Younger Section of Villages - No Golf? (Ocala, St. Augustine: for sale, HOA fees)

[nanc295]

My s/o is over 55 and I will be when we take our tour and look for a home in the Villages. Is there any particular neighborhood that has a somewhat younger set of people in our age group?

He has very low vision (legally blind) so we don't play golf. That rules out other sports like tennis, bocce ball, volley ball and so forth; also cards and board games. We are not bar people. Besides dancing and biking, what is there to keep active and busy? We have been beach people and I'm afraid we will miss that.

Also, we are looking for a cbs block home with a small pool. are they particular to certain neighborhoods?


I sure need a friend in the know! Thanks a million!

[AnonChick]

Originally Posted by nanc295

My s/o is over 55 and I will be when we take our tour and look for a home in the Villages. Is there any particular neighborhood that has a somewhat younger set of people in our age group?

He has very low vision (legally blind) so we don't play golf. That rules out other sports like tennis, bocce ball, volley ball and so forth; also cards and board games. We are not bar people. Besides dancing and biking, what is there to keep active and busy? We have been beach people and I'm afraid we will miss that.

Also, we are looking for a cbs block home with a small pool. are they particular to certain neighborhoods?


I sure need a friend in the know! Thanks a million!

You're nowhere near the beach. There is dancing at night in the village squares. The Village is an active golf community so if you aren't into active sports or golf, you might want to consider other options. There's tennis and "pickleball" which is a hybrid wiffle-tennis-type of game that requires hand-eye coordination. Due to the high traffic of golf carts on the golf paths, biking would also require good hand-eye coordination, so I'm afraid your s/o might not find biking a very safe option in the Villages.

What you're paying for, when you live in the Villages, are all the activities and maintenence on and use of many of the golf courses (Some of them will still cost you but most of them come with your monthly fees). If you're not planning on taking advantage of those benfits, then you're really wasting your money.

You don't have to make use of these things, but you're paying for them regardless. You're not allowed to live there and -not- pay for the things you're not using.

[kshe95girl]

Every house in the Villages is CBS construction.

[Honeycrisp]

There's always movies and just getting together w/ people, there's over 600 clubs in The Villages, if Im not mistaken every state and many professions have their own clubs etc (not to mention sports etc). There's water aerobic and various other exercises you could do as well, there's many rec centers each subdivision has with their own pool w/in The Villages. The squares have their own entertainment (free) every nite. You might want to check out Talk of The Villages, their forum, (just google it) where you'd get a better idea of what's available. As far as ages there, you'll prob. find a mixture, possibly newer developments have younger ppl but that may not always be the case, also keep in mind there's some very active older seniors and some very inactive younger seniors ;-)

[Hartwick]

You should seriously consider looking at other "retirement" communities to see them and compare what they offer, their HOA fees, types and ages of residents, etc. The Villages is known to be more expensive than other such communities, mostly due to "hidden" fees for a variety of services, all of which add up to a higher monthly expense...it's known for it's "nickle and diming" residents for everything. And, current residents are attempting to sell their homes to get away from this "nickle and diming" expense. Golf cart rage has become quite a problem here, with souped-up golf carts speeding through neighborhoods and on the paths, yelling, threatening, throwing things at those who impede their racing through the community...this has become a huge problem recently, and certainly makes walking and bicycling hazardous to your health. Traffoc in the area tends to be horrific, and worse when the summerbirds return. Expect long waits in restuarants.

A younger community well worth investigating is just a few miles up the road...Summerglen. It's been highly rated by a variety of retirement-oriented magazines, consumer groups, etc. It's much smaller. much more user-friendly, all inclusive HOA fees, consists of a much, much younger set of residents, probably more to your liking and comfort level. Very picturesque. First-rate amenites, easily accesssible to vision-impaired individuals. Just a much nicer, more affordable, friendly community and administration. Lastly, no "golf cart rage" incidents like at The Villages. A fes homes have swimming pools in their lanai, but with the amenities just a short distance away, operating your own swimming pool/hot tube makes little sense, money-wise.

One last "retiirement" village to seriously consider is Marion Landing, in Ocala, just off Route 200. Tends to be homes built in the 1990's. CBS construction, no golf course(so you don't have to pay for it in "hidden" fees. The residents tend to be a bit older than both of you, but they are absolutely warm, welcoming, unpretentious, "what you see is what you get-type" of residents...meaning honest, down to earth, super nice people, who are supportive and look out for each other. There is a smaller clubhouse, but a ton of activities and a lot of resident interest and involvement. Has a homeowner's association that maintains and protects quality of life, and neighborhood appearance. Very centrally located to medical facilities, shopping at Publix, CVS, Walgreen's, and dollar stores a few minutes away. Residents tend to be very friendly, but somewhat older, which makes them really nice people to live around. You seriously need to look at Marion Landing before deciding on The Villages...you'll be impressed. And, lastly, no golf cart rage as at The Villages. Oh! and they have a resident-operated evening gate house and a community patrol which certainly adds to the security and comfort level.

