A single person or leader doesnt make people display a particular personality or make them act a certain way or do anything out of character. Note that at any given point in time there is a very limited list of approved builders and subs being used to build homes. You already know about these things or are willing to find these answers through publications such as Inside the Bubble. For those who want retirement to be fun and affordable, the Villages presents an opportunity for older adults to enjoy retirement. Just be careful and do your research before proceeding. My last article quite clearly proved that "pop" is the most appropriate word for drinks like root beer, coke, 7 Up etc. Yes, some of these people just dont make the transition and ultimately move on. As a retired Naval Officer I would add discussion of the number of veterans who live here, along with the myriad of organizations and opportunities for veterans here along with an outstanding new VA clinic on the property. You know what utopia looks like and its The Villages!! But, often it is a mixed set of reasons. But, here goes. Want a home with an upgraded interior? Or, they may want to bias to the west to enjoy the sunsets even though the hot afternoon sun can be a challenge. You may move to The Villages with multiple vehicles. We will provide an overview of the Villages lifestyle and the communitys activities to keep its residents full of life. Yes, there are three local libraries in the vicinity: The Villages Public Library at Pinellas Park, Mark Twain Library located on Paradise Drive, and The Villages Public Library at Belvedere. Their justification is most Villagers are vaccinated and if you want to wear a mask go for it but masks are not mandated. They want to move to a younger neighborhood so as to stay as active as possible by enjoying the things their new neighbors enjoy. They have par three holes with an occasional five, with players enjoying three sets of tees. Its one of the fastest-growing communities, and the safest, making it one of the best places to live in the world. There are advantages to having some rules that a community can agree and live within. On a per-trip basis gas cart fuel cost per mile will probably exceed the electrical re-charging cost per mile for an electric cart. In Part Two of their three part Anniversary Blog, Jerry and Linda discuss the negative aspects of The Villages, Florida. Just north of Orlando, The Villages is home to 130,000 seniors. On the topic of scale, if The Villages was actually an incorporated city or town, the population of The Villages would rank number 28 out of the 411 municipalities in the state of Florida (2011). This statute is known as the "hate crime statute," which increases the minimum and maximum penalties that a judge could impose. The Villages Florida reviews like this guide present everything you need to know about the upbeat retirement community that grows every year. Some folks come down with multiple cars, trucks, SUVs, etc and then fail to purchase a home with enough garage space, then they park the extra vehicles in the driveway or on the street. Every suggestion gets some form of follow-up, primarily just a personal assurance that the idea has been passed along. There are an array of things to do in the Villages, such as: There is entertainment for residents all year round, featuring performing arts, movies, and theater. Remember the early argument against seat belt use in cars? favorite_border 4. Every time The Villages makes the national news, people I know from around the country call to find out if we are OK. At least it gets my children to call. 39. the prices they pay for tasks they can do themselves and then they complain about how much money they dont have. You probably wont get a payback on your investment by spending lots of money on additional energy saving projects. To many, coming to Florida means you have to have a pool. Make sure youve written down a full range of alternatives, of which The Villages is one. We need better signage and lane markings for our roundabouts. Second, the traffic around the beaches is horrendous both car traffic and people traffic. What you have to keep in mind is that in our situation the cost to develop your particular neighborhood/lot is broken out separately rather than being rolled up inside your lot/home cost. Not only do the golf carts add an extra dimension of difficulty, but there is such a blend of driving styles, and not to be offensive here, but sometimes older drivers are a bit inattentive, are overly or under cautious, drive too slow, have slower reaction times, or simply make bad choices due to eyesight, hearing, mental alertness, etc. Open-play, tournaments, and clinics are available throughout the community. buy a basic home and remodel, or upgrade through The Villages at the time of purchase?This one can go either way. If you use an electrical contractor, shop around and ask some leading questions. If you like the look of water and water feature sounds you may want to consider Lanai/Birdcage landscape and fountain options as an alternative. Black is a resident of a conservative retirement community in Florida known as the "Villages" a collection of twelve housing districts across 32 square miles, located one hour north of Orlando. Re The Nihilism of the Golden Years, by Michelle Cottle (Sunday Review, March 6): Ms. Cottle, your opinion piece about the Villages is one-sided and biased. Large, pesky bugs are common in Florida, especially during the summer, and many residents pay $80 to $100 for pest control. The CIC is Developer endorsed and has been around almost as long as the POA. After all, some feel they just need a place to sleep all the fun is outside of the home. The rest of the year makes up for it. When you add people who actually got COVID, we should be well in the range of crowd immunity. You may have had a desk job and may need to condition your body. Florida is