[GrumpyOldMan]

We almost moved and at the last moment changed our minds.

We are of the group that bought smaller and thought a 2 Bedroom with being enough for 2 people. We now are considering a 3 bedroom to have a room dedicated to being an office. The alternative is to convert our lanai which we do not use at all, into an office.

We found a used 3/2 we really liked. But after doing the math and figuring all the costs, and how much we would have to do in upgraded to the 3/2 to get features we upgraded in our 2/2. We decided it just didn't make sense for us.

The problems I hear from neighbors have all be addressed here. Bought too small, bought too large, don't like the neighbors, don't like the location, etc. The best advice I have heard, if you can afford it, is to rent here for a YEAR. That's right one year before buying. But, depending on the market movement, it might be better to buy and spend as little as you can, don't do any upgrades and then sell in a year and get what you really want.

[asianthree]

First house patio villa,1.5 garage for vaca home. Second house, cottage two car garage. 3 house designer, 2 car plus golf car. Looking for 4th house with a view, room for a pool. No attachment to any homes here. If it’s a better fit , we will move.

Moving and packing can be done in 1 days for me, with a uhaul and a dolly.

Common reasons for moving in TV.
Bigger Garage
View
Larger or small SF
Death

[graciegirl]

Tested the waters with a new designer in Hadley. After four years decided to move here full time and thought we'd enjoy more space and built a Premier. Love both of the neighborhoods. Enjoyed building.

[Marathon Man]

Once Southern Oaks (the new area south of Rt44) became large enough, we moved. We recognized that "the new formula" was more appealing to us. We have not regretted our move at all.

[joseppe]

Sometimes you find you've ended up next to a Crappy neighbor with a barking Dog and then you realize you could make some money by selling your house.

[bonicka]

We moved because we didn’t realize how important more garage space, including a golf cart garage would be. Also, our family loves to visit, and the third bedroom was too small for twin beds, which we needed as the grandchildren started getting bigger. We also didn’t realize how much we wouldn’t like having homes so close behind us. We just got caught up in the excitement of buying originally, and didn’t think through everything enough before we bought. Good for you to think everything out.

[rjn5656]

Biggest thing I regretted on my first home here was not getting a golf cart garage.

[NotGolfer]

Before moving here 12 yrs ago, we'd moved over 20X over the 50-something years. We said THIS would be the last move either before we left this earth OR if the kids moved us to a home. We went from 2K (give or take) sq. ft. house to one half it's size. It was hard to down-size but glad we did it. Our present house is a 3/2 and seemed just right when we purchased it. Sometimes we've thought "maybe" we should look into a 2/2 villa but the thought of gathering boxes and going all through the actual process almost makes me sick. So I think we'll stay put. That said, we know folks who've moved the rumored 3X here and we also know some who've moved more than that. I think it's because the lure of something new is always on their minds. For us---we're settled and satisfied.

[nick demis]

Originally Posted by dewilson58

Some want bigger, Some want smaller, Some want different floor plans, Some cash in on profits, Some like to move, Some are never satisfied, Some want different traffic patterns, Some have spouses who die.

Almost perfectly put. I'd add, we all get older and things change.

[Black Beauty]

We rented for 3 years in the 'far north' across from Mulberry Rec Center. Very quiet up here, which being from rural Minnesota we like. We ended up buying the perfect CYV with a large garage 24x24 that is perfect for my beloved Ford Thunderbird (03) and plenty of room for the Edge and the golf cart. We are on the golf course with a water view with 120 feet of frontage. (average is 50 feet) We can be out of the bubble in 30 seconds! very happy..right dear?

[paulajr]

Originally Posted by Patents111

Hi, many of you have moved from one Villages house to another Villages house. As I look to buy here, at my age I’m hoping to make my first house purchase my last to avoid moving again. It would be very useful for me to hear your motivation for moving from one TV house to another. Your experiences will give me a keener eye to make a wiser first selection. Many thanks.

After a few years it became very apparent that we REALLY wanted our own pool. Community pools get really hot..and not refreshing..during the hot summer days. We also wanted to be able to go in whenever we wanted, day or night.
As others have stated, it is hard to leave once you have neighbors you bond with. We were lucky to find something in our same Village, close to our old hood. 😊.

