The Villages

For those who don't know me, in a few weeks I'm ending a 30 year career as a clinical anesthesiologist. It means every working day I've gone to work, putting people to sleep, or doing epidurals or spinals, or nerve blocks, so that patients can have some sort of surgical procedure. I won't be doing it anymore as of my birthday, August 30. My wife and I are likely going to be snowbirds, living 5-6 months in Buffalo and 6-7 months somewhere else.
I always thought that somewhere else would likely be Vegas, as I have a bunch of friends that already moved there. But weather is very important to the wife, and her perception of Vegas winter weather is it is not warm enough. She has some experience with Naples, Florida, and has been aiming us that way.
She has spoken with a bunch of her patients who happen to live in The Villages, and all have given it glowing reports. It is just north of Orlando, so it does not have as warm a winter climate as Naples.

So we are going there for a 5 day vacation. For just $99 a night you get a two bedroom villa, a golf cart, two bicycles, unlimited free golf, entertainment, pools, tennis, etc....
They obviously are going to try and sell us a place. I am interested in what's available, cost, etc.....

We are also going to go to Naples for 4 days, and have a real estate agent take us around.

Anyone have any experience or knowledge of The Villages or Naples?

I still feel young, but I am not foolish enough to believe that that will change. Is it a negative that ALL the community members are 55+? (spouses can be younger, as mine...)

By the commercials I have always assumed they wanted to suck your money away. But sounds like a fair deal to check it out. Enjoy your upcoming retirement!

Quote: SOOPOO

For those who don't know me, in a few weeks I'm ending a 30 year career as a clinical anesthesiologist. It means every working day I've gone to work, putting people to sleep, or doing epidurals or spinals, or nerve blocks, so that patients can have some sort of surgical procedure. I won't be doing it anymore as of my birthday, August 30. My wife and I are likely going to be snowbirds, living 5-6 months in Buffalo and 6-7 months somewhere else.
I always thought that somewhere else would likely be Vegas, as I have a bunch of friends that already moved there. But weather is very important to the wife, and her perception of Vegas winter weather is it is not warm enough. She has some experience with Naples, Florida, and has been aiming us that way.
She has spoken with a bunch of her patients who happen to live in The Villages, and all have given it glowing reports. It is just north of Orlando, so it does not have as warm a winter climate as Naples.

So we are going there for a 5 day vacation. For just $99 a night you get a two bedroom villa, a golf cart, two bicycles, unlimited free golf, entertainment, pools, tennis, etc....
They obviously are going to try and sell us a place. I am interested in what's available, cost, etc.....

We are also going to go to Naples for 4 days, and have a real estate agent take us around.

Anyone have any experience or knowledge of The Villages or Naples?

I still feel young, but I am not foolish enough to believe that that will change. Is it a negative that ALL the community members are 55+? (spouses can be younger, as mine...)

The Villages is a legendary Stepford community, the largest in the US for seniors. Everyone there uses golf carts rather than cars. The activity schedule is full - it's lIke a cruise ship with a dozen pay-as-you-go events at any time. It's very white, very conservative, quite expensive compared to everything else north of Palm Beach. HOA fees are pretty high, with a massive CCR list (they control every aspect of how you live from when the garbage can be on the street to the color you paint your house).

If you like having very strict rules on you and your neighbors, and can pay the extra fees and captive surcharges on all your nearby shoppIng, and want a big social life among people of similar age and income, you might like it. Not my cup of tea, but with a huge snowbird population, you do get a well-protected and controlled area when you're not there.

Naples (if that's the only other option) would be preferable to the Villages. You can still find enclaves there if you want the 55+ restrictions, MUCH cooler in the summer than the Villages/Orlando/ any location in the center of the peninsula, many protected wildlife/shoreline areas, some very good dining, a very good (ATP level) tennis club that gets tournaments, good Gulf of Mexico fishing. Almost as expensive to live as the Miami-Palm Beach coast though, and they catch a lot of Hurricane activity.

I would suggest you consider the East Coast from Port St. Lucie north to Flagler instead of either. Large mix of younger people with retired, moderately conservative, much less expensive housing and basics, more temperate (warmer in winter, cooler in summer) because of the sea breeze, many intelligent people around due to the main industries (medical and space travel), lots of enclaves or independent neighborhoods in all price ranges including tons of houses on canals if you want a dock.

