[ladydoc]

Did any of you look at On Top of the World in Ocala? Do you have any opinions, good or bad about that place or any other retirement community near TV? We would appreciate any feedback that you could share. Thanks so much!!

[graciegirl]

Hi there Ladydoc.

We didn't look at any other places because I (me the mama, as in if mama ain't happy...) don't like Florida.

I don't like the pretty house here with the next one with cars up on blocks. I don't like the touristy, kinda used looking places that have been visited so many times that they look kinda worn out. I don't like that it goes from trash to treasure and sometimes all in the same block.

I don't like the brilliant PINK house next to a vibrant ORANGE house. I don't like the architecture except in those big ole houses in West Palm that I certainly can't afford....unless I sell one of my grandchildren.

I don't like hurricanes and palmetto bugs and young beautiful girls in thong bikinis plopping down next to me in a beach chair.

I HATE Florida, but I dearly, completely, satisfyingly, totally, love THE VILLAGES.

Did not like idea that I did not own the land in section of On Top Of The World we was looking at. Oak Run Ocala did not have the life style The Villages have. Also wanted to be able to use Golf Cart to go most places.

[Bill-n-Brillo]

We looked at On Top of the World back in '09. Met with a realtor/representative for several hours - toured the models, got info, etc. Strangest thing was that she didn't want to take us on a ride through the existing areas where homes already existed. It made us feel as though there was something(s) she didn't want us to see. Overall, the place didn't interest us.

We also took serious looks at Summer Glen and Stone Creek, which are both in the Ocala area as well. Summer Glen - a LOT of home for the money. Stone Creek - VERY nice/attractive development. We also looked at Lake Ashton which is further south (Lake Wales area) but the verifiable Chinese drywall issue in the development was enough of a stigma to keep us from being interested. In addition to Stone Creek, we nosed around at a couple of the other Del Webb developments as well. Also, we looked at a large number of mobile home communities in the central FL area.

At the end of the day, it should all depend on what type of a living/community environment meets your requirements. If you want a nice home in a small 55+ community with a few amenities and a few clubs and zero other infrastructure close by (stores, restaurants, etc.), then any of those communities could probably meet your needs. We worked backwards - we liked everything offered by being in TV.............and couldn't find anything else that even came remotely close in comparison, taking all the positives and negatives into account. So buying in TV is what made the most sense for us!

Bill

[Uptown Girl]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

Hi there Ladydoc.

We didn't look at any other places because I (me the mama, as in if mama ain't happy...) don't like Florida.

I don't like the pretty house here with the next one with cars up on blocks. I don't like the touristy, kinda used looking places that have been visited so many times that they look kinda worn out. I don't like that it goes from trash to treasure and sometimes all in the same block.

I don't like the brilliant PINK house next to a vibrant ORANGE house. I don't like the architecture except in those big ole houses in West Palm that I certainly can't afford....unless I sell one of my grandchildren.

I don't like hurricanes and palmetto bugs and young beautiful girls in thong bikinis plopping down next to me in a beach chair.

I HATE Florida, but I dearly, completely, satisfyingly, totally, love THE VILLAGES.

Miz Gracie Girl, I do believe you've read my mind... Although I'm born and raised in Chicago, I've had numerous relatives living here and there in Florida since I was small, so I've been down there for visits occasionally over many years. My own Mother retired there as well and tried like heck to get me to relocate. I was certain I'd NEVER do it for all the same reasons... seemed like a no brainer to me. I never took to Florida at all.
Then a good friend mentioned she'd done a lifestyle visit and said TV was pretty special. My friend is typically not impressed easily.... so that peaked my curiosity.
We'd already scouted a few areas of the country for possible retirement .... New Mexico, The Smokeys and other places, but just for the heck of it, I sent away for info on TV.
All it took was one 4 day lifestyle visit! I spent the first day in disbelief, spent the second truly looking for the 'man behind the curtain' (like in Wizard of OZ) the third day (8 hours, bless my realtor's heart!) looking at homes, and the 4th day choked up at the thought of having to leave!
We came home to organize and plan our future in TV with out a bit of doubt or hesitation!
I LOVE my house here and will remember it fondly. It goes up for sale next month, and TV will be where we choose to live, happily ever after!

[ducati1974]

We looked at Top Of The World in Ocala and something just didn't seem right- it wasn't pretty- then I figured out why- there were no water features at all. No water on the golf course or around the houses. It really affected the overall look. We also saw the Del Webb in Ocala. The houses were nice at both places but they each had only one golf course. My wife didn't like the idea of having to play a championship course and I didn't care for the idea of having to play the same course all the time. I believe the golf was pricey too. As others have said, the lack of activities that TV offers was the main problem.