home to the Everglades, and that comes with various national parks which also surround The Villages. Learn how your comment data is processed. Work may continue somewhat in Phase II but many people at this stage take on an attitude that they have worked hard at a job, raised a family, fought the traffic, lived with terrible winter weather, and now are ready for a new phase of life focused on the activities they want to do to simply enjoy themselves. Some locations are somewhat remote to major artery streets so it may be quite a little journey just to get out of the neighborhood. Note with appliances you may be able to do some change-outs/upgrades if you do this after closing but prior to using the appliances check this out with the appliance supplier for your particular home. What is and isnt recyclable is covered in a guide in The Villages phonebook. Also, political leanings are decidedly conservative in nature. In some cases this has been fairly easy to do from a sellers perspective due to the tremendous growth and continued strong home demand, plus the relative stability of home prices. Many Villagers move multiple times after the initial home purchase. A pool does offer an aesthetic benefit, especially with an integral water feature. This form is submitted to the ARC and an approval/denial comes back, most often with minor suggestions for changes. The culture is relaxed yet lively, as there is always something to do. I agree with you. Here are some projects that many people complete after closing; some may even be classified as necessities: interior painting (often the result of a decorators advice) additional or custom landscaping installing all types of different flooring, countertops, cabinets, or appliances in the house (upgrade or simply alter color or materials) major home additions including an extra bathroom, store room, family room, closet, etc pools, spas, birdcage projects, summer kitchens, etc installing pavers, decorative coatings, staining, etc for drives and walks installing sliders or windows for the Lanai (with or without some sort of heat/AC provisions) full Lanai conversions to living space (raise slab ++) patios (note that wood decks are not allowed) with or without Pergolas increase the usability of the closets by adding more shelving and clothes hanging hardware, or going the deluxe route with closet organizers changing out major appliances changing out the kitchen faucet or other plumbing fixtures installing tile or a decorative coating for the Lanai floor installing under/over kitchen cabinet lighting changing out one or more of the builder provided light fixtures change out kitchen and/or bathroom cabinet hardware installing pendant lighting arrangements in the kitchen counter area remote control lighting systems and/or home automation systems HVAC time-clock thermostat controls bathroom exhaust fan timers installing solar tubes or skylights installing solar or 120 volt powered roof ventilators, whole-house fans, or garage/attic cooler fans w/intake vents reflective solar foil insulation system (do some research on this one before doing this) installing fold-down garage storage stairs installing additional garage attic space flooring for storage coating the garage floor with an epoxy/urethane system (dont use acrylic knock-down systems in the garage and be careful of slip hazards with totally smooth finishes) installing cabinets, benches, storage devices, supplemental lighting and/or fans, etc in the garage whole-house sound systems, surround sound arrangement, etc installing central security systems, even including video change out some/all ceiling fans and/or install remote controls crown molding, chair rails, box outs, wainscoting, etc backsplash and/or under counter tile drip or micro irrigation for shrubs and trees central yard fertilization systems water treatment systems (softeners, filters, reverse osmosis units, etc) roll-up or slider full size screen doors for the garage(s) sliding screens for the front door and/or door between house and garage landscape lighting wireless router Internet capability interior cell phone hot spot repeater system flat screen TV installations with or without concealed sound system, satellite, cable, or phone company program delivery arrangements upgraded and durable outdoor furniture (watch out for mildew removal-difficult furniture, mildew is a certainty in this humid climate) relocating the dining room and/or breakfast nook light chandelier may not be in exactly right location for your furniture extra storage pull-outs and racks for the kitchen pantry and cabinets home entryway courtyard provisions including concrete work, segregation area column work, additional light fixtures, and in some cases screened small room enclosures home office provisions Install a Murphy Bed in a multi-function room special custom cabinet-work, an example being an entertainment center cabinet fit with your family room arrangement install built-in wine cooler central vacuum systems. Downloaded instantly, thank goodness. There are various facilities catered to the healthcare of the residents, including emergency care and on-site physicians. In lieu of, or in conjunction with a pool, a spa/hot tub may be more beneficial. A good car choice is a small economical SUV. Share knowledge and skills with residents and learn different sports or hobbies. Jan 27, 2023 06:48 AM. This option gives you a premium spa with substantial energy conserving and performance enhancing features. Are you sure youre really ready to leave your home place and/or the kids/grandkids (move from Phase I to Phase II)? Id rather be close to the water, or the mountains, the big city, my favorite NFL team, a cultural mecca, or ? The Villages is just TOO MUCH, people get overwhelmed with all there is to do The Villages is too large and too crowded. There are so many people here during the peak season that you cant get a tee time. There is too much traffic at