My perception from reading all the history I can find and "Leisureville", which actually contains a fair amount of Villages history, is that while Harold was the patriarch and the founder, it was Gary and his aggressive approach that really pushed the concept to it's current level. Harold may have been satisfied to develop a successful manufactured home community, but Gary saw the ptential for much much more. I don't begrudge Gary a cent of his money or success, but as often is the case, the following generations may not be worthy custodians of the fortune.

Are you guys kidding ???? GARY is a heck of a guy, He's a Republican , he is not particularly fond of dogs , he's a lousy golfer which is how I supplement my retirement income....
In fact the only thing I find distasteful about him is" as far as hunting goes". he's a lousy shot.........
Outside of that I think he's swell guy and besides his GRAND IDEA has afforded me a fabulous place to retire....

a very comfy fumar ......:thumbup:

Fumar, I have said it before and I will say it again, and others have said it as well,......I remember Donna said it once.


You ain't right.

but you are funny and that makes up for it.

He is just being funny everyone and he really likes dogs.

Maybe.

I had this very conversation with my mother yesterday.She is extremely concerned about the work ethic of the younger generation, and in particular a few of her grandchildren( not my 3 kids,they worked throughout college) and their friends.They feel they are ENTITLED to the financial achievements of their parents and grandparents.This entitlement leads to them becoming nothing more than parasites, and worthless contributors and a drain to the future of the family and their community.Hopefully Gary Morse has instilled his and Harold's work ethic to some members of his family, and TV will continue to be lead by a family of astute visionaries.

PTurner your points are well taken. However if a person moved anywhere else in 2005-2006 they may have paid top dollar for the property but they would have least been able to pick and chose what went into the house fixtures, counters, colors, various design, applicances ,etc. People buying here, then were told take it or leave it. I know some people who bought then and ended up gutting out their homes to replace items of their choice.
I understand this if these were old homes and you bought and remodeled but when you remodel a new home to the tune of $50,00???????????
I gave my sales woman a list of what I wanted in a house and told her to call me if she found one.... she did three weeks later with every single upgrde I requested

My only position for this thread was to share my beleif that best practices would suggest that before rendering an opinion about a developer you might want to look deeper than the end product.

I am an analytical thinker by nature and investigate by training. While I told another member that the wool was pulled over my eyes, the fact is that my initial impressions of TV and how it operates were known to me before I purchased. My mistake was in believing that it would all get better and eventually change with time.

Bottom line for me like most here is that I am going to make the best of it.
I suppose what I fail to do is acknowledge more my appreciation for the wonderful people, like you, that I have met here, the pleasure with golfing with them and the social interactions at the town centers, etc.

What I tell my friends here is that I learned how to work well but failed all my life at learning to play. Its taking me some real effort to shed those old ways...and it is beginning to annoy my bride. and as you know bride's are always right;)

And don't forget....
 

There were tons of Villagers like me that left positive comments, we have never met the man but LOVE LOVE LOVE what he has created......The ole boy and I are sooooo grateful.....Atta Boy!

Implying that most are going to make the best of it...says we are all unhappy but making the best of it. I do not think this is true and you are way off base.
There may be a few others like you but to say most.....?

I agree. Back in the days when buyers had no customization choices and an hour two to decide on a home, TV was selling homes at an amazing pace. No one forced anyone to buy one of these. They could have shopped around the resales.

I am also an analytical person (CPA) with some industry knowledge of home builders. A developer must always work against the clock. Time - and the time value of $ - are crucial factors in their success or failure. Simply put - in order to allow customizations a developer will need to charge a huge premium to cover all the delays that come with building a non-standard home. As the market has slowed, TV has offered some upgrade choices - but keeping them very limited.

I guess I don't understand "what" it is that Rubicon thought would "get better."

I completely agree with you Bogie. It is outrageously presumptuous for rubicon to suggest in his post that he speaks for "most" Villagers. We moved here in the window he defined as 2005-2006 and not withstanding his belief to the contrary, it just keeps getting better. The fact is we are finding less and less motivation to leave the boundaries of The Villages. The novelty of the lifestyle has not worn off. Our friends and neighbors overwhelmingly share our views.

Have a good day in The Villages.

If you bought anywhere in 05-06, you have probably lost equity in your house. That's the nature of a cyclical housing market. I caught the peak of the market here in July 06, had the limited choices, 3 hr window etc. That's how the market was at the time. Since I don't plan to sell anytime soon, it's a non issue and looking back I have no regrets. I'd rather have had those couple of years here enjoying the lifestyle than waiting somewhere else for the values here to go down before purchasing. Life is made up of choices and dealing with circumstances as they change. It's hard to time cyclical peaks and valleys in housing or in stocks. You just make the best decision you can at the time and deal with it.

I'm with cabo.... life here is good and getting better all the time.

You have got to start playing,life is way tooooooooooooooooo short not to enjoy the rest of your life, and there is not a better place than TV.A couple of quotes might help,........"Men do not quit playing because they grow old, they grow old because they quit playing."Also,"none are soooooooooooo old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.":pepper2:

:agree:

Sharon Morse played a huge role in the growth and success of The Villages.

Dear Cabo.

I needed to hear that today. Up to our nostrils in boxes and snags here and there in the road to closing. We haven't had a decently cooked meal forever and I am losing track of the goal.

Bless you Cabo.