I signed up for a lifestyle visit to the villages in a few weeks...

[socca]

If it were a golf course fairway it would be add $150,000.

Be careful what you wish for. I lived on a golf course fairway for 8 years (as a renter, not an owner). The groundskeeper would be out there on his loud tractor every morning at 6 am. I would never buy a place right on a fairway (BTW: I don't play golf ).

The pond I live on is very healthy, and is a wonderful asset. However, there are other ponds in my subdivision that aren't so healthy (overgrown with muck, etc.) So, be careful where you buy.

 

[rpguy4]

In-laws bought a 2 bedroom condo in Tierra Del Sol in 2002. We've been going there every year around Thanksgiving to visit and play golf. Lots of people now. Traffic and golf cart traffic has gotten much worse over the years. Great for seniors that have a hard time driving a car. I think my in-laws pay like $140 a month to play any of the executive 9 hole golf courses. Usually have bands and dancing in each of the (3) town squares. Happy hour (2for1) starts at 5:00. Most people are back home and in bed by 9:00PM

 

[Dtail]

We face conservation, but all the ponds in our complex are clear although it could have alligators.
I don't know $200 a sq ft for a house in the Villages.....

 

[MoneyChic]

I'd like to address the comments about The Villages being extremely crowded. My parents have lived there for many years now. If you have only ever visited there in the winter months, often referred to as snow bird season, it is very busy then. However, things are much less crowded the rest of the year. Just something to keep in mind if you are considering moving there full-time, but are concerned about the crowds. I'd recommend going for an extended visit during summer or fall just to see what it's like then also.

 

[Dtail]

I'd like to address the comments about The Villages being extremely crowded. My parents have lived there for many years now. If you have only ever visited there in the winter months, often referred to as snow bird season, it is very busy then. However, things are much less crowded the rest of the year. Just something to keep in mind if you are considering moving there full-time, but are concerned about the crowds. I'd recommend going for an extended visit during summer or fall just to see what it's like then also.

I have heard that mentioned, but then does one start thinking that I can't wait until the end of the winter season and less crowds and potentially not fully enjoy the best season of FLA for some folks.

 

[HadEnuff]

Ok we took our Golf carts on a 40 minute excursion to the Sumter Landing. It wasn’t for the faint of heart. 10AM Saturday and there is plenty of traffic. You take cart paths but when you come to another neighborhood you have to pass thru their entranceway. They have gates but there is 2 way traffic so you have to stop and wait. Take you foot off the gas and the golf cart slows to a stop and the engine shuts off. Creeping up to a the street isn’t like a car they studder. Golf carts are whizzing by and there are tunnels, hard rights and lefts..All i say is Ill sleep well tonight.

Really not much there Starbucks, lots of restaurants, women and men’s clothes stores and the lake. Which is loaded with growth, snapping turtles and beware and do not feed the gator signs.

There’s another concert tonight... a car alarm just went off.

One thing thats absolutely true people are very friendly here.

While you were at Sumter Landing Square, walking around, did you happen to see any of the "historical markers", commemorating important historical events, or colorful people from Sumter's rich past? Fascinating stuff. Totally made up. Complete fiction. There are no significant historical events, or colorful characters from the past because there is no history, there is no past. Until they dreamed the place up in the late 1990s or 2000s, the place was horse farms or watermelon fields. There is a fake light house, and even a beautifully constructed canal lock. If you didn't know better you'd swear that canal lock had once been functional. But it's a total fabrication.
It's clean, it's neat, and it's well planned. It's just not authentic.

After we left TV we spend a few nights on St. Simons Island in Georgia. Beautiful beach, and a quaint little authentic town center with restaurants and shops. One of the things we noticed was that with reality came inconveniences. Not enough parking, streets too narrow for the traffic, paint peeling, and obviously aging, nearly decrepit looking building etc. DW and I commented to each other on the contrast. We weren't being critical of St. Simons, we've been there before and love it. Nor were we being critical of TV. We were simply cognizant of the differences, and recognizing that there are different strokes for different folks as the saying goes.