[Joe C.]

I'm in the process of moving in the next few weeks. My first house (a Lantana) was gorgeous. But it didn't have a large lanai or golf cart garage. After living here for four years and getting into a routine, I realized that my lanai was way too small (only 6'x27') and could only fit two chairs. My garage became cluttered, and couldn't fit both cars and a golf cart, so one car had to stay in the driveway. Also, my wife always wanted a "view", so when the opportunity to move arrived, I put my house on the market and took the plunge.

My advice, is to think about what you are going to do, and what your needs will be for your activities. Ask around about your neighbors (but don't ask the seller), and give consideration about your location relative to your doctor's office, food shopping, rec center and pool location and street traffic. It's always better to live at the end of the street away from all the traffic.
Good luck.

[rrb48310]

Well Frogs need more room than Snowbirds. We have a very nice home that worked when we were snowbirds but after becoming full time (Frog here until we croak) all our stuff didn't fit (even after downsizing). We did plan on a larger home when we became full time. We wanted a view site, golf cart garage and room for our grandchildren and their families.

[Patents111]

I appreciate each of you taking the time sharing your experiences. This will be my first home buying experience without a wife- so no one to please but myself, but without that second set of eyes and wise advice. A realtor at TV told me he sees couples come first time to TV and give themselves one week to buy their perfect house, and it usually turns out poorly.
Getting an extended rental makes sense- maybe several one or two month rentals in different house type/locations. I’ve read various comments about lanai direction, kissing lanais, pickle ball and golf course noise, town square music, club and event access, road access, etc, etc— but it won’t all make sense until I actually live it, I guess. So thank you all for being my second set of eyes and wise advice. I don’t fear getting it wrong the first time as long as I’ve made the effort to get it right.
I’ll keep monitoring in case others have more to add- see all you great people soon.

[LizzieBorden]

I was fortunate to have a friend here before I moved. When I was thinking I would do the same, I asked her what she would do differently. The only thing was to buy it now and continue working at her job to have enough working capital to make your enhancements to your property before you retired and not have to dip into your savings/investments. I followed that advice. In 2005 I met with a realtor with my list of wants and on the first day, the 4th house in, I purchased my new home. Back then you couldnt build what you wanted, and they only sold what they built so we couldnt pick out a model, lot, etc. I wanted property with a southern facing lanai to enable a sunrise on the left and a sunset on the right. I also knew I wanted a window over my kitchen sink and now I look out over the fields, etc. it’s beautiful . No immediate neighbors in my back yard that could look into my lanai, open concept, 3/2.I wanted to be able to add a bird cage and one day, an outdoor kitchen. We also wanted to close to publix as I am person who enjoys cooking and entertaining and like to be near the grocery etc. We also wanted to be close to Sumter landing. At the time we didnt know about Pickleball, but started playing it and realized we were just far enough away from the courts that we didnt hear the noise at 7AM everyday, so that should be a consideration at all. Some dont mind it, I know I would mind it. We also do not have any neighbors behind our home, only open fields with no guarantee that someday it might be sold…16 years and we still fortunate. Over the years we tore up the carpets and put tile down, we paved our driveway with pavers and did a full landscaping job and have since added stacking walls etc. Back north, I had a 4500 square foot home and a pool. I knew as I aged I wanted smaller and no pool as we have 6 within 5 mins of our home. We live near the highschool and 466 and our location is perfect for us. We have made the 3rd bedroom into a den/TV room/Office, expanded our living room, and birdcage and added storage cabinets in the garage along the front and sides for our stuff. We only brought our personal belongings with us and bought all new furniture etc when we bought our home. We basically started over, but I was able to do that over a period of time as we didnt official move in until 2007. Before we added the birdcage, we also had a line dug and natural gas line place to accommodate our Webber grill. Five years ago, we finally got to add our outdoor kitchen and our natural gas line was already in place. I also knew as I aged, I didnt want to lug the gas tank. We also have added a sunbrella top over the bird cage which makes it even more enjoyable… Hope these comments help. My only regret is the lack of a golf cart garage but we have managed as we are. Good luck.