I am still looking... but I feel I must chime in here again: “quality” is a very subjective term. I won’t go into all the ins and outs of that, but I think we can agree that what some think is quality, others may not agree. I think what we are really talking about in that respect is finishes that one may expect to have (counter top materials, appliance appearance, flooring type, updated fixtures, etc.) in the home we intend to buy. This looking (like us) should put a value on these. That value should be based on the cost to install our “quality” ( i.e. the cost to install the counter top materials we want should the home not have it, the cost to install the flooring we want if the house does not have it, etc.).

The things that one can not change include: the location, a panaramic view, house orientation, etc.. These things are not changeable and should be show stoppers if they dont meet our (the buyer) needs /desires.

I know this is all very logical and a home purchase should be logical and not emotional, however I bet that far more than 50% of home purchases are emotional.... use my guess.

Ok, I am done... please feel free to comment on my opinion... that is why this forum is here.

Cheers, Tom

...

Came from TX 9 yrs ago and could not believe what we paid for less house not on 10 acres. Also lived in our area for 2 years after retirement. You find out very quick that there are not many people around during the daytime to do a whole lot with. We new from others that had moved to FL, CO and other places that we lived in a housing fairytale land. All that said we would not trade a day we have been here for anything else. Houses to us are not an investment any longer but a place to stay and live our life. Find out what you want to do in retirement and work it from there.

So, some have no clue how things are constructed IAW standards. Just cause he didn’t have problem don’t mean there wasn’t one.

The houses in TV are mostly basic tract homes. TV's houses are not Palm Beach or even toll Brothers quality. To me choosing to buy in TV is analogous to a family buying a house located in a quality school district versus one in an area having low quality schools. People with school age children will pay more for a basic house in an excellent school district than they will for an expensively constructed house in a district having low quality schools. Similarly, seniors are willing to pay more, even far more, for a house in TV than the same house would cost in an area lacking the amenities and lifestyle TV has to offer for seniors.

So much in real estate boils down to the desirability of a particular location. The Villages is a highly desirable community for active seniors for many, many reasons which is why it continues to grow so rapidly.

Both homes we have had here were well built, one a designer, and one a premier, and both had excellent follow up from warranty. We are not novice home owners or home builders. Only one out of the 12 we lived in we did not see built.

You hear very, very, few complaints from people who live in The Villages about their homes.

I think you make very good points. I also think it depends on the personality of the home buyer. Ours (well, mine, to be exact) have always come down to emotional attachment. We have built, bought old and renovated, bought used, and designed total interiors from a blank three-story space with four walls. In the end, it all came down to Did it catch our eye when we walked in.


Neither one of us is an engineer nor a mathematician. We never made a spreadsheet. One of us is more practical than the other (guess which one). But we both either loved a place on sight or didn't, and that was the deciding factor.


Our two best purchases (current one here, one to be renovated in the '80s) had nothing in common. We knew the area we wanted, and they just spoke to us. One needed a ton of work; the other needed almost nothing.

We based our purchase on practicality. Our criteria:
1. We had to be able to pay in full, no mortgage. So affordability, and our budget was limited.
2. Older area, fewer restrictions. We are happy having SOME restrictions, but I can't stand nitpicky restrictions. I will absolutely maintain my lawn, regardless of my opinion of lawns in general. Not gonna measure the size of my ceramic flower pot, to make sure it complies, or ensure that it's the "right" color. That just ain't gonna happen. So - older area is perfect.
3. No single-wide. We needed room to breathe because our budget is limited. We need to be able to enjoy spending a lot of time IN the house, because we can't afford to do all that much outside of it.
4. A covered or enclosed lanai.
5. Secure storage for the golf cart, regardless of whether or not the house came with a normal car garage, or just a car port. So - either a normal garage, or a golf cart garage plus a covered car port. Both is optimal but either is acceptable.
6. Must be in move-in condition. "Needs repairs" or "as is" not an option, because budget.

Our needs were few, honestly. We wanted a lot more than this, but the above was the minimum. We got the minimum, plus a little more. Nice sized manufactured home with great neighbors, extra wide driveway with covered carport and golf cart garage in addition to the laundry shed, quiet street, landscaping not so extravagant that it'd cost a fortune to maintain. Home was kept in great shape by previous owners, and unlike the last place we'd looked at, the sink for the master bathroom was actually IN the bathroom, and not running along the wall of the bedroom (That was the weirdest thing I'd ever seen in my life, heh).

