[casadelmis]

Hi all

My husband and I were in the Villages in February and loved it! We are preparing our house for sale...I hate to admit this...but we want to live in a "bubble"..and it felt that way when we were down there...As if the "real World" melted away and all of it's problems with it....if anyone can relate I would love to hear from you....Is that how it is? We hope so...We have no children and live in New Jersey..

We will be living there year round....we are just a little concerned whether it gets untolerably hot during July and August...We love the tropics...but just want to be able to breathe... We figure that many people bring their kids to Disney World during the summer...so it can't be that bad...Anyone who lives there year round who could give us some info would be so helpful! We are also a little nervous about getting home owners insurance ...we have been reading that it is tough there? We have read about sinkholes and also wonder if that is a problem....

If anyone can speak to these issues we would be so appreciative!! We are so excited about coming down there to live...we just have these concerns before we sell our house....The Villages seems like it will be so much fun and so many activities to get involved in..

Oh and one more concern...is it tough to get a job down there? We would both have to work but wondering if it takes forever to get a job...nonthing fancy...just jobs for us to both keep busy.....I am going to be going to dog grooming training and I am hoping that there will be jobs availabe doing that..and my husband is great at cleaning pools so I think that is what he is looking for....

Thanks for your time

Debbie

[villages07]

Debbie.... best decision you'll ever make to move to TV.

To your questions...

The heat. If you live here year-round, the heat creeps up gradually and you do become acclimated to it. It is hot from mid June thru the end of Sept ... basically 90-94 everyday. Mornings are lovely and evenings are gorgeous. Midday you stay in the A/C or go to the pool. We seem to have a nice gentle breeze most of the time. I grew up in the DC area (not that different a climate than NJ) and I think the summers here are more tolerable than in the mid-Atlantic .... our summer just lasts longer. Also, the air quality is almost always code green...that's quite different than the big cities of the mid Atlantic and NE. So, summers, to me, are better than up in NJ/DC.

Life in a Bubble...yes, it can be like that. You can be as insulated or as involved/informed as you wish to be. Crime and mayhem and other issues of big cities don't come knocking on our doorstep very often. Orlando sure has its share...although I rarely watch the local news (not quite the same quality that we were used to). On the other hand, we do feel safe and secure here surrounded by so many great people. Not a bad way to feel in your golden years.

Homeowner's Insurance... I remember being very concerned about that. I had read so many horror stories about how hard it was to get HO Insurance and how expensive it was in FL. Well, that was mostly along the coast. I don't think you'll find a problem here and plan on spending between 600 and 1400 per year (depending on the value of your home and coverages). Very general ballpark figure. sinkholes are rare but do happen...smart to make sure you have sinkhole coverage in your HO policy.

Jobs.... this could be a challenge. There aren't that many jobs and the pay isn't great. This is one aspect of your move that you really need to investigate and understand before you commit, especially if making a "living wage" is critical for you. Salaries are certainly not like you are used to in the NE.

Good luck to you!!!

[K9-Lovers]

We are moving to The Villages in just a few days. We had no trouble getting homeowners insurance. We contacted several companies and found that The Villages Insurance had the best coverage for the lowest cost, so we went with their recommendations.

About the heat -- someone on this forum explained it much more eloquently: People who live in cold climates stay indoors when it is very cold -- it is just the opposite in Florida --we stay indoors when it is very hot.

We do understand that jobs are hard to find and pay poorly. Thank goodness, we are retired.

Good luck selling your place and making the move.

[salpal]

Debbie,
Husband and I have same concerns and are moving here in June. Yep, who moves to FL in June? LOL We live in Delaware, next door to NJ, so our weather is same. The previous posts echo all the things current TV'ers have told us. Our new summers will be like our former winters, stay inside during the worst heat. I love to walk, so in the hot months, plan to do so early in the morning or after sundown AND because of "the bubble" I will feel safer walking after sundown. That is something I would never consider here.

I cannot speak about jobs, but know most are service-type and low pay. I am a Red Cross and Hospice volunteer. I plan to continue that work after we get settled. Just like you, I want to be in a bubble, but in order to keep perspective, I will do my volunteer work in nearby towns. The towns nearby appear to be poor and I like to be reminded of how lucky I am.

PS: We do not have children either and are both 57. Maybe we could get together when you get to TV. Send me a PM sometime. Thanks.

[casadelmis]

Thanks so much for all the info you gave us! As you could probably tell we are both nervous and excited about moving there...we loved it when we were down! Hopefully our house won't take too long to sell.....Thanks again and hopefully we will meet when we get down there!

Debbie

[casadelmis]

Thanks so much for the info and good wishes! We can't wait to get down there!

Debbie

[Army Guy]

I know it isn't proper to laugh, but as I have said before I always get a smile when I read about peoples concern over the FL summer heat. I guess we are the only ones so far who say our move to TV will give us cooler summers that we can finally go outside more!

Matter of fact it was 90 degrees here yesterday, and 68 this morning at 0430, and it is only 7 April.

Army Guy

[Barefoot]

Debbie, re your comment about finding a job grooming dogs. Good dog groomers seem to be in high demand.

I have to book at least a month ahead to have my dog groomed. My guy is so busy. But he has a mobile service and does it in my driveway. Very convenient.

[herbaru]

Originally Posted by Barefoot

Debbie, re your comment about finding a job grooming dogs. Good dog groomers seem to be in high demand.

I have to book at least a month ahead to have my dog groomed. My guy is so busy. But he has a mobile service and does it in my driveway. Very convenient.

Not to hijack the thread but may I ask what you pay for the mobile groomer?

[schotzyb]

We previously used Aristocrat Mobile Groomers and we paid $75 to do our Border Collie . Were very good but we now use the groomer at our vet which is about $25 less.