[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by monikarenard

Many good points above. I wanted to add that one positive for me for the south area was that there are some standalone homes with fenced yards.

Agree.....that is one feature that is offered in the southern section that is not offered in the north. The only homes with fences are Court Yard Villas in the northern areas. Fences might be a "must have" for those who are looking for single family homes.

[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by AnMDy2

I appreciate your appreciation for older folks. I have a tender heart.
I am looking to figure out the best Village for me to buy my first home.
From your experiences living among the older folks in your village, what activities do they like to do?
I'm am an artist and love natural scenery and down to earth people. Which location has this?
I want to be where I have interactions with neighbors and not renters and Airbnb.
Thank you for posting,
Andi

The southern area has more natural scenery with walking trails and ponds which are beautiful. Having said that, there is some gorgeous scenery in the northern area too.

The Live Oak trees that line Buena Vista Blvd. just after Lake Miona Rec Center as you head south, are stunning. Driving this stretch of Buena Vista Blvd. at night sold us on The Villages when we were here for our lifestyle visit in 2013. How can anyone resist?

[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by BigSteph

I differ. The turnpike is extremely noisy -- at Marsh Bend, Deluna, Linden, Hawkins, St. John's, Citrus Grove, and Casson's Hammock. On certain nights, the sound is minimal, on others, you can hear the hum within your home.

I've walked every foot of Hawkins and you can hear the roar of the interstate at every corner. I've rode across Water Lily and stopped near Hogeye Sink and the noise is deafening.

If you grew up in Brooklyn, this is probably not noisy. If you grew up in the country, this is loud.

My parents live in The Villages also -- they don't hear the road noise. They also don't hear me when I ask "please pass the jelly" at breakfast.

It is fun to agree to disagree about the turnpike noise!

Point very well made, especially about "passing the jelly". LOL.

[DAVES]

Originally Posted by Andrea3051

I know some Villagers move around a few times, the variety of locations makes this a great option. I'm new and on the younger side of retirement (57).

My impression is the North (Spanish Springs & Lake Sumter) is closer to established stores & services, more scenic. Long-timers & more mature

South (Brownwood & Fenny) is newer, younger retirees & still building out all new services & town squares. Also seems more buggy in the miles of cleared flat farm land being developed. Close to the future expansion.

Pros & Cons ?
(took all the great advice & renting in different areas before buying)

It is obviously a big decision. My view as you read the posts, realize that people are people. Most people will not say, what I did was stupid. They will rather try to justify how right they are.

Assuming you are married, I would suggest you do it the old fashioned way. Write on an index card what is important to you and have your wife do the same. I expect you will discover you do not really know what each of you are thinking. What is important to you may not be important to your wife and of course visa versa. You can surely bet what is important to me probably is not important to you.

You can chose to be happy or miserable anywhere. A typical villager moves 3x. As I view that fact it is that the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence till you get there and discover they have weeds there too.

Older home vs newer home. Do some research. Our weather has been mild the past ten years. We moved in ten years ago. Florida is famous for hurricanes. Codes have been changed. A newer home is by code designed to survive higher winds. Everything has an expected service life.
You may have trouble getting insurance on a home with a roof that is over ten years old. An AC unit, probably a heat pump has an expected life around 14 years. More bugs in the newer section-frankly I doubt that is true. The good news, The northern section does not get any more snow then the southern section. Neither gets any snow. Actually that may not be so there is a rumor that around 1967 there was a snow-it didn't stick.

[dewilson58]

Originally Posted by DAVES

A typical villager moves 3x.

Nope....................that statement is false.

What is true, IF a Villager moves..............they move three times on average.

[vintageogauge]

Originally Posted by MrFlorida

The south end has the turnpike, take that into consideration, it does produce noise.

Yes, saves a lot of time if going to Orlando or anywhere south. It only borders a small portion of the various villages down here but it's easy to get there from any of the southern villages.

[Djean1981]

I like all the areas - they all have their different good points. We live in the south. The north does have more dining and stores. The south seems to have more nature trails and such. Keep in mind that the south is being built up very quickly so I don't think I'd make a decision strictly based on availability of restaurants or shopping. I would check out whatever is available that suits your needs. We found a small cottage house on a back street that has no throughway purpose, away from the main throughway street that has an almost continuous stream of cars and carts (quieter and more private).

[Ashlynns Mema]

Originally Posted by GpaVader

No owner, just turning 60 and will be working for the foreseeable future. We live in the Hammocks at Fenney. For us, the first issue was that my wife had to have Gas appliances, so that pretty much meant South of 44. I think their are a couple of areas North that had Gas but when we looked, nothing.

Live in Hammocks at Fenney, work in Spanish Springs, so I get to drive Morse Blvd everyday. Most of the established stores are North so we plan our trips carefully. They are starting to build out more of the infrastructure. And with more coming in the future in the way of homes, you have to believe the businesses will to.

Love our area, more importantly we Love our neighbors. Most are new to TV, but we do have an established (lived in Fenney for 5 years) couple that helps guide the rest of the neighborhood when we have questions.

We did have an offer on a house North of 466A and Buena Vista, which would have been closer to most things but it feel through. It didn't have Gas and the way the neighborhood was cut it might not have been as easy to meet neighbors and make friends.

As already suggested, take your time and figure out what you like and the rest should fall into place.

Do you hear turnpike noise or the train and prison noise? That is why I am hesitant to buy in the south. TY

[Cher_561]

General observations from someone in newer - and may not matter to you:

We hear the turnpike. No big deal. It just sounds like humming or white noise or nothing.
The style of homes gets more modern when they are new; higher ceilings, sunnier, closer to new Rec Centers which are more modern design, facilities more geared to a younger crowd and newer inside unless redone. More stores for gifts, clothing, etc. in older, northern section but that could change - or maybe not. Disadvantage is the cart issue/turnpike bridge crossings if you are on either side so bottom line, yes, visit, go to everything, decide what you want to do every day. It’s not only about the house but I do think that I am happier in a younger neighborhood where] people try to create long-term relationships. Just me. My best advice is check out the clubs in Thursday paper to see their activities. Find out where they meet. Very important - It’s a big place. Restaurants? Dances? Street parties? We moved a lot, talked to everyone we met.

[Djean1981]

Agreed. Our fenced in yard was a MUST for us.

[Kenswing]

Originally Posted by Ashlynns Mema

Do you hear turnpike noise or the train and prison noise? That is why I am hesitant to buy in the south. TY

As a rule we don't hear the turnpike. When there is a still, quiet night and the wind blows in our direction then we'll be able to hear it. Same with the train horns. Pretty much depends on the atmospherics. Have never heard a peep from the prison.

We live in St. Catherine.

[Djean1981]

We have a gas stove/oven in Hawkins. I'll have to read up on it...

[patfla06]

When we bought in 2013 we would only look at new homes.
We were in a new home we built and didn’t want to go through renovtions like we did in NJ.
We live just South of 466A and love this area.

Most of the homes then were Spec Homes because they were selling 500 new homes a month.

Items I did NOT want were all tile floors, gas in kitchen or kissing lanai.

A view was very important. We are 3 miles from the train and I hear it sometimes at night but it’s very muted.

I think where you live in T.V. Is what you make it.

[JMintzer]

Gas can be added to most homes. Our friends down the street buried a propane tank that they use for cooking (and they'll use it for their Summer Kitchen when they decide to build it...)

[Lottoguy]

Nobody lives forever. In the northern areas the homes are sold all the time. Lots of younger people live up there too.