan our shopping trips so we do not have to turn left onto a dangerous road without having a stop light.

I have a friend who lives in the Sandalwood condos across from Chitty Chatty and he says it is a nightmare to turn left on Morse in the morning. He wished there was a stop light at that intersection.

It is comforting to know the Dept. of Transportation is behind the beautiful sidewalk along Route 44. I trust the Government because they are here to help us.

I have not seen anyone mention this, there is a new section that will be built south of Monarch Grove in between Marsh Bend and the turnpike. Personally I think that will be an excellent area as you will be closer to everything to the north like Everglades Rec, the Executive courses south of 44, and the shopping in Magnolia Plaza. Plus you will be close to everything to the south in Eastport and over to the Sawgrass area. There will be two golf cart paths one along Marsh Bend and one heading east on Bexley.

You never know the timing the Villages will open a new Village but it is probably within your timeframe. Get set up with a good sales agent here to get the lot or house you want. I think it will be a popular area when opened.

You're not the only one questioning FDoT on the sidewalk issue, I don't know a single person that sees any use or common sense in the SR44 sidewalks. There are useful sidewalks like this all over the state, and this won't be the last of these you'll see in Sumter County, there are more planned. Once again, this is the FDoT's plans, not the county.