[banjobob]

The best village is all of them if you want snob appeal go for the high end homes , if you want convenience any village will fill the bill if you want the younger 55 stay in the undeveloped fully southern end if you want a nice mature landscape stay in the northern section, the clamoring and entering lotteries for some Villages is insane the entire Villages is wonderful , pick a home style you like in your budget and enjoy.

[bark4me]

Originally Posted by JSR22

You will find everyone thinks they live in the best village. If you want a brand-new house, you need to look south of 44. If you are a Championship gofer look from 466 to 466 A. You want shopping look North of 44. If you want a lower priced home, you would look in the Historic Section North of 441.
I have never seen a ranking of Villages and I have lived here 10 years. You need to figure out what is important to you then you can select the areas that would work for you.

Very well put. In my opinion you can't go wrong picking any Village. You need to come down here, take the trolly tours, talk to some residents at the Squares and go from there.

[Yellowrose]

Once you narrow your search down, put a Plus by any locations in Sumter County. They have lower taxes, lower bond & lower utilities. I think any Village around hwy 44 or 466A allows you easy access to all the amenities.

[lawgolfer]

Originally Posted by JSR22

You will find everyone thinks they live in the best village. If you want a brand-new house, you need to look south of 44. If you are a Championship gofer look from 466 to 466 A. You want shopping look North of 44. If you want a lower priced home, you would look in the Historic Section North of 441.
I have never seen a ranking of Villages and I have lived here 10 years. You need to figure out what is important to you then you can select the areas that would work for you.

Retiring gave you a good summary. For convenience to restaurants, the LSL town square, stock brokers, and golf courses, stay "between the 6's". Even better is to stay within a box made up of Morse to Buena Vista and 466 to 466A.

If a new house is your desire, you will have to go south. For a "newer" house, anything south of 466A will do.

[Marathon Man]

Originally Posted by Sonoftuntavern

I apologize if some of you took this the wrong way, and thank those of you who tried to provide useful information (thanks for detailed responses Michael & Oldragbagger). I live in a neighborhood that I am perfectly happy with, but at the same time I am also perfectly willing to acknowledge that there are nicer neighborhoods nearby, which doesn’t bother me or make me feel defensive. I am only seeking opinions, which you definitely don’t have to provide if it hurts your feelings. Maybe I should have started a little broader and asked if there is a best county to live in, and then worked down from there. There is a 2022 article at strategistico that provides some rankings of villages based on various personal preferences, while still using some objective reasoning. Without having visited, my guess is that there about 10% of villages that distinguish themselves as being more desirable for some reason (but are consequently higher priced and may be more than you are willing to pay), 10% that might distinguish themselves as being generally less desirable under some parameters (but are worth it because they are lower priced if you don’t want to spend much on a second home), and that the other 80% are pretty much indistinguishable. I don’t think it is trolling to seek information about where you are considering buying a place, but again, if you take this as a personal affront to your human dignity, I apologize. I suppose a real estate agent in the area might be willing venture a harmless opinion, but if anyone else is willing to exercise this great display of backbone and act of moral courage, I would still appreciate it. Thanks!

Please don't choose my village.

[SusanStCatherine]

The taxes are much higher in Lake County (Newell). Brand new homes come with a bond often over $30k. The brand new houses are getting put up very quickly and the quality of supplies and workmanship has gone down. If you are looking at new homes you need a villages salesperson. If you are looking at previously owned homes you need a realtor for some of those. Good luck!

[NoMo50]

Most folks here think their village is the best, which is as it should be. Every village/area has a vibe, and it is impossible to get that vibe via remote viewing...you simply have to be here. The single best way to conduct an informed search is to do a lifestyle visit. Or, even multiple lifestyle visits. Have a sales agent take you around to get the overall big picture. Take the golf cart they provide and go everywhere, and talk with people. Try to figure out what is important to you, and what is not. Keep in mind that your life here will be different from wherever you are now. Whatever you may have heard about there being a "best" village, or a "worst" village is hogwash. That also goes for the 10% this or that nonsense. It's not like you have Beverly Hills over here, and some slum over there.

No one posting here can identify a future home for you, as that is a deeply personal decision. You just need to take that first step and come visit. Only then will you be able to truly understand what The Villages is all about. One caveat, though: if you come, and decide this is the place for you, be in a position to act now. Homes on the market typically do not last long, so you have to be prepared to pull the trigger if you find one that suits you. Good luck.

[dtennent]

More Important than which village is the house itself. You need to consider storage since there are no basements and what you can put into an attic is limited by heat. There are other threads you can read that go through all of this plus more. Good luck.