Many controller friends have retired to St. Lucie and Indian River counties (similar income to yours), and I'm just north of that, in Brevard where property values are rising quickly. Skip Daytona Beach itself, but New Smyrna Beach, Ponce Inlet, Ormond Beach in Volusia are ok. Just north of that, Flagler County has a couple of very nice canal/enclave communities.

This part of the Florida East Coast, probably because of the shape of the ocean floor around Cape Canaveral, tends not to get hurricanes. If they come, they hit the Naples-To-Tampa route and spend their worst coming across from the back side. The ones that hit frome the east either steer to Palm Beach and points south, or Jax and points north.

The biggest drawback to any Florida coastal living is in 2 parts.

If you live right on the water, the sea air ruins your cars, electronics, and other goods pretty quickly, including the structure of some houses. So you find yourself with higher repair and replacement bills than you might expect.

Related, any house near the water is difficult and expensive to insure, including all barrier islands and mainland property, IF you can get insurance at all. Do NOT buy anything until you have a guaranteed insurance policy that satisfies you. State Farm, Progressive, other major insurers will not write a homeowners policy here. Expect high deductibles , lousy hurricane protection, lots of caveats. Most people are required to buy federal flood insurance as well as a basic policy, which a lot of people have to buy from the state.

I've a number of friends and relatives living there, as they originally marketed Long Island very extensively.
It is extremely conservative, and is run by a single family that makes extensive rules and regulations. It is not cheap, but if one takes advantage of the many activities- such as free golf, it isn't bad. The sex lives of many inhabitants is, shall we say, interesting and has been subjects of several studies.
You can buy or rent anything from a tiny cottage to an expansive villa, and the resale value seems to be higher than most .
You used to get a lot of young NYPD retirees moving there but I think it has priced them out.
I looked into it a few years ago before moving to Vegas. It was more than I wanted to spend at the time, but if my sister ends up there, I might follow.

There is also Queens Village in New York City.

Very affordable, rules are pretty much do as you want.

They have city busses that go there with a free transfer to the subway

I am not familiar with the Villages but I have spent some time in the Naples area. I like Naples but the area I am considering is an hour north of there. If I end up in Florida, I am pretty sure it will be Sarasota.

https://nypost.com/2009/01/25/retire-to-the-bedroom/

Old story about the high rates of STD’s at the Villages. And the amount of action a single man can get there.

Quote: SOOPOO

For those who don't know me, in a few weeks I'm ending a 30 year career as a clinical anesthesiologist.

Are you even 60 yet? Must be nice..

Quote: DRich

I am not familiar with the Villages but I have spent some time in the Naples area. I like Naples but the area I am considering is an hour north of there. If I end up in Florida, I am pretty sure it will be Sarasota.

A company I did a lot of work with relocated from North Bergen to Sarasota with a lot of my friends very reluctantly accepting the transfer. One of them came back to NY after a short time, but the rest loved it. I've not spent much time of the west coast, but hear mostly good things. I lived in Lauderdale and Ocala for a.few months in each and am not a fan of the humidity.

One plus for the Villages is its proximity to Orlando International, assuming one plans on traveling.

HOAs can be a nuisance anywhere. After 30 years of inhaling gases do you want your pest control to be scheduled by the HOA? If so, good luck trying to find out what they use and in what strength. I'd advise buying property in a town with desirable demographics and dispense with the over-regulated lifestyle.

HOAs are great for keeping a certain type of person out of the neighborhood.
Hurray that type

Quote: FleaStiff

HOAs can be a nuisance anywhere.

I was going to say as much.

The only two things I know to be true about The Villages is all the golf carts and generally higher than average costs.

Lots of group activities available just means you have more options, not that you have to participate.

Personally, I like the adult communities. I like kids, but there are just fewer problems.

Typically, retired people downsize, but that doesn’t mean you can’t live well, Just no need for so much stuff.

