[fpmoravcik]

When changing my hot water, there was no shut off valve for the cold water. Had to shut off the water for the entire house to finish the job, including adding a shut off on the cold water.

[Ben Franklin]

Originally Posted by Misky1951

I've always heard that you get more home for your dollar outside TV.

My cousin visited and we looked at several retirement communities from leesburg to ocala.

The only new homes were at Top of the World. Looking at homes in both totw and TV in the $250-300k range, the quality was much better in totw. Have to say I was disappointed in the new home quality in the st Catherine area.

But there were no comparison on activities with TV. Not even close.

So it comes down to lifestyle. For me. It was the activities. I think my cousin feels the same way.

When we visited all these retirement areas, I never revealed that I was from TV. It was interesting to hear the locals talk about TV. A lot of crazy stories!

TV built homes are not the best in the world. We looked at TV, On Top of the World and Stone Creek. Stone Creek had the best built homes, IMHO, followed by OTOW, and then TV. Stone Creek only had one golf course and one rec. ctr., and ONE restaurant. If memory serves me right, OTOW, the water is owned by the developer, and you only have a 100 year lease to the land, so leaving it to family was in question, for me..

Yes, TV is all lifestyle, and no other communities compare for recreation and town centers.

[kathy1516]

The homes outside are much better quality. TOTW is where my Nextdoor neighbor moved to She hated the Villages. Higher end flooring, appliances, 50 year hurricane roof. The roofs last 10-15 years in the Villages. The HVAC same thing. We’ve lived here 9 years and our home is 15 years old. We’re waiting for our new roof to be installed and a new air conditioning unit to be replaced. Last year we had to replace our lanai because the concrete slab was sinking into the ground and major flooding was occurring every time it rained. It began leaking about the same time we moved in and cost us a mere $14,000 out of pocket since insurance does not cover lanais. We’ve replaced all the flooring since living here. What you’re buying here is a lifestyle. If you have a boatload of money for constant upgrades and repairs, by all means the Villages is the place to be.

[Tmarkwald]

Originally Posted by DAVES

There is no shortage of posters with opinions but no knowledge. I do not claim knowledge but our previous home, in New York was built in 1948. Materials in the home
real plaster walls, copper plumbing, real oak flooring, lumber that you simply cannot buy today. Gas was run through iron (soft steel) pipe not plastic tubing. They don't make them like they used to and we would not pay what it would cost to do it. Amusing reality
standard construction lumber a 2x4 is smaller than it was in 1948.

I don't think gas can be run through plastic pipe.

[wdst1]

All depends on who the builder is and who the electrician is.

[mk1126]

Yes,: one is "paying" for the "lifestyle" here; but if you don't want to do much -- Marion Oaks maybe?
Mikael

[valuemkt]

I call Bull$h*t on charges of inferior quality. Our home was built to contract, not spec. In any other area of country that I know of, the project would have taken at least 7 months. It took them 3 months. I watched every aspect of the home being built .. from ground break to close. Corners were not cut. Why ? Skilled workers doing the same house over and over .. Incredibly detailed plans with EVERY selection made in advance.. spec sheet was over 100 pages.. Superb supply chain .. since every selection was made in advance, there were no material delays.. Workers were there virtually every day (sometimes night) 7 days a week. Finish work .. carpentry, quartz, fixture installation, tile all done by specialists to spec. All workers know that warranty work comes directly back to them on their dime. These are not Ryan or DR Horton homes they're building here .. could easily compete with Pulte, at least at the Designer level.

[Barborv]

When we were looking on where to retire several years ago we did 2, two week trips down to Florida to check out communities. The first trip We went to about 10 communities all spread out. A lot of Del webbs. The 2nd trip we drove down the east coast crossing over to the west coast and back up going North. All in all we must of went to 30-40 communities. From Solivita, to Mt Dora, to sun city, OTOTW , Villages of citrus Hills, Stone crest, Trilogy Pelican, etc. Some were older communities and looked it. All had ONE to TWO clubhouses. Some clubhouses were new and beautiful. What we did realize after visiting the Villages is that you definitely got more upgrades in the homes everywhere else for the same money. the homes in the villages for the same price had no tile, no granite, etc. After one day in the villages, we were hooked. Solivita I had really liked before seeing the villages but my husband said no way. He didnt like the area. But when I saw the life style of the villages, that was it. We bought the next day.We actually stayed at a friends house in Clermont at Heritage Hills. Beautiful home, beautiful clubhouse. I would of shot myself if I lived there!! LOL, BOREING!!

[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by mydavid

I lived at the TOTW for 10 years, no doubt dollar for dollar much better built homes (all homes are cinder block) and you get to pick your finishes. Life style much more laid back. In TV you have a life style un match any place, the draw back is the size and the traffic.

And, you moved to TV………..

