Why would you say " other than golf and pools everything is mostly closed"? Life in The Villages is quickly returning to "normal". We quite often go out for a round of golf followed by a nice meal INSIDE a restaurant. We are going to church again. Beyond concerts and large gathering events, the rest of The Villages is humming! It's simply a matter of choosing what you choose to do or not do.

Renting would give you opportunities to see and experience before full investment. Also if you have medical issues getting established with doctors may be challenging. Think past the pandemic. You are coming out of a marriage,who will be support systems in a new area? The Villages is wonderful for couples, challenging for singles looking to have new relationships. And fun for those who just want to live and enjoy. You might consider a year rental plenty to be had.

“Laughing”. Where do you live?

Leaving Vero beach for TV......I moved here for the sociability and since the virus that aspect is presently missing here. All the clubs I joined are not allowed to meet. There is no entertainment in the squares. There is some entertainment in some restaurants. I would start your search for a place as if council take time which by the time you do move here there will be a vaccine. Personally I would avoid the newer homes in the south as there are no restaurants there and no entertainment there. Look in proximity to Sumter Landing. Funny I am considering Vero Beach as a place I would move to if things don’t open up here.

Think about a pre owned home. The newer sections lack ample golf and rec services, good food shopping, restaurants, MD offices, malls, auto stores, libraries, etc. It will take years for them to be built, if at all. What your read about them is all hype.
Buy where you can see the things you want and need, not what someone promises will be there.

It ain’t for everyone. People are leaving in droves because they can’t line dance in the Town Squares.

I would expect pricing to go up around 10% in the future. Everything is going up daily. Agree about renting for awhile first, and try living the way you are used to living, and see if it can feel like home.

We already had plans to move here in May and didn’t let the pandemic stop us from doing so. We actually feel safer being in TV than we did when we were still living in metro Atlanta. The number of COVID cases and deaths here is minimal compared to where we were living.

We do look forward to activities being started back, but we have still found other things to do (besides our home renovations) that we enjoy, such as going out to dinner where there is live entertainment outside, taking a long golf cart ride to become even more familiar with TV, going to the pool, exploring the new areas of TV that are being built and next I’m going to start learning to play golf so I can golf with my husband.

Games
 

One of the things I miss most is playing mah jongg and samba in the rec centers. Also, if you are a bridge player, they are not playing duplicate bridge now in the rec centers either and probably won’t be for some time.
We miss the nightly entertainment in the squares and who knows how long it will be until that opens up again. We also miss going to the movies as the theaters are still closed.
Thank goodness we can still play golf.

One of my former neighbors is a master bridge player. He plays online several times a day. As to the comment regarding avoiding the new southern areas, I would take the opposite view. All new people, very few cliques. Younger population not afraid of their own shadow, figuring out safe ways to socialize and have fun. Many of these postings come from people with some kind of axe to grind. Welcome Home !

The Village Real Estate People
 

We bought a home in TV in March and no regrets whatsoever. A word of caution if you are buying new and there is a bond involved. If taking out a mortgage, make sure you tell your realtor and your lending institution whether you will pay the bond up front and in full or not. Otherwise, they will assume you are including the bond money into your mortgage payment. We opted to pay the bond up front and in full. If not, our $31K bond would have resulted in being more like a $55K bond payment over the life of the mortgage.

See post #5

don't wait.

I agree find what you want where you want and do it. Life is to short. Not much difference on risk from one place to another. Most cases it’s your actions that control risk.

Your timing depends on your concern about the virus. Florida is not controlling the amplification of the virus like many of our home states. If you are high risk and your state is putting a damper on this maiming virus, slow your move. Many activities are on hold here, although outside activities like golf, biking, walking, etc. are allowed. Most residents mask if inside or distance. We can’t really get out and meet friends with common interests unless they are those stated. We are ballroom dancers and it has been difficult for us.

Keep in mind that Florida is a tourist state so reinfection from travelers is expected, we have no safe vaccine presently that offers long term protection, and that health care here is middle of the road.

If you do buy in The Villages, find out which grocery stores and pharmacies are nearby for you to use. We are in the new area near Fenney and still don’t have the shopping area that was promised. TV is starting it now. Many of the residents have been here for years. The significance .. stores just north of is have been under stocked frequently. We now shop much further away than planned and travel by car. The golf cart paths between the old and newer sections have yet to be made.