M. Night Shamalan has a good "Village" for you to move into

My Aunt and Uncle spend a few months there in the winter. She has an incredible agenda, which she shares on Facebook. Golf three or four days a week, golf lessons, Spanish lessons, square dancing and water aerobics. My Uncle says he is bored silly. He doesn't watch tv, doesn't use the computer. Just sits around listening to oddball radio stations playing Burl Ives and the like.

SooPoo, just move to the South of France. I see every couple months some villa that's a fixer-upper going cheap. By fixer-upper, I mean usually gutted and needs major renovations.

Quote: rxwine

SooPoo, just move to the South of France. I see every couple months some villa that's a fixer-upper going cheap. By fixer-upper, I mean usually gutted and needs major renovations.

I read an article a few years ago where they followed two couples as they attempted to restore medieval manor houses. What nightmares. The path to hell is lined with good intentions.

When my friend retired from the Army about ten years ago, he and his wife spent a year living in motel/ hotels two weeks at a time. After six months, they had narrowed it down to four places before settling for West Virginia.
No need to rush.

If weather is a major factor. How about San Diego or some of the SoCal beach areas?
Dealing with Florida humidity just seems nuts to me.

At first it sounded like the second circle of hell. Then the part about catching the clap from some old bag of bones was added and it got upgraded to the 7th circle.

some single males in Florida will don a wedding ring which tends to protect them from all but the Teeny Boppers. Without a wedding ring events or even a trip to the grocery store can be akin to running a gauntlet of lonely women whose husbands had lots of life insurance.

laws recently changed about driving golf carts on public roads.

An episode of Bob's Burgers, "It Snakes a Village," was on tonight on Cartoon Network. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_Snakes_a_Village

It's about non-swingers at a Florida swingers retirement community.

Nice coincidence!

Quote: darkoz

M. Night Shamalan has a good "Village" for you to move into

One of my favorite movies.

Thanks all. Bob... I'll be 59 on the day I retire. I was going to retire before the summer but my pension goes up around 7% by waiting until I hit an actual birthday. Babs, wifey for whatever reason likes Naples a lot... she used to vacation in Fort Myers because that is where her ex's parents live. I have a friend who has a condo on Long Boat Key, so I've been to Sarasota a few times. My single memory is unpleasant traffic. My ex's grandmother lived in Boca Raton, and I didn't love the area. Probably because I was younger and weather alone was not a factor for me then. I don't think wifey wants to consider the East Coast.
I'm going golfing now with one of my friends. He's 35. Yesterday with two others in their 30's. On Sunday I was the youngest amongst my friends. I think one of my fears is that if I move to the Villages I'll lose contact with the generation behind me. I like friends of all ages.
As far as the costs, I'll have to check that out, of course. I am led to believe that the costs are probably less than a single country club golf membership, and that the courses are nice enough for a duffer like me.
As far as HOA type stuff, I don't think I'll have a problem with garbage days, outside paint schemes, etc....

We go the end of October.

Sarasota retirees try to be on the second martini by traffic time.

Boca Raton has a medical college at which you might care to lecture or something.

The Villages use 35 year olds for target practice.

Just a couple notes.

Boca is south of Palm Beach. Too expensive, too crowded.

Ft.Myers has seriously deteriorated in the last 10-15 years. I suggest you rent a condo for a month and find out for yourself if you want to buy there. It's NOT what it used to be.

I also suggest you rent over here for a month before you dismiss the idea of East Coast. Surprising in a good way.

I don't know you that well, but I do know you some. You will not be happy in The Villages, especially with a younger wife. Too homogeneous, too programmed.

Definitely heed Barb;'s advice. She provided me with a lot of information last year when I was looking to move to Miami.

I figured people shot videos about The Villages. I did watch the one where people talk trash about the Villages.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ6UhOOGU1M8hNezBwkM-yw/videos

Quote: rxwine

I figured people shot videos about The Villages. I did watch the one where people talk trash about the Villages.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ6UhOOGU1M8hNezBwkM-yw/videos

I have several friends in the Villages. They like it. Bit they are also people who get on a cruise ship and do everything the ship schedules for them, rather than "their own thing". They're joiners, not independent thinkers. So, great for them.

There's actually a large golf enclave here in Brevard that is very similar to The Villages, but only about a thousand homes. Their HOAs are relatively high because they provide so much in common areas and events. And you don't have to live in the miserable center of the state.