[MX rider]

Originally Posted by NoMo50

Most folks here think their village is the best, which is as it should be. Every village/area has a vibe, and it is impossible to get that vibe via remote viewing...you simply have to be here. The single best way to conduct an informed search is to do a lifestyle visit. Or, even multiple lifestyle visits. Have a sales agent take you around to get the overall big picture. Take the golf cart they provide and go everywhere, and talk with people. Try to figure out what is important to you, and what is not. Keep in mind that your life here will be different from wherever you are now. Whatever you may have heard about there being a "best" village, or a "worst" village is hogwash. That also goes for the 10% this or that nonsense. It's not like you have Beverly Hills over here, and some slum over there.

No one posting here can identify a future home for you, as that is a deeply personal decision. You just need to take that first step and come visit. Only then will you be able to truly understand what The Villages is all about. One caveat, though: if you come, and decide this is the place for you, be in a position to act now. Homes on the market typically do not last long, so you have to be prepared to pull the trigger if you find one that suits you. Good luck.

Very well said!

[golfing eagles]

Originally Posted by SusanStCatherine

The taxes are much higher in Lake County (Newell). Brand new homes come with a bond often over $30k. The brand new houses are getting put up very quickly and the quality of supplies and workmanship has gone down. If you are looking at new homes you need a villages salesperson. If you are looking at previously owned homes you need a realtor for some of those. Good luck!

Are you one of the builders??? If not, how do you know this?????

[Rodneysblue]

Originally Posted by JSR22

You will find everyone thinks they live in the best village. If you want a brand-new house, you need to look south of 44. If you are a Championship gofer look from 466 to 466 A. You want shopping look North of 44. If you want a lower priced home, you would look in the Historic Section North of 441.
I have never seen a ranking of Villages and I have lived here 10 years. You need to figure out what is important to you then you can select the areas that would work for you.

Well said!

[jmaccallum]

Many people coming to the Villages are told that the age group in the North is older than that of other areas. I’d like to clarify that is not true.

Yes, the villages in the North were built first, so one could assume all those people that bought houses 20 - almost 30 years ago are ancient people still living there.

In reality many of those folks have “aged out” and the homes subsequently resold/bought by “New Retirees” and therefore young, such as you.

I live in a North village, and the majority of my neighborhood and golf friends are in their 50’s, 60’s and 70’s, and they all live in villages around me up here in the North. So don’t let the supposedly “ancient age” stories scare you off from villages north of 466. It’s not true.

[airstreamingypsy]

Hi, Not sure why so many people are being snarky, it can be like that here. My thoughts. If you are coming with a fist full of dollars, and can afford it, buy in Bridgeport, or Edgewater. Walking distance to Lake Sumter Landing. The center of the action. If you are buying a regular house, buy close to one of the major roads like Morse Blvd or Buena Vista. If you buy deep into a Village you will wind around forever to get to a major road. I would buy a house with the bond paid. What might be a downfall to bond paid is established neighborhoods are full of cliques, so people have reportedly not been welcoming to newcomers. The good news about the new sections down south is everyone is new, so no established cliques. (Down south is south of 44) If you have a dog, there are some neighborhoods with yards, I know Pine ridge has them, there probably are more. TV and Internet is provided by certain carriers in each area. I use Spectrum cable Internet.... excellent. I stream TV. Sumter taxes are lower than Lake and Marion counties. Different cellphone companies work better some places rather than others. I hope some of that helps.

[mikeycereal]

So you visit for a certain amount of time and find the village best for you.

Some like being close to the town square for music, bars, restaurants and other outdoor enjoyment. I like that I'm a short 10-min golf cart ride to Brownwood. Or some may like a golf course near their backyard.

Some like being close to doctors. I like that I'm a 5 min car drive away from the health clinic. There's even an ER clinic at the end of my main street.

Some like being close to stores. That one I had to adjust. 5 min from a Publix, 16 min from Walmart. I do the closer one for a quick pickup, but for other things I have to do the 32 min round trip for Walmart or the 1-2 hour (24 min away) for Sam's. An adjustment from having stores 5 min away from me at where I used to live.

Some have complained about the turnpike noise. I live close to it and it hasn't bothered me at all.

Maybe you want brand new (my choice) or maybe you want older and established.

There's plus and minuses, maybe pick more pluses.

My initial visit was last year Thanksgiving vacation and I was given the tour.

[bluecenturian]

Only you can rank the villages. Depends if you want to be close to stores, restaurants, entertainment, golf. Villages with alot of open space (ie) golf courses, have a higher bond since it gets distributed by number of rooftops in an area. Do you want to exclusively use a golf cart or is a car to get around ok.

You also really need to consider the home and lot you want, which to me is more important. You may have a harder time finding a home/lot in certain villages. If you want to be on a cul de sac or a pond or a larger lot for a pool will be more important than the village your in.

Finish you list of parameters first to narrow your search and make it easier.