Please look at the attachment in post #21 for the facts, as of 2017.

Lake County has no bond, even on the new homes This is not true. The correct description is that Lady Lake (Lake County) homes do not have a bond. The homes in the villages of Pine Ridge and Pine Hills in Fruitland Park (Lake County) DO have a bond.

Sumter County millage rate is 11.5251.

There is a villa for sale for $197K, paid $148K in 2014.
They have no exemptions and the taxes are $2,900/year.
This includes taxes, maintenance and bond.

I assume you know that around $500 a year of what you pay for "county taxes" is a local assessment by The Villages? You cannot get out of paying that. You can get a pretty good discount by filing as an official Florida resident - must show driver's license, car registration, etc. Marion has the highest taxes, but the difference is not large. Taxes go up just about every year in this part of Florida lately, but not by an large amount. Best advise was to call the three tax collector offices and ask them - but....!!! Also call the villages and ask about the various special assessments. This is not "the bond". This is extra we pay for things like having EMT services here, and I think also for our roads or something like that. By talking to the three tax offices and The Villages head office you can get a good idea of your taxes here. I"m in Marion, my home was 230K and I pay $300 a month. I am not sure how much it goes down when you buy a cheaper house - maybe not a lot. I do know you you can get what appear to be decent, small homes in your price range. Your neighbors will be close, you will have two bedrooms, but the homes are a decent place to live and the neighbors are generally nice (and in rare cases they are not, they will at least be quiet, I think).

:what:

It's SUMTER county, not Sumpter. Property tax is lower in SUMTER.

Thanks Pat, helpful post.

Other Alternatives That Are Less Expensive
 

There are other options in the area. We live in The Plantation (just south of Leesburg on 27) which is about a 15 minute drive to Brownwood. Our house is about 1400 square feet site built home with all laminate and tile floor coverings, paver driveway, 2 stall garage on a private large lot. I estimate the worth at $165,000. A truly gated community of 2800 homes with 3 active community centers, 3 pools, one is Olympic size, and pickle ball courts, tennis courts, golf course and many other activities. I would guess this same home in the villages would be $220,000 or so. The hoa is $95 a month, my electric about $70 a month, water and sewer about $70 a month. My total to live here about $400 a month including taxes, insurance, utilities and hoa. Just writing this to let you know there are other very nice alternatives to the Villages that are more affordable. Also you can drive to the Villages and enjoy the entertainment for free and also the shopping.

Regarding the "$500 a year", I am not exactly sure what you are referring to. Perhaps it is the annual maintenance fee for the common areas?

My property taxes have actually dropped every year for the past 3 years.

In Sumter, there is a $124/year fee for the fire department which is billed with your property taxes.

:bigbow:
so true......we are in the process of closing the sale of our Village rental home and settling back in to The Plantation.... full time.

there are 40 homes for sale here .... and to my knowledge of owning here for the past 11 years,we have never had a sinkhole......plus the gate guards are top notch.....

Also, the villages is coming closer to us....hopefully with new commercial ventures and resturants....

Ohiobuckeye
 

Maybe I don't understand what you mean by there's no home here in their price range. Depending what you call a home! There's lots of homes on the old side in their price range. In fact there's a couple of homes over there that's brand new for $179,000. They're here & the salesmen could help you find them. But you're right they are going up in price.

Mr. Buckeye.

I didn't say there were NO homes in the range the OP was looking for. I said there were 21 homes listed between 150K and 175K on The Villages site.