[l2ridehd]

I researched about 100 retirement communities. Mostly internet research. got information sent to me from about 40 of those that looked to meet my needs. From that I narrowed it down to about 10. I visited 6 of those I thought were the best match. Even checked out a couple college towns that looked like good places to live but were not retirement communities per say. Nothing came close to The Villages. It was the most active, the most diverse, most golf, and golf cart accessible community I found.

I have seen several people retire and do nothing. Seems they sit around and wait to die. I wanted an active retirement and TV seemed the best match for that.

[Army Guy]

Yes, we had been looking at different place from Williamsburg, VA all the way down the coastline over a five year period. Found several that were nice, but nothing offered the lifestyle or value of TV.

Army Guy

[taylor111947]

I looked at Top of the World, Terra Vista, Stone Creek and a couple of others. They were all beautiful, prices were better and they were more accommodating about making modifications to the models.

Here were the downsides. All were still in the process of development without a large infrastructure to support the community - not a lot of stores and restaurants. Also, in most, I'd have to pay an upfront fee for golf privileges. I want to play golf, but it isn't going to be the focus of my life. In addition, none of them offered the wide variety of clubs and activities that I feel will help me meet people and become a part of the Villages community quickly. In short, none of them offered the lifestyle that I think will make me happy.

Good luck on your search. The Villages isn't perfect and it's not for everyone, but you'll find a lot about the community by reading this forum.

[In awe of TV]

Has anyone looked at Solivita and what are your thoughts? A lot of house for your money there as well. I've been looking online, there are pre-owned homes for sale at great prices, plus new homes greatly reduced.

[Tbugs]

I went to some of the "Live South" realty shows to see what might be offered.

There were some very nice places in Tennessee on beautiful grounds but too far in the sticks for us. We looked at some of the Ginn communities but glad we passed since they have gone belly-up. We looked at Celebration but the entire area was too congested. We looked at Winding River Plantation in North Carolina but the highway by it was bumper-to-bumper traffic all year.

A large part of not selecting the above places was the fear of them going bankrupt - as Ginn did. The VIllages had a great reputation and was fiscally sound.

My sister in Windemere told us of The Villages and we did the LifeStyle preview, went home for 2 years, came back to Florida in 2009 to buy or decide to stay in Maryland. We bought in The Villages, moved here Oct 1 of 2009, and just love being here.

An evil smile came over my face today when I looked at the weather map in the Daily Sun (Happy Times Gazette). It is the same smile I do when I look at the traffic cameras on-line for the Washington DC area where I used to commute.

[LI SNOWBIRD]

Originally Posted by In awe of TV

Has anyone looked at Solivita and what are your thoughts? A lot of house for your money there as well. I've been looking online, there are pre-owned homes for sale at great prices, plus new homes greatly reduced.

When we began our search for paradise we looked in the Orlando area because the in-laws had a winter home in the area and its close to Disney and the other attractions ( for anticipated future grandchildren). We visited Solivita and were disappointed in the construction/floor plans of the few models they had. we also got the feeling of snobbishness. It also seemed small and didn't have many amenities.. That was 5 years ago.
Though we don't play golf we love the Villages lifestyle an above all the people.

[pooh]

Originally Posted by ladydoc

Did any of you look at On Top of the World in Ocala? Do you have any opinions, good or bad about that place or any other retirement community near TV? We would appreciate any feedback that you could share. Thanks so much!!

We didn't really have any intentions of leaving southern CA when we retired. Visited TV when we were in Florida visiting our son and his family. Two visits to TV in less than a week convinced me I wanted to be here...hubby, also. The sales agent was told to find us a house on our second visit....and here we are....

[Bill-n-Brillo]

Originally Posted by In awe of TV

Has anyone looked at Solivita and what are your thoughts? A lot of house for your money there as well. I've been looking online, there are pre-owned homes for sale at great prices, plus new homes greatly reduced.

Take a drive over there sometime and check out the surrounding area......and draw your own conclusions.

Bill

[judynsc]

Hi Uptown Girl,

This is my 1st time to reply to a post here although I am reading the posts most everyday. I have been to TV about 5 times to visit and can't wait to move there.

We also live in the Chicagoland area (Huntley) in a Del Webb Sun City community which we love but just can't take the winters here anymore. Our house has been up for sale for 23 months and not one offer as yet. It is so discourageing and I do get invious of everyone having so much fun in TV and we are still waiting to join in on all the fun.

) Judy