[Papa_lecki]

Originally Posted by Hopeful Returnee

Is it true that mail is not delivered to your home and you have to go to a mail station to retrieve it? If you are used to having your mail delivered every day (except Sunday) for your entire life, this is a pretty big change. Perhaps as you get older, you don't feel like or aren't well enough to go out each day. How do you manage with this mail delivery system. Are there other options other than relying on a kind neighbor who might be willing to do pick up you mail occasionally. I would never want to impose on someone to do this for me indefinitely.

This is not a big deal. Some postal stations are walkable, if not, a quick golf cart ride.
Amazon and many packages come directly to the house - just the USPS stuff goes to the postal station

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by Buckeye Bleau

Renting first is a great idea.
Living between Town Centers is a great idea.
I would suggest investigating the different Rec Centers and what they offer.
I know this is weird and I don’t want to start a bunch of hate Mail, but I cannot coax my wife away from the “historic” areas of silver Lake and Orange Blossum, yes we have some trailers, we have manufactured and we have site built so the area is diverse but it is mature. We have trr we o executive courses, one CC, two adult, one family snd one CC pool that has a waterfall.
The roads are quieter, less traffic because nobody is passing through to get somewhere. We are on the extreme NE confer snd we like it that way. It takes 8 minutes from my NE corner home to Spanish Springs, add 1 minute for grocery snd liquor, restaurants andshopping via golf cart. We have a private gate and road to go to Walmart, Lowe’s and do much more in about 12 minutes by golf cart.
We have it all with NO BONDS and no through traffic.

It's also a really beautiful area over on your corner (I'm up in the northwest corner of the Historic Section, closer to that golf cart gate). Over on Schwartz near St. Andrews you get that amazing pasture behind the property - according to google maps, it's at the end of Hidden Meadow Road, outside the Villages.

[beckylou152]

Originally Posted by adamcurtis

My wife and I have visited The Villages and love all there is to do! We hope to purchase a home and live here full-time. I need some help from the community to make some decisions. Here are our concerns when considering a location. Is it better to be close to a square or further away (are they noisy)? What other amenities are there besides golfing (we are not avid golfers, although we enjoy mini golf on occasion haha)? Is there anything you would recommend to first time Village home-owners?

We are appreciative for your comments in advance!

We wondered the same thing when we first started thinking of TV. We came down and rented a place fairly near to Lake Sumter landing. We stayed there one month and spent significant time looking at each area. We ended up buying south of 44 in Bradford for several reasons. First, we wanted a new home. Second we wanted to be near a lot of nature trails and walkways. Third, we wanted to be where there are a lot of younger retirees like us. Fourth we wanted to NOT have the turnpike in our backyard. Fifth we were interested in being near some amenities like we will have nearby in Saint Catherine (music, restaurant, etc). We actually love riding our golf cart everywhere, love our neighborhood, and our new home. I do love going to Brownwood, and it is a 30 minute golf cart ride which doesn’t bother me. I have also ridden my cart to Sumter Landing. I think the town squares are really fun, but it is ok not to live right next door to them. All of TV is quite nice - you should be able to find a home you love! Good luck!

[Cranford61]

Bay Head here

[NotGolfer]

It sort of sounds like you're way over-thinking your situation and going with "what if's". The Villages is an active community but as far as the day to day living isn't much different than any other places you might settle in. It's neighborhoods and people. What things you do, depends on YOUR interests---which you may find here as well. I would rent first, rather than buy and then figure out the areas that appeal to you best.

[MandoMan]

Originally Posted by adamcurtis

My wife and I have visited The Villages and love all there is to do! We hope to purchase a home and live here full-time. I need some help from the community to make some decisions. Here are our concerns when considering a location. Is it better to be close to a square or further away (are they noisy)? What other amenities are there besides golfing (we are not avid golfers, although we enjoy mini golf on occasion haha)? Is there anything you would recommend to first time Village home-owners?

We are appreciative for your comments in advance!

I live 1.6 miles by road from Lake Sumter Landing and 2 miles from Spanish Springs. I’ve never heard music from Spanish Springs at my house as there are thousands of trees and homes to muffle the sound. However, I’m one block west of Morse and one block north of 466. I can hear a little road noise on my patio, but it’s not loud. I don’t hear it in the house with the windows closed. However, even though I am 1.6 miles from Lake Sumter Landing, nearly all of that distance is LAKE, and music carries well over water. There are only a dozen houses and a couple dozen trees between me and the music. In the evening on the patio I can always hear the bass and sometimes a tiny bit of other instruments. Even in the house with the windows closed, I can often hear the bass in my bedroom. I wish I couldn’t, but so it goes. I can’t hear the bass when the television is on, however, and the bass stops at 9 pm.

How much of the music can you take? A village or two soaks up a lot of sound. High ground between you and the band stand will soak up even more. Swamps and wetlands like the ones south of 44 soak up the sound much better than do large lakes.

