[deej012160]

My wife and I just finished our first lifestyle visit to The Villages. They put us up in Atwood Bungalows, very close to Brownwood Paddock Square. We learned a lot while were there. We didn't do a lot of things we could have, like golfing (we don't golf yet!), swimming, etc etc. We spent a LOT of time tooling around in the golf cart they made available to us. We now have a much better idea where we are going to move when we move to The Villages. We figured it might be helpful to provide a big pic of the visit. Our rep (a Villages real estate agent) had us meet her near her office at Brownwood Paddock Square. She took us to the bungalow, provided some basic info for our visit, then let us go on our way. I have read here numerous times that your Villages rep is there for you as much or as little as you want/need. That was the case with our rep. She was very helpful, but not pushy in any way. She was extremely professional. So, when you get to the home you will be staying in, it's kind of like staying in a condo--you have access to linens, plates, silverware, glasses, basic cooking utensils. Also, soap, shampoo, & conditioner are provided. We went to Publix the first night we were there and got a couple really basic items. We did not cook while were on our visit (just our choice...), but we certainly could have if we wanted to. The Villages provides you with Villages passes that allow you into all the rec centers and other Villages amenities. It rained a good bit when we were there, so we never even used our passes. The Villages asked us if we wanted to see a play. We said sure so they provided two tix to a play at the Sharon Morse theater at Lake Sumter Landing Square. It was quite good. Very very nice venue. While we were there we made sure to get to all the squares. We are most interested in the newer areas south of 44, so we spent a lot of time riding around down there in our golf cart--St Catherine and other villages down in that area. LOTS of home construction ongoing there!! Was amazing to see just how much work is ongoing in those areas. One thing we learned is that if you are going to be close to the turnpike, you should probably "get out & listen"--there is quite a bit of road noise in some areas fairly close to the turnpike. We currently live about 500 or 600 feet from an interstate, so we are kind of hyper sensitive to background noise; we intend to get away from that!! We popped into the golf cart shop in Brownwood Square one day. We chatted with one of their salesmen really briefly. You can plan on spending somewhere around $4500 and up (probably around $12 to $15k!) on a golf cart. We plan to return next year and continue to learn more about moving/living in The Villages. We looked at some older homes (e.g., ~15 years old) and some newer homes (<5 years old) and we decided we prefer the newer homes. The home we currently live in is 19 years old and we are ready for a more up to date house. We are VERY glad we took a lifestyle visit because we learned a lot in just a few days. Most of what we learned was when we were riding around in the golf cart. Almost forgot--we found The Villages app to have a very good maps app inside it--we could input an address and it would take us there. We had downloaded The Villages GPS app but then found that we really did not need it!! Not a slam on the GPS app; just info for others who go to The Villages.

[Suefromtn]

Originally Posted by deej012160

My wife and I just finished our first lifestyle visit to The Villages. They put us up in Atwood Bungalows, very close to Brownwood Paddock Square. We learned a lot while were there. We didn't do a lot of things we could have, like golfing (we don't golf yet!), swimming, etc etc. We spent a LOT of time tooling around in the golf cart they made available to us. We now have a much better idea where we are going to move when we move to The Villages. We figured it might be helpful to provide a big pic of the visit. Our rep (a Villages real estate agent) had us meet her near her office at Brownwood Paddock Square. She took us to the bungalow, provided some basic info for our visit, then let us go on our way. I have read here numerous times that your Villages rep is there for you as much or as little as you want/need. That was the case with our rep. She was very helpful, but not pushy in any way. She was extremely professional. So, when you get to the home you will be staying in, it's kind of like staying in a condo--you have access to linens, plates, silverware, glasses, basic cooking utensils. Also, soap, shampoo, & conditioner are provided. We went to Publix the first night we were there and got a couple really basic items. We did not cook while were on our visit (just our choice...), but we certainly could have if we wanted to. The Villages provides you with Villages passes that allow you into all the rec centers and other Villages amenities. It rained a good bit when we were there, so we never even used our passes. The Villages asked us if we wanted to see a play. We said sure so they provided two tix to a play at the Sharon Morse theater at Lake Sumter Landing Square. It was quite good. Very very nice venue. While we were there we made sure to get to all the squares. We are most interested in the newer areas south of 44, so we spent a lot of time riding around down there in our golf cart--St Catherine and other villages down in that area. LOTS of home construction ongoing there!! Was amazing to see just how much work is ongoing in those areas. One thing we learned is that if you are going to be close to the turnpike, you should probably "get out & listen"--there is quite a bit of road noise in some areas fairly close to the turnpike. We currently live about 500 or 600 feet from an interstate, so we are kind of hyper sensitive to background noise; we intend to get away from that!! We popped into the golf cart shop in Brownwood Square one day. We chatted with one of their salesmen really briefly. You can plan on spending somewhere around $4500 and up (probably around $12 to $15k!) on a golf cart. We plan to return next year and continue to learn more about moving/living in The Villages. We looked at some older homes (e.g., ~15 years old) and some newer homes (<5 years old) and we decided we prefer the newer homes. The home we currently live in is 19 years old and we are ready for a more up to date house. We are VERY glad we took a lifestyle visit because we learned a lot in just a few days. Most of what we learned was when we were riding around in the golf cart. Almost forgot--we found The Villages app to have a very good maps app inside it--we could input an address and it would take us there. We had downloaded The Villages GPS app but then found that we really did not need it!! Not a slam on the GPS app; just info for others who go to The Villages.

Good to know as we are looking forward to our visit soon. One question I have that I have not seen answered anywhere - are there any yard sales or garage sales ever going on?

[JMintzer]

Originally Posted by Suefromtn

Good to know as we are looking forward to our visit soon. One question I have that I have not seen answered anywhere - are there any yard sales or garage sales ever going on?

I've seen plenty of them advertised on "Nextdoor"...

[Garywt]

Cousins of ours did the lifestyle visit this past spring and ended up buying a house in St Catherine’s. Sounds like you had a good time. Good luck on your return.

[Road-Runner]

We were fortunate and had friends who moved to The Villages several years ago so we've visited on & off through the years staying with them over a weekend, etc. We actually talked about doing the 'Experience' anyway and almost wished we had just for the chance to get away. We recently purchased in Bradford just north of St. Catherine and couldn't be happier. We also dropped into the same cart store you did but didn't get out of there for less than $17K!! But we got exactly what we wanted so for me at least it was worth the cost. Good luck finding the right home for you.

[ThirdOfFive]

Originally Posted by Suefromtn

Good to know as we are looking forward to our visit soon. One question I have that I have not seen answered anywhere - are there any yard sales or garage sales ever going on?

Always.

Yard sales, garage sales and estate sales. Every time we hear a siren, my stock comment is "another estate sale coming up".

A word of advice though. Those estate sales, at least the ones we've attended, appear to be handled by organizations that do that sort of thing for a living. In other words, don't expect too many bargains. Look for family garage sales or yard sales; much better chance of finding real bargains. I found a 3 gallon Red Wing crock in excellent condition, no cracks or chips, dating back to about 1930 (according to what I was able to find) for $10. Check those out on Ebay.