[OldDave]

Greetings folks. I haven't had anything to post since our visit in June. For those of you that remember me, again thanks for all your support for our medically interesting visit. You may recall I had double vision for the whole trip. I'm pleased to report that my vision returned to normal about a month after we got home. I will always be very grateful for all the help, sympathy and information I received here. Now, I would like to begin to ask for some more as we consider a move.

We are beginning to get an idea of what kind of house we'd want, whether new or used, etc. While many of the folks I've talked to here are very excited about the idea of a new house, our preference has always been for a house that has been lived in a bit and all the bugs have been worked out, and of course most places it would be a bit cheaper...although I'm not sure that is true here. Having the bond paid would be nice. I would like some reaction to some of our notions.

We believe we would be happiest in a villa somewhere north of 466. We would like to be somewhere close to Spanish Springs and reasonably close to Lake Sumter. Certainly not the isolated part up near Nancy Lopez. What do you think of the construction of the older homes? With my health issues, we really didn't get a chance to look at the used houses. The new and model homes we looked at were not the best built houses I've ever seen, although admitedly we were looking at the cheapest range of houses. I'm wondering if this is a function of the current break neck building speed, or it that was the case for the last 15 to 20 years. I'm not saying the homes are poor, just not carefully built. Just a brief example...brand new patio villa. There were more seams showing in the siding than I could count. Most parts of the country no one would sell a house like that. The seams make a good entrance for bugs, and in hurricanes would be a great place for the wind to take hold. (The much more expensive 3 bedroom we rented in June seemed much better built. As everywhere you get what you pay for.)

Please do give me a lecture about love it or leave it. I think we've already decided that the shortcomings of the Villages are probably outweighted by the many wonderful things we found. We really did like it a great deal. But I'm not the kind of person to pretend the shortcomings aren't there. We want to try to get the best purchase for our money. So tell me anything you have to say about those older areas.

Also, I do worry about sink holes. It seems to make sense more stable soil in older areas might be better than the new builds where they are moving all the soil. Also from what I've read the further away from water features you can get the better. Any thoughts on that?

Finally, if you would be so kind. Those who live in villas, have you found them too close to neighbors, or are the ones with walls pretty insolated. We've kind of come to the conclusion these are kind of like nice apartments that just don't quite touch each other. I'd really like to know your thoughts. Even the large house we rented was so close to the neighbors, I would probably never open a window...and of course the villas are much closer.

I'm sure as we consider further I will have more questions and thank you all in advance for your help. It is deeply appreciated.

Dave

[Barefoot]

Since you seem unsure of the area, you'll probably get a lot of suggestions to rent for a year or two. As far as preferred locations, folks love their Villages, and there is a case to be made for each segment of TV. Residents vigorously defend their choice of new versus resale. We've had a CYV and a home, not much difference if you have noisy neighbours. IMHO, most people in TV tend to be quiet, respectful and go to bed early. We back on water, have no problem getting sink hole insurance, and wouldn't trade our view for the world. It's all a matter of personal taste.

[buggyone]

There are some very nice CYVs in the community of Villas of St. Simon which is just off Talley Ridge Drive at the Bellaire gate. Lots have golf course views and are the CBS construction. Only about a 15 minute golf cart ride to either Lake Sumter Landing or Spanish Springs from there. They were built around 2003 so the bonds would be very low.

[borjo]

What the deciding factor for us between a villa and a rancher was the size of the garage. Hubby could not function in the 1 1/2 size of the villas. He needed more.

[2BNTV]

I agree with Barefoot that you might want to rent for a while to be sure.
Being close to the squares loses it's appeal after a year for most people.

You might consider it more appealing to be closer to shopping, doctors and rec centers. It would save the trouble of buying something and then deciding that you need something different.

But then, what do I know? I am still a wannabe.

[Cantwaittoarrive]

I agree you might want to rent for a while. As for sink holes I look at the risk like this, each part of the country has location related risk. Midwest has a higher tornado risk, California (some parts) has mudslide risk and most parts have earthquake risk. East coast and gulf has hurricane risk, other areas of country have flood risk, forest fire risk and e.t.c. All you can do is try to use insurance to reduce your risk as much as possible but there are risk to your home no matter where you live. I would say things like a house fire or lighting strike are more likely to happen to your home than sink hole damage.

