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!