I doesn't seem unfathomable to me though to imagine at least some of that part of SR44 being heavily developed in 20-30 years where some of the sidewalks might actually get some use.

If I were concerned what might happen in 20-30 years, I would go out and buy a casket.

Live nearby and bet those villas will be over 500K. Developer has spent a boatload of money on the infrastructure in that area. Wonder if these villas were not pre sold. They were proposed in the boom years

Personally, I’d love that area. I’m near sawgrass but I like to go to Orlando often so being closer to the turnpike ent/exit is great. I’d guess that area of 470 will grow over time.

What is sufficient traffic? Is that a specific number such as 200 vehicles an hour? If so, where do we find it? Is it in state DOT regulations or county regulations? Or some place else?

If it isn’t a specific number, how is it determined?

Yes
 

We bought and built in Dabney, it looks long term for isolation. The only movement we see anymore is contractor trucks. Your answer, it IS to far from most things. We will look to sell in about 11 months. That’s how long you need to keep the home if you buy. Our eyes are now on a condo in Clearwater.

Clearwater??? Enjoy the traffic (ie: parking).

What was it like in Pine Hills/Pine Ridge in the beginning?

Some of that area is 8+ mi from Sumter/Brownwood.

Was Colony Plaza already there?

I recall those days, the Tea shop was our favorite stop if you wanted to drive all the way down 301. Dabney is a different animal though. 470 isolates it and it will soon be a 4 lane. 33 is a boundary owned by another developer. Anyone wanting to drive up to Sawgrass has a bit of a cart ride. Eastport would be like someone driving from Sawgrass to Brownwood. I wouldn’t see anything in its future for at least the next 5 years.

Colony was there as early as 2007-09. Pine Ridge was built about 2015-16. When Colony was built, BV between Seabreeze and 466A was a dirt road.

HaHa
 

Yes
 

Yes, Dabney is isolated and I love it. Except for shopping. There’s no traffic, it’s quiet. I drove up to the northside near Wildwood and it was crazy up there.

I think you only have to wait 11 months if you make a profit on the sale. There are so many new homes still for sale in Dabney that I doubt people will buy a pre-owned home for more than a new home - especially when they should be selling new homes in Eastport in less than 11 months.

My purchase agreement said:

Buyer agrees not to sell, convey or transfer the property for a period of one year following the closing of this transaction. In the event buyer sells, conveys or transfers the property during this period, then buyer agrees to forfeit any and all profits from such a sale to the Seller. Profits shall be defined as the gross sales proceeds from any sale during the no sale period less the gross purchase price of this transaction.

As I read that (and I am not a lawyer), if you bought a house for $500,000 and made $150,000 in improvements and sold it for $800,000 in the first year, you would lose the entire $300,000. You wouldn't get credit for any improvements and your gross purchase price would take into account any closing fees such as real estate agents, lawyer fees, etc.!

Clearly you haven't been on Morse heading towards FL44 or tried parking in Magnolia Plaza lately!

There is a resale house in Lake Denham that was listed recently for something like $865. I believe it was originally sold about $640 in August of last year. Not sure how they are getting by the 1 year issue unless it doesn’t close till then. No pool was added and not a lot of upgrades were visible on the outside nor inside from the listing pics. It’s 2274 sq ft. Never lived in as far as I can tell. It’s already under agreement and I was very surprised. I thought there was no way they would get that much. It went under agreement quick so I assume they got close to asking. View/preserve sites are apparently already profitable even while interior homes are being discounted.

Homefinder - The Villages(R) Homes and Villas for Sale

Yes, I have. Nothing like Rt 19 St. Pete--->Clearwater. And certainly nothing like the LIE at rush hour

Traffic here up by 42 and 441 and traffic on 75 towards Ocala can get pretty bad. But the traffic on 19 from 7-900 in the morning and 430-6 in the afternoons is horrid. The rest of the time the road isn’t that bad. If I can I’ll pass on the 19 from Newport Richey down to Tampa I do. The Suncoast tollway is better. I think the 54 is worse from Wesley Chapel to Trinity. Clearwater beach is a little better than the city of Clearwater though.

