[rothbear]

Hi everybody! We are in the middle of trying to decide if we want to sell and move to TV in the next year or so. We currently live in an active adult community in SC that we bought in 2008, so are familiar with fees and CC&R, etc. associated with this kind of community. It is much smaller with less amenities.

I have a question about amenities and entertainment fees. We do have a fairly decent amount of things, entertainment wise, going on here, but everything has an additional fee to attend. Every where from $5 for picnic food (hot dog, chips and a drink) to maybe $25-30 each for musicians. After awhile it just becomes ridiculous. Are there a lot of things at TV that require an extra fee? I watched the DVD from the sales people and I notice it talks about a lot of performers, some famous, coming in and I'm wondering if things like that are free or fee based?

I also thought I read that using the exercise machines at the various rec centers also requires an extra fee. Is that true? I guess I'm just trying to find out what is actually included with the amenities fee and what is going to be extra.

Thanks for any help. We really have to look at everything and we have learned that what is told at the sales presentation is not necessarily what happens in reality.

[Pturner]

Hi Rothbear,

Welcome to TOTV! You have asked some excellent questions. Live music on the squares is available seven nights a week and is FREE. Concerts at Savannah Center are paid.

Gym equipment does cost extra, but exercise classes-- of which there are a ton-- are FREE.

There are a zillion FREE clubs, arts & crafts and sports activities. The sports activities include FREE use of any needed equipment. Arts & crafts, you just purchase your own supplies.

You generally pay for your food, but at many of the clubhouses the food is amazingly inexpensive.

All the neighborhood and sports swimming pools are FREE.

There's a small cart fee for executive golf. Bowling alley, Championship golf courses and theaters are like anywhere else, i.e., "pay to play,", although in the summer after 5 p.m. you can play Championship golf for $6.

Have you come for a visit? If not, that's an excellent place to start!

[missypie]

Hello Rothbear,

We live near you and I just want to express to you that although we are not there yet, we have stayed and visited many times The Villages.

Hubby and I NEVER wanted to move to Florida because of all the things we hear about, heat, humidity, etc...

Now we say we are NOT moving to Florida, but we will be moving to The Villages in Florida within the year!

One really has to visit for a couple of weeks to just "feel it".

I wish you the very best with your decision.

Therer is nothing like this place.

[jimbo2012]

Originally Posted by missypie

Hello Rothbear,

One really has to visit for a couple of weeks to just "feel it".

My wife and I would disagree, two days did for us

[jsw14]

Originally Posted by jimbo2012

My wife and I would disagree, two days did for us

I didn't even have to ask the wife, I could see it in her eye's Hay wait a min, is TV realy in Florida

[jimbo2012]

My wife's first comment after going into the Sea Breeze,
was it's like Disneyland

[jsw14]

Originally Posted by jimbo2012

My wife's first comment after going into the Sea Breeze,
was it's like Disneyland

Yup, Think of it this way jimbo> It saved U alot of $$$$$ not goin to Disneyland

[rothbear]

Thanks everyone! I guess I find it kind of strange to charge for use of the exercise equipment, yet not if you use them in classes! But then I guess that's a good way to keep people from "hogging" the equipment, which is a problem here. We don't get charged for regular use, but they do charge to take any classes. It's $3 per class or else you can purchase several different monthly passes, one being unlimited. In the long run, that is probably more expensive than a fee to use the equipment. Which, BTW, what is the fee? I feel as though we are being nickle and dimed to death. A lot of our clubs have dues as well. I used to participate in the scrapbook and cardmaking group, I actually taught most of the classes when I was president, but I had to back off due to having to get a job (which I lost last year), and now most of the classes the new person is offering also has a charge with them. Considering I have about 15 years experience in it and already know how to do what they are teaching, I refuse to pay money for it so now have had to pretty much drop out of that as well. Yes, lot of stuff here to do if you have an excess of cash to do it! Not that we are poor or destitute, but not swimming in cash either.