The thing is, the houses in the Brevard enclave go 10-30% cheaper than median JUST because the HOA is so steep. So, if you WANT that hyper-activity, it's a very good deal.

Anyway, another weird thing about the Villages is, they have a relatively large home turnover and social set constantly changes, because the median age is 70-something, and people die off. Funerals are big business there just by quantity. That gets old fast (like within a year or two of living there.) Even people who like it find that part depressing. They just get to know a neighbor and, splat. Bug meet windshield.

I just don't see you liking it there over a span of 5-10 years. But obv JMHO.

One thing to beware of is that golf in the Villages is not necessarily free, as some marketing would lead you to believe. There are a lot of small/par 3/executive courses which are free for residents. But the nice championship courses still cost money. I think it's still pretty reasonable, especially if you're not trying to play on weekend mornings in the winter. But some have complained that they didn't get what they were promised.

That being said, I only know of a few people that live in the Villages, and they love it.

Quote: SOOPOO

Thanks all. Bob... I'll be 59 on the day I retire.

Nothing better way to hasten your demise
than quit at 59 and move to a place
where everybody is older than you. Why
not start a business of some kind, 59
is way too early to check out. One of
my best friends is 85 and retired from
teaching HS math at 72. Since then
he tutors math students 20 hours a
week and works part time at two
Mathnasiums, places that take in
needy math students. He doesn't
need to do any of it, he's a millionaire
from wisely investing all his life. He
just knows if you stop, you die.

My ex-wife and her parents live in The Villages. Good luck with that.

I lived in Fort Myers for 6 years, and I know Naples somewhat, but that was back in the day when Cape Coral was a large network of residential roads and no houses. There were still long stretches of beachfront to be developed.

Pretty sure i’m not up to date.

Quote: EvenBob

Nothing better way to hasten your demise
than quit at 59 and move to a place
where everybody is older than you. Why
not start a business of some kind, 59
is way too early to check out. One of
my best friends is 85 and retired from
teaching HS math at 72. Since then
he tutors math students 20 hours a
week and works part time at two
Mathnasiums, places that take in
needy math students. He doesn't
need to do any of it, he's a millionaire
from wisely investing all his life. He
just knows if you stop, you die.

My father retired at 48 with a full pension and never worked again. It was my goal to retire younger than he was. I have failed.

Quote: DRich

My father retired at 48 with a full pension and never worked again. It was my goal to retire younger than he was. I have failed.

I'll never retire, it's the kiss of
death. Nothing I hate worse
than being around people my
age and listen to them piss
and moan about how they
feel. My father in law is 93 and
they had to take him kicking
and screaming off the farm
at 86 because he couldn't drive
anymore. He loved to race
around the property on an
old dirt bike.

Someone mentioned a lot of sex going on over in that Village Place. I'm not sure why that would be of any interest to anybody, who the hell wants to bang some old grandmas?

Quote: AxelWolf

Someone mentioned a lot of sex going on over in that Village Place. I'm not sure why that would be of any interest to anybody, who the hell wants to bang some old grandmas?

Some guys will hit anything. Each
to his own.

Quote: AxelWolf

Someone mentioned a lot of sex going on over in that Village Place. I'm not sure why that would be of any interest to anybody, who the hell wants to bang some old grandmas?

She can take out her teeth.

Quote: AxelWolf

Someone mentioned a lot of sex going on over in that Village Place. I'm not sure why that would be of any interest to anybody, who the hell wants to bang some old grandmas?

"Having sex" is controlled by the female gender - so if old grandmas want to have sex with you, and they are roughly your age, then it is going to happen.

Quote: gordonm888

"Having sex" is controlled by the female gender - so if old grandmas want to have sex with you, and they are roughly your age, then it is going to happen.

if I'm ever single, there's Zero chance of me having sex with anyone in the grandma age, even if they want to have sex with me.

Quote: AxelWolf

if I'm ever single, there's Zero chance of me having sex with anyone in the grandma age, even if they want to have sex with me.

