In my opinion, you need to consider the cost of living there-i.e. higher taxes, how far the neighborhood is from the squares and the close proximity to Fruitland Park? If none of those concern you, then I'm sure you can find a good deal on a home. The best advice I got from my realtor back in 2011 was to talk to the residents.

Well it take a while to evaluate it all.
May need at least two or three weeks here, visiting to get the whole story.
You can buy new or used, you can deal with the Villages, they rent a Villa to you and a golf cart and a bus tour to look around.
You can get the Sun Paper and will see Homes By Owner, By realtors, Executive, GRizzard, REmax etc.
First maybe just settle on the area, want to drive a bit while here or be close to a center, Sumter Landing, Brownwood or Spanish Springs?
The house size or Villa, only Villas have privacy fences, except I understand there are a few fenced units in Pine Ridge.
Take your time, and do not buy impulsively, you can make a mistake. And,,,,,,,,,,, Be Sure, take no one's word for anything, get a tablet, put it all in writing and have the other party sign a copy of your agreement,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, BE CAREFUL. bbbbbb

Delighted residents in Pine Ridge
 

We are delighted residents in Pine Ridge. It is convenient to 4 exec golf courses and Belle Grade championship course. Additionally it is convenient to shopping at Colony and the currently being built Wal Mart Market Place (groceries). It has many active social activities including a new social club, several golf leagues, bocce and others. As another poster mentioned neighbors are very friendly which may or may not be the case in a more established neighborhood. Many people think their village is the best and the rest are subpar. You should specifically ask about things that are important to you to find your best match.

Welcome to TV. And best wishes for your continuing happiness here.
[emoji41]


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We also love Pine Ridge! We made the move from Belvedere which by most is considered very popular due to the proximity of all the shopping areas. This area is just beautiful as you drive in by the golfing range and golf course. Also the convenience Colony and the Rec center is fantastic. We recently drove by the new Premier 1.5 million dollar homes in the Preserves at Pine Hills. Wow talk about a beautiful view of nature. I was a skeptic about moving to Pine Ridge but no more!!


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Public is across from that village and there is a tunnel to go under the road. We are moving to pine hills and it seems pretty close.

We were originally headed there on day one but decided because it is a construction zone and will be for a while that I couldn't face that aspect. After the 2-3"inches of rain, Tropical Depression, Category 1 Hurricane, with a side dish of possible tornadoes my decision to not buy in Pine Ridge didn't feel so good when I heard evacuate your manufactured home immediately after the original 2 to 3 inches of rain turned out to be incorrect. I love Country Club Hills...love it. I also love new and I also like a fat balance in the bank. I have been at the site morning noon and night since the day after the storm and see nothing wrong with anything down that way. It is like anywhere else in The Villages it requires give and take because no place is perfect. The only reasons I'm hesitating to jump ship is that I would probably get someone from the political thread as a neighbor and I like that the pools are open late over here. Decision, Decisions. If I was coming in here without another property already in my pocket, I would choose Pine Ridge with no reservation whatsoever.

Pine Hills or Not Pine hills?
 

We have been looking in Pine Hills ourselves. I have never seen the or smelled the dump. I would not buy near the power lines. We are thrilled that the new Walmart IS golf cart accessible. There are few if any places to buy in Sumter. The taxes are higher but the prices are definitely lower. More hose for the money or lower price for a home. Great access to many golf courses and practice facilities. :spoken:Not convinced Pine Hills is quite the slum it is being described as.

Check out health care. In july,2016 tv health dumped about 15,000 members. Many of us are looking for new doctors.(not an easy task if you are looking for quality care at a reasonable distance) if you have original medicare & a supplimental plan you are not welcome anymore. They only take medicare advantage.
$0 copay sounds good until you find out a drug that cost you $25/mo will cost you $338/mo. Under tv health medicare advantage.

Brace yourself for the "bond!"

I know right......

$24,000 plus the maintence was just shy of $800 a year...... and that was for Cottage Homes....

I'm trying to figure how that works. I have a $20k bond, plus interest, and no maintenance. I'm paying $1700 per year for 20 years.

I have no mortgage. What is your payment period?

We live in Pine Hills and are very happy here!

The bond is not too much more than ours was here

Agreed [emoji1303]



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You need to look at your amortization table. Also, I believe everyone, no matter which county, pays maintenance. It is added to your tax bill (bottom portion) along with the bond. Your amortization table should have been provided to you by your sales agent prior to close.

I got it. And my friendly iPhone autocorrected mortgage to maintenance.

I agree with graciegirl. I had a home in Duval and moved to Pine Ridge. All of the areas of The Villages have their pros and cons, it all depends on your individual tastes. I love living in Pine Ridge a much as I did in Duval. See it for yourself before making a judgement. Wherever you settle in The Villages becomes your home and you will love it!

This is only MY personal opinion.... We have a home in the Lake Sumter area. We love it here, centrally located to all the downtown areas, easy to get to most areas. I like the feeling of being located in the center of the Villages, we really do not have any "outside" busy roads close to us and that's what we prefer. I like the feeling of being surrounded by Village properties and for better or worse I feel safer located in our area. I am not knocking any areas and have driven past the homes near Fruitland Park. For ME... those areas are to far away from what I consider The Villages.

Just bought there. We love it. Convenient to Colony Plaza (soon to have a Walmart Grocery) and 27 (so we can leave the Bubble when we want). Great area for walking cuz there's little traffic (yet). Not a bad ride to Brownwood (our new fave hangout).

When some months ago I asked for opinions regarding this area of the Villages I was unsure what to make of the area. Ultimately we chose to buy in Osceola Hills primarily due to the taxation differential between Sumter and Lake Counties. In doing our "research " we traveled throughout the Villages, visiting many neighborhoods, rec centers and speaking to many people. I believe that on whole every Village is much the same, clean well maintained and filled with happy and very friendly people. Living in any place day to day will make the blemishes appear but I think these blemishes must be contrasted with the world outside the bubble. I believe the Villages supersedes any other retirement community. We are extremely happy to now be Villagers.