Bigger garage--I only have room for one car and a cart, and it's tight.
Indoor (not garage) laundry.
Bigger lanai. I'll never understand why people enclose them.

A pool would have been nice.

What I have -
1) great western view of sunsets with two golf course holes and an open field behind me (NO other houses), being on the tee box;
2) A good-sized garage with a golf cart garage that's deep;
3) A large screened lanai with a hot tub.

And, the wife and I are on the same page, in sync perfectly, on these items. That's the bonus!

:024:…let me add now the most important three things (what my beautiful wife wants in a home for us) :

1) The house must have an open floor plan (like the Lantana or similar) and if there is any carpet, it must be replaced with tile/wood/etc. She wants the kitchen open to the rest of the house so that when we are working together in the kitchen :mmmm: we have ample space to work there and be able to enjoy others that may be there (even if it is just the evening news on the TV).
2) She LOVES being outside:a040: and wants to expand the indoor space into the outside space. We need a larger outdoor area, preferably with large sliding glass doors (or wall) that we can open during the day (when it is not too hot) to enjoy these areas. The outdoor birdcage area should have a pool so we can cool off :coolsmiley: as we wish and the area should be private so we can be comfortable wandering around in our bathing suits and bath robes. This area should have ample covered areas too so that I can cook outside and we can enjoy meals outside even if the humidity is falling from the sky.
3) We both thoroughly enjoy neighbors :ho: who are supportive and friendly. She is very much turned off by bossy people :cus: telling her what to do, how to do it and when she needs to get it done (I think we all can do without that in our lives). This is currently the item that I have difficulty in determining from afar and tell you the truth, I think it takes months to see how people really are. Where do the friendly people :highfive: live? From this forum, I can see that they are everywhere!! ..however, let’s be honest, we have all had one of two of those prior-defined people nearby :grumpy:. People who seem to get some form of satisfaction (I guess, because I don’t really understand it :ohdear:) in making those near them uneasy by imposing made-up quirky rules or just spouting off at you for no logical reason. If there is a solution here, please let me know …

So there you have it .. we are looking for that glass slipper or that bowl or porridge that is just the right temperature for our liking:a040:. I know it is out there, but please share your thoughts and help us put to rest some concerns if you have experiences that will help us.

Again, I thank you for taking the time to help us.

Good list TOM C that your wife has. She just described our house. Now if only it were for sale. But it's not.

Very curious about the carpet? I agree except in the Bedroom. Why no carpet ANYWHERE?

I don’t understand why if you like tile you wouldn’t want it everywhere. I spend 5 seconds on my bedroom floor, the time it takes me to get into bed. Tile is just fine and never cold also gives the house a much more cohesive feel.



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A cleaning nightmare under the bed and dust, dust, everywhere. Tile or Wood is much easier to live with.

The benefits we see are with tile or hard surfaces: Easy to clean, more durable (stays looking good), no places for little "buggy-boos" to hide.
.
...on the other side... one will probably want to invest in slippers as the hard floors are tough on feet when standing for a period of time.

We have cats. LARGE, HAIRY, cats. 20+ lbs each. Maine Coons. Nuff' said about no carpet anywhere. Easy hair pickup, the Neato robovac goes everywhere with no issues (even under the bed), never have to worry about stains, water, etc. It makes life much easier.

We currently have a medium sized dog (that does not shed) and we have a Roomba. We love both ... but we love the dog more.

I would insist on more storage (closets), I would insist on floors that were not white, and I would insist on a different layout for our laundry room which is a waste of space.

Bigger garage, longer, wider, etc. At least 3 full cars.
Bigger lanai for entertaining.
Convienience to shopping.

Thank you for your honesty.

You cannot. You need to live there long enough to know who is friendly and who is not. There is a difference between being friendly and being friends.

Ditto to your comment. I come from an area where the amount of great restaurants is incredible. Of course it helps because Johnson and Wales Culinary School is based near our non winter home.

How do you find out before you buy is the neighborhood is a friendly one?

