[JoInTV]

Look out Bonita! Here we come!

Well, our 2-month ‘experiment’ of renting to get a good ‘feel’ for The Villages and to see if this place was where we wanted to be worked so well, we bought a home in Bonita! And it didn’t take anywhere near the whole 2 months to convince ourselves of how great this place is either. We close on 8/30 then have to drive back to AZ to get the house there sold, pack up and get back here as fast as we can.

In my whole adult life and in all of the places we have lived, my husband and I have never experienced such a feeling of community as here and with people we barely know going out of their way to make us feel welcome and befriended. (Is that a word?) Even though we’ve only been short-term renters (before we bought, that is), the neighbors have included us in all of their get-togethers and I was even invited to the monthly ladies lunch. While walking my dog, people always stop to say hello and chat and I’ve made some great friends at the pool. We've even met some of our new neighbors and they are great!

My husband and I are incredibly excited to be contemplating our new home and settling into our new neighborhood and look forward to our soon-to-be status – FROGS!! We can hardly wait!!

[golfnut]

WELCOME, we know the feeling, it took us 2 days to decide....gn

[graciegirl]

Congratulations you new Boniter! Lots of wonderful other people live there too as you know already.

Hope you find yourself close to Blondie and Kate and Jim Box! Also Villagekid and Mr. Villagekid. Just to name a few.

Bonita is a wonderful choice.

[Ohiogirl]

just curious - had you retired in Arizona and didn't like it or is this your first retirement? It was easy for us to choose Florida over Airzona because our kids are all living in Ohio, NC or Florida already. We just wouldn't see them much if we retired out West, not that we ever really looked.

I have a friend who just bought in Sun City West, but mostly because his brothers both have places out there - and none of them are FROGS also. Even though we will be snowbirds the first 1-5 years, maybe longer, the pattern seems to be snowbirds for a few years, then full-time, and I don't think I could take the extreme heat in AZ. Some people say they can't take the extreme humidity in FL in the summer, but really it's not that much worse than the midwest, it's just more constant for a longer period.

Kind of hijacking this thread, I guess, but curious minds want to know . . .

[champion6]

Congratulations, JoInAZ! I hope all your plans work out well.

[bkcunningham1]

Originally Posted by JoInAZ

Look out Bonita! Here we come!

Well, our 2-month ‘experiment’ of renting to get a good ‘feel’ for The Villages and to see if this place was where we wanted to be worked so well, we bought a home in Bonita! And it didn’t take anywhere near the whole 2 months to convince ourselves of how great this place is either. We close on 8/30 then have to drive back to AZ to get the house there sold, pack up and get back here as fast as we can.

In my whole adult life and in all of the places we have lived, my husband and I have never experienced such a feeling of community as here and with people we barely know going out of their way to make us feel welcome and befriended. (Is that a word?) Even though we’ve only been short-term renters (before we bought, that is), the neighbors have included us in all of their get-togethers and I was even invited to the monthly ladies lunch. While walking my dog, people always stop to say hello and chat and I’ve made some great friends at the pool. We've even met some of our new neighbors and they are great!

My husband and I are incredibly excited to be contemplating our new home and settling into our new neighborhood and look forward to our soon-to-be status – FROGS!! We can hardly wait!!

Wonderful story!! You must be great people to have made friends so quickly and to have been taken in the fold. You and your new neighbors are blessed to have found each other. Enjoy. Life is short.

[mak44070]

We purchased in Bonita in January, 2010. We're on McDuffie Ct - where are you??

mary ann

[Pturner]

Originally Posted by bkcunningham1

Wonderful story!! You must be great people to have made friends so quickly and to have been taken in the fold. You and your new neighbors are blessed to have found each other. Enjoy. Life is short.

JoInAZ,
My sentiments exactly. I am thrilled for you and wish you all the best in selling your home and enjoying the rest of your life in TV. I would be honored to befriend you and hope to do so.

[JoInTV]

Thank you all for your kind words! We are excited beyond words.

Ohiogirl, my husband's job brought us to AZ, so it wasn't retirement. We’ve been there for several years now. While it’s hot in AZ, it wasn’t anything we couldn’t handle. Hubby still golfed in the 110+ degree weather. But, he didn't want to retire there, and has been talking about moving back to FL for a while now. As a matter of fact, even coming here now will not mean retirement (at least not for the first 2-3 years). My husband is fortunate to be allowed to work remotely. As long as he is connected to his office via computer and phone, he can be productive. Our 2-month experiment renting here was supposed to see if working remotely would work as well as he thought it would and to give us a better feel for the community than the 6-day Lifestyle visit did. (The lifestyle visit was great, but it went be so quickly that we still didn’t get to do or see everything we wanted to.) We were then supposed to go home and figure out our next steps. We are usually planners/researchers and don’t usually do anything big/important without much upfront prep work. Even though Hubby was working all day long, it didn’t take us more than a couple of weeks to wonder “What the heck are we waiting for?? This place is unbelievable! Let’s do it!” We saw many new and resale homes and decided on a new close-out home in Bonita. It’s quite a bit smaller than anything we’ve had in a good many years, so it’ll take some careful paring down of ‘stuff’ (never mind furniture) to keep from exploding at the seams! But, we won’t be the first to have to do this in the move to TV, so it is doable!

MAK4470, we’re on Campobello Terrace. It’s a beautiful cul-de-sac street! When we finally get there for good, hope to see you at the pool!

If it weren’t for the scary and unpleasant thought of having to carry two mortgages until our AZ home sells, this would truly be perfect! Let’s hope that situation is resolved quickly or my husband will really think he’s married to a crazy woman!

[Jhooman]

Welcome!!!!

[gardenia]

Congratulations! You picked a great spot - like you, I am renting for 2 months in Bonita and on the market for my new home. I already sold my home in NJ, stuff is in storage and am so ready to buy. I began my house search this week, and really love Bonita for its location (midway between SL and new construction, 466 and 466A, Buena Vista and Morse and smack on Canal). I am currently looking at new construction and haven't been as fortunate to find one in Bonita - good for you! I know you will love it, I definitely do. All the best...

[Niels]

Welcome JoInAZ to Bonita. It was nice meeting you and your husband at the TOTV luncheon yesterday. Congratulations on your purchase. I'm looking forward to having you as a neighbor.

I gave your husband my card so if you have any questions feel free to contact me.

[dkcm33]

JoInAZ
I am so glad for you. My wife and I will also be there soon, first week of November. We also are so excited to get "home". We purchased a CYV in Briar Meadow. I am curious as to what business your husband is doing remotely. I to will be working "remotely", mechanical design and engineering.

[JoInTV]

Thank you all for your kind wishes!

Niels, I didn't realize it yesterday while we were chatting, but our backyards practically meet! Once we're settled in the new house, you'll definitely know what's for supper at our house by the smells coming from the grill! I look forward to joining the neighborhood!

dkcm33, my husband works in the IT field for a large company.

gardinia, there are a few new home close-outs left in Bonita, but they are going pretty quickly. Very near to Bonita, in Duval, are a few more new home close-outs from the Developer. So that may be an option for you. Good luck in your search. You won't be sorry!

We are so looking forward to this next adventure and feel so very fortunate to experience with all of you here in TV!

[dkcm33]

Thanks JoInAZ. I wish you both well. I am sure we will meet soon at one of the luncheons.