[skip0358]

Saw a TV ad about 12 years ago. Sent for the tape ( at that time it was a VHS). Got a good chuckle out of it. Visited a neighbor who retired down here about two years later. Did research checked many other places. They all lost but we picked the winner. Very happy in our home in TV.

[pauld315]

This is a hard question. The first time we "visited" was January 1, 2000. We drove up there from WDW for a half day. Unfortunately, the sales office in SS was closed so we just did a self tour. We had known about the Villages at that time since about 1996 and had received a VHS tape or two from them. I am now 57 and we are planning to retire there n 2013. We took a preview tour this past April and stayed at the Waterfront Inn in July. So, by the time we move there we will have been anticipating this move for 17 years.

[imbrennan]

I think we might be the most unusual. We first heard of the villages in Muscat in the country of Oman when my husband was working in the Middle East. An american friend mentioned that he had just bought a house there and that there was free golf. My husband's ears pricked up and next thing I knew we were coming out to look. We were hooked and that was back in 2001.

[chacam]

From my brother. I thought he wa lying to me until we visited.

[BritParrothead]

In the early 90's we saw an ad in an English Sunday newspaper. We were visiting Orlando with our sons and drove up onse day and took the tour! We had neve seen anything like it, there was only one square at the time, bit we were still blown away. And to this day we still are!

[brostholder]

I was working in Port Clinton, Ohio and was counselling a woman about her prescriptions that she had just transferred from a pharmacy in Florida. I told her that my wife and I were thinking about retiring to the Mt. Dora area in Florida. Well, she just started going on and on and on about The Villages and what a friendly place it was. That night went I got home I checked it out on the internet. I fell in love with the place without ever seeing it. A few months later we flew down to Orlando and started looking around. After a week of wasting time with realtors, we drove up to the villages and took the tour. We bought a CYV the next day.

[graciegirl]

We were vacationing all over Florida with another couple about 12 years ago and the other guy insisted we check out The Villages. We arrived in a terrible rain storm and I thought Spanish Springs was "hokey". I had NO intention of moving to Florida EVER.


Another couple insisted we stop by for a vist to their home in Poinciana a couple of years ago. We just loved it and three months later we came down on a LSV and we bought in Hadley.

[iandwk]

Saw the ad on television, ordered the dvd, reserved a lifestyle preview in Dec of '08 since we were coming through to visit family in Frostproof anyway. Rented 2 months on '09, closed on a pre-owned home in July this year.
Hope to live at least another 40 years to be the oldest Villager in history.

[mikeandnancy1112]

Do I go to multi quote to reply to the posting so everyone can see it?

[getdul981]

My wife and I have been visiting FL, i.e. WDW, for about 30 years. We had seen The Villages on the local weather maps, but had never known anything about it until this past April. We sere once again in Orlando and some friends invited us to visit TV with them as they were thinking of moving up there from Orlando. We rode up with them and took the trolley tour, had lunch and drove back to Orlando. My wife and I made two more trips from O to TV while there. Put a depost on a piece of dirt in May and as soon as we get our home here in VA sold, we wil be heading to TV to rent a place while our new home is being built.

So I guess the first I ever really knew of The Villages was this past April.

[redwitch]

I used to run an online bridge group. Due to personal reasons, I had to leave California. I ran a post and simply stated that if anyone in the South was interested in meeting me up close and personal, I would happily spend a day or two with them.

I hopped on a plane to Miami, rented a car and did a whirlwind tour of the South -- over 5K miles in 30 days. Had a ball. Met some truly wonderful people and visited some great sites. Obviously, one stop was in TV. Liked it so much, I managed another stop on my way back to Miami. When I got back home, I weighed my options -- choices were North Carolina; Atlanta, TV.

TV won for many reasons -- (1) I would be younger than most so wouldn't be aged out of the job market; (2) the people were incredibly friendly; (3) I could play bridge 7 days a week if I so chose; (4) the people were really nice; (5) it was affordable; (6) I really, really liked the people I'd met. Florida had two cons: a state I've never particularly liked; I could never imagine living in a retirement community, especially since I was nowhere near ready to retirement.

I've never regretted my choice. I love TV and I was 100% right about the people here. They are truly the greatest, most generous of spirit people I've ever met. The only downside is that I truly miss California and the Bay Area. I think I'll always be homesick and that would be true wherever I landed.

[rjn5656]

Over 5 years ago, i vaguely heard about it. So while on a vacation to Tampa decided to make a quick trip up to look. Now this year, we bought and will be there shortly. It sold itself on that first trip.

[BobKat1]

Originally Posted by mikeandnancy1112

Do I go to multi quote to reply to the posting so everyone can see it?

No, just hit "Quote" at the bottom of an individual post or, "Post Reply" at the bottom of a page.

[The Shadow]

The golf cart bridge over the highway sparked my curiosity so I stopped and went on the tour in 1988.

[LittleDog]

We had heard about TV around 1998 and sent for the video. Nothing happened for the next 5 years but I was intrigued with the video. We have a Disney timeshare but never did stop at TV until 2005 when I had a few days prior to a conference in Sarasota. My wife had a friend who moved here when her parents died and she inherited the house. We arranged for a visit and 3 days later we purchased a house (2005). We sold our house in Jersey and moved in April. Couldn't be happier with the decision. However, it would have been nicer if we had made this move earlier as I retired in 1998 and my wife 2 years earlier.

John