Hi Joe! I lived both in Bossier City and Shreveport for a number of years, also. The quality of construction here is only basic and average. Compared to what you are used to there is not a good comparison for here but I am sure you will be comfortable.

If it is the clubs and other amenities that are attracting you, then here is where you probably want to be. You definitely get more bang for your buck, however, within one mile or so outside of The Villages and you should investigate what is offered in the other communities close by.

A word of caution for visiting family and friends. For them to use some of the amenities is a pain in the butt. You must register these people if you want them to be able to participate in some of the things which are offered. Yes -- you read correctly; they need to be registered. When you are here you might stop by one of the clubhouses and ask them about this.

There's a lot to take in when you get here. Do your homework and you will be enlightened. Ask questions (there are no dumb questions) and continue to ask things on this forum, too. The responses will give you food for thought!

Good luck and have fun when you come. Oh -- and one of the plusses is that you are less than an hour from Orlando!

I very much disagree . . . Quality is NOT subjective. If the R factor in a roof is R-11 compared to R-19, there is nothing subjective as to which one is built by the quality builder.

If your air conditioning unit has a SEER rating of 11 which is only a fair rating, a rating of R-16 is far superior and will save you a lot of money on your electric bill for many years.

I would say that quality is based upon facts, not what you think.

:agree:

That's interesting because we are from NH too and have found that the square footage cost is far higher here than in Manchester, NH.

It's not about the "brick and mortar". It's about the lifestyle. We could have had a nicer home in Ohio but we would have been all alone and lonely.

When you get here, the place speaks for itself. We have never looked back.

Allow me to be the first to Welcome you home. You and your wife will love it.

By the way the airport in Orlando is on the south side (far side from the Villages), but it takes us about an hour to get there (even at rush hour). Therefore you can get to Orlando Venues in an hour or less, most of the time.

Location, location, location. Many of us from the north wanted a warmer climate where we could enjoy outside activities year around. When we retire most of us want to do some traveling, we wanted to stay active for health reasons, and most of us have a “bucket list” of things we put off in our “ other life” because we were working and saving for our retirement. Retirement is a huge change in lifestyle. Most of us don’t mow and trim anymore (for $50 a month why) and we have no need for an acre or half acre lot. You will meet many interesting persons from all walks of life who have made The Villages their place to call home. Technology has made the transition easier. For example, keeping up with family you leave behind is much easier with FaceTime and social media. Most of us are only a two or three hour plane ride for any need for those quick visits to our families. The Villages is close to all the “attractions” that appeals to our children and grandchildren. And I can guarantee your children and grandchildren will enjoy The Villages. Finally, we have bought and sold several homes during our lifetime and we found the homes here to be as good as any custom built homes we had built and the guarantees and follow up much better.

We live in CO, in the last 7 years our property value has doubled. We are currently down here spending time, and trying to make up our minds on what, where, and if this is the lifestyle we really want. Homes are going up in value with demand, location, and availability. The home we left in IN 7 years ago is about the same value as what we sold it for. Just different in all locations. I would move here in a heartbeat, and hope to!

I agree that these are medium-quality homes (we have home building and buying experience--10 homes, three built, two renovated). I also agree that the lifestyle is very important, these homes appreciate in value, and they seem to be sturdy. I'm very happy with activities on offer here and the housing choices we have. If we wanted a better-quality house with the same lifestyle, we would probably pay a lot more somewhere else.

We are also very happy with the activities on offer and the housing choices we have in The Villages.
And you're right, you would probably pay a lot more somewhere else for this lifestyle.
IMHO, it's a top-notch community. :ho:

In the lifestyle visit, the Villages sales agent will push you towards the "new" areas, Fenney, McClure, etc. Be firm and tell him/her that you want to see pre-owned in the 3 distinct areas, Spanish Springs, Lake Sumter and Brownwood. We much prefer Lake Sumter Landing, but to each his own.:ho:

I would like to purchase near one of the town squares. Can you tell me which you prefer and why you prefer it. Husband and I like to be near stores. We are not golfers so being near a course is not important.

