[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by Sidney Lanier

Everyone alludes to 'location,' not necessarily for the same reasons. We are in the same village as Barefoot (Belvedere): fairly new and yet settled, centrally located to both town squares, close to Villages Library and Lifetime Learning College, near all the shopping on CR-466 into 301 (west) or 441 (east). One particular thing I like, living in one of the Hurricane/Lightning/Tornado Capitals of the world, is that if we ever have to leave in a hurry, residents of Belvedere can go north on Churchill Downs and out to CR-466, south on Churchill to Lynnhaven and out to CR-472, west on Morven Park Way to Belvedere Blvd. and into Buena Vista Blvd., from which we can go either north or south and, depending on how far, either east or west. Silly maybe....

I don't know Sidney. First you appear at Crispers with a black eye and bandages and then you tell us you like to live where you can get out of town quickly. Hmmmm

[KayakerNC]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

I don't know Sidney. First you appear at Crispers with a black eye and bandages and then you tell us you like to live where you can get out of town quickly. Hmmmm

Intrigue? Romance? Brawling? Extreme Sports mishap?
Inquiring minds want to know.

[rshoffer]

Originally Posted by SABRMnLgs

Ah yes, location, location. Now everyone will think me crazy but we feel a complete 180 from most of the postings on here.

We want to stay as far away from tthe squares and golf courses as I can. I do not participate in anything that uses a ball or a card table or puck of some sort. And the wife, while a people person, does not want to get involved with 95% of these "clubs" in the area. It took us almost 18 months to find a home way up on the North end of TV just off 42. We live on a cul-de-sac off a dead end street and average maybe 10 cars per day that come down our street. It is like a morgue down here and we absolutely love it. No traffic, no noise, no nosey/noisey neighbors. We got our books, our music and our puter. Just serenity and piece-quiet. We love it!!

This is interesting. We moved here because we love to golf. However we moved here from a very private mountainside A-frame deep in the woods. I might have talked to our closest neighbor once a month. The closest town was a pop of 8000 5 miles away. If you move to TV from a rural and private setting be prepared for a bit of a culture shock and a period of adjustment. There is so much going on, so much social contact, so many invitations to do things I initially found myself overwhelmed and feeling guilty if I said, "no thanks, I don't play cards". Everyone seems to find their nitch. Mine happens to be the golf and fitness centers and pools. You'll find yours too.

[nONIE]

As far as I can tell, its seems to be unanimous, that every Village is the best Village and there are no bad villages!

I live in Historical and most of the people I know are way way south, however I love the drive over to the other end so for me distance is not a problem, getting lost IS!!!!

[Sidney Lanier]

Originally Posted by KayakerNC

Intrigue? Romance? Brawling? Extreme Sports mishap?
Inquiring minds want to know.

As I explained in the Crispers thread, 'As bad as I look, geez, you should see the other guy!'

[ConeyIsBabe]

From a wannabee's point of view...... I find this topic very interesting !!

ME being a lazy person who does not like to drive for a long time to get anywhere, I would rather live within walking distance (less than one mile) to everything...... the town square, restaurants, stores, community pool, rec center

So, which Village would I want ?

[MMC24]

Originally Posted by l2ridehd

If you really want to be away from everything then why move to The Villages? Go to the hills of North Carolina, the mountains of NH, or someplace else where few people live. There are plenty of wide open spaces still available in this country. I do understand needing space and can relate to that lifestyle. But I guess when living in TV I only want to go there if I can take part in all it has to offer. I want to go and dance in the square or listen to music. I want to have the availability of 100 places to eat. The golf, clubs, and everything else it has to offer. And I like the fact I can get to all of it in my golf cart.

There are pro's and con's to every village. Not any one is perfect for everyone. Each one seems a little different from the others. My personal goal was to not be near the trains, not be able to see the power towers, away from a busy street, open golf view from lanai, pool, south of 466, 5 minutes from a town square, and some back yard privacy. Took 3 years and two homes, but I found it.

So list your priorities, establish a price range, utilize all the available tools and you will find the perfect home for you.

I agree, too many things to do. but some people want to be hermits. To each their own!!!!

[swrinfla]

Of course, those of us who are here think our village is the best! Therefore, Sunset Pointe offers all the amenities anyone could want!

Notes from earlier posts: Hawkwind mentioned the treatment plant that's along Buena Vista. If the wind is out of the west, folks in Largo might smell it, if out of the east, then Liberty Park residents might.

