[Lottoguy]

Yes, age is no factor in The Villages when it comes to insurance. The roof is the main asking point from agents. Being close to a fire hydrant will also give you a discount.

[SusanStCatherine]

My thoughts on what you are looking for: It's probably good to wait until after the election to see what happens. But if what happens is not good for buying? Who knows? I think you pay one way or another. Newell, Lake Denham, and Dabney are all Lake County. I believe most of new southern construction (other than those three) are Sumter and probably the higher taxed portion of Sumter which is Wildwood. The rates for irrigation water in Wildwood are much higher than other areas. Southern irrigation is not potable water whereas up north a fair amount is. New construction has natural gas and the lines are run through the attic which is bad if lightning strikes. The bonds for new houses near Eastport are almost $50K and interest rates higher on that bond so take that into account if purchasing new.
As for everything being new in a new house and under warranty - that I attest is not necessarily true. After suffering numerous warranty visits the first year, many items were never properly fixed, and some items failed just after the first year. The new construction recipe is low cost + installed quickly. If you purchase new, get a cosmetic inspection with full inspection within the first seven days. Also get a full inspection at the 10-11 month and make sure everything is fixed before the one year is up. You have no leverage after the year is up, even if items were reported before then. The PGT windows and Wellborn cabinets are very subpar. The precast walls and hurricane straps are good and insurance on new home will be the least expensive.
You can listen for noise outside your house, but that changes with the weather and seasons.
Neighbors are a crap shoot, even in new neighborhoods. Rentals can be anywhere, even large homes with pools. Rentals seem more concentrated closer to squares and less expensive neighborhoods.
Good luck and hope you find a great house with great neighbors in an area you'll love.

[heartofthecountry]

Originally Posted by jimmy o

Sounds to me like you’d be a great asset to TV. My wife and I find TV to be less costly than most other retirement communities that we looked at, and way more fun. Reading here you’ll find many complaints about prices, but the fact is that prices went up everywhere. You can find plenty of houses in your price range here. As for new vs old that’s your decision. We moved here and bought a 16 year old that that is now approaching 20. The insurance company made us replace roof this year, no problem it was time and on our list to do anyway. Now we get a small discount.

Bond is indeed something to consider, realtors here are trained to make us believe that bond has nothing to do with cost of house or debt. That’s bs. Take two $300,000 homes and add a$12000 bond to one and then check compare your monthly cost. Good luck in what you choose, I’m eager to count you in as a fellow villager.

Thanks for your input and kind words

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by heartofthecountry

Thank you all so much for your responses. You have given us a lot to consider and think about. A couple of things regarding your responses: Yes I over think. I guess because it is a huge decision as I am winding down towards retirement. We really do not want to rent as, we do not want to put our things in storage. We really only want to move one more time. I have moved a lot with my job over the years and only have one more move in me. I did not mean to offend regarding the word “Trailer” which by the way is not in my original post. I used the words “mobile home.” Just because I know insurance can be an issue with them. Dare I say that we are not golfers [and still want to live here] We do not want a CYV or anything with a fence. Again, you have all offered so much good advice from financial considerations, to locations, difference in what the houses are built of, insurance issues, considerations of clubs, [my wife loves that there is a quilting club!] Very interesting to read how you all approached your move to TV. Again, many thanks for all your thoughts and responses. We continue the quest!

Since you are coming for a visit in "late summer", then try to make it in August because not everyone likes the EXTREME HEAT in the summer in central Florida. The HEAT has to be experienced to be related to. And each year it will get worse according to climate scientists. So, The Villages has a lot of GREAT activities, but one has to either accept the HIGH summer temperatures or find a way to be up north either traveling or in a summer rental home.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by Glowing Horizon

I love your section! You didnt mention the area’s mature trees and lush landscaping. A gardener might relish established plants. This section has (reportedly)fewer CDD rules (called HOA elsewhere) too—which could be considered as good or bad depending on each person’s perspective. One thing I dislike is the old original golfcart bridge. It seems very narrow & steep but maybe I’d get used to it in time.

The original golf cart bridge is one of the main attractions. It's like a roller-coaster ride and SO much fun to go over! I never get tired of it.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by Snakster66

True, but the big question there is, how much does it cost to build a house on said lot? The lots in the historic district aren’t cheap (relative to lots down south anyway); 90-165k. That wouldn’t leave a whole lot for building a house. Admittedly, I haven’t the first clue how much that would cost; so I’m not saying it can’t be done. But maybe it can’t be done. I’d be curious if anyone had at least a ballpark figure for such a pursuit.

There really is no ballpark. You can roll a manufactured home onto the lot for under $100,000. You can also build a 3000-sf 3b/3b with a 2.5-car garage and a pool for $600,000.