[B26 fan]

We are planning to retire next year and were very seriously wanting to live in TV. After hearing about the fees(there seem to be so many), and the construction concerns(siding, etc.) wer'e very worried. I don't want to invest our life savings into a home that has problems that no one will stand behind nor do we want to be dollared to death. Del Webb (Pulte) seems to build a very good home but will we regret buying in Stone Creek. I know the decision is ours but any help would be appreciated. Wev'e stayed in the Villages once, will be coming back in December. What we saw we really liked but again the problems people talk about are very worrisome to us. Thanks for any input.

[thehags]

We bought in the Villages last March and bought a pre-owned home that was built in 2003. The landscaping was done and several extras were added. To us the location was important and also buying within our price range. Even though prices have gone down since we purchased our home, we still love the area (around RT. 466) and it's such a great area, I'm sure in the long run we will recoup our loss.

There are some great buys and we know of neighbors up north that have a home in Del Webb and are looking to sell and move to TV. But look at both and see what's best for you.

Best of luck

[captain1202]

IMHO there is NO place you'll go that doesn;t have it's skeletons and little issues. On balance, it would seem the pluses outweigh the minuses at TV. Just ask the folks that live here!

[diskman]

We do not yet live in the villages but we have done extensive research and visited last february. We don't expect you to find a better place to live for your buck. The people are great, the area is great and there are so many different things to do. You won't find enough time to be involved in everything.
it's about 4 years away and we have already decided it is the place to live.
Larry

[garsha]

My husband and I purchased a home in TV last July, when prices were screeming. We haven't been able to sell our house in CA yet so not quite permanent residents. We can't wait. We have visited 7 times in the last year and everytime we go we just get more convinced we made the right decision. In CA we have dropped our price by 25% and still unable to sell. I don't feel we would have that problem in the Villages at all and once they are built out, the prices will be even better, but who will want to go.

We researched many areas, narrowed down to Arizona, Texas, New Mexico and Florida and without a doubt TV had the best environment, activities, services, infrastructure. When you walk in the Walmart you are not faced with the childrens clothes, you have the adult clothes--everything is geared towards us babyboomers growing older. It is about time the USA starts putting their elders up front.

You are not buying a house in TV you are buying a lifestyle. The houses are nice but the environment is priceless! Be sure to visit Pulte or any other area again before you lock yourself in.

Good luck from a want to be full time Villager

[cabo35]

We retired 5 years ago and decided to buy a home in Florida for the winter months. For three years we rented in Islamorada, Naples, Jupiter, and North Palm Beach. We visited developments around the state. We finally rented in the Villages for 4 months. By the end of the second month, we decided that TV had so much more to offer than anyplace we had been, we purchased a new home. We enjoy it here so much we changed our residency and consider this our primary residence seven months of the year. The fees are fair and not oppressive in any way. You get more bang for the buck here than anywhere we have visited.

I have modest experience in construction, and feel that the homes in the Villages are of the highest quality. The developer was wonderful as far as his warranty service goes. His policy is that when you report a problem, you will get a phone call in less than 24 hours and a remedy in less than 72. We reported 3 warranty items in the first year. We are very fussy about our home, my wife especially. The repairs were, an outside faucet that had loosened from the wall - repaired, ceiling paint on the front porch that peeled slightly - repaired and a kitchen cabinet door that was slightly out of alignment - repaired.
On one item, they even honored the warranty after the warranty period (1 year) had expired.

The builder has a facility in TV where he makes his own roof trusses. It is my understanding that they significantly exceed the required specs. I occasionally read about someone who has a bone to pick, but the number is so minuscule I believe that there are just some people who are naturally negative and cannot be pleased. It is unfortunate that they sometimes shout down the overwhelming majority of Village residents. Visit and randomly talk to Villagers. You will be pleasantly surprised at the enthusiastic pride they take in living here.

Hope this has been helpful.

p.s. I have no connection to the developer or management of the Villages.

[pgilson]

We rented for three years before we bought. We had a wonderful time each visit and wanted to be sure. Sure we might have saved some by buying earlier, but we don't regret our decision to check it out and not be impulsive buyers. Have a great visit in December and good luck.
;D

[mmclover]

I was down in January and visited several communities, Rainbow Springs, Oak Run, Summer Glenn to name a few, as well as TV. Golf fees in other communities are very high and most of them are out in the middle of nowhere. I did not find another community that offers anywhere what TV offers. I can't wait to sell my house and become a resident of TV.