The railroad tracks run more or less parallel to US-301, so the most western locations may hear the trains. I guess that my house is almost 2 miles away, so I do hear the whistles, but not the trains. I call it "romantic!"

Coney: your very closest options would be the northwestern corner of Caroline, or the northern reaches of Virginia Trace, both only a couple/three blocks from Lake Sumter Landing Market Square. Or, the newly offered villas (two-storied) inside Avenida Central, and a stone's throw from Spanish Springs Town Square. Or, since you may be a while getting here, an as yet unbuilt, unnamed village near Paddock Square at Brownwood!

SWR

[ConeyIsBabe]

"Coney: your very closest options would be the northwestern corner of Caroline, or the northern reaches of Virginia Trace, both only a couple/three blocks from Lake Sumter Landing Market Square. Or, the newly offered villas (two-storied) inside Avenida Central, and a stone's throw from Spanish Springs Town Square. Or, since you may be a while getting here, an as yet unbuilt, unnamed village near Paddock Square at Brownwood!
SWR "

THANK YOU for that information; I've written it in my TV-Notebook along with all the other tips learned from these informative topics!

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by ConeyIsBabe

"Coney: your very closest options would be the northwestern corner of Caroline, or the northern reaches of Virginia Trace, both only a couple/three blocks from Lake Sumter Landing Market Square. Or, the newly offered villas (two-storied) inside Avenida Central, and a stone's throw from Spanish Springs Town Square. Or, since you may be a while getting here, an as yet unbuilt, unnamed village near Paddock Square at Brownwood!
SWR "

THANK YOU for that information; I've written it in my TV-Notebook along with all the other tips learned from these informative topics!

Coney.

I did just that too. I kept notes and used the scientific method to gather information about TV and come to some conclusions. I had three loose leaf notebooks filled with model plans and prices of houses sold and maps.

Then I arrived and found that each place was beautiful and perfect!! I am sure you will sooner rather than later have a golf cart if you move here and every place is then accessible AND fun and a BEAUTIFUL ride.

[JimJoe]

I have read where the bond may be higher in some villages. Is that true? I have also read about an annual ccd assessment. Does that vary? Who decides these things? I think things need be taken care of, but I also think the people who pay the bills should have some say. thanks. The information is very helpful.

[graciegirl]

The cost and size of your house determines the bond. All amenities fees are the same for everyone, about $130 per month. My husband just said that Lake County and Marion County had a different bond base, but they are older than the houses currently being built in Sumter County and those bonds have been paid down on older homes.

[784caroline]

The cost of the bond is NOT based on the cost and size of your house but moreso on the number of housing units that are placed within a bond district (or whatever they call it). For ex. If I have an expanded designer 2500 sq ft and paid 400Kfor the house, I would pay the same bond as a designer that is 1800sq ft who paid $295K assuming they are in the same bond district.

Premiers obviously pay a higher bond because they are on bigger lots and there are less houses per bond district to equally divide the bond cost.

[JimJoe]

What about the annual cdd assessment I have heard of? I think it is different than the one time bond that pays for the utilities and streets brought to the lot. I have heard the cdd can be about $500 depends on repairs necessary but is not assessed every year. Can anyone explain it to me? Is it the same for everyone? Does it vary from districts? How often is it imposed? Thanks.

[Bogie Shooter]

The following came from the "nuts and bolts" topic on TOTV......there is a lot of useful information there.

Amenity Fees
Amenities fees are used to pay for the upkeep of recreational facilities. Check with your sales person to find out what the current starting fee is. The Deed Restrictions document outlines the Amenity process and the rate. Basically, the fees go up annually based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Please check your Deed Restrictions to see what your terms are. If you purchase a pre-owned home, there are differences. The start of your amenity fees is the date of the contract for purchase of the lot. I am not sure but I think the contract signing date of the original house is used for pre-owned homes. Not positive on that.

Bonds
The purpose of the bond is to recover the costs of the infrastructure (sewer, water, streets, electric, cable, etc.) in your section. The bond is calculated based on the cost of the infrastructure for that section divided by the number of houses in the section. The annual amount of the bond payoff will be part of your property tax bill. I am pretty sure that the bond is a 30 year bond at 7% interest. It is like a 30 year mortgage. The bonds are fairly high south of 466. The bond goes down very little each year as most of the payment goes to interest. Be very sure to cover the bond, bond payment, length of the bond interest rate and payoff options with your sales rep or realtor. If you are buying a pre-owned property, be sure to find out how much is left on the bond.