Very simple. Rent. Spend a month or more in a rental and ask lots of questions. Does the neighborhood have a web site? A social committee? News letters? Golf groups? Progressive dinners? Wine club? Driveway parties? House parties? Boccie groups? Pickle ball groups? Book clubs? What ever you're interests are is there a neighborhood group for it?

Some Villages do a lot, some a few things and some nothing. Figure out how many are full time and how many are snowbirds. You keep hearing about you should buy in a new village because you are all moving in together and can start those things. But think about this. The very first village built is about 95% full time and 5% snowbirds. The newest village is probably 25% full time and 75% very part time and lots of rentals. Guess which one has the most active village? As you get South around lake Sumter, it's probably 75% full time and by Brownwood maybe 50% full time.

So know and understand what kind of demographics live in the village you are considering buying in. Try renting there for a couple months. Does that size home work for you? Does that village work for you? Do those neighbors work for you? Is this an active village with lots of things going on that I like to do?

If you do these things you will get it right and not be moving 3 times like lots of folks who move here. It's very much worth the time and expense of taking these steps.

Tom C....I agree with #1, #2 & #3! In adding to that, my husband doesn't like sloping ceilings...so not sure which very open designer model that fits. Input appreciated! Then, based on other Villager posts, a 3 car garage may be necessary. (He wants a 57 Chevy and I want something sportier!). But the wisest posting said: "Whatever the wife wants".:icon_wink:

If we decide to relocate to TV, the house would have to have the following:

1. bedroom for myself
2. library/hobby room/ computer room for myself
3. bedroom for my husbaqnd
4. den/computer room for my husband

Formal dining room can be #2 or #4 above. Covered and AC lanai can be #2 or #4 above.

We firmly believe in allowing each of us own space and own TV.

1) Golf cart garage (or a bigger garage)
2) A screened in area big enough for a grill and a hot tub
3) Cul de Sac location with nobody behind me

A)Air conditioning unit not located outside of bedroom window.
B)Bathrooms must have windows so you don't have to buy solar tubes.
C)Ceilngs don't have popcorn texture.

Location, golf course frontage, swimming pool

Wow, why not just buy 2 houses and live separately? Different bedrooms? No fun at all. I do like the Man Cave/Women Cave thing though! :1rotfl::shocked:

Regarding lanai direction. Mine is SSE and it is not hot. Some astronomy information may help with this. In the summer the sun is higher in the sky so the roof of the lanai which is insulated blocks almost all the direct heating from the sun. In the winter the sun is lower so as it passes from east to west there is some heating which is beneficial in the cooler months.
Yes, the ideal situation is to be on a lake with the golf course across the lake and the cart path on the other side of the green/fairway from you. There are homes like that, but they will carry a premium price.

Folks wanting large 3 car garage (1,000sf +) with driveway that can park 6 cars, pool, large lanai, formal dining room, no sloping ceilings etc. go to Zillow and look up 2942 Braddock Ct.
Here’s your chance.

///

Beautiful home...with lots of kewl amenities! :thumbup:


What a criminal waste though...of an awesome garage. :D

We came from the oft mentioned east facing lanai, unbearably hot. Scratch that idea. In addition to insulation the coolest lanai’s have screening on 3 sides. 2 sides are most common and some models only 1. You need cross ventilation to push out the accumulated hot air.


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BIGGER EVERYTHING (not more rooms but bigger rooms)
Laundry room off master bath (where the dirty clothes actually are)
Taller 'walk around' space in attic area with real wooden steps leading up there.
(and a dozen other things but that is my top 3)

I thank you all who responded or who may want to add their $0.02.

Since I have the time, I will continue to monitor the MLS VLS and the FSBO sites to find what fills our needs, while taking the advice from the professionals (you) as to how to apply our wants.

I hope that we will be able to visit TV in the near future, however it must take a back seat to our existing plans. I expect we will be visiting in 1Q, 2019 (sorry, still slip easily into business schedules...).

Again, thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and experiences.

Tom (currently) in Alaska

1. View site (we just didn't want anyone behind us)
2. New neighborhood. It's so much easier to meet people.
3. Big Lanai