peak (golf cart traffic in particular). You can get a lot more home for your money elsewhere. The production home build/high density lot arrangement doesnt allow for enough home uniqueness, individuality, or privacy. Its too cold in the winter (by south Florida standards) and too hot in the summer (actually seldom over 95). There are too many rude people (comment more prevalent during the peak season). Theres not enough snob appeal (not really stated this way; the point is that some folks would rather have a higher price-of-admission community). I dont like being told what color I can paint my house or how I must landscape, i.e. And, you may also want all new furniture! You can purchase small fountains with integral pumps or have custom ones designed and built to fit your desires. Most homeowners dont pursue it due to cost, aesthetics, dont want the roofing integrity to be compromised, or feel that if their home were to catch on fire from a lighting strike that their homeowner policy is there to help them with the repair/rebuild cost. Living in the Villages Florida means more than likely purchasing a golf cart, which can be $2,000 or more. An idea some streets have latched onto is working at getting one or two primary lawn care services to perform their work on multiple homes all on the same day. Lastly, there have been various scandals around the Villages and regard it as Disney World for old people. Also, the atmosphere likens to that of a college campus, but for seniors. Florida's "friendliest hometown," in the words of real estate agents, The Villages features extremely popular 55+ residential offerings and was the subject of the award-winning 2020 film, "Some . The pros of living in The Villages include: The cons of living in The Villages include: Many people have differing opinions about the Villages after visiting, lived the experience, or heard rumors, resulting in mixed reviews. There may be a quantity versus quality perspective that tends to taint the approach in the Developers eyes. Note there is a bit of a difference in the part-time versus full time resident friend dynamic. It would be worthwhile to get out a piece of paper and create a list sorted into must-have and nice-to-have columns. Pay particular attention to whether the contractor uses architects or engineers to design the project. Living in the Villages Florida means paying many one-time expenses, such as interior painting, new furniture, home decorations, or paying for a class at a club such as golf lessons. The other story I hear very often is how many wonderful memories people made while living in The Villages. It really pays to understand what is and isnt acceptable so that if you even do a small project yourself you stay within the rules in the event someone reports you later. On the other hand, the cost of living in The Villages is only 103.4 against a national average of 100 and an average of 102.8 for the State of Florida. As mentioned, natural light is at a premium so be careful that your fabric choices dont excessively block valuable natural light. OK, these happy news vehicles are definitely biased towards positive feel good and Developer-oriented information and entertainment. Pick your contractors carefully there is quite a range of professionalism across the contractor network. This was a simple transfer of life from one white conservative community to another with better weather. Why arent they opening the movie theaters? We all know the advantages; after all we wouldnt be here, or coming here, if we didnt embrace all that makes up The Villages. We are in easy drive to the beaches and all the parks in Orlando.. We really enjoy our neighbors in The Villages. After creating your own personalized list of options youll have to apply your own decision-making criteria and weighting factors to narrow down the choices. The way it often works is it takes longer than it should to get a bid, and then it takes at least 30 days to get the building permit and ARC (Architectural Review Committee) approvals. The Villages is dog-friendly, with dog parks and homes available with pet enclosures. It seems the story plays out over and over. Use them as your primary computer tool. Residents of The Villages Support One Political Party. 13. "The Villages is a place that is so honed towards perfection that it cannot uphold that perfection, it's just not possible," Valerie Blankenbyl told news.com.au.. She spent time living in the community shooting her documentary The Bubble, which is screened this week at Sydney Antenna film festival.. And she likens it to the Jim Carrey movie The Truman Show, about a man trapped in a . This place is not a very good place to live. The Community Development District approach can be a bit convoluted, but all in all its a good system that should serve us well in the years ahead. And yet, we are finding a community within the community where we can feel comfortable. Thoughtful patios with screen walls and/or strategically located shrub placement can help. A better approach is to just end the debate and accept the fact that the home will look better with some soft colors, accent walls, etc. It holds more than 100,000 residents in an area bigger than Manhattan. The Villages is marketed as "Florida's Friendliest Hometown." But Election 2020 has ruined a lot of friendships. It is what it is, dont fight it, just enjoy what you want to enjoy and make other choices to receive your news and entertainment. There is even a chance internal surges are generated when large appliance motors are switched on and off inside of your home. And, of course in the social networking/texting/Skype world we live in today, family and friends are already in what seems like continuous daily communication with each other anyway. It seemed odd to me that so many people in the Villages would have an interest in birds. The second phase of retirement takes on more of a me emphasis: travel, recreation, hobbies, lifelong