[Villages Kahuna]

…but I observed that houses in The Villages stood up exceedingly well to hurricanes, high winds, rain, etc. They don’t have the brickwork, fancy interior woodwork and wood floors that you might get up north, but for Florida they’re very well built and very attractive.

[BettyInFL]

You are buying the 'lifestyle', not a quality home meant to be lived in for the next 20 to 30 years.

Look at the cheap 'short' cabinets, no dovetail or 'soft-close' drawers, carpet everywhere, and other 'quality' details that you would expect.

In our utility room we found the the plumbing was backwards. (i.e. cold water in the hot water connection), cheap water turn off valves in the bathrooms, no cupboard hardware (knobs and drawer pulls) in the kitchen or bathrooms, no light fixtures/ceiling fans in the bedrooms, and so on.

Fortunately, hubby is pretty handy around the house. Have spent a bunch of money at Lowes (why don't we have stock in that company???) and spent the first couple of months in our new house (built 2004) updating all these details.

Love it here, and paid a premium to be here. But, gee whiz... ..

It is up to you what is acceptable and what you feel the need to upgrade.

[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by BettyInFL

You are buying the 'lifestyle', not a quality home meant to be lived in for the next 20 to 30 years.

Look at the cheap 'short' cabinets, no dovetail or 'soft-close' drawers, carpet everywhere, and other 'quality' details that you would expect.

In our utility room we found the the plumbing was backwards. (i.e. cold water in the hot water connection), cheap water turn off valves in the bathrooms, no cupboard hardware (knobs and drawer pulls) in the kitchen or bathrooms, no light fixtures/ceiling fans in the bedrooms, and so on.

Fortunately, hubby is pretty handy around the house. Have spent a bunch of money at Lowes (why don't we have stock in that company???) and spent the first couple of months in our new house (built 2004) updating all these details.

Love it here, and paid a premium to be here. But, gee whiz... ..

It is up to you what is acceptable and what you feel the need to upgrade.

You bought a house that is 17 years old. What did you expect?
We are in ours16 + and expect that some things will need to be replaced/upgraded.
Looking forward to our 20-30 years.

[Altavia]

Originally Posted by valuemkt

I call Bull$h*t on charges of inferior quality. Our home was built to contract, not spec. In any other area of country that I know of, the project would have taken at least 7 months. It took them 3 months. I watched every aspect of the home being built .. from ground break to close. Corners were not cut. Why ? Skilled workers doing the same house over and over .. Incredibly detailed plans with EVERY selection made in advance.. spec sheet was over 100 pages.. Superb supply chain .. since every selection was made in advance, there were no material delays.. Workers were there virtually every day (sometimes night) 7 days a week. Finish work .. carpentry, quartz, fixture installation, tile all done by specialists to spec. All workers know that warranty work comes directly back to them on their dime. These are not Ryan or DR Horton homes they're building here .. could easily compete with Pulte, at least at the Designer level.

I was at the home daily during construction and had the same experience. Construction is highly optimized and process oriented like an automotive factory.

The skilled trades I spoke with all had 20+ years experience and very proud of their work.

Construction supervisors meet periodically, tour each other's homes and discuss continuous improvement/best practices.

County inspectors were top notch, respected by the workers and anything they noted fixed within the next working day.

This was the third home we've constructed and was the best built.

[Kimberlyn]

I am curious, what specifically you were unimpressed with in St. Catherine's. My husband and I just bought our house sight unseen and can't come down until July. I'm excited, but wondering what we'll find. Thanks for the info.

[Ptmckiou]

Originally Posted by BettyInFL

You are buying the 'lifestyle', not a quality home meant to be lived in for the next 20 to 30 years.

Look at the cheap 'short' cabinets, no dovetail or 'soft-close' drawers, carpet everywhere, and other 'quality' details that you would expect.

In our utility room we found the the plumbing was backwards. (i.e. cold water in the hot water connection), cheap water turn off valves in the bathrooms, no cupboard hardware (knobs and drawer pulls) in the kitchen or bathrooms, no light fixtures/ceiling fans in the bedrooms, and so on.

Fortunately, hubby is pretty handy around the house. Have spent a bunch of money at Lowes (why don't we have stock in that company???) and spent the first couple of months in our new house (built 2004) updating all these details.

Love it here, and paid a premium to be here. But, gee whiz... ..

It is up to you what is acceptable and what you feel the need to upgrade.

We just bought a spec home in Hawkins. It has tile that looks like wood floors throughout the house, except carpet in the bedrooms, has the 42” upper kitchen cabinets, beautiful quartz counters everywhere, soft close drawers in kitchen, high grade plumbing fixtures, Carrier heat pump, wired as a smart home.....could keep going, so I don’t know what you are referring to about “cheap” spec homes. They are anything but....