[Northwoods]

Originally Posted by STLRAY

I have been trying to schedule a LV for almost a year but a combination of elderly parents and adult children and COVID have derailed my plans. So I have been scouring the internet for everything I can learn about TV. One thing I remain curious about is how to determine where to live. Some say live in the established areas because there is so much more to do and some recommend the newer areas because there will be more people my age (I'm 57 and single). Any thoughts, suggestions or smart ass comments are welcome.

When we decided to look at The Villages, we only looked at new houses. Why? We didn't know anyone when we moved down here. We wanted a neighborhood where everyone was new, and hoping to create new friends. For us, it was the right thing to do. We have an amazing group of friends.

[Gulfcoast]

We are close to your age and haven't scheduled our Lifestyle Visit, yet, either. At this point, I'm thinking that it would be nice to live in a house that we could walk to a restaurant for dinner and drinks. I want to check out some of the neighborhoods that are within walking distance to the squares and we're also going to check out some of the newer construction, too. Close proximity to a rec center, pool and/or country club would be nice.

I think we'll have to see TV and get a feel for the area before we can really narrow it down to one specific village. We live within a fairly reasonable drive of TV (about 6 hours), so we'll probably spend a weekend there at one of the hotels first, do some preliminary exploring and then come back to do a longer Lifestyle Visit at a later date.

[Marc W.]

The best way - if you are able - is to rent a home for a month, drive all over, and attend lots of activities in the rec centers. This will help you to substantially make decisions - as it did for so many of us that decided to buy after and/or during said experience. There are so many things to consider that it is difficult to do from afar and never having been here.

[Chueyboy]

My husband and I are 60. Our #1 priority was a golf/water view plus a pool. We searched ALL areas of the villages for a designer or premiere home; we even looked at lots. In the end we chose Briar Meadow for these reasons: Mature trees and landscaping. Can walk to the Lopez restaurant or pool bar. Groceries, gas, Walgreens, dentist, bank, doctor, etc. are just a 3 minute golf cart trip away. There is less traffic in the snowbird months. Sumter and Spanish Springs are a 12-14 minute car trip but we only go there 2-3x month so it's not a big deal for us.
Make a list of your priorities and shop with that in mind.

[stadry]

i didn't choose it - tv broker & bride chose it OR rather, it chose us,,, can't even remember address & we close end of month - osceoola something,,, all i recall is undevelopable land behind us ( broker calls it a 'preserve' but its really a gulch filled w/brush & weed trees ),,, the kissing lanai's were just too voyeuristic for us

[Skunky1]

Close to a gas station, however they keep jacking up the prices for no reason. $.10 for the Memorial day weekend and $.10 for this weekend both of which probably will not go away

[jonathanb]

We’ve owned 4 homes here in the last 9 years. Always buy new. You will get the most appreciation on your money. Just don’t over improve if you will sell in 2-4 years. So that being said your village will be where new construction is. You will also be part of the beginning of social groups in your village.

[joeharing]

Lake Sumter Landing is the area.......golf ,shops, restaurants, medical, groceries and entertainment. All within a mile and a half. Make sure you get ready to buy new roof, A/C, hot water heater.

[GaryKoca]

We wanted a new house, and one that was already furnished - basically a "spec" home. We did not have a lot of time, so those were the criteria. So we bought in what was a new area at the time - Brownwood. Don't regret it at all.

[dewilson58]

We purchased new, South of 466a, just before TV quit building new homes.

[Professor]

When we bought our home there were only 3 in the neighborhood. We came back 6 months later and the neighborhood was completely finished. If you want to know what your neighborhood will look like, buy after most of it is completed. As for age, don't worry too much about it. We bought when I was 56 (10 years ago). We prefer the area south of Hwy 466 and North of Hwy 466A but there are mixed ages in most all the areas of The Villages. South of Hwy 44 is where all the new construction is going on. Just depends on whether you want established neighborhoods or not...and services are a little light until they catch up with grocery stores and so on.
One final note and this is a personal preference. Looking back, I wish we had purchased a home with a golf course or water view. You spend a lot of time in your house as you get older (or when a pandemic hits) and having a view would be a nice addition. We compensated by buying a little beach condo instead down south a ways...but a view lot is worth considering in my opinion.

[woderfulwendy1]

Rent for 6 months. If you play pickleball or another sport, go to different courts etc and check out the crowd. Check out the pools. Don't rush.

[gradnjw]

We chose Collier, near Brownwood Paddock Square, because the following things were important to us: accessibility to championship golf courses (hubby plays several times a week, and wanted golf cart access), proximity to shopping for groceries, bank, drugstore, etc (several options a golf cart ride away), and a newer home (at the time, homes in Collier were around 5-6 years old). We are very happy with our choice!

We also rented 2 years prior, and used that time to familiarize ourselves with the various locations, traffic patterns, amenities, etc. the area south of 44 is lovely, especially the walking/biking being separated from golf cart traffic. Maybe if you listed what’s important to you, we could mention areas in the Villages that best meet that criteria.

Good luck - and have fun looking!!

[RealJudy]

Most neighborhoods are friendly. Find a home you like, meet your potential neighbors, then make your decision.

[Colby]

We rented for a month to visit friends with no intention of moving but after a couple weeks guess what? We looked nowhere else other than Fenney as the surrounding nature was what spoke to us. 2 years in and still pinch ourselves we found this neighborhood. We were 58 when we moved and the newer areas are definitely a younger set. A plus with ant new village is that everyone else is new and extremely easy and quick to make friends as all in the same boat so to speak. They finish villages all at once so once completed construction where you live isn’t an issue so nothing to put you off south of 44 that way. So My advise is to rent a month south of 44 (10 villages and counting to choose from) and check it out before deciding one way or the other.