learning, pursuing more agreeable weather etc, etc. Others using insulated glass window/door systems and mini-split heat pump wall or ceiling mounted systems will get good flexible use of the space while still preserving a lot of the outdoor Lanai space look and feel. Get some professional advice first and/or get ideas from lots of your neighbors. You want to plant some annuals? The largest retirement community in Florida is billed as a playground for seniors, but according to some residents, its not all that meets the eye. There are lots of subtle differences when considering MDF or Wood, the style of the molding, whether the joints are coped, glued, caulked only, etc. On demand tankless hot water system. According to several reports by the FBI, Florida leads the U.S. in health care fraud, which it says is a $80 billion a year problem. It should be noted that a lot of people assume that a standard garage is OK, but many prefer having the additional golf cart garage. Plenty of things to do. Gas carts are a little noisy, not as smooth operating, and a little odorous. These are smaller than pools and offer the option to exercise against the currents generated by high flow pumps. It may be OK, and in fact may be all that is really required to meet the needs of the homeowner, it would just be better if this level of quality were put into the context of average or mediocre quality so the homeowner understands what they got for their money. Be sure to think carefully about these statements and decide if they relate to your personal perspectives. We will be seeking out other nurses & police officers to interview when we get down there, I bought a house at the villages last September beautiful live 6 months in Florida 6 months in Connecticut. You may find that you could actually earn more on your savings by substituting some low yielding investment money for the higher interest bond loan principle. The POA has been around since nearly the start of The Villages and has been effective in surfacing and correcting some significant issues. The Villages is a SCAM. While we live in a normal county/state geographical location, the CDD arrangement means that all of the homeowners in the CDD district are obligated to cover the cost of the common area maintenance. Even though all neighborhoods may have conveniently located recreation centers, pools, and mail stations, you may find it quite a trek to drive your golf cart to the grocery store, drugstore, favorite town square, restaurant, etc. Required fields are marked *. A lot of people are confused and/or upset about the bond issue associated with their new home. But to the educated eye they may have cut corners, used somewhat inferior materials or methods, or simply not performed at a quality level commensurate with a craftsman level of quality. This is another project that is best if performed before you move in, possibly in conjunction with the painting project. They know that it is easy to pass these around the pickleball courts or golf courses. You might even want to think about the fact that the grounds keepers may chose to cut the grass in the order the golfers will start teeing off in the morning. The pinging noises can start very early in the morning and continue all day. Yes, they may be better than the ones in Texas, but they are not comparable to Hawaii or the Caribbean beaches in any way. This is in essence a suggestion system where residents can submit forms that are collected by resident volunteers and passed along to staff individuals for investigation and possible implementation. If lightning strikes your home it could very easily catch on fire and burn. Others have friends and family already here or moving here soon. There is an MVP Athletics Club at Spanish Springs Town Square and Brownwood Paddock Square for residents who want more advanced workouts. The commercial interests of those depending on Villagers for sustaining income will continue to be vested in our success. There is a shortage of landscape architects in the yellow pages so you may have to search to locate this type of service. Which they r all on and enjoying while they golf! #1 will be cut before #2, and so forth. A 27-hole layout that features the Tequesta 9, that wraps around water and the Villages only island green. You may find gutters only on the front of the house why is this? If you only list one or two options you have no room to compromise and optimize. Lived here 5 years. Whats the situation in The Villages? He actively writes about real estate related topics such as buying and selling homes, how-to guides for around the house and home product recommendations. Should you pay it off after purchasing your home, or possibly down the road? Or, you are a person that is totally happy with a nice clean white/off-white wall approach. Its really nice to not worry about your plants during the hot summer months. People that may have had only a small circle of friends and family before may need to learn/re-learn some friend making skills. Over time the dirty burning propane or charcoal, plus the greasy smoke, will coat your birdcage structure and screens. This one can be minimized by thinking through as many issues as possible before buying. We feel they reviewed numerous other communities before selecting T.V. Most people understand that they will need a golf car/cart, even if they dont golf. A large number of accidents seem to involve a passenger being ejected, with or without the cart actually turning over, strictly due to a sharp high speed turn or avoidance maneuver. If you have your outdoor lanai or birdcage area very close to a tee box or green youre likely to hear lots of chatter, golf cart noises, and grounds maintenance noises. Enjoy the serene Sharon Rose Wiechens Preserve. Also, with open floor plans perimeter windows just dont always flood the interior spaces with adequate light. 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