Brownwood is nowhere near the turnpike. SR 44 runs on the south side of the Brownwood Town Square, but I'm not familiar with any houses that are close enough to 44 to hear traffic. US 301 is too far away to hear traffic as well. North of Brownwood, on the extreme west side of TV there may be an issue with train whistles.

This place is so large that forums like TOTV cannot begin to describe it. Definitely come for a visit and take in as much as you can, but better yet, if feasible, rent for a month or 2. I bought my house on the 4th day of my lifestyle visit, but I was already familiar with TV---my brother, my niece's in-laws, and an employee all lived here. I wouldn't advise that for a neophyte.

Fenney is not noisy. Come see for yourself.

There are just too many variables. Visiting is the key to your choice. Eventually 470 (which was renamed Central Parkway recently) will be the “halfway point”. But who knows? We just moved to Citrus Grove because of amenities that have been confirmed (hospital, Eastport, Eziel, Sawgrass, etc.). But I have to tell you, I am very concerned about the lack of retail and chain restaurants down here. Hopefully when Meggison and 470 meet that will open up some retail to the east…

March/April next year.

You are right, if you buy south of 44, in time you will be in the middle of the villages. Look at the developers map and it shows the boundary lines of the villages and it’s much farther east and south compared to now. Check out Golden Wingnut YouTube videos on what areas are being developed now and in the next couple of years. There are no secrets, they start grading the new areas a couple of years in advance. We live in St Catherine south of 44 and according to the videos, work has started many miles east of the dead end road near us which is probably 2 years out before homes being sold

Throw a dart a a Villages Map. Where ever it lands in the Villages is better than where you live now. Come and enjoy the rest of your life.

“Buildout” is in 2015!

I live in Sable Chase, a short walk from sumter landing. I love it here. Virginia Trace is also very nice. Sumter landing is is NOT in an outlining area. Spanish springs is on 27/441 and outsiders (thugs).
Brownwood has a police station for a good reason. But move where YOU are comfortable.

yes, except that the price of the resale has increased dramatically due to the scarcity of the new houses in that area. . . so the comment is comparing apples and oranges.

the comparison is always, how much can you afford, and where do you want to live. If you want to live 1.5 mi from LSL, and you can't afford the purchase price, or there are no houses in your price range, the bond doesn't matter either way.

The bond is a future expense. The house price is a here and now cash purchase. .

finance guy

Sumter Landing
 

We moved here 4 months ago and live close to Sumter Landing. There are 3 town squares, Spanish Springs, Sumter Landing and Brownwood. All three have live bands every night in the square. But Sumter Landing seems to have more activities. The theatre has been open since we moved here while Spanish Springs and Brownwood are closed. It is has more swimming pools and golf courses and close to all the shopping we need. TV announced they won't be making any more town squares. However, with the new high school going in on 470 along with a new town it will probably be the center of activity in 5 years with plenty of restaurants and shopping. Sporting areas will be all together on the other side 470 with a man made lake. It is closer to the turnpike and Orlando.

But there is ready access to the Turnpike. For now, look a little outside the Villages.


Leesburg is just 15 min away, Clairmount 20, Orlando/Tampa 45, Disney 50.

The northern sections are 20+ min further away.

Laker14, you took the words right out of my mouth. I think the area between 466 and 466A is very desirable, because of the proximity to town squares and golf courses. This appeal should remain, even if TV grows. I can't imaging an amenity they would put in the south that i won't have between the 6's, and if there is, I can always get in the car and drive to it.

I would recommend more focus on Local conditions things like: close to town squares, but not so close you hear the music at night, not close to pickle ball courts and hear the click/click, not too close the Polo field and hear the loud speakers, not too close to major road and hear traffic noise, if golf course lot then no golf cart path behind and out of range for golf balls, southern exposure on the lanai, not close to family pools and hear the kids squawking, no power lines in back yard, etc.

rent for a couple of months to see if this place will agree with you.. made that mistake, purchased before I knew what this place was all about.

Finance guy, interesting thoughts. I guess this is where behavioral economics come in.

I've grappled with how to think about the bond for a bit, before I bought my house. In my brain the bond is an ongoing carrying expense every year, like a mortgage. It's not a 100% comparison, because then bond can be transferred to the person who buys your house, if you sell it. So, I think it somewhat depends on how long you plan to keep the house. Not sure if you sell a house wiht a lower bond, if you get a higher selling price. My guess is no, but it might be viewed as more desirable than one with a higher bond, and therefore get more offers.

Also, if you buy a house without a bond, you can always take a mortgage out on it for the value of the bond you would have paid on the other house you were going to buy and call it even, if you keep the house. If you sell the house, of course you need to pay off the mortgage,, where bonds get passed on to the new homeowner.

Well, those are my thought, for what they are worth.

The southern area has lots of beautiful walking/biking paths. North of Route 44, there are none.

