Talk of The Villages Florida - taking steps to make the move

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I'm a quilter. I mean, it's my huge passion. I live for it like other Villagers live for golf. For me choosing a home was all about the size of the guest rooms. We went through villas, ranches, cottage and designer homes before settling on the Lily, a three-bedroom plan. Know why I picked it? Yep. It has a large, 15' X 19' front bedroom with a bay window. That's where you'll find me most days.

Linda
Flourishing Palms

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill-n-Brillo (Post 489728)

Go to lots of open houses in TV, review the floor plans on the web site, do lots of thinking, talk to others/read TOTV threads to get feedback from others, look at new and resale, think about where in TV you'd like to be................then do what feels right for you!

Bill :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by George Bieniaszek (Post 489812)

I agree with Bill and his post! The Villages is HUGH and you will be overwhelmed with options and choices. There are 12-18 open houses every day on new homes plus an additional amount of pre-owned. The new homes are marketed as "No Pressure" and you can walk-in and look at the various floor plans and what could work for you. Do your research on-line.

If you are leaning towards a pre-owned home, building generally went in a southerly direction from Spanish Springs as the starting point, so homes to the north are older than those to the south.

This is a big decision and probably a second visit once you are back and able to digest all the information would be the time to decide if this is the place for you. You will be able to make a better and clearer decision with home selection and location.

Good Luck!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pturner (Post 493188)

Hi Createquilts,
Welcome. Count'n the days-- welcome to you too-- has given you some good advice about the summer heat. I live the in the burbs of Atlanta and most of my neighbors are from "up north". I can't tell you how many of them thought there first summer here was unbearable and by the second or third, they were used to it and swore they would never move to the cold again!

Since many of your hobbies are indoor activities, the heat shouldn't be a problem. Plan your indoor activities in the heat of the day in the summer and you'll enjoy the cool airconditioning, while doing what you love in a beautiful recreation center near you. (No matter where you live in TV, there will be a beautiful recreation center near you!)

You already have a good start on your "must haves" in your home: three bedroom, at least two car garage, master not off the living room.

Let me suggest two more. Since heat will be an issue for you, look for one with an east (or north-east/ south-east) facing lanai. That way, you will not have the afternoon sun beaming into it. The other, is a 2 1/2 car garage. With no basements and lots of downsizing to do, you'll love the extra storage.

My next suggestion is that you work with both a Villages sales agent and an MLS Realtor (for resales), since the two do not share listings. Let them know your "must haves," "likes" and "dislikes" in a home and let them do a lot of the legwork for you.

Think about whether you would prefer to live near grocery and other shopping or near a town square; and perhaps if you would prefer an established neighborhood or one just being built (which will temporarily have a lot of construction noise and traffic, although this too shall pass). Other than that, I personally wouldn't get to hung up on which Village you live in. Most of us are pretty darn sure that our own Village is the best, regardless of which Village we live in.

When considering price, remember to add the sales price + bond (if any) when figuring total price. Also when comparing new vs. resale, figure the cost of any upgrades you plan to any new or resale homes that don't already your upgrades. Remember too that the price on resales is negotiable, the price on new homes is not.

Get your MLS Realtor to provide a written Buyers Agent agreement. This requires the Realtor to represent your interests exclusively.

Hope this is helpful. Best of luck and please keep us posted!

Hi:

Great advice here from smart members. Try reading "nuts and bolts" section by Zcaveman. It is on the bottom of the main menu.

Best wishes in your moving.

thank you all so much. We are coming for a lifestyle visit July 20 for seven days. I can't wait.

flourishing palms, I just was reading your blog, sensational information and quilts. There is something special about people who buy perfectly good fabric, cut it up into little pieces and sew it back together again to make works of art.

Thanks for the advice about how the house faces, even up north we are lucky to have a deck on the back and large porch on the front so we can sit outside in the shade morning or afternoon. I think it is more crucial there to think about your outside space- I don't want to end up frying or not being able to use the outdoor space in the afternoon when we are most likely to be barbecuing.
Thank you for the recommendation of the villages sales agent, we plan as well to contact the one you recommend as well as Lyle Gant, whom we learned of here.

I feel like we have a leg up on our visit thanks to the great info I have gotten here.

Every day I read TOTV and do more research. We have been cleaning the house like crazy and will talk to realtors later this week. Hooray! It seems like everything is falling into place.

When we are there we are going to visit a few other communities as well and stay there. I don't think they will compare with the villages but it will be good for us to have some reference points.

Createquilts, Hi we are also from north of Syracuse area, actually we are north of Watertown. We just purchased our home in Country Club Hills area, thanks to our brother and sister in-law, and love it! We will not be retiring for another 5 years but look forward to visiting our home 3-4 times a year - it feels like an "oasis" when we visit. best of luck to you in your home search and as someone has already told you - "you will know the right place/home for you when you see it"!

The Designer series have square footage up to around 2000. I have seen the smallest, the Bougainvilla listed new at close to $150K (But only once...they are usually more)

The Premiers go from aproximately 2500 to 3800sq ft. and sometimes more.I have seen them start at $330K

The Cottages, I think go to about 1700 sq ft., but I am not sure. They are around 150K I think....

I am confused by the villas. I know someone will tell us the square footage of each and the general price range.

Our first home was a designer Camellia...Stick built and it's twin is a Gardenia, block and stucco. I am told that it WAS the most popular designer, but now the Begonia and others are very similar in size and layout that may have changed. We loved the Camellia with the wide hall and pillars inside and the front kitchen. I love the Lantana too because it has BIG second and third bedrooms if you will be having a lot of company.

It is probably a good idea to pick out the model you love the best first and then tackle new or used, and then think of the view or lack of and the village.

There is a LOT to decide but hard to go wrong and fairly easy to sell here if you think you have made a mistake. (Better than anywhere else anyway)

Good luck and welcome.