On Top of the World is also nice, convieniently located, but the HOA fees are very, very high, and you pay for use of the amenities. Somewhat older residents. Very large, and growing community....certainly not as nice as Marion Landing.

Stone Creek, just down the road from OTOW...unfriendly, snooty, pretentious residents, lots of problems with grass, super-expensive irrigation costs, problems with "outsiders" coming in and using the amenities without paying. Sinkholes caving in houses and man-made lakes. A golf community without doubt. Younger residents; limited clubs and activities; lots of BYOB events; lots of summerbirds.

Take a look at Marion Landing if you are looking at a safe, reasonable, warm, and welcoming housing future.

[kshe95girl]

Originally Posted by Hartwick

Stone Creek, just down the road from OTOW...unfriendly, snooty, pretentious residents, lots of problems with grass, super-expensive irrigation costs, problems with "outsiders" coming in and using the amenities without paying. Sinkholes caving in houses and man-made lakes. A golf community without doubt. Younger residents; limited clubs and activities; lots of BYOB events; lots of summerbirds.

OMG, the bolded part of your statement is spot on!
I have done some design work there, never again!!!!!!!

[NORBBCT]

Unfortunately I purchased a home in Stone Creek. The Sales Person made it sound like heaven. However, since it is a 55+ active adult community I should have realized he didn't know what he was talking about since he was not old enough to live there.

This is a community that is made up of 85% stuck up snobs and 15% of outstanding individuals. Most of the residents will not even wave back to you when you pass them in your car or golf cart. The HOA is absolutely ridiculous setting rules as if the residents were children. Then the HOA only enforces the rules when they want to harass a certain resident. The HOA will harass you about your lawn because it is burnt or dying when they can't even keep the common areas of the community from dying. (People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones). They plant St. Augustine grass that is not hardy to this area and water hungry and tell you to maintain the lawns using watering restrictions that is not nearly enough to keep this grass alive. Then the HOA threatens you if your lawn is dying. (Your damned if you do and damned if you don't).

If you don't belong to one of the cliques in Stone Creek then you are nothing. If I knew then what I know now about Stone Creek I would of never moved here . There are nearly 200 pre-existing homes for sale in Stone Creek because previous owners could not stand living here. I think that should tell you something about living in Stone Creek. Once the housing market comes back I will not hesitate in placing my home up for sale and getting the He#@ out of here.

BUY IN STONE CREEK AT YOUR OWN RISK!!! AN DON'T SAY I DIDN'T WARN YOU.

[Ocala Retiree]

I live in Stone Creek and disagree with the above people who obviously have a bone to pick, or work in sales for another community and who may be the same person under different names. The people here are nice, the amenities better that most communities in this price range and like any closed gate community, the HOA will protect people's investment by enforcing the rules (it's one of the reasons we buy in an HOA, to control people who do not take care of their homes or yards).

Many of the issues stated above exist in most central Florida communities (private or public). A bad winter does not care which community you have grass in and water restrictions are Florida wide.

Here is my advice, look at as many communities as time permits. Spend a few days (longer if possible) at the ones that interest you the most. Ignore posts like the ones above and make a decision based on your own observations. Any community you choose will have it's pros and cons, only you can determine which community fits your needs best. A new community may have a few minor growing pains, an older community may have set ways you may not agree with.

Look, observe and ask questions while visiting each place you look at and enjoy your new home.

[kshe95girl]

Originally Posted by Ocala Retiree

I live in Stone Creek and disagree with the above people who oviously have a bone to pick, or work in sales for another community and who may be the same person under different names.

First of all, it is against TOS on this site to have more than one account, the mods pay a LOT of attention to IP addresses and will flag the account, so that part of your statement is incorrect.
Secondly, do you know every single person in Stone Creek to vouch for their niceness?
Your post makes me wonder if YOU dont work for SC.

[Ocala Retiree]

Originally Posted by kshe95girl

First of all, it is against TOS on this site to have more than one account, the mods pay a LOT of attention to IP addresses and will flag the account, so that part of your statement is incorrect.
Secondly, do you know every single person in Stone Creek to vouch for their niceness?
Your post makes me wonder if YOU dont work for SC.

People who have agendas such as yours (to trash an entire community) find ways to bend the rules. You probably went to a friends house (if you have one) or the library to make up another name which has a differnet IP address.

No, I do not know everyone in Stone Creek, but I do know every community has a few fringe people - like the ones that trash an entire community.

No I do not work for Stone Creek, I live there, like the adminities and 99% of the people I meet.

Grow up and quit trashing entire communities.