[Cisco Kid]

So just how many homes have been swallowed up by sinkholes in TV ?

[red tail]

Originally Posted by borjo

What the deciding factor for us between a villa and a rancher was the size of the garage. Hubby could not function in the 1 1/2 size of the villas. He needed more.

there are many cyv's with 2 car garages. dont let that stop you.

[red tail]

Originally Posted by jimweber

So just how many homes have been swallowed up by sinkholes in TV ?

zero

[rjm1cc]

Originally Posted by OldDave

Greetings folks. I haven't had anything to post since our visit in June. For those of you that remember me, again thanks for all your support for our medically interesting visit. You may recall I had double vision for the whole trip. I'm pleased to report that my vision returned to normal about a month after we got home. I will always be very grateful for all the help, sympathy and information I received here. Now, I would like to begin to ask for some more as we consider a move.

We are beginning to get an idea of what kind of house we'd want, whether new or used, etc. While many of the folks I've talked to here are very excited about the idea of a new house, our preference has always been for a house that has been lived in a bit and all the bugs have been worked out, and of course most places it would be a bit cheaper...although I'm not sure that is true here. Having the bond paid would be nice. I would like some reaction to some of our notions.

We believe we would be happiest in a villa somewhere north of 466. We would like to be somewhere close to Spanish Springs and reasonably close to Lake Sumter. Certainly not the isolated part up near Nancy Lopez. What do you think of the construction of the older homes? With my health issues, we really didn't get a chance to look at the used houses. The new and model homes we looked at were not the best built houses I've ever seen, although admitedly we were looking at the cheapest range of houses. I'm wondering if this is a function of the current break neck building speed, or it that was the case for the last 15 to 20 years. I'm not saying the homes are poor, just not carefully built. Just a brief example...brand new patio villa. There were more seams showing in the siding than I could count. Most parts of the country no one would sell a house like that. The seams make a good entrance for bugs, and in hurricanes would be a great place for the wind to take hold. (The much more expensive 3 bedroom we rented in June seemed much better built. As everywhere you get what you pay for.)

Please do give me a lecture about love it or leave it. I think we've already decided that the shortcomings of the Villages are probably outweighted by the many wonderful things we found. We really did like it a great deal. But I'm not the kind of person to pretend the shortcomings aren't there. We want to try to get the best purchase for our money. So tell me anything you have to say about those older areas.

Also, I do worry about sink holes. It seems to make sense more stable soil in older areas might be better than the new builds where they are moving all the soil. Also from what I've read the further away from water features you can get the better. Any thoughts on that?

Finally, if you would be so kind. Those who live in villas, have you found them too close to neighbors, or are the ones with walls pretty insolated. We've kind of come to the conclusion these are kind of like nice apartments that just don't quite touch each other. I'd really like to know your thoughts. Even the large house we rented was so close to the neighbors, I would probably never open a window...and of course the villas are much closer.

I'm sure as we consider further I will have more questions and thank you all in advance for your help. It is deeply appreciated.

Dave

I think sink holes tend to follow water areas so I would avoid water features. Sink holes are all over the area so if you are going to be in Central Fl you have a potential sink hole problem so I would just accept the risk.
I think the older homes might have better construction but this comes from just a couple of discussions with residences North of 466.

[eweissenbach]

Originally Posted by OldDave

Greetings folks. I haven't had anything to post since our visit in June. For those of you that remember me, again thanks for all your support for our medically interesting visit. You may recall I had double vision for the whole trip. I'm pleased to report that my vision returned to normal about a month after we got home. I will always be very grateful for all the help, sympathy and information I received here. Now, I would like to begin to ask for some more as we consider a move.

We are beginning to get an idea of what kind of house we'd want, whether new or used, etc. While many of the folks I've talked to here are very excited about the idea of a new house, our preference has always been for a house that has been lived in a bit and all the bugs have been worked out, and of course most places it would be a bit cheaper...although I'm not sure that is true here. Having the bond paid would be nice. I would like some reaction to some of our notions.