That is true. Since we live north of Route 44, we need to put our bikes on a carrier and drive to the southern area just to ride our bikes.

Good for you! The question is actually difficult to answer, because every transaction is unique, just as every buyer and every house is unique. That being said, your question comes down to the buyer, can he/she afford and find your property worth the sales price and the bond, if any? If not, you wait until there is one.. . the problem with selling a house is usually being motivated to sell, ie, one needs the money asap and can't afford to wait to realize the desired sales price, excluding this market.

But, you also type as if you aren't sure whether you the bond should be paid off. That is a different question. If you are young 55-65 and after a year or two, you think that this is a forever type home, then paying off the bond, if easily affordable, removes rented money and a monthly expense, assuming that you save monthly for the annual payment, removing the payment from the your capital base, and keeping it within your annual income. That last statement was written for those who confuse a monthly expense with an annual payment. . .

Reducing fixed expenses from a fixed income stream, whether a salary or a social security payment gives more flexibility to discretionary spending, and reduces stress on unexpected expenses . .

Will you get your money back if you pay off the bond early? yes, if the sales price is greater than the purchase price plus the bond value. . . which has recently happened with the surge of prices due to excess demand by retiring peeps. . . but this is unusual in how fast it happened.

So the OP, be sure you understand what the bond means, and the implication for you finances and affordability of whatever you decide to buy.

Although many advise to rent to figure out exactly where you want to buy, there are times when getting in sooner gives you more options in the future, especially if your finances are tight, or you truly can't make a decision in a relatively reasonable time, when supply is desirable and limited. We did buy in our first week of our first visit when Marsh bend was just opened, and little amenities or retail was built, as we could envision the future and the lot was close to alot of current and future desirable options.

figure out what is important to you and look for that scenario

Location is definitely important when buying a house here.

When we bought in 2013 we didn’t care about the location of the amenities
as much as buying a new house. Neither of us golfs so it made location easier.

We spent many years up north redoing our house and then built a new custom house in Tampa. We knew we wanted only new. There was only 1 model we wanted. And we wanted a view. Luckily being just south of 466A
amenities were already built.

In 2013 when we bought they were selling 500 houses a month compared
to 200 a month now. It was totally crazy.

We chose to buy in the current geographic center of TV for access....but as time passes, that center area will drift south with development......no concerns here, because they will then be dealing with the "development" issues to the south of them (like Brownwood is now) insulating us even further into "why bother" territory". Damn the bad luck....LOL

Fenney is so quiet. It’s the most beautiful of the Villages IMO. I don’t live there but frequently eat at the Grill and ride my bike around all the paths. Incredibly quiet. The lots in Hammock of Fenney are some of the most expensive due to the privacy. They price lots based on rooftops. How close/far and how many you can see. Those lots in Fenney for sale now, you only see golf course and nature preserve. No rooftop in sight.

CoachKandSportsGuy,

Thanks for your reply. Great to get the perspectives of fellow villagers.

We visited spanish springs first then south of 44, and all the town centers. I suggest you try to do the same. We purchased just north of 466a because we like both Lake Sumter and Brownwood and are now equal distances from both. We are interested in the eastport lifestyle center and may consider purchasing their when complete in a few years. I don't think there are any "bad" areas of the villages, so I suggest you focus on the amenities that you are interested in. We would like to be a little closer to shopping by golf car (1.5 miles by car and 3.5 by cart due to having to navigate around to the 466a tunnel) but mostly use instacart now anyway.

It's Walmart! The "riff-raff" have been there for 50 years:1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

Angry, bitter people do make their appearance around here from time to time...

Chacun a' son gout.


In my opinion that is the strength of The Villages. Overall is it huge (and getting even more huge) but each little corner has it's own personality and homogeneity. There's a lot to be said for purchasing a home of a certain style and knowing that some McMansion won't be going up next door.

...Or, if McMansions are more your style, being pretty sure that somebody isn't going to park a manufactured home with a carport down the street.

Re: Fenny and noise.
I do not live in Fenny, however, people are people. many of these posts are my place is better than your place. You need to decide what to make YOUR PLACE.

Noise? As a kid we were in New York in an apartment building. The elevated trains ran right past my bedroom window. Good training perhaps. I can sleep through anything.
Wife is a light sleeper. If, the world ends I do hope she will wake me.

True story...some years back my wife and I were guests at my sister's home in Las Vegas. The conversation we had on our second morning...

(She) "What did you think of the earthquake we had last night?"

(Me) "Earthquake? What earthquake?"

(She) "The one we had about midnight. It shook things for over a minute."

(Me) "Why didn't you wake me up?"

(She) "I didn't think ANYBODY could sleep through that!"

Need to do a good assesment of your needs/desires. IE If you are a golfer, most of the golf courses are in and around Sumter Landing and north. Appears developer is not interested in building new courses in the south area. Bet they can make more money selling homes. Before the pandemic demand for golf was dropping and might have been a factor in their decision to not build golf courses in the South.