The Villages purchased land south of Dabney and north of the Turnpike so we can assume that they will build on it at some time. If you look at the agenda packet for the Feb 12 meeting for the Leesburg City Commission, you will see in it maps for Secret Promise and this other section of land north of the turnpike that will be incorporated into TV in May.

There are also plans to widen Rt. 470 from the Sumter-Lake County line to route 27, but there is no indication whether that will include a golf cart lane or even two additional lanes over the turnpike. The cost estimate seemed too low for that, but plans may change to include widening of the bridge. Since Central Parkway now does not have a golf cart lane, it is not likely to have one over the Turnpike.

Dabney will have TV to the northwest, west, and south, but there will never be TV to the east since that land is mostly developed. You have to decide if that's a good or bad thing. You will be very close to the Turnpike and access to towns south and east and also only 45 minutes from the airport. You can easily escape the bubble from Dabney; you just have to decide how important that is to you.

Try just under 6 miles (to Brownwood) to just over 6 miles (to Lake Sumter), from the farthest point on Moyer Loop...

The Developer does own about 500 acres south of Dabney/Lake Denham and east/north of the Turnpike under the name RAPID INFILTRATION BASIN INFRASTRUCTURE & TRANSMISSION LLC. One only knows what they plan to do with this.

The "Secret Promise" purchase that you refer to is actually on the other side (west/south) of the Turnpike and abuts all of the Developer property on the Sumter County side. No need for any additional bridges or tunnels to access this from the rest of the Villages.

Seriously
 

Buying in Dabney would be one of the dumbest real estate moves ever. If you want to move to the Villages, hold off. The real estate location is the worst.

What are you basing this on? I just posted an example in lake Denham of a 200K profit in under a year.

It was a Debbie Downer post from a real estate investor trying to capitalize, LOL

It was originally bought on July 24, 2023.

According to the website, closing to take place after July 25th.

From looking at the Villages' website, it appears that almost all of the view sites in Dabney have been sold. The problem is properties that are not view sites. The demand for them seems to have slowed.

It did slow but has picked up this month. The discounts and holidays being over have helped. All the new development in the coming years will make them good investments in my opinion.

No one knows what additional money the owner invested to spruce up the home. WHO owned it was also not mentioned. This makes a HUGE difference. An ordinary homeowner may not get this type of rapid increase. Not a good idea to count on huge profits until you know all the facts. A knowledgable investor may have had a buyer in his back pocket throughout the building process.

Based on the pictures there were no updates. Looks like same builder grade appliances. Landscaping is the same builder installed plants and pine straw mulch. You figure they had it built for $640k and already had a buyer lined up to pay $200k more?

I’m not saying anyone can count on anything. I bought here because I plan to retire to this house. Could I move eventually, sure. I’m pretty sure I made a sound investment if I do choose to move. I have no idea why so many people try to discourage buying down here. The people around here are great and I’ve not been deprived of any amenities.

I agree that more than 90% of the people here are great. I also agree that you haven't been deprived of any amenities because anyone can use any amenity in any of the villages. The issue is getting to the amenities. At the present time, you are at least 30 minutes by golf cart to Brownwood which is the nearest Town Square. You are much closer to Sawgrass but that is an entertainment venue - not a Town Square.

If you play golf, you have to travel a lot farther to get to an executive golf course than people living north of 466 and those living between 466 and 466A. This will be true even after the courses are built in Eastport. I played up north a few weeks ago and a couple told me that there were 3 executive courses within a 10 minute golf ride of where they lived. I can't see that ever happening to people living northeast of the Turnpike and south of Warm Springs.

Well said.

I can’t say anything on golf as it is not a priority. I’ve never played the game. I did just look at the putting course and pitch and putt that are 3 minutes from me and it seems like a fun thing to try. What really perplexes me is how people say Brownwood being 30 minute cart ride is a negative. That’s a pretty short trip. Maybe you all lived in cities and need to be a walk away? I like the cart ride. Eastport is 17 minutes from me by cart. I am dumbfounded how that is supposed to be too far to be worth living here.