And I guess I probably did expect some kind of fee to see "famous" people, but here the musicians they bring in are more local and they still charge. It's nice to see that the evening entertainment there is free. Neither hubby nor I golf, so that's of no interest, but I would probably take more exercise classes if I didn't have to pay for each of them.

Yes, we actually visited about 3 weeks ago, but only for about 1/2 day because we were due in St. Pete that afternoon. We talked to a sales person and saw some of the models but didn't have a chance to take the trolley trip and of course didn't do any of the fun things. Our visit was, interestingly enough, a happy accident. I had just found out about TV only a couple months ago. We were going to drive right past there and I kiddingly told hubby we should stop just out of curiosity. We ended up having to get a hotel room in Wildwood and went over the next morning. The more we looked, the more we liked. I really didn't think hubby would be interested because of moving here not that long ago. Now all of a sudden he is saying that we need to do a longer visit and he wouldn't do that if he wasn't interested. I think he is getting a bit disillusioned with where we are as well. I almost hate leaving it, though, because we just got all our modifications and DIY upgrades done!!

Odd thing about us getting the hotel in Wildwood as well. We were going to stay in Jacksonville and then decided to go further south. But because of a bunch of stuff going on along the way, we weren't able to even find a room until Wildwood.....hmmm, wonder if that was a sign??? Not sure we would have stopped at TV if we hadn't been so close to it and had that much extra time on our hands.

I'm sure I'll have plenty of other questions! I really appreciate having a place to ask them with hopes of getting honest answers. Thanks!

Nancy

[Bill-n-Brillo]

Rothbear, next time you visit TV, better make sure you bring your checkbook - you're liable to find a home you like!!!

Bill

[pqrstar]

Here is the weekly listing of recreational activities. As Pturner said, there are a "zillion."

http://www.thevillagesdailysun.com/a...es/recnews.pdf

[Skybo]

Originally Posted by rothbear

Thanks everyone! I guess I find it kind of strange to charge for use of the exercise equipment, yet not if you use them in classes! But then I guess that's a good way to keep people from "hogging" the equipment, which is a problem here. We don't get charged for regular use, but they do charge to take any classes.

Rothbear, the “Fitness Centers” are small, but well equipped gyms. They have various memberships prices...1 month, 3 months, 6 months, etc. I’m not sure what the long-term membership prices are, but you can pay per visit, and I think that is $5.00 per visit. The free exercise classes that folks were referring to don’t involve the gym equipment. They run the gambit from water sports to dance lessons and everything in-between.

[ilovetv]

Here is a good "Lovin' the Lifestyle" video link and there are many of these testimonials there, with 132 videos in the channel on youtube:

Lovin' The Lifestyle - Rafe and Jane - YouTube

[NotGolfer]

You're commenting on the rooms at the regional rec centers that have a small "gym"...and yes those you would pay for just as you would up north. BUT we have exercise classes---walking off the lbs, zumba and alot more where you don't have to pay, big difference. THIS just for clarification. Don't jump to conclusions, unless you have actually visited and see for yourself ALL that The Villages has to offer!!! I don't believe you'll think you're being "nickle and dimed"!!!

[rothbear]

NotGolfer.....

I'm sorry, I wasn't saying that TV nicked and dimed, I meant that where we are living now is doing that. We were basically lead to believe that up here there are so many activities to do, but yet it seems as though 80% of them have a fee attached to them. About the only "free" things are tennis, pickleball, the swimming pool, bocce ball and walking/biking. All the other classes you have to pay for. Plus any entertainment they bring in, local or otherwise, also has a fee with it. Although we have a golf course that runs through our community, it is privately owned and therefore not even close to being free. Although we don't golf, we have heard from those who do that apparently it is rather expensive. And the residents aren't even allowed to walk on the cart paths after the course closes.....that's considered trespassing. I just want a realistic picture of what it is going to cost for us to do the things we want. If we want to listen to some live music, is it going to cost us $30 ($15 for each of us), or do we have another option. And what is actually included in the amenities fee.

And I didn't say the gyms were small, someone else said that. I really didn't see them long enough, or enough of them, to make a judgement on them.