[Gulfcoast]

If we schedule a Lifestyle Visit, I'm curious to know what we can expect from it and I would love to hear your experiences.

[dewilson58]

You will be assigned a Villages' Broker.
Time spend with him/her is up to you.
Use them as much as you want.
Obviously, they will get you into home of interest to you.
(you should define prior to arrival)


Then free-time.
Get on the golf cart, get on the bike, take walks and explore TV.

[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by Gulfcoast

If we schedule a Lifestyle Visit, I'm curious to know what we can expect from it and I would love to hear your experiences.

Couple sites for information.
Golf The Villages. Golf info
Village Community Development Districts. Checkout Recreation dept. for other recreation.
Enjoy your visit.....

[ALadysMom]

It was surprisingly a minimally sales-oriented experience. In fact, if you want to meet with your sales agent to tour properties or take the trolley tour or do anything else, you will probably have to pursue them. I traveled with a friend who was just going along as a good sport but she was shocked at how low-key & welcoming it was. No pressure. The Villages sells itself. They don’t have to try to make you want to buy. The sales agents don’t try to hard-sell you since there are plenty of other willing buyers.

A virtual video tour of a sample Lifestyle villa is available online & the one we stayed in was identical to the one shown.

One tip: it’s a BIG place with a lot to see & do so try to decide what you want take in before you come. You won’t have time for everything.
Enjoy!

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Our lifestyle visit was less than 2 years ago. We stayed a week, a couple of blocks away from Brownwood Town Square in a lovely courtyard villa. My parents came for 2 nights during that week as well.

We wanted input from the sales agent assigned to us, so we set up an appointment on a day when my parents were there. We sat in the living room and asked tons of questions for an hour or so. Then we asked him to help us look at some of the open houses. He made some appointments at homes that didn't have open houses too, which was pretty awesome.

One of the days we did nothing but see properties we'd selected to look at. The rest of the time was spent riding around, enjoying the town squares, doing a little shopping, dining out and cooking in, and basically enjoying a week vacation. We -could- have done that the entire time if we wanted, but we were serious about moving to the Villages and it was time to discuss details with someone who could help us best.

We ended up buying a house March 2019, and we moved in last November after our house in the north finally sold and closed. Being with the agent really helped us hone in on the area we wanted, the type of house we wanted, the type of house we'd "settle for" if the house we wanted was over our budget, etc. etc.

Even though this was long after our visit, we asked our Lifestyle agent to help us with the purchase of our new home, since most of it would be done remotely and we needed someone in Florida to represent our interests regarding any repairs needed (it was pre-owned), problems needing solved, utility companies contacted, contractors informed, etc. etc. til we could get down there for the closing date and final walk-through.

In all, I'd say - even though you -can- do nothing on your Lifestyle Visit other than relax and enjoy your stay, I highly recommend taking advantage of the assigned agent, and letting him/her guide you on the costs, areas, answering any questions, addressing concerns, etc.

[Jayhawk]

Bring your check book.

[Kenswing]

When we did ours we opted not to tie up our assigned agent since all we wanted to do was pretty much just look around.

When he took us to our villa he went through the layout of the place, asked us if he could make any reservations for us and made sure we knew how to get ahold of him if we had any questions.

We did all three trolley tours which gave a great introduction to the different areas. Then between the daily paper and The Villages App we located open houses that we were interested in and went to several. Then we just pretty much drove around and got lost. Went to several of the Regional Rec Centers. Especially liked Eisenhower. Spent time at all three squares and met some friends for a couple of meals.

We spent a lot of time just talking to people. I have to admit I went in thinking it would be a little Stepford-ish. But almost everyone we spoke to had nothing but good things to say about their experience there. When pressed to provide something negative the only thing people came up with was the crowds and traffic during "Snowbird" season. But that wasn't a huge complaint.

[SIRE1]

First of all, your time with the Sales rep is NOTHING like the typical Time Share experience. They are there only if you want them. But since you paid for the Lifestyle Program, you obviously have at least a mild interest in this place, and seeing some of the homes is probably on your wish list too. But like the title of the program says, you want to see whether the Lifestyle of being a part of The Villages is anything you would like. That includes experiencing the town squares, playing golf or other sports, talking with everyone around as to what they think of this place, and generally getting a feel if The Villages is right for you. And if, at the end of your stay, you feel that it just might be an interesting fit, consider whether it was so good that you want to buy a house and live here, or just want the seasonal experience and decide to rent for a month or more. But at the end of your stay, you will know if this is the Lifestyle you would like to enjoy. Try to get around and see and do as much as you want. That is the only way you will be able to decide that this Lifestyle is so amazing that you just have to be a part of it. That what we call "drinking the kool-aid" !!!!

[asianthree]

First visit in 07, stayed in PV, in Caroline, lots of Free wine and dine, movies, golf, tennis, classes, rep called to say if we wanted to look here was contact #

Second visit 09, 1/2 the free stuff, same rep, another PV, looked at 2 houses, no pressure

Third visit 10, a CYV in Creekside, no food, but free golf, movies, classes, tennis. Bought first house.

So laid back we could have said no, and no pressure if we didn’t buy.

[DecaturFargo]

It was a great experience. Choose your realtor carefully. We had a great time. A great 3 bedroom, free golf, free theatre, free polo match. A golf cart and bicycles free for 3 days. We were sorry to leave.

[MIskra]

We also did multiple Lifestyle visits before deciding to buy. At first we did not want any pressure, so we did not spend any time with our sales agent. By the last visit we wished that our agent was more in contact with us. That's how low/no pressure they are.

[Jewelz]

We had a fantastic Lifestyle Visit, but only booked for 4 nights because we weren't sure there would be enough to do......boy were we wrong!!!! Definitely do a 7 night visit. Just like everyone else said- NO pressure from your agent. Definitely do the trolley tours.

[Travelingal702]

Originally Posted by Gulfcoast

If we schedule a Lifestyle Visit, I'm curious to know what we can expect from it and I would love to hear your experiences.

Do your research BEFORE you come! They will steer you to all the newer sections, most of which are far away from all the main happenings and usually not (yet) accessible by golf cart. Look before you leap.

[PompeyKing]

You will love the experience, but one word of advice; watch out for the kool-aid!! But we absolutely love living here!!

[kendi]

Originally Posted by dewilson58

You will be assigned a Villages' Broker.
Time spend with him/her is up to you.
Use them as much as you want.
Obviously, they will get you into home of interest to you.
(you should define prior to arrival)


Then free-time.
Get on the golf cart, get on the bike, take walks and explore TV.

It’s very simple. You just enjoy your stay and contact your agent if interested in seeing a home. And/or go to the open houses on your own. If you don’t want to look at homes, that’s okay too. We did the lifestyle twice. First time was just to see what we thought of TV. Never spoke to a realtor even once while there. Second time we weren’t intending to buy yet but happened to find one we like. But just an FYI. We weren’t interested in buying in TV until renting for a month in McClure. Its a different experience down here. We had also stayed in Sumter previously in addition to the 2 Brownwood lifestyle stays so we had experience in 3 areas prior to buying.