I guess this is my retirement thread. I have been the "billing watchdog" for my group for decades. I go around 6 times a year to do an audit to see if the billing company is hitting on all cylinders. I think GWAE does medical billing, and he can tell you how complicated anesthesia billing is. These are hard working men and women, making very little, who have helped me and my group be successful over the years. I can only imagine what they were thinking, maybe making $150 a day, when I would have them work on a bill that paid us $1000 but should have paid us $1200. And if I found an error they were making, the correction entailed more work for them. Not once was a single employee ever short or rude with me. 30 years. Not once. I was always happy thinking that my group basically supported 3 or 4 full time positions there.
I've bought the office a pizza lunch around the holidays once a year. I loved doing it.
I stopped by yesterday to say goodbye to them all. I almost cried.

On Friday I will be walking out of my hospital for the last time as an employee. I'm sure I will be an emotional wreck.

Quote: SOOPOO

On Friday I will be walking out of my hospital for the last time as an employee. I'm sure I will be an emotional wreck.

Congratulations. All the more reason to focus on where you are walking to.

Quote: SOOPOO

On Friday I will be walking out of my hospital for the last time as an employee. I'm sure I will be an emotional wreck.

That may well be true. But it will be up to you, as a high-energy person, to do other productive things with your time.

You've made enormous changes in your life recently, both directly and indirectly. Marrying, deciding to retire young, house-shopping, probably a lot of smaller things we don't know about.

You might want some time for reflection and grounding before you make any more changes. Your internal equilibrium has to be swinging wildly on some level.

But don't turn into the homebound grump driving your spouse crazy because you're suddenly without mooring.

Quote: beachbumbabs

There's actually a large golf enclave here in Brevard that is very similar to The Villages, but only about a thousand homes. Their HOAs are relatively high because they provide so much in common areas and events. And you don't have to live in the miserable center of the state.

The thing is, the houses in the Brevard enclave go 10-30% cheaper than median JUST because the HOA is so steep. So, if you WANT that hyper-activity, it's a very good deal.

Real estate values are strange. High HOA fees can create a sort of safety net: Properties become difficult to rent and this reinforces the owners versus renters ratio. People who own property in the golfing community are happy as long as they remain active golfers. Injuries, illnesses and inheritances by non-golfing relatives tend to weaken the cohesiveness. its not an official "be a golfer or be gone" policy but a sort of de-facto one. I would think that would create a premium on prices but apparently it doesn't. A neighborhood that has no barriers to entry tends to attract renters and transients.

HOAs are political organizations that can be arrayed against 'problem' owners/renters, but without an HOA little can be done against excessive yard sale traffic or excessive vehicles being parked when rooms get rented out, or junk accumulating in yards, etc. Yet it does also mean that those without the shared values tend to become "enemies of the people" a bit too readily.

Quote: beachbumbabs

But don't turn into the homebound grump driving your spouse crazy because you're suddenly without mooring.

Hopefully the spouse will still be working.

Congrats SOOPOO.

Since you were employed by the hospital, will you get any retirement benefits from them? Hopefully at least paid health insurance.

Quote: DRich

Hopefully the spouse will still be working.

Even worse for her. I speak from sad and bitter experience.

Quote:

The hedonic treadmill, also known as hedonic adaptation, is the observed tendency of humans to quickly return to a relatively stable level of happiness despite major positive or negative events or life changes.

Quote: rxwine

The hedonic treadmill, also known as hedonic adaptation,

This is used with lottery winners.
People think if they hit it big in
the lottery, their happiness will
go off the charts forever. In reality,
after the first couple of months,
their happiness level is exactly
where it was before they won.

One of the Vanderbilt's said,
the difference between rich
people and poor people is, the
rich have more money. Meaning
the rich aren't any happier, just
richer. Often they are less happy.

Yeah. Of course, in many ways, most of us have it better than royalty did a few generations ago. We all have toys that would have sold for a small fortune just 15 years ago. We drive around in cars that could do the Oregon Trail in 3 days, with AC, listening to our choice of any music ever recorded. And bitch when we have to slow down for a few minutes.

However, I will say that while money can only create so much happiness, it alleviates unhappiness. It's true that whatever luxuries you have, you'll mostly just get used to them. But being free of the anxiety that comes with being broke is huge.