We believe we would be happiest in a villa somewhere north of 466. We would like to be somewhere close to Spanish Springs and reasonably close to Lake Sumter. Certainly not the isolated part up near Nancy Lopez. What do you think of the construction of the older homes? With my health issues, we really didn't get a chance to look at the used houses. The new and model homes we looked at were not the best built houses I've ever seen, although admitedly we were looking at the cheapest range of houses. I'm wondering if this is a function of the current break neck building speed, or it that was the case for the last 15 to 20 years. I'm not saying the homes are poor, just not carefully built. Just a brief example...brand new patio villa. There were more seams showing in the siding than I could count. Most parts of the country no one would sell a house like that. The seams make a good entrance for bugs, and in hurricanes would be a great place for the wind to take hold. (The much more expensive 3 bedroom we rented in June seemed much better built. As everywhere you get what you pay for.)

Please do give me a lecture about love it or leave it. I think we've already decided that the shortcomings of the Villages are probably outweighted by the many wonderful things we found. We really did like it a great deal. But I'm not the kind of person to pretend the shortcomings aren't there. We want to try to get the best purchase for our money. So tell me anything you have to say about those older areas.

Also, I do worry about sink holes. It seems to make sense more stable soil in older areas might be better than the new builds where they are moving all the soil. Also from what I've read the further away from water features you can get the better. Any thoughts on that?

Finally, if you would be so kind. Those who live in villas, have you found them too close to neighbors, or are the ones with walls pretty insolated. We've kind of come to the conclusion these are kind of like nice apartments that just don't quite touch each other. I'd really like to know your thoughts. Even the large house we rented was so close to the neighbors, I would probably never open a window...and of course the villas are much closer.

I'm sure as we consider further I will have more questions and thank you all in advance for your help. It is deeply appreciated.

Dave

All good questions and points Dave! I agree with you on the seams in the siding. I was amazed at how many homes had seams in the entry area, which would not require that much length of product, and which shows more than most areas. If you are looking for a solution there are two - one of course is block and stucco, another is the vinyl siding that looks like shingles. My understanding is that the vinyl siding that looks like shingles is almost as expensive as block and stucco, but would not require painting every 7 years or so. As for CYVs there are a few with two car garages, but they are not common. If it is a fenced yard that you are desiring there are a few dozen cottage homes on Nash Loop in Hemingway that are fenced with vinyl fencing - there were two or three for sale late last winter, so you might watch for that. The perfect village or area? That is totally a matter of personal preference - we stayed in Summerhill two years ago and were ready to buy there - then we stayed in Hemingway last year and were ready to buy there! The way TV is laid out and the road system make every place convenient to something desireable. It really depends what you want to be most accessable, and what is available. After three years of snowbirding, the areas I would consider off my wish list would be the corners; NE, NW, SE, and SW. I really like the central corridor between Morse and Buena Vista and close to Canal between 466 and 466A, but there are other areas I would consider. Renting for awhile seems to be the best way to judge where you would want to be long term. Good luck - you can't go wrong! Ed

[justjim]

Old Dave: North or south of 466 you enjoy the same basic amenities so it becomes a matter of personal preference and if you enjoy the established neighborhood or the new homes south of 466A. The newer homes have the advantage of later technology (energy efficient Heat/Air) and new roofs, paint, updated building codes, warranty etc. and this appeals to a lot of people. Most likely you will have no need to replace anything for years in a new home. In a new neighborhood everybody is new and this also appeals to a lot of people. Bottom line---I am obvious biased toward the new home but still it's a matter of personal preference. Good luck.

[Barefoot]

Originally Posted by OldDave

We believe we would be happiest in a villa somewhere north of 466. We would like to be somewhere close to Spanish Springs and reasonably close to Lake Sumter.

There are some lovely mature Villa neighborhoods between Spanish Springs and Lake Sumter. Spanish Plains offers scads of shopping opportunities and also medical offices. I think that is a great area and a wise choice.

[OldDave]

Thanks for the replies. Still interested to hear from anyone about the quality of the older homes, satisfaction living in villas, etc. Thanks,

Dave

[jimbo2012]

Say you rent rather than buy, you spend 10K for a year, wasted money.

In addition the cost of the homes increases in cost, this year some have gone up that much.

If your not sure rent for month not long term.