[123marcel]

I have rented for years. I am thinking I should drink the Kool Aid already! So...
I would love to be able to look out one side of my house and NOT see my friendly neighbor watching TV through the window. I would prefer nature or openness of some kind...

a) I think water would have the problem of bugs and or bigger creatures? (I'm a dog person. My dog is big but as I get older might opt for one easy to pick up. So NO CROCS PLEASE!)

b) I think golf course would be nice. I heard they mow the grass at sun up. I sleep until 9-10. I'm retired! You think I'm getting up early!?!

c) Nature preserve - Both bugs and crocs?

d) Fenced properties w/ pebbles instead of grass seems not great for a dog. Also dog clean up might be more unpleasant... I'm not thrilled about limiting my horizon to 20 ft either.

I would love to hear from any long term residents who have lived in these type of situations and can give me feedback. And/or suggest another way to have some nature around my home?

Thanks for your time!
Be safe!
M

[tophcfa]

I love golf, but living on a course is not for me. Let's see, pay a premium to have no privacy from sunrise to sunset, get woken up early by lawn mowers and weed wackers, and risk having the club house torn down and replaced with a multi story high density apartment complex. After what happened at Hacienda Hills, anyone would be crazy to pay a premium to live on a golf course.

We abut a nature preserve and love it, it can never be developed, it gives us great privacy, and the sounds and sights of the wildlife are great. The bugs are only bad right around sunset to a little while after dusk and the only critters that concern me are snakes. We have seen gators, bobcats, fox, and just about every type of bird you can imagine. We love the spring when the frogs are chirping and as a bonus the sunsets are spectacular.

[RErmer]

We live on a golf course (3rd hole of Fox Run/Glenview) and yes, they mow early in the morning. Never bothers me because I’m a sound sleeper. Never bothers my hubby because he’s any early riser. That said, we moved here from Ft. Lauderdale where we lived on a small lake, so we weren’t used to having anything/anyone behind us. We love living on the course, and are glad we chose it over a water view.

[vintageogauge]

We lived on a golf course for 13 years and never again, if you are near the cart path, or God help you a tee box, there is no privacy whatsoever and very noisy. We have now lived on a lake/pond for 3-1/2 years and it is totally peaceful and relaxing, no bug problem, have only seen one snake since moving here, have one resident gator that doesn't bother anyone. You know my answer.

[Spepper]

We live on Bogart #4 and love it. The view is great. Sunsets beautiful. I have seen the headights from the mowing equipment but have never heard any noise at all. I don't like snakes of any kind. I was told by a landscaper that I should stay away from water and oak trees. I also have a dog so I we didn't want to take any chances and live around water.

[starflyte1]

Have lived on golf course for 12 years. It is a championship course, so it is not as busy as an executive course. The golf cart trail is 12 feet from my lanai screen. My house is on the left side of the fairway so we don’t get many balls close to the house.

I love living on the course! Nothing about it bothers me. The players seem so rushed and quiet, and I don’t sleep with windows or doors open, so I don’t hear the maintenance crews.

If you have a water view, it may change at different times of the year, or may just become an area with a lot of growth.

No doubt someone will say that my golf course can be changed by the developer (think Hacienda) but where I live should be safe for many years to come.

I love the fact that there is activity in my back yard. The carts and players are nice to watch. Lots of life! Sitting on the lanai by the pool and golf course is like being on vacation every day.

[rustyp]

Most water lots in TV are nothing more than drainage ponds. The water level vary drastically. When water levels go low aquatic weeds go wild and you are now looking at a marsh. Do your homework here and talk to neighbors before a purchase offer. Golf course lots are an easy formula. For the most part your view is protected - most likely it will remain a golf course and not another neighborhood (putting this apartment debacle issue aside for a moment). The don'ts of a golf course lot are:
1 - not on a tee unless you like listening to swearing
2 - not adjacent to the cart path
3 - not on the right side of a hole unless more than 300 yards from the tees.
4 - If you are a late sleeper golf course lots are not for you.

[patfla06]

We live on water and it is simply heaven.

The birds that we see are so relaxing.
Yes we have a gator but this is Florida.

Like my Son says every time he visits,
“ this view never gets old.” ☺️

[Toymeister]

I think what is important is the view should have some action.

Some nature views are pretty inactive the same also applies to golf views.

Have you considered that you can get two out of three. Nature with water or golf with water?

We went with golf and water away from the tee on the fairway 50 yards from the path. 120 feet of frontage makes for a nice panorama. It is common to see birds, golfers and a gator all at once

[dewilson58]

Water view................no guarantee water will be there tomorrow.

[bluedivergirl]

No crocs here, they need brackish or salt water. There are plenty of alligators.

We chose a lot with a pond connected to Evan's Prairie. We love it. We constantly see birds and bird arguments. A few turtles and snakes . Some kind of mammal comes and night and feeds on clams and other shells. We think it is a racoon. Alligators come and go regularly, but have never bothered us.

Since we are connected to the Prairie, I don't worry about losing water. We'd be in a heap o trouble if the Prairie went dry.

We were not attracted to a golf course lot, because we don't like early morning mowing, and the potential for people to constantly be near your house.

P.S. No bug problem at all.

[tophcfa]

Originally Posted by dewilson58

Water view................no guarantee water will be there tomorrow.

Very true, but let's not forget, Country Club view..................., no guarantee that will be there tomorrow either.

[Happinow]

We live on a champion golf course. Our home is set back so there is no cart path real close.....probably about 30 feet. We just love our location. Once in a while at about 8:00 am or so I hear them empty the metal trash cans on the tee but that’s about it. We have an inroom air conditioner going so we don’t hear much...if anything, so noise is not a problem for us. What we like is having nobody behind us, the beautiful sunset that occurs over the golf course, we love that we get to watch people tee off and hear them laugh (and of course a few choice words when the shot goes a foul) sometimes we yell a friendly hello when people are looking our way. They wave, we wave back. I like having people around and the golfers, for us, are part of what The Villages are all about. I think living on an executive course may be a lot different with the amount of golfers on them every day. I would not choose to live on an executive course. I agree about the bugs near water. When we were looking a homes when we first moved here, we looked homes on the water and all of them Had an enormous amount of bugs on their lanai screens. We knew then that water was not for us. Best of luck with your search. Everyone’s needs and desires are different. Do what’s right for you!

[Altavia]

Originally Posted by 123marcel

I have rented for years. I am thinking I should drink the Kool Aid already! So...
I would love to be able to look out one side of my house and NOT see my friendly neighbor watching TV through the window. I would prefer nature or openness of some kind...

a) I think water would have the problem of bugs and or bigger creatures? (I'm a dog person. My dog is big but as I get older might opt for one easy to pick up. So NO CROCS PLEASE!)

M

Have a water view and no problem with bugs, critters or lack of water. They use bubble aeration at least south of 44 to keep the water clear of alge. Plenty of nature to watch and sunset view is amazing.

[doodles]

Try looking for a house between two streets. I love it, no traffic after 9 at night ( it is a retirement community) and you and your dogs can watch the people go by during the day.