I downloaded a decibel meter app called SPLnFFT Noise Meter. It works great. It will tell you how much noise there is, moment by moment and by average. For example, in my quiet bedroom right now, the background noise is about 20 decibels. Give it a try. Then, any home you visit, you can check the noise level outside and inside. Go to the neighborhood at night, turn off your car, and stand outside. Then you will know how loud the music is on the patio. This is also very useful if you are considering a home near a freeway or major road. Just don’t buy a house, then petition to have the volume of the music turned down.

[Ptmckiou]

There are approximately 3300 clubs in The Villages. Whatever your interest, it’s here. Card clubs, radio controlled boats, archery, water skiing, chess club, wine club, book clubs, pottery, glass club, beer brewing, woodworking, dancing classes, Zumba, …..you get the picture.

[joelfmi]

Originally Posted by Koapaka

I also agree renting a few months is the best way to figure out where you want to end up with a forever home, but advise you to check rental rates for "snowbird" season and select months NOT in that time frame if at all possible. The same rental that will cost you $1,700 per month May thru Oct can cost you $4K+ per month with a minimum number of months commitment (normally 3 months during snowbird season) which would be a nice chunk of change difference to pay towards that new house! WELCOME to the best place on earth to enjoy living!

Please unless you are a golfer this is not the best place to live Please! just read the con's on the talk of the villages treads

[LizzieBorden]

We live between 466-466A with Sumter in the middle and we love it and it is also our favorite square to visit. We are just south of 466 and for me, it was important to be near the grocery store/restaurants as I truly enjoy cooking and like being able to drive my cart to the store daily if I want. I do most of my travel via cart. I would suggest a 2 car/1 cart garage, more space which you never have enough of. A couple thing to keep in mind as you make your decision. Know which way you want to the sun to hit your home. I wanted it on the back of my home not the front. The sun rises to the left on my lanai and ends on the right of my lanai which is perfect for me. Second suggestion is to be aware of where your rec center is in relationship to your home due to the pickleball court noise. We love the sport and play, but we are just enough away we dont hear the constant sound starting at 7AM daily. Come, rent for a month, decided where you want to be location wise, talk to many of us around and gather enough information and if you do it right, you many only have to buy a home once! LOL.... I was fortunate to do that. Good luck.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by adamcurtis

My wife and I have visited The Villages and love all there is to do! We hope to purchase a home and live here full-time. I need some help from the community to make some decisions. Here are our concerns when considering a location. Is it better to be close to a square or further away (are they noisy)? What other amenities are there besides golfing (we are not avid golfers, although we enjoy mini golf on occasion haha)? Is there anything you would recommend to first time Village home-owners?

We are appreciative for your comments in advance!

The thrill and excitement of dancing at the squares, drinking at the squares, shopping at the squares becomes less for many of us in a couple of years when we have a friend base group established and other activities that make us fairly tired in the evening. Don't discount the siren call of the Golf here. Many non golfers join the fray.

We had our first home in Hadley, nearer 466A and our second really close to 466. We like being close to shopping and other appointments that become quite common as we age. (medical) I enjoy being really close to Laurel Manor Regional Rec center and go there three days a week for various art and craft groups. We bought new and our neighbors are fairly close to us in age and we enjoy them.

[Scbang]

Good luck finding any house. The inventory of houses on sale now is ridiculously low.

[Rite2jamie]

Don’t do it! Either way.

[irish2468]

Originally Posted by adamcurtis

My wife and I have visited The Villages and love all there is to do! We hope to purchase a home and live here full-time. I need some help from the community to make some decisions. Here are our concerns when considering a location. Is it better to be close to a square or further away (are they noisy)? What other amenities are there besides golfing (we are not avid golfers, although we enjoy mini golf on occasion haha)? Is there anything you would recommend to first time Village home-owners?

We are appreciative for your comments in advance!

We live 500 yards from LSL...it's great...if there is any sounds it's great music. choose whats best for your current situation.

[SERENITY52]

Originally Posted by adamcurtis

My wife and I have visited The Villages and love all there is to do! We hope to purchase a home and live here full-time. I need some help from the community to make some decisions. Here are our concerns when considering a location. Is it better to be close to a square or further away (are they noisy)? What other amenities are there besides golfing (we are not avid golfers, although we enjoy mini golf on occasion haha)? Is there anything you would recommend to first time Village home-owners?

We are appreciative for your comments in advance!

Buy near CR466. It's in between Lake Sumter Landing and Spanish Springs. Very convenient to all The Villages has to offer.

[2BNTV]

Renting for a couple of months is a smart thing to do. Get a map from the sales center to give you an idea of where everything is located.

Most people find after being here for 6 months or more, it's more convenient to be closer to shopping and doctors.

Make a list of "must haves" and "would like to have" in a home that you want to purchase.

Only you can decide what's important to you!!!