[SteveFromNY]

I did lot's of research on TV and then visited. I had pretty much determined I'd buy something if I liked what I saw based on the research. We did like it, and bought a new house in June of 2005. We haven't moved there yet as I needed to work a bit longer, and now I need to sell my home (market stinks). We've visited quite a few times since we bought and have been more impressed each time.
I was EXTREMELY impressed by the quality of the construction and the attention to detail provided by the builder. Each and every piece of molding has been caulked both on top and against the floor (where there's tile, anyway), the bathroom fixtures are all Kohler, there was not a single issue with the home that required attention at my pre-inspection (maybe I was lucky!). We visited the property a couple of weeks before closing and I found little red dots stuck in various places to call attention to blemishes in the paint, a door track that was bent and a front door that needed a shove to close it good. All were fixed prior to the closing inspection.
As far as fees, they are all pretty reasonable to me. The amenity fee seems fair seeing what you get for it (pools, clubhouses, rec-centers, golf). The other fees (garbage, water, etc) combined with the utilities (gas & elec) are still well below what I pay today for just gas and elec, so they seem an improvement.
One comment about problems....and this is a generalization for sure.....
Most times, it's the negative that gets emphasized. People may say "I love it but .... " and then spend a paragraph or two describing something that may only be some little pet peeve. If they took the time to list what they liked, I'd bet the good would greatly outweigh the bad. There seems to be far too many happy people there for it to be a terrible place!
Of course it is your decision, but keep in mind with TV you are buying into a unique lifestyle rather than just buying a house. My sister-in-law bought a home in a very nice adult community, and she loves it, but to me the scale (a few hundred homes) and the lack of amenities (one clubhouse) would make me unhappy there. To each his own.
Good luck in your decision.

[aford]

Great you had a great inspection. We did too. However, I did overlooked one item. A rarely used outlet in the hall.

When my daughter chose to use it, it was dead. Be sure you test or use each outlet in your home to be sure it is working. You should have a one yr builders warrentee and they will come out and fix it. Just make sure you mark your calendar

We did have to have them restreach our carpets, no problem.

[ripwho]

'B26' - I've used this reason alot on this forum as well as personally when talking up TV. - I know quite a few friends, ex working colleagues, acquaintances, etc , who have visited or live in TV. All have diverse backgrounds, different personalities, each a different style, etc... but they all have on thing in common - they all love TV !!!! Good enough for me!!

[FireOnWindCSR]

Hello friend. My wife and I purchased our house in TV July 2006. I am 50 and she is 49. we decided to buy then because we were planning for the future and the location was great. Our close friends are 67 and 68 years old and live 3 houses down from us. TV is an active, living place - full of life. My concern is what I previously wrote here in TOTV.COM and I hope you do your research as well :

I'm sure death and taxes are a sensitive subject anywhere. I purchased my Chula Vista home 7/2006. I got my tax bill about 30 days ago and it has gone up over 150%. I realize that there is an incredible amount of Florida tax laws that I need to become familiar with now. Public tax records on the street I live overwhelmingly reflect 3/4 of my neighbors with $1300 or less bills. I don't understand the estreme disparity which seems to be prevelant throughout "all of The Villages". Can someone shed some property tax light for me? I'm just trying to understand how neighbors on either side of me, with "like" homes are being assessed thousands of dollars less than me. Is this about appeals? Is this about scrutiny of appraissers, tax assessors? Help !!! Thanks, Chaz :joke:

[villages07]

CSR.... welcome to the world of Florida Property Taxes; Chula Vista is an older neighborhood; those folks who have lived there a while and probably paid a lot less for their home than you are benefitting from Florida's "Save our Homes" tax law....their property taxes are limited to 3% increase per year. When you bought, your house was reassessed to current market value and you pay taxes based on that value. Also, if you are out of state (i.e. not a Florida resident) you also do not get the $25K homestead exemption reduction from your assessed value. Not sure what Lake County has but Sumter has a website that shows assessed values for each property and you can see a wide disparity on a given street.

All of this should have been disclosed to you when you purchased your home. Your 'updated' property tax bill should not have been a surprise.

[Lil Dancer]

As others have said, overall the quality of construction is excellent. We had a few minor things we picked up on during the first year, that the Home Warranty dept. immediately came out and fixed. You can probably find cheaper homes elsewhere if you look, but again, you're buying here for the lifestyle. Friends of ours bought a nice villa directly on the golf course at Spruce Creek South for around $125,000. Here at the Villages the same villa would have been $200,000 plus. But they have none of the amenities that we have - they can't drive in their golf cart to go get groceries, or go to the movies by golf cart, or golf on a zillion different golf courses, free executive golf, all the clubs and opportunities for socializng, etc. I guess it depends on what you're looking for in retirement. If its just a place to live in a warm climate, you will find cheaper places outside the Villages. If its the "lifestyle", we are pretty happy in The villages, much more so than other places we've tried. There's something here for everyone.

[RCT]

Originally Posted by oshunluva

fireonwind said, "My wife and I purchased our house in TV July 2006. I am 50 and she is 49."


So....anyone can purchase a home there, no matter what age they are?? Just curious. I thought you had to be 55 or older.

could they have bought in one of the family sections?