[novelchick]

good for you asking that question. i think its smart to learn all you can before you purchase. we moved in last yr and love it!! We were able to design our home and spent alot of time researching exactly what we wanted which i think helped. But i can tell you what we've learned from other people who i guess made a mistake being they are moving!! Alot of folks seem to move here. Study your floor plan well. Make sure it is what you want. Make sure it will work for you. Do you want open floor plan? Some people say homes like the Lantana and Gardania are dark. They also complain the bedrooms in the homes can be small although many homes have small bedrooms. I do hear some folks say with open floor plan if hubby is watching tv in LR and wife cooking in kitchen he can't hear tv or she's too noisy!! ha consider that idea. think of everything!! how close are you to neighbor? we all seem close but it seems like they are getting even closer now. You can hear your neighbors conversations while on their lanai's. i've heard people say they hate being so close cause if your neighbor smokes on his lanai it comes over to yours!! Some people buy too big then decide to downsize, some buy too small then decide to up size. figure it out before you buy. Courtyards are nice if you have dog, you can let outside and be fence or walled in. Try to meet your neighbors before you move in. Are they nice? Also check out your neighbors property line ? Can they add a pool if they want to? If they do, would it bother you? Do you want the sun shining in your lanai everyday or do you want your lanai in the shade? Do you want your lanai facing the road or do you prefer it facing another's lanai. We know some folks who say oh i don't want anyone behind me. Well guess what. They have the road and cars to watch all day. that can get noisy. We bought with neighbors behind us and love it. We landscaped for privacy and they never sit outside anyway so we are very happy. Buying your house should be a fun experience. Good luck and get here asap. Life is truly great here!!

[Sidney Lanier]

Originally Posted by Villages Kahuna

There is one potential mistake I'd warn any serious visitor to try to avoid. Don't buy a small place for less money because you think you'll only come down here a couple of months each year. Buy a place that's big enough to satisfy your lifestyle if you were to live here full time. I say that because I can't tell you how many people I know who found it necessary to sell their first Villages residence and buy something larger because they found they really wanted to spend a lot more time down here as opposed to up north.

This is EXACTLY what I was getting at in my earlier post on this thread, though as I mentioned you do need to take your own family economic situation into consideration. Whatever you decide, best of luck!!!