At the end of the day these debates are silly. It all depends on the lifestyle someone is interested in. There will be buyers for houses down here and if we want to sell in the future we will make as much profit as any other place in the villages. Our buyers wouldn’t like it up north and buyers up north wouldn’t like it down here. To each his own.

Enjoy your home, Danby is a unique and beautiful area, convenient to many things inside and outside the bubbles.

Ignore user is your friend.

That could be said about almost anyplace in the world.

However, the initial poster was considering buying in Dabney or Moultrie Creek and asked "For those who purchased in the newer sections (Lake Denham, Dabney); does the drive north get old ? Are you worried that you will feel cut off as new development goes south on the other side of the turnpike?"

Most of the replies have been helpful - giving the pros and cons of living in Dabney as opposed to Eastport.

I am relatively new here but I have never seen so many houses for sale in one village. Hopefully, this link works.

Homefinder - The Villages(R) Homes and Villas for Sale

I'm in Poinciana and I am 4 minutes by golf cart from Sandhill/Turtle Mound, and Yankee Clipper/Southern Star. I am 5 minutes to Cane Garden, 10 minutes to Havana, or Mallory, 15 minutes to Palmer, Evans Prairie, Bonifay, or Belle Glade.
Too many pools and rec centers within 10 minutes to list.
15 minutes by cart to either Brownwood or LSL.

Of course, I have to live in an ancient (18 year old) home that is crumbling around me, and a $7,000 bond.

Here is a map of Secret Promise and land north of the TurnPike that will become part of The Villages on May 13.

https://1drv.ms/i/s!Ag5G09YA4TxQgpFD...G4qLA?e=aY4YnX

Downsizing
 

I am looking to downsize again and I was wondering if anyone had any first-hand experience with living in a one-bedroom home, not to rent out but to actually live in. I don't mind Dabney and in my lifestyle choices, I certainly wouldn't feel isolated as I appreciate being closer to MCO as well as some of the surrounding communities south. Also, I no longer entertain overnight guests, unless of course they are bunking in the master bedroom with me, but I did notice that the overall price per square of a one-bedroom home is actually higher than that of a 2 or 3 bedroom even though the one-bedrooms have fewer amenities. Btw, when my sister built her home in Summerfield back in 2003, there was a cow pasture across the street, and when I bought my home in Deluna, there was no Water Lily Bridge, no Edna's on the Green, no Magnolia shopping center and Marsh Bend Trail did not connect to the 301. "Blink."

We do not golf, never have and have no interest in the sport. Having said that, what I do enjoy living in the LSL area is the acres of rolling golf courses that I pass every day on Morse Blvd and Odell Circle. The vistas the courses provide are just lovely. In this area, we do not have solid views of only homes which is one reason we chose to live in The Villages. We enjoy dining at the golf course restaurants (AKA Country Clubs in this neck of the woods). The views are gorgeous.

Leesburg shopping and restaurants is not The Villages. In the northern section, 441, 466 and 466A are surrounded by The Villages. There is a different feel and vibe in Leesburg. Leesburg is not golf cart accessible. That is one big part of being a Villager for most Villagers. The Villages infrastructure for golf carts is like no other in the world. Why go to Leesburg?

I would not be a happy camper if block parties went into the evening hours. I like my quiet neighborhood and prefer it remain that way in the evening hours. I even like my quiet neighborhood in the daytime too.

If you want night life that stays open past 9:00 pm, there are restaurants and bars along the 441 corridor. That is a long way from parts south.

No need to travel north for evening entertainment, as you suggest. Block parties, with live entertainment, food trucks, and great fun are abundant south of 44. villages of Richmond, St John’s, Hawkins, St Catherine, and beyond come alive with social gatherings in late evenings.

Plus some have monthly theme parties at regional centers, tickets sell out in hours, with waitlist. My parents stay up after 11p, enjoying meeting younger residents, and big difference from our last village when the sidewalks rolled up at 6p.

It’s good to have areas in TV that older residents can come in before dark, and areas that residents can stay up as long as they want.