Exactly why I think south of 44 is best. I don't need to be able to go the the store everyday. Once a week is enough for me.

And while you are comparing the 2018 tax rates, please note the 2019 Sumter taxes will be increased by 25%. I do consider it significant.

All areas of the Villages have some great things to offer and some not so great things.
Spanish Springs areas have the most convenient shopping but much older homes. So more maintenance but probably no bonds.
Areas north of 466 and west of the Spanish Springs area will have a bit newer homes. Things are quieter, but convenience to Rec Centers and associated amenities are less.
The Sumter Lake area used to be kind of central to everything but that is moving south as new areas are developed. Homes will be in the 10 - 15 year old range with many having no remaining bonds - Lots of amenities and a bit less convenience to shopping.
Area between 466A and 44 have newer homes - 3-7 years old, mostly with bonds amounts remaining. Lots of convenience to Rec Center amenities and somewhat less to shopping.
South of 44 - newest homes and highest bonds. No premiere homes if you want a high end home. Amenities are growing but still sparse. Its a long ways to the town centers and to shopping & restaurants, even by auto.
I recommend that you get copy of the Recreation News to see what activities are of interest to you. Then you can match your interests with the Rec Centers and see their locations. For example, if water volleyball is your interest, the Rec Centers between 466 and 44 offer that more frequently.
Good luck!

Live outside the Villages.
Cheaper, no BS, close to everything.

Whatever you decide, hurry and buy, because our sales agent said to me "the buildout will soon be finished!!"

I would rent here first and take a little time to see what areas you like best. At first I thought I would like to buy a new house but found there were other areas I liked better.

South of 44, down with the Federal prison and quarry blasts! Remember, when buying new, you still have $30-$50k you can expect to spend on these over priced
area. You pay for the life style. Sumter County just got very expensive to live in. Take your time!

I agree with putting together the wants and needs list. In our selection criteria several years ago, we gave our realtor 3 conditions: (1) we wanted to be in Sumter County; (2) we wanted to be in the SECO electricity cooperative area [lower electric bills for a very reliable delivery service]; and (3) we wanted to be in the TECO gas cooperative area [we wanted to cook with gas]. At the time, that pretty much limited us to the area between CRs 466 and 466A. That also got us relatively close to Lake Sumter Landing Town Center. For us, it was our plus. It gave us a wide range of homes to choose from.

Good luck in finding your dream home.

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If you are an intermediate golfer take a look at the area around the Village of St. Charles ... there are 11 Executive Courses with ten minutes.

Have you considered renting for a year before buying? That way you would get the lay of the land and perhaps make a different decision.

since you are into woodworking - be certain to checkout the woodworking shop. There will soon be two of them.

Get North of 44 if at all possible, between 466 and 466A even better. You'll certainly be more centrally located and closer to about everything you could ever want or need.

In some areas you will pay double taxes, one set leveled by Lady Lake, Fruitland Park or Wildwood and also by the county those areas are located in. Sumter recently raised taxes quite a bit at the request of the developer, no doubt to get the expense of road building to his communties south of 44 put on the backs of the county residents rather than himself, but they are still lower than the other two counties.

There are differences in the cable providers and the internet speeds. There are variances in the quality/taste of the drinking water. Some areas do not have gas for heating and cooking. The designs of the three movie houses vary from north to south. Some are within walking distance to public transportation. Experienced realtors know a lot of the answers to questions you have not thought of. Hire one which theoretically comes at no cost to you.

Your choice is very subjective, coming here for the Lifestyle tour is the way to do it so you can get a taste of things here. In our case we weren’t sure about TV so we rented a home for 2 months in Chatham. We liked it in Chatham( north of 466 and almost to SR 42) but thought let’s look around and maybe next winter we’ll rent south of Sumter Landing. All it took was one drive for our taste it was too busy of an area. With that said we decided the north end was best for us we bought in Calumet Grove in 2018. We like the north end because we are close to some stores but more so it’s a quiet area and it’s only 20 miles to Ocala where we have longtime friends. Only you’ll be able to decide where you’d like to live.

I’d be curious to hear why you wrote that?