Is The Villages right for you
The Villages is a large 55-plus community spread across three counties, built around golf, town squares, and getting almost everywhere by golf cart. For a lot of people it is exactly the retirement they pictured. For some it is too much activity, too far from family, or not the quiet they wanted.
Before you fall in love with a floor plan, sit with these questions:
- Do you want a busy social calendar, or do you want quiet? Both exist here, but they are in different neighborhoods.
- How often will family visit, and how far is the nearest airport for them?
- What happens if your health changes in ten years? Where are the doctors, and is the home a layout you could still live in?
- Can the budget hold up on a fixed income once you add the monthly costs in the next section?
There are dozens of golf courses here, thousands of clubs and activities, and recreation centers across the community. That is real, and it is a lot. The question is whether it is the life you want, not whether the brochure is true.
Ask yourself
If I visited for two weeks and did nothing planned, would I be happy or restless? Your answer points you to a part of The Villages.
The money nobody explains
The purchase price is only part of what a Villages home costs. Three other things matter, and they are the first thing I check on any home a client is considering.
The bond
The bond is a charge for the roads, water lines, and infrastructure in your area. It is attached to the property, not the price, and you can pay it off early or pay it down over years on your tax bill. Newer homes, generally the ones south of County Road 466A, tend to carry a larger unpaid bond. Older homes to the north often have a bond that is mostly or fully paid. On some resale homes the bond is already paid off, and that is value the listing price does not show.
The amenity fee
This is a monthly fee for the recreation centers, pools, and executive golf. It was set when the home was first sold, and it can adjust over time. It does not change based on how much you use it, and it is not optional.
District assessments and fire
Your Community Development District, or CDD, is the local government here. It bills annual assessments for maintenance and services, and there is a separate fire district charge. These show up on your property tax bill.
None of this is a reason to avoid The Villages. It is a reason to get the real numbers on the specific home before you make an offer, not after.
Ask the agent
Is the bond paid? If not, what is the balance and the annual payment? What is the monthly amenity fee on this exact home? What did the CDD and fire assessments total last year?
New construction or resale
Most buyers weigh a brand-new home against an existing one. Both can be the right call. Here is how they compare.
New construction
- Nobody lived there before. Everything is under warranty.
- You pick the floor plan and, if lots are available, the lot.
- Financing and options are handled in one place.
- Often a wait while it is built, and a move-in date that can slip.
- Landscaping is young. Trees are small.
- The bond is typically larger and unpaid.
- The sales agent works for the builder, not for you.
Resale
- Available now. You can walk it before you decide.
- Established neighborhood, mature landscaping, real shade.
- You choose the location: near a specific square, course, or center.
- The bond may be paid down or paid off.
- Room to negotiate on price, terms, and closing date.
- You may update or repair some things.
- You have your own agent on your side of the table.
New construction is appealing. It is also a lot in the ground and a wait. Before you commit, let me show you what the same money buys in an established village today.
Lili Whittington
The home types, villa to premier
The Villages has its own words for home tiers. From smallest and most affordable to largest:
- Patio & courtyard villa
- Attached or compact, low maintenance, lower price. Often someone's first home here or a lock-and-leave for travelers.
- Cottage & ranch home
- The mid tier. Single-family, modest lot, the most common choice.
- Designer home
- The popular move-up tier. More square footage, better finishes, a real garage and lanai.
- Premier home
- The top tier. Larger lots, custom features, premium locations. This is the part of the market I specialize in.
Homes I work run from around $205,000 up to about $1.2 million. The right tier is the one that fits how you want to live and what you want to spend once the monthly costs are in the math.
Where in The Villages
The Villages grew from north to south, so location tells you a lot about a home before you see it.
North of 466 versus south of 466A
The older sections to the north are closer to Spanish Springs, have mature trees, and often carry a smaller or paid bond. The newer sections to the south have the newest amenities and the newest homes, and usually a larger unpaid bond. Neither is better. They are different, and the difference is real money and real feel.
The three town squares
Spanish Springs, Lake Sumter Landing, and Brownwood each have their own character and nightly entertainment. How close you are to the square you like, and whether you can get there by golf cart, is part of a home's value here.
Golf-cart access
Being able to reach the square, the pool, the course, and the grocery store by cart is a genuine value driver in The Villages, not a nice extra. Check the cart paths from any home you are serious about.
Ask the agent
From this home, what can I reach by golf cart without crossing a major road? Which square am I closest to?
How to buy the right one, step by step
This is the order I take buyers through. It keeps you from falling for the wrong house and from getting caught between two closings.
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Talk about your life, not a wish list
Still working or fully retired, which family you want to be near, why now, and what would make this move a mistake for you. This decides the village before we look at a single listing.
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Get your financing sorted
Whether you are paying cash or getting a loan, know your real number before you shop. I will connect you with a lender who knows this market. I do not quote rates myself.
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Match to a village
Based on how you want to spend a normal Tuesday, not on what happens to be listed this week.
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See homes with the real numbers in hand
For every home you like, we pull the bond balance, the amenity fee, and last year's assessments before you get attached.
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Make an offer that protects you
Price, inspection, and timing terms that fit your situation, especially if you have a home to sell first.
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Inspect, and take the inspection seriously
Roof age, air conditioning, plumbing, and any settling. A resale can be a great buy and still need a repair negotiation.
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Close, and get the keys
I am at the closing table. Not a coordinator, not an assistant. Me.
If you have a home to sell first
Most people moving here are selling a house somewhere else at the same time. That is where the stress comes from: two closings, two states, and the fear of owning two homes or none.
The fix is to plan both sides as one move. That can mean a sale contingency on your purchase, a rent-back on your current home, a bridge plan with your lender, or timing the list date up north to the offer date down here. In most cases there is a way to line it up. It has to be planned before you make an offer, not after.
I coordinate both sides for relocation clients. For the sale back home, I connect you with an agent I trust there, and I keep both closings on one timeline, so you are not stuck in the middle of two agents pointing at each other.
Buying from out of state, or in Spanish
You should not buy a home you have only seen on a video call, and I will not push you to. What I will do is a real walkthrough video that points out what the photos hide, pull every number, and hold your hand through the parts you cannot do from a thousand miles away. Then you come see the short list in person.
I came to the United States from Colombia in 1996 on a student visa, and I built a life here in a language that was not my first. I know what starting over feels like. I run the whole process, contracts and negotiation included, in English or in Spanish. Puedo manejar toda la transacción en español, contratos incluidos.
People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. Being a pastor's wife taught me that. It is the whole job.
Lili Whittington
Questions I get asked every week
Which village is right for me?
Four things decide it: how social you want to be, which square you like, how close you need to be to healthcare, and your budget once the monthly costs are in. That is a conversation, not a map. Tell me how you want to spend a normal week and I can narrow it fast.
Should I want a bond that is paid off?
A paid bond is real value, but a home with an unpaid bond is not a bad buy. What matters is knowing the balance and the annual payment so you can compare two homes on equal footing.
Can I get around by golf cart?
In most of The Villages, yes, to the squares, pools, courses, and many stores and medical offices. It varies by location, so check the cart paths from any specific home.
Is it a bad time to buy?
Homes sell here in every season. When there are fewer listings, you have less competition and more room to negotiate. The right time is when your life is ready, not when a headline says so.
What if I move here and don't like it?
It happens, and it is usually about the wrong village or the wrong home, not The Villages itself. Choosing carefully the first time is most of the protection. And if you ever do need to sell, that is work I do every week.
Do I need my own agent, or can I use the listing agent?
Have your own agent. The listing agent and the sales center both work for the seller. It costs you nothing to have someone on your side of the table.
