[joelfmi]

Originally Posted by mrsstats

DH and I are looking to buy in the fall. We just need a small house with 2 bedrooms. Dont play golf so don't need to be close to courses. More interested in being able to use golf cart to get to stores etc. Would like to be near dog park since we have 2 small dogs.

Not sure if we will buy new or resale. Open to both. Any suggestions. TIA

What I have read in the past 5 years on this website from residences living there was not what I expected. That is why you must do your due diligence before you think of buying there. You have to remember there is no free community travel which a great deal of seniors need, they have to take private fee transportation, in this large community, renter problems, amenity problems, HOA rules, and alot advertised and about it is smoke and mirrors so be very careful

[JSR22]

Originally Posted by joelfmi

What I have read in the past 5 years on this website from residences living there was not what I expected. That is why you must do your due diligence before you think of buying there. You have to remember there is no free community travel which a great deal of seniors need, they have to take private fee transportation, in this large community, renter problems, amenity problems, HOA rules, and alot advertised and about it is smoke and mirrors so be very careful

To start we do not have an HOA, we have excellent amenities, you can drive a golf cart everywhere and I have lived her 10 years and I'm very happy. You come on to TOTV to bash TV. I don't understand your reason for all the negative posts. I don't think you have ever visited here, and you have no intention of moving here. Why are you wasting your time posting nonsense? Time for you to move on.

[Stu from NYC]

Originally Posted by joelfmi

What I have read in the past 5 years on this website from residences living there was not what I expected. That is why you must do your due diligence before you think of buying there. You have to remember there is no free community travel which a great deal of seniors need, they have to take private fee transportation, in this large community, renter problems, amenity problems, HOA rules, and alot advertised and about it is smoke and mirrors so be very careful

Do you live here? If not why are you here? Obviously you have no interest in becoming a villager.

[rjdfitzpatrick@aol.com]

Originally Posted by mrsstats

DH and I are looking to buy in the fall. We just need a small house with 2 bedrooms. Dont play golf so don't need to be close to courses. More interested in being able to use golf cart to get to stores etc. Would like to be near dog park since we have 2 small dogs.

Not sure if we will buy new or resale. Open to both. Any suggestions. TIA

Do not buy a new house unless you are up for 3 months of fixing it.Bought new in January and still working on it. Buy preowned 2-5 years old that someone else has fixed

[Marathon Man]

Originally Posted by joelfmi

What I have read in the past 5 years on this website from residences living there was not what I expected. That is why you must do your due diligence before you think of buying there. You have to remember there is no free community travel which a great deal of seniors need, they have to take private fee transportation, in this large community, renter problems, amenity problems, HOA rules, and alot advertised and about it is smoke and mirrors so be very careful

I really don't understand why someone who claims to have decided not to live in The Villages hangs around so much. It's like peering in the window, wishing you could be inside but knowing you never will. I'm beginning to think that it was not a decision but an inability to live here.

[Altavia]

Originally Posted by rjdfitzpatrick@aol.com

Do not buy a new house unless you are up for 3 months of fixing it.Bought new in January and still working on it. Buy preowned 2-5 years old that someone else has fixed

Really?

As many others have reported, they had subs out fixing the minor things on mine the next day.

[Carlsondm]

Originally Posted by bowlingal

the golf courses are everywhere. You may not play now, but you can't see into the future. I didn't play either when I moved here, but now I do. Shopping is on 441 ( the big box stores and restaurants). Sure, someday they may be in the south section, but if you look at the paper, there are tons of houses south of 44 for sale. Why? they are practically brand new. People are moving there and realizing it is way too far away from everything! Not to mention....Coleman prison, the Florida tpke, constant blasting from construction sites. You really need a month here to see for yourself, learn your way around and talk to people already living here. Good Luck!!