 

[Jerry1]

Thanks RAE
The truth is we dont know exactly what we want. Sarasota has the relatives and the comfort of being well known to us. It is like a family rut in the road guiding us home- it seems a bit too easy. Moving from one congested area to another (even with great winters) just doesn’t make sense. Those neighborhoods like out of the matrix -acres and acres of cookie cutter homes

We thought perhaps we would look at Tennessee next.
What bothered me too was $100,000 for a marsh view...

I stop looking and go find the best fit for you in Sarasota. The only reason I’m in Michigan is family. The highest place on my list of southern states is northern
Florida because my brother is there. I’ve thought about Sarasota because friends are there (next best thing to family). I’m sure it’s just me, but the thought of going somewhere for the winter and not knowing anyone is a big problem for me and especially because I’m pretty introverted. YMMV

 

[audreyh1]

Well, I have to say I’m shocked at TV house prices for 1800 square feet and almost no yard.

 

[Moemg]

Villages house do not have hurricane windows or shutters “We are too far inland so we don’t need them.”

I can think of a few hurricanes that went right by the Villages . It was also hit by a tornado a few years ago with lots of damage .
There are a ton of smaller communities that are nicer and cheaper than the villages and not disney like .They still have all the activities especially in season.

 

[Silver]

There are a ton of smaller communities that are nicer and cheaper than the villages and not disney like .They still have all the activities especially in season.

+1

Simply because something is well marketed and newsworthy does not mean it is the "best". Far from it.

 

[Buckeye]

I have heard that mentioned, but then does one start thinking that I can't wait until the end of the winter season and less crowds and potentially not fully enjoy the best season of FLA for some folks.

Actually, wishing for the end of snowbird season applies to ALL of FL!

 

[Aerides]

"Too far inland" is complete BS. What they mean is their code does not mandate them for new builds, and they are cheap to just do the right thing. But you'd not want to stay in a house without at least shutters. I would not consider a new build in florida without impact windows or at least accordions.

Wilma traveled 100 miles across the southern part of FL. Lady Lake is 40 miles from the gulf, and 70 miles from the atlantic.

 

[YakGrl]

Actually, wishing for the end of snowbird season applies to ALL of FL!

First sighting of the end of snowbird season here in So Fla. I saw two large RV's with Ontario tags headed north on 1-95 this morning!

 

[HadEnuff]

First sighting of the end of snowbird season here in So Fla. I saw two large RV's with Ontario tags headed north on 1-95 this morning!

I saw plenty of Ontario (as well as Virginia, NY and Michigan) license plates when I migrated north out of Florida two weeks ago.

 

[HadEnuff]

I just got an email from a guy who was "The Planner" for the golf group I was included in while I snowbirded in The Villages (TV). The gist of it was that the group (largely year-round residents) is looking into a card that gives discounts to the golf courses "off the reservation", and asking for the input of the group as far as interest in doing this.

He also included a link to some articles about the growing dissatisfaction of TV residents over the condition of the courses, the crowdedness of the courses, and the fees charged. This applies only to the "Championship Courses" which in TV means the normal length courses vs. the shorter "executive" courses which are free to residents.

Evidently, along with concerns over the conditions of the courses, the residents are used to a substantial price drop in greens fees from May-September, which the full-timers enjoy as they play in the Central Florida summer swelter, and that summer discount has gone away.

So, the upshot of all of this as I see it is that folks who bought into the lifestyle built around golf being just a short golf cart drive away from the front door are now considering that they'll abandon that concept and drive the automobile to a remotely located course, purported to be cheaper, and in better condition.

I don't know if this is just a few folks barking, or if it represents a serious indication of what I was worried was happening down there, i.e. the developers over-developing without keeping up with the promised amenities, and that practice finally taking a toll on the experience. It certainly seems to justify the concerns I've had about buying there, and how the lifestyle might be affected by continuing development.

 

[brett]

We cannot imagine living in a place like that. It seems so artificial Our strong preference would be for something completely different.

 

[brett]

We cannot imagine living in a place like that. It seems so artificial Our strong preference would be for something completely different. We would not want to live around a bunch of aging retirees. But, we are not groupies. We like variety in everything, including demographics.