Thank you for your service. You brought me to tears after watching your video. My husband has served for 22 years and is now retiring from another 20 years of government service. We are having our lifestyle in June and are counting the days:) Thank you for all of the wonderful information you have shared to help us find our dream home!
Thanks so much for your comment and thank you for you and your husband's service. I am sure you are excited about your Lifestyle Visit and we know that you all will have a great time. We are so glad that our videos have been helpful for you. We had a misfire on our new video so we plan to redo it on Thursday and get it out for the weekend. When you all are here if you want to link up with us for coffee or lunch just let us know. We would be happy to meet you all and share a little more if it fits in your schedule.
Agree on the “Florida room” there is now a ceiling mounted mini-split we found which we like. We plan to stretch the garage and have epoxy floors in it. Looking forward to the next video
Thanks for your comment and yes, we have seen those as well and they look very nice once installed. Good call on the garage; the epoxy floors really change the character and I think functionality of the garage. Thanks so much for your kind comments and we plan to continue with as many videos as we have time. I think the next few will focus on specific models that we like and our upcoming Final Recon Visit (non-lifestyle). We are browsing for houses now but will get serious in a few months, stay tuned!
I live in The Villages - Fenney. Not sure what your budget is but the lanai size you mentioned is MASSIVE and VERY UNUSUAL. Found only in expanded designer or premier homes only. Enclosing the lanai and mini-split is $10K++++ for a small lanais. To avoid this, I purposely chose a north facing lanai with the western side blocked by the house. We get morning sun and avoid the sun coming in the rest of the day. This was I could enjoy the sunset without the sun beating into the lanai. Upgrade the builders grade lanai fan- Dan’s Fan’s Leesburg is the best. I don’t like enclosed lanais- if I wanted to be indoors with hair conditioning- I would go in the house. We enjoy the screened in lanai year round- we enjoy the fresh air bug free.
Thanks for your insight and it sounds like you are really enjoying your home in Fenney. We love that area; it feels a lot like old Florida. You're right, to close in the lanai is pricey but we have set aside money for it. I like your strategy and if we weren't planning to close in the lanai we would adopt a similar approach. We want the ability to use the space with AC but we do plan to spend some time with the sliders open to get that fresh air feel. I guess we just want the best of both worlds, but it does cost. Thanks for your message and really appreciate you viewing our videos.
WOW, we are pretty much on the same page. My lanai enclosure is a work in progress. The window walls are in, the mini-split was installed last week and ordered the tiles for the floor this morning. Really looking forward to having it completed, but yes, in can be $$$$. My application for ARC approval for landscaping upgrades will go before the ARC this Wednesday and work began on the painted drive and walk this afternoon!.
That is awesome to hear and you are well on your way! I am sure your upgrades are going to make your new home much more comfortable and attractive, even at the added $$$. Enjoy!
We closed on our home (in Newell) in May, and have very few upgrades (the Designer home had most any upgrades we wanted). But so far, we’ve added 1) a water filtration system, and 2) gutters (surprised the new homes do NOT include gutters). We are considering: 1) extending the lanai (we have a small patio next to the lanai, which we probably won’t use), 2) moving the Magnolia (the Villages planted) from our front yard to the back, and maybe install a Fox Tail Palm 🤔 … but that’s the extent of landscaping we’ll probably do (we’re ok with what came with the home) Things others in our new neighborhood are doing, that we probably WON’T (at least initially): Painting the driveway and lanai floor. We might do the garage floor, but it’s not a high priority. Also, we’re ok with the default landscaping that came with the house (pine needles), but we might consider mulch (others in our area are replacing the pine needles with rocks). p.a. We’re ok with the blinds on the windows in our home. But we might add some “cubbies” in our closets (but not an entire closet organizer). Great video 👍🏻 … food for thought
Thanks for sharing and you are right; the Designer Homes come well equipped. Thanks for mentioning the water filtration system, we have discussed that and have heard others comment on how it improved the water considerably. Gutters as well are something that we added to our last home in addition to a French drain system to manage drainage; most builders only include those around the entrance to the home. Sounds like you are very well satisfied and are making it yours and that is the key point. We are getting closer to our purchase window and it is really encouraging to hear your story and many others like you. Thanks so much for watching and let us know who things go with your home during this first year.
@@thevillagesnatives3491 You’re probably used to the water in central Florida, but, being from the Midwest we noticed it is “hard water” (you can tell … it doesn’t bead on the glass shower door). The water is so much better (and drinkable) with the filtration system. There are several companies offering it in and around the villages.
I'm moving to The Villages in 2024. Some of the upgrades I plan on adding: epoxy on the garage floor, cabinets and hanging rod in the laundry room, under-cabinet lighting in the kitchen, dimmable recessed lighting in the living room and a single basin sink in the kitchen
Thanks for watching and sharing these great suggestions. We have thought of a few of them and I really like the under cabinet lighting. Will you be buying new or preowned? Happy House Hunting!
Hi and thanks for your question and it has been much longer than we expected. We have the outline for our next video but have had a lot of personal and work related activity. Hopefully within the next week or so, but we will definitely be posting a significant update soon, and we are clearing our schedule to be able to bring regular videos within a few months. Thanks again for watching and the update should tie a lot of things together.