[Jgg7933]

I have read many of these replies and all are indeed correct. We have been here 11 years now and it is the greatest place to live vs. anywhere. There is always "Safety in Numbers" and the large population keeps costs down!

[barebones1191]

Check out Stonecrest, 5 minutes from the Villages on hwy 441. Lots of activities, golf course, 2,220 homes, friendly and over the last 2-3 years 50% of the buyers are from The Villages. We are more quiet and much more neighborly. We have a lot of shopping by golf cart so try out our community.

[eweissenbach]

Originally Posted by barebones1191

Check out Stonecrest, 5 minutes from the Villages on hwy 441. Lots of activities, golf course, 2,220 homes, friendly and over the last 2-3 years 50% of the buyers are from The Villages. We are more quiet and much more neighborly. We have a lot of shopping by golf cart so try out our community.

Here was my response to a similar thread a few months ago.....


The only other age-restricted community we seriously looked at was Stonecrest about 8 years ago. We looked at 5 or 6 houses With one of their salespeople and found them well done with bigger yards and lower price tags than TV. While we were there two things caused us to eliminate that option.

1. There was simply NO activity. It was a beautiful spring day, but when we toured the pools ( they have an indoor pool) there was virtually no one there. The golf course (which anyone can play) wasn’t busy, and we saw few people out and about walking, running, cycling, or carting. Just seemed dead, especially in contrast toTV. I understand there are people who would be attracted to that, but not us.

2. The salesperson must have told us half a dozen times how we could go by golf cart to the villages and enjoy the entertainment at Spanish Springs or any of the country clubs. He said that so often that we laughed after we left that he was seemingly trying to sell us on The Villages and not Stonecrest. We said to each other, “well if The Villages is the place to be, maybe that’s where we should buy”, and that’s what we did.

[eweissenbach]

As for being closer to the coast many cautions have already been stated including horrendous traffic, hurricane concerns and insurance. We love to go to the beach and in two hours or less we can be at any number of world class beaches. A day on the beach scratches our itch about once a month. Being a golfer the courses near the beach communes are often scarce and always pricey compared to the courses in TV and surrounding area, and the Execs are “free” for residents. The beauty of the development and the golf sold me.

[xkeowner]

This analysis is from 11 years ago but probably still relevant. We were spending a week in the Orlando area and had a day with no plans so I suggested we check out The Villages. Being only 59 at the time I wasn't planning on retiring anytime soon. We spent about three hours taking a tour and looking at some models. That weekend while driving back ti Virginia a voice said why don't you retire and we move to Florida? I managed to maintain control of the car and get to the shoulder of I-95 then looked at the woman sitting next to me and asked, "Who are you and where is my wife?"

Long story short, we returned home and started analyzing if we could afford to retire then. We also started researching other locations in Florida comparing costs and amenities. Decided The Villages offered the best overall value and my only concern was what if the amenity fees increased. Further analysis determined that even if they lifted the cap and the fee doubled, it was still the best value. Six months later we had a contract on our house and came down to buy our house. We have now been here 10+ years and absolutely love it.

Would I change anything if I were king, probably. But they would be minor adjustments not sweeping changes.

[tophcfa]

Originally Posted by eweissenbach

Here was my response to a similar thread a few months ago.....


The only other age-restricted community we seriously looked at was Stonecrest about 8 years ago. We looked at 5 or 6 houses With one of their salespeople and found them well done with bigger yards and lower price tags than TV. While we were there two things caused us to eliminate that option.

1. There was simply NO activity. It was a beautiful spring day, but when we toured the pools ( they have an indoor pool) there was virtually no one there. The golf course (which anyone can play) wasn’t busy, and we saw few people out and about walking, running, cycling, or carting. Just seemed dead, especially in contrast toTV. I understand there are people who would be attracted to that, but not us.

2. The salesperson must have told us half a dozen times how we could go by golf cart to the villages and enjoy the entertainment at Spanish Springs or any of the country clubs. He said that so often that we laughed after we left that he was seemingly trying to sell us on The Villages and not Stonecrest. We said to each other, “well if The Villages is the place to be, maybe that’s where we should buy”, and that’s what we did.

Interesting post. We are Villagers who go to Stonecrest during the winter months to play golf because it is the only place we know of that we can get to in our own golf cart that is outside the bubble, and the green fees are half as much. Stonecrest seems like a very nice place, but I agree that activity wise it appears dead relative to the Villages. The few times there we see almost no activity and the golf course has never been busy. That being said, I do find the indoor pool that is not very busy to be very appealing, assuming it is a regulation length lap swimming pool.

The sales pitch you got from their salesperson about being able to get to Spanish Springs via golf cart might have been accurate 8 years ago, but that is no longer the case with the gate in the historic section that requires a Villages gate pass.

[RICH1]

The Villages rocks! It is what you make of it! Love it here

[patfla06]

///

[Conniehar]

We looked at Four Seasons in Kissimmee and Del Webb in St. Cloud. We were also waiting on the new Del Webb right next to Disney. We wanted to be close to Disney. We drove out to The Villages just to check it off the list and immediately knew it was the place even though it was a bit further. We looked at each other and said "This is it!" We did a Lifestyle visit in Oct and purchased a lot in November in St. Catherine's. Can't wait!

[kathyspear]

Originally Posted by tophcfa

The sales pitch you got from their salesperson about being able to get to Spanish Springs via golf cart might have been accurate 8 years ago, but that is no longer the case with the gate in the historic section that requires a Villages gate pass.

Where is this gate and does it not have the infamous red button? We don't carry a keycard with us in the cart. I didn't know there were any gates we needed a card to go through. Thx.

kathy

[macawlaw]

I really liked Pelican Preserve near Ft Myers when we looked at it.

[Bilyclub]

Originally Posted by kathyspear

Where is this gate and does it not have the infamous red button? We don't carry a keycard with us in the cart. I didn't know there were any gates we needed a card to go through. Thx.

kathy

Historic section off of Paradise. No red button.

[npwalters]

Originally Posted by Bilyclub

Historic section off of Paradise. No red button.

You can also get to WaWa (gas for the cart), Lowes, Cracker Barrell, and Walmart from this gate.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by kathyspear

Where is this gate and does it not have the infamous red button? We don't carry a keycard with us in the cart. I didn't know there were any gates we needed a card to go through. Thx.

kathy

It's in the northern part of the "Historic" section, a few houses away from the Boone gate. There's no red button; this particular gate IS a security gate, not just a traffic control device. No pass, no entry.

[jojo]

I was surprised to see someone suggest that their new residence outside The Villages was more neighborly. We have lived here 12 1/2 years and have an active and caring neighborhood. When new neighbors move in, they are immediately welcomed. I recently broke my wrist and neighbors brought food for days and offered to help walk our dog. I would say "neighborly" is high on the list of positives for The Villages.