[senior citizen]

Just curious as to how many of you looked at The Plantation in Leesburg prior to buying in The Villages? I do know that quite a few posters on TOTV actually live in The Plantation or elsewhere.

The chain of lakes would be a nice "plus". Unfortunately, we just drove past Leesburg but never had time to explore it as we did Mount Dora and Tavares.

In looking at the homes for sale, it seems that all building has stopped, although the homes appear to be fairly new and quite spacious at lower prices with, of course, less ammenities than TV offers.

Just wondering how close in actuality is Leesburg as far as being "their town"; population 18,000.

On our flight back north, we met a nice widowed lady enroute to visit her family in the farmlands above Albany, New York. I told her I'd save her a seat on the plane as we had the early boarding pass.......and I did.
She held my hand the entire time as she wasn't sure if we'd be landing back in snow or not............anyway, she really liked the Plantation, which she and her hubby found after touring the entire state of Florida when he retired from the police force.........

I've looked at the site, but although the golf course frontage pool homes are only $245,000 approx. with 2 and a half bathrooms, 3 bedrooms and large greenspaces around..........I'm wondering if someone would feel "stranded" out in the middle of nowhere..............or is it close to Leesburg ?????? Thanks in advance. It looks very "country" and green.

[PaPaLarry]

Originally Posted by senior citizen

Just curious as to how many of you looked at The Plantation in Leesburg prior to buying in The Villages? I do know that quite a few posters on TOTV actually live in The Plantation or elsewhere.

The chain of lakes would be a nice "plus". Unfortunately, we just drove past Leesburg but never had time to explore it as we did Mount Dora and Tavares.

In looking at the homes for sale, it seems that all building has stopped, although the homes appear to be fairly new and quite spacious at lower prices with, of course, less ammenities than TV offers.

Just wondering how close in actuality is Leesburg as far as being "their town"; population 18,000.

On our flight back north, we met a nice widowed lady enroute to visit her family in the farmlands above Albany, New York. I told her I'd save her a seat on the plane as we had the early boarding pass.......and I did.
She held my hand the entire time as she wasn't sure if we'd be landing back in snow or not............anyway, she really liked the Plantation, which she and her hubby found after touring the entire state of Florida when he retired from the police force.........

I've looked at the site, but although the golf course frontage pool homes are only $245,000 approx. with 2 and a half bathrooms, 3 bedrooms and large greenspaces around..........I'm wondering if someone would feel "stranded" out in the middle of nowhere..............or is it close to Leesburg ?????? Thanks in advance. It looks very "country" and green.

Not even close to what The Villages offer!!!!!!!!!!

[2 Oldcrabs]

We looked at about 10 other retirement communties within 30 mile of TV. They have larger lots and bigger houses for less money. But they are isolated and offer very little to do. Some looked like ghost towns in the summer. TV cost about 30% more but, as they say, you are buying a lifestyle not a house. Since my wife wanted to live in TV, it was still cheaper than a divorce!

[senior citizen]

Originally Posted by PaPaLarry

Not even close to what The Villages offer!!!!!!!!!!

I figured that.....thanks. Being isolated in the middle of nowhere is NOT where I'd want to be.

[senior citizen]

Originally Posted by 2 Oldcrabs

We looked at about 10 other retirement communties within 30 mile of TV. They have larger lots and bigger houses for less money. But they are isolated and offer very little to do. Some looked like ghost towns in the summer. TV cost about 30% more but, as they say, you are buying a lifestyle not a house. Since my wife wanted to live in TV, it was still cheaper than a divorce!

Yup, the larger homes on bigger lots with pools, birdcages, etc. for much less money.......but as I said above, I figured that we'd be isolated in the middle of nowhere. I'm happy that you made your wife happy.....and so true. Thanks.

[Cantwaittoarrive]

We have looked at somewhere around 10 different developments, but not the one you mention. For us it comes down to lifestyle and we haven't found anything close to TV. I think it all depends on what you are looking for with your investment.

[Mikeod]

I previously lived in an area without much public transportation and saw personally what happened to seniors when they lose their license to drive. They become dependent on friends or neighbors to accomplish simple tasks, such as grocery shopping, banking, doctor's visits, etc or they become reclusive. The way TV is organized with access to all these things by golf cart, and the proximity of neighbors who understand your limitations makes the possibility of losing driving privileges less stressful. That is a quality of life benefit that is well worth the extra cost of homes here.

My mother is approaching 90 and lives here in the same village as we do. When we were planning a trip overseas, we worried how she would do without us nearby. We shouldn't have been concerned. Our neighbors, unasked, constantly checked on her to see if she needed anything. We all watch out for each other.

[missypie]

Think I've said it once before on TOTV, NEVER did I want to move to Florida. I said it for years. Then hubby and I bought a lot in Fernandina. NOT because it is in Florida, but because it is The Villages.