We live on Linden Isle, in the middle of the turnpike, Coleman prison, the mining area, and the new construction. We rarely see or hear noise from the turnpike, prison, or mining/construction activities. We hear birds, frogs, walk the nature trails, watch the alligators, dance in the streets at block parties, and enjoy the peacefulness. We came from a smaller town and enjoy the reduced traffic, quiet, and smiles. Essential stores and amenities have been constructed in this area, so we are pleased. It is a trek to HD or Lowes, but that keeps us from starting new projects. : ). We dance, drone, and ride bikes. No golf yet. A lot of fishermen like our area. Definitely find a place n of 44 if you like activity and traffic.
(Leave us alone.)

[eweissenbach]

Originally Posted by Altavia

At the rate The Villages is expanding some people far smarter than I don't expect an impact.

If I recall correctly, prices still rose here during the last recession.

+80% of buyers here are cash so interest rates have a small effect.

FYI Not quite true. During the 2008 + recession most prices regressed in TV though not as drastically as elsewhere in Florida. We looked at dozens of resale homes in 2010 and 11 and often looked up their price histories. We found homes were being sold at prices well under what they had originally been purchased for pre-2007. We could have bought one particular pool home north of 466 for under $250k that had been purchased in 2006 for $340k.

[jebartle]

Lady lake has NO BOND

[mikeycereal]

Not a bad thing to listen to some of the advice here. Also keep in mind that several others buy here, resell for profit, and then buy in another village. Some of the new areas can nearly double in a little over a year from what I've heard. You don't have to zero in on an investment but I've heard some have moved 5 times here. Maybe the rich ones, but it's not out of the equation to move at least once by selling and affording an upgrade. But check with the realtors, a lot of them know. There's an area that I've heard recently that some of the residents want to sell and move there. Not sure exactly the place. DeLuna is really nice though, I picked up a fridge early this month from someone there and the village is impressive. Right off the 301.

You may also want to think about moving within cart distance of your go-to stores/eateries/gas stations/doctors etc to save yourself shorter trips on a regular basis. Where I lived before moving here everything was 5-15 minutes away. Work, stores, airport, gym, bar, doctor, dentist. I didn't log too many miles.

[rjm1cc]

Originally Posted by mrsstats

DH and I are looking to buy in the fall. We just need a small house with 2 bedrooms. Dont play golf so don't need to be close to courses. More interested in being able to use golf cart to get to stores etc. Would like to be near dog park since we have 2 small dogs.

Not sure if we will buy new or resale. Open to both. Any suggestions. TIA

Almost any village will work. If you can rent for a year. Maybe in several locations.
VH4R Home Rentals in The Villages Florida The Villages Rentals
My guess is new will be younger neighbors and resale older neighbors more set in their daily activities.

[mrsstats]

Thank you everyone for your answers. We did go the Villages in March. We are now going back in August and staying for about a week. After living on Long Island our entire life, we need to decide if moving is even the right thing for us.

I did love what we did see in March.

[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by joelfmi

What I have read in the past 5 years on this website from residences living there was not what I expected. That is why you must do your due diligence before you think of buying there. You have to remember there is no free community travel which a great deal of seniors need, they have to take private fee transportation, in this large community, renter problems, amenity problems, HOA rules, and alot advertised and about it is smoke and mirrors so be very careful

From a non villager with an axe to grind?

[joelfmi]

Originally Posted by JSR22

To start we do not have an HOA, we have excellent amenities, you can drive a golf cart everywhere and I have lived her 10 years and I'm very happy. You come on to TOTV to bash TV. I don't understand your reason for all the negative posts. I don't think you have ever visited here, and you have no intention of moving here. Why are you wasting your time posting nonsense? Time for you to move on.

With all respect if not for the light of different opinions about the villages there would be no shadow, please be respectful and Curtis.

[Stu from NYC]

Originally Posted by joelfmi

With all respect if not for the light of different opinions about the villages there would be no shadow, please be respectful and Curtis.

HUH? BTW who is Curtis?