We live 1/2 mile from the Spanish Springs square and almost everything is less than 1 mile from us. Houses are older and smaller.

Can not predict future but there are still some areas in the north that developer might buy. Suspect that if price is right they will buy this land and develop it.

Good luck

Courses north of LSL: Orange Blossom, Hacienda Hills, Tierra del Sol, Lopez, Glenview, and Palmer.
Courses SOUTH of LSL: Mallory, Havana, Cane, Evans Prairie, Bonifay, and Belle Glade
Looks like 6 and 6, HOWEVER:
South of 44, Southern Oaks to open soon, with 3 more championship courses planned down around route 470.

So, if you are a golfer, most of the courses WILL NOT BE north of LSL, and as far as the insinuated developer bashing goes, they certainly ARE INTERSTED, and in fact ARE building golf courses in the "southern areas".

:boom::boom::boom:

Perhaps the poster should have said the most Championship golf courses, relative to the number of residential rooftops in that area, are in and around LSL and north. Seventy five percent of all the currently operating courses are north of 466A.

There is no arguing with that statement.

:boom::boom::boom:

Yes, 466A, but not 466

depends what your looking for.. several you tube videos out there! stay away from Round a bouts , busy streets " cut thru streets" , Pickle ball courts, baseball fields, Patios that face West. its all about your preferences, cart distance, young people, old people, Squares, singles, drinking, adult pools, Family pools, etc... Take your time and have a nice visit!

A question about the west facing patios ... is that an issue during the winter months or only during the heat of the summer?

True, but there are 5 courses north of 466, and three (Palmer, Mallory, and Cane) just below 466. That easily makes the 466 area the place with the highest Championship golf density. And the two newest courses which are south of 466A, Evans and Belle, seem to always be closed after heavy rain.

Don't forget Bonifay. And Cane is probably just as close to 466A as 466. But yes, BG and EP do get flooded---I live on Egret and there is a perpetual pond in front of the 8th tee and by the right 150 stake.

Dear OP:

The Villages is currently approximately 70 square miles in size. It really doesn't matter AT ALL where the center will be in 10 years, since it isn't likely you'll care enough to visit the "edge" of the Villages in 10 years. It's big enough now, that it really doesn't matter. If I never had need to go to Brownwood, I wouldn't miss it. And I'm sure there are people who live south of 44 who will never miss the Historic Section's existence.

There are stores and shops and boutiques and places to visit and outside towns and non-Villages stuff all around us, in every direction. No matter where you choose to live, either now or 10 years from now, you will be less than 20 minutes from anything you could possibly need, and less than an hour from anything you could possibly want, other than family.

If you want the latest and greatest, you'll want something either south of 44, or near 44. If you like a more comfortable cozy "lived in" neighborhood type experience, anything north of Sumter Square will do you just fine.

I would personally recommend you rent for 2 weeks just slightly south of Sumter Square, somewhere between Buena Vista Blvd and Morse Blvd. Take a look at the Villages Homefinder website, just so you can follow the map. Zoom in just a bit so you can see major street names. When you see Sumter Square, look for Canal Street, which runs through it in the middle southward. Follow that down through the northernmost part of O'Dell Circle, to Bonita Boulevard. Then stop.

Somewhere between O'Dell and Bonita, between Morse and Buena Vista, will be plenty of rentals available. You can check with "Hometown Property Management" which is the Villages rental division, and they can find you a nice place for a couple of weeks.

Make sure you rent a golf cart while you're there, and spend some quality time getting to see the Villages - from every edge inward. Pick out what you absolutely love, what you absolutely hate. Then throw both ideas away. You might end up in something you never would've thought you'd ever want, and it turns out to be amazing.

That's what happened to us. A "manufactured home" was a deal-breaker. We moved in to our manufactured home 2 years ago. How did the deal breaker end up not being one anymore? A bunch of things:

1. The neighborhood "felt" more like a typical New England suburban neighborhood to us, and that was very attractive.
2. The landscaping is fully mature, plenty of tree-lined areas.
3. Away from the crowds.
4. No "kissing lanais."
5. More square footage per dollar.
6. Looser deed restrictions. We still have standards, but our area isn't quite so snooty about them - which means there's enough whimsy and color and decorative touches that we don't feel like Stepford.

Could not agree more! We came deciding everything we wanted (and did not want) and it all went out the window as we discovered the driving factor in selection was the 2 car/2 golf cart bumped out garage space. You will find things you never could have imagined can quickly change your search on a dime. Good news is if you get here and buy and decide after living here a while you want to be elsewhere, you will join the "moves 3 times within the villages" group. Seems it is quite the norm around here.

In my remarks I said in and around Lake Sumter Landing. This would include Havana and Mallory Hill.