Thanks

Our favorite is Sumter Landing although we often go to Spanish Springs and Brownwood. Sumter has the stores and restaurants we like and the square is the best in our opinion. If you want walkability to Sumter there is Creekside Landing and Village of Bridgeport, Edgewater are right there. Caroline, Virginia Trace, Sable Chase, Mallory are very close. Good luck

I will second that. :thumbup:

While we don't visit Brownwood much, Spanish Springs Square is fairly close from Lake Sumpter Landing area Villages.

Other Villages to think about in the LSL area, are Tall Trees, Winifred and a few others.

These Villages, plus the ones eweissenbach mentioned, are also convenient to Southern Trace shopping center that has a nice Publix, as well as restaurants, an ACE hardware and a CVS plus a Walgreens close by. In addition, a number of banks are in this area too.

And then there's Wallyworld, which is just a little further down the road from Southern Trace.

The best thing to do, if possible, is to rent for at least a couple of weeks (if not longer) and cruise around...to see what you think will fit your needs best.

Good luck. :ho:

If you like to shop for clothing, Spanish Springs has Chicos, Talbots, and Soft Surroundings. I've gone to Talbots so much since it opened they gave me a change-of-address card.

I think you will have to review the homes and make up your mind. The quality will change as sub contractors change. Remember some homes have bonds so add this into the cost of the home. I would try and rent for a few weeks or months in the area you think you want to buy in. I think you are correct in your observations.

All I ever heard from the Village Sales Deptment was how the developer was so organized and would take care of major problems quickly. Example was when the tornado hit Mallory and supposedly his contractors were out the next day helping to clean up.
When the hurricane Irma hit a two years ago, it took forever to get things cleaned up. Damaged trees and related were left at mail facilities for weeks. There are now two homes that have sat for over a year due to damage apparently resulting from sinkholes that occurred due to improper storm drain lines (that are taking forever to repair). I realize these issues are the responsibility of the respective districts however we all know the developer could step in and get things resolved quickly.
It is clear to me, that the developer has abandoned the Northern areas of the Villages. Specificaly the condemned sinkhole homes in District 4, and the DRY LAKES in Districts 2 and 4. All this suggests to me the new/current generation of the developer family is nothing like the former. It is all about the next 1,000 acres to develop. I suppose there is no guarantee against SINKHOLES OR DRY LAKES in the newer Villages either!

Is it safe to assume that is what happens with the Developers that built where you live?

Much of your post in my opinion is based on your assessment of what you think happened and what you think should happen. Sinkholes happen in this sinkhole area from here to the Gulf because of the layer of porous limestone beneath us.

I have read that both of the homeowners with the catastrophic sinkhole signed an agreement with a salvage company and tied up the ability for anyone to fix the drains. The developer is very wealthy but he is not our mother.

We each own our own property and should have it insured against unexpected bad happenings, just as we have always done in other areas we have lived. In Hurricane Irma, we like every other area of Florida hurt by the damage were waiting for Fema to help. I don't know why we would expect our builder to pay the expense when every other municipality was waiting for Fema's Federal compensation. How long did it take to get the debris out of here? Three weeks?

Just to understand, if the drain under our property collapses, or other subterranean structures fail, is it our insurance company that is responsible for paying for it?

One cannot purchase meaningful Sinkhole Insurance, I have tried, they have more loopholes in them than the Developers promises.

So then when you buy a house do you need to have about $100,000 (the cost of just analyzing what happened underground) in your bank account to cover any future possible failures that your insurance might not cover?

That isn't enough: Here's what i found online for one of the SINKHOLE HOUSES.

17092 SE 79th Mclawren Ter
The Villages, FL 32162

3 beds 2 baths 2,048 sqft
Zestimate®: $399,564

It was oringinally sold in 12-2003 from the Developer for $315,500

Then it was sold again in 10/2005 $435,000

And now it sold for only in 10-22-2019 $85,000

I guess they should have put aside $350,000

Joe, by now you should have made your lifestyle visit. What did you think? I come from Mississippi...very similar housing market as Shreveport. The cost of our home is more expensive , but you can’t beat the active lifestyle here! No regrets!