I have the "better" house where I am, but TV is the lifestyle that we want not the house. We will still build a beautiful home in TV .

Good luck OP with your decision. We are all different and want different things in life. The blessings that we all have are immeasureable.

[senior citizen]

Originally Posted by mikeod

I previously lived in an area without much public transportation and saw personally what happened to seniors when they lose their license to drive. They become dependent on friends or neighbors to accomplish simple tasks, such as grocery shopping, banking, doctor's visits, etc or they become reclusive. The way TV is organized with access to all these things by golf cart, and the proximity of neighbors who understand your limitations makes the possibility of losing driving privileges less stressful. That is a quality of life benefit that is well worth the extra cost of homes here.

My mother is approaching 90 and lives here in the same village as we do. When we were planning a trip overseas, we worried how she would do without us nearby. We shouldn't have been concerned. Our neighbors, unasked, constantly checked on her to see if she needed anything. We all watch out for each other.

Excellent response and very important consideration. Thankyou.

[asianthree]

we looked but after staying at TV four times we bought

[senior citizen]

Originally Posted by missypie

Think I've said it once before on TOTV, NEVER did I want to move to Florida. I said it for years. Then hubby and I bought a lot in Fernandina. NOT because it is in Florida, but because it is The Villages.

I have the "better" house where I am, but TV is the lifestyle that we want not the house. We will still build a beautiful home in TV .

Good luck OP with your decision. We are all different and want different things in life. The blessings that we all have are immeasureable.

Enjoy the process. I know exactly what you are saying.
We've lived in Florida in the past, on each seacoast, near the beach and right on the beach. Beautiful home and beautiful condo. Returned right back to Vermont.

However, this time my husband actually keeps saying he really liked the Villages. Not even near water. We just need time to "compare" what we have and what we will end up with.....plus the heat of summer vs. the past hot summer with high humidity which we just went through....and the upcoming snow (unless it is a mild winter like last year).

It does surprise me that he likes THE VILLAGES. He liked the northwest quadrant......although we drove all over the entire place.....even down to Sanibel. Not sure we'd want to live with all that construction going on.......but the homes will be gorgeous for sure.

When we flew back to Vermont and he picked up our car at the long term parking at the airport.......he missed Florida's and TV's smooth roads. Back to our twisty winding country roads and POT HOLES, FROST HEAVES, ETC. Like I said, we are comparing apples vs. oranges. We had always loved Disney World each year but never had seen the rest of central Florida............just up and down each coastline.

Thanks.......

[skip0358]

Wife and I look at many including, Spruce Creek,ArlingtonRidge,Legacy and their many properties,Stone Crest,Terra Vista.Most offered more home for the dollar but very little else. We don't have to leave the bubble for 99% of what we want and we don't have to drive my car.

[eweissenbach]

OP might want to PM FaithfulFrank as he lives in the Plantations and could offer a resident's perspective. Also EdVinMass lives in Stonecrest. We looked in Stonecrest a couple years ago and liked what we saw, however we noticed that people were not "out and about", like they are in TV. We went into their rec center and there was not much going on and it did not compare with the big Villages rec centers. The kicker for us was the salesman kept pointing out to us that we could get to the villages by golf cart as a sales point! We were like, why would we want to buy a home in a community where the major advantage was the ability to get to the nearby community by golf cart by going behind Wal Mart....................

[Finfan]

We rented in The Plantation for a couple of months and it is a nice community but nothing to do without a drive. In The Villages now and much more to do and do not have to worry about the drive. If you are looking for quiet it is better.

[justjim]

Originally Posted by eweissenbach

OP might want to PM FaithfulFrank as he lives in the Plantations and could offer a resident's perspective. Also EdVinMass lives in Stonecrest. We looked in Stonecrest a couple years ago and liked what we saw, however we noticed that people were not "out and about", like they are in TV. We went into their rec center and there was not much going on and it did not compare with the big Villages rec centers. The kicker for us was the salesman kept pointing out to us that we could get to the villages by golf cart as a sales point! We were like, why would we want to buy a home in a community where the major advantage was the ability to get to the nearby community by golf cart by going behind Wal Mart....................

Exactly eweissenbach. Good post. We too looked at several retirement communities in the area and Florida including many named by others in this Thread. We even looked in Arizona, and Texas. After all the looking, it came down to the beauty and lifestyle of TV. Plantation at Leesburg is a nice place with plenty of things to do and so is Stonecrest. We had bought and sold several homes as investments over the years and I believe your investment in TV is solid for the long haul----wasn't too sure about some of the other places. Being able to go everywhere in your golf cart and "free" golf on the executive courses made the final difference in our decision making process. Like Mr. Lincoln said........