[lorilorilori]

Hello. I want to be a Villager and starting to look. I visited 10 years ago but decided too young to retire and continued with life/work for 10 more years. Now it is time to enjoy and spend my hard earned $$$ on me before I am too old to enjoy life.

As you all know RETIREMENT is a big decision. MOVING is a traumatic event. What to keep, what to get rid of and why did I buy that in the first place ?

Can't wait to get a snazzy dazzy golf cart. Can't wait to look at courtyard villas. Must have a fence yard for the big dog.

The easy part if picking out a house - the hard part is knowing where to live. I don't know one Village from another.

I was thinking of getting a re-sale but I want my own choice of colors, flooring etc so either I need a concrete block Villa at a Do Over price of a new once as long as I can pick out my own colors, flooring, cabinets etc.

A lot to think about and appreciate all the input, ideas, the sharing and the caring.

Lori

[Taltarzac725]

Welcome Lori. You will be getting a lot of tips.

[gomsiepop]

The best of luck to you at this very exciting part of your life. FYI if you purchase a courtyard villa, new or resale, it's all a matter of luck. Unfortunately the buyer isn't able to choose the flooring, cabinets, fixtures, etc. It's pot luck as they say. In any case it's all a matter of how much you are able to afford and what your preference is. Rest assured you will be in very good hands with a Village salesperson should you prefer new or an MLS realtor. Welcome!

[villagetinker]

If you have not been back since 10 years ago, you are in for a BIG surprise. TV now goes all the way down to route 44, and several thousand acres were purchased to go all the way down to Coleman (route 468). The total land is around 50 square miles! It appears that the newer neighborhoods have the more recent retirees, and homes seem to have more FROGS (here until we croak), while villas seem to have more snow birds and renters. We wanted year round neighbors, and were very lucky where we moved to (Pinellas). When you contact your sales agent or realtor ask them if they have access to the makeup of the neighborhood. Also, there was another thread on a related topic that would be useful, try searching this site.
Good luck with your quest.

[John_W]

Also the price of a new CYV has tripled, if not more. We bought a new masonry CYV in 2011 for $156,900. Today if you want to live in the new southern area below 466A you'll pay about $250K to $300K for a new one. They have built some new ones in the very northern end off of RT 42 in an established village that was built around 2000. The CYV's are new, they have 180 in one section and getting ready to build another 120. You can find a new masonry 2 BR CYV for $195K in that area. Otherwise, I would look for a resale in a central location like the Villages of Duval, Hemingway, Pinellas, Gilchrist, Sanibel, St. James, to name a few. Get yourself a Villages Sales Agent and they can show you all your options. I would recommend Tony Trussler, he handled us six years ago and he's still going strong, he's an English Chap.

[HoosierPa]

We LOVE living in Antrim Dells CYV community within a 5 minute walk from Brownwood town square. Check out this video link about our community

Social Life at Antrim Dells - YouTube

[kcrazorbackfan]

Welcome to TV. Ignore the naysayers, embrace the acceptors of what the Developer has done for us and continues to do. Enjoy the ride.

[Opmoochler]

We have a big dog and invested in the Invisible Fence before we got here. For $1000 be did the whole perimeter, but we really could have done just the back since the dog rarely goes anywhere else.

[Schaumburger]

Hello Lori,

This long time wannabee (I also found out about The Villages as a "youngster") is glad you are ready to start your adventure by becoming a villager. Yes, as was previously posted, The Villages has grown tremendously in the past 10 years. I think the population of The Villages is now about 115,000 with another approx. 14,000 homes to be built in the coming years.

Good luck with your search, and keep posting on TOTV; I love to live vicariously when people transition from wannabees to frogs.

[Bay Kid]

Welcome

[pqrstar]

Here is a link to useful maps
Useful Maps

You can download The Village App to your phone
The Villages App: GPS, calendar of events business directory, and more!

You can search for new and pre-owned homes here
The Villages - Search for New, Pre-owned Homes and Villas in The Villages, Florida

[Bonnevie]

even if you buy new, all you will get are the builders white walls and carpet most likely. So buying a resale and redoing it will be the same. I would suggest renting for a few months. Then you will see where you go the most, what's important to you (proximity to stores, ect). I live in Duval and I like it here a lot. However, every time I think of going to Home Depot, I groan inwardly. It just seems so long away. However, on the good side, I have 3 regional rec centers very close which is good for activities. I don't use my golf cart as much as I thought I would because even though I can use it to go to Colony, etc. it's faster and easier to take my car. I bought a resale because the bond was paid and that was important to me. plus, if you rent, you will have more time to really look around.

[lorilorilori]

Thx all for sharing. The fence is important as my dogs are not friendly at all. I would not want to chance it to an invisible fence. A fenced yard is the lazy man's way of walking a dog. Also like the idea of privacy. Are there any SFR that have fences ?

I plan to visit the last Wednesday of this month. Can't wait. Called the agent from 10 years ago - he was so nice & patient - and still working so will stick with him. Can't wait to be an active senior instead of working at my desk all day.

As to courtyard villas - want the most spacious, most cabinets or area to put cabinets, high ceilings, biggest garage - the largest.

[lorilorilori]

Are there any first rate spas at the Villages ? Really clean, really good for mani, pedi, massage, hot tub, etc.

Are there any first rate hotels with a spa ?

Also, what is or what are - some of the best restaurants.
Which is the best steak house ?

Thx for sharing,
Lori

[John_W]

Originally Posted by lorilorilori

Are there any first rate hotels with a spa ?

There are two local nice hotels. At Lake Sumter Landing is The Waterfront Hotel.

http://waterfrontinnvillages.com/

At Spanish Springs there is Towne Suites by Marriott.

TownPlace Suites The Villages - Hotels in the Villages near Spanish Springs

There are also motels such as Hampton Inn and Holiday Inn and a few others. The two above are the closest to the squares. For a resort style hotel where you may be pampered, the closest would probably be The Plantation at Crystal River about 40 miles west or Mission Inn about 30 miles southeast.

OFFICIAL SITE: Plantation on Crystal River - Crystal River, FL Hotels

Welcome to Mission Inn Resort and Club, Orlando, Florida.