Retiring in Central Florida?

[pwdebbie]

Circumstances in our life may force us into early retirement. We wouldn't be able to afford to keep our house BUT we could sell our house and pay cash for some of the retirement homes I've found in FL. Can anyone point me in the direction of retirement communities in Central FL but NOT near Orlando (more to the north or west of WDW)? Realtor.com just keeps throwing me back to Orlando. We are small town, rural people and don't want city life. Thanks. (And if there was another forum where I should have posted this, I couldn't find it. This seemed like the best spot.)

 

[Pig Pen]

The Villages in Lady Lake (between Orlando and Ocala) come to mind. I believe they offer everything from condos to luxury homes. It's a huge planned community with golf courses, it's own downtown area, etc. My parents lived nearby.

 

[Muffy]

I was going to recommend The Villages too. It really does have it all for the over 50 crowd. http://www.thevillages.com/ Best of luck to you!

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

Small town feel? Can't get any more small town than Arcadia, Florida!

 

[Christine]

I can't personally vouch for it but my old boss retired and moved to a town called Homosassa, FL. Sorry if the spelling is off. It is not a retirement community; however, the majority of the residents in his neighborhood are retired (it is a golf course community). He was pretty happy with the prices and it has a smaller town feel than some other communities he looked at. I believe he is closer to Tampa that Orlando but can get to Orlando in about 90 minutes.

 

[AnnaS]

Recently neighbors of our bought a home in Summerfield, Ocala. They held on to their home here and went back and forth for two years. They wanted to make sure it was a perfect fit for them. It was and they sold their house up here. (They had previously checked out places in Naples, Tampa, etc.).

Have you visited any of these places?

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

Punta Gorda, FL is another place that has many retirement communities, as does Charlotte Harbor. Charlotte county has many retirement communities overall.

Some are age limit controlled, others are just "naturally occurring."

Be sure that you know what you are getting into. Some retirement communities have very restrictive rules and regulations about visitors, ect.

There really are loads of rural areas in Florida. Best to take some time and do a car tour to get a feel for what is here.

The panhandle has many, many rural areas.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Check out www.solivita.com which is a very large gated retirement community S/SW or WDW in Polk County. There are tons of activities available. And the outer community of Poinciana is growing; we were just approved by the state for a hospital practiaclly across the street from the main entrance to the complex.

The Villages is not too bad, but to go there it does help if your political leanings are very much toward the Republicans.

 

[lillygator]

no CF is horrible.....as is all of Fl!

 

[pwdebbie]

Thanks for all your suggestions. I'm going to start doing some research. Now I have a good starting point.

 

[donaldduck352]

I can't personally vouch for it but my old boss retired and moved to a town called Homosassa, FL. Sorry if the spelling is off. It is not a retirement community; however, the majority of the residents in his neighborhood are retired (it is a golf course community). He was pretty happy with the prices and it has a smaller town feel than some other communities he looked at. I believe he is closer to Tampa that Orlando but can get to Orlando in about 90 minutes.

You spelled it correctly.It is A beautiful area and the house pricing is realy cheap now.If ya like fishing this is the best saltwater fishing to be had!!

 

[Micca]

I'm about as far from a financial expert as you can get, but it seems like I've heard more than one money guru advise agaisnt paying cash for a house. Of course it's different in all situations but thought I'd throw that out there.

Good luck with your search.

 

[Christine]

You spelled it correctly.It is A beautiful area and the house pricing is realy cheap now.If ya like fishing this is the best saltwater fishing to be had!!

Oh, good to hear, I hate it when I take someone else's word for it and maybe steer someone wrong. He really likes it there and it is really low-key because it was never touted as a retirement mecca. It's just a normal place.

 

[KatieA]

My in laws winter in Grand Island Florida and they really like it. I don't think it is very far from The Villages. I have heard them mention that name before. We are going to visit them in April for spring break. I can't waitl

 

[chrismiss56]

Check out www.solivita.com which is a very large gated retirement community S/SW or WDW in Polk County. There are tons of activities available. And the outer community of Poinciana is growing; we were just approved by the state for a hospital practiaclly across the street from the main entrance to the complex.

The Villages is not too bad, but to go there it does help if your political leanings are very much toward the Republicans.

We also have a home in Solivita and encourage you to check out the area. It is a beautiful development with a rural feel. Yesterday dd opened the front door and there was a doe standing not more than 10 feet from her

Have a Magical Disney Day!!

 

[GeorgeG]

We've been living in The Villages for 4 1/2 years and love it. It has small town feel with some big city amenities. Also, it's a lot less restrictive than most other such communities.

Central Florida, as well as the rest of the state, is full of retirement communities. I suggest you shop around and see which ones offer what you're looking for. Of course, a real estate agent is going to stear you towards areas where they will get the bigger commissions. Do some research online and then take a trip to actually see the areas that interest you the most.

 

[pwdebbie]

We also have a home in Solivita and encourage you to check out the area. It is a beautiful development with a rural feel. Yesterday dd opened the front door and there was a doe standing not more than 10 feet from her

Have a Magical Disney Day!!

Now, see, that's what I need. Where I live now is in a town surrounded by state forest. I'd miss my deer! (But I have to say that on our first trip to Disney in 2007 I saw more deer and turkey while riding the bus to the parks than I do in my own backyard.)

 

[mikki'smom]

I recently mentioned to my sister who is a realtor that we were considering buying a 2nd home in CF since the home prices have become very attractive. She cautioned me that even though the prices are low the taxes and insurance rates are not. Don't forget to consider the whole picture.

 

[disneyworldaddict]

Are the retirement communities in Florida all 55 and up? Are there any as young as 45?

 

[Feralpeg]

Are the retirement communities in Florida all 55 and up? Are there any as young as 45?

The ones I found were all 55 and up. You can not have children under 18 living with you. I originally looked into retirement communities prior to moving to Florida. Since I was only 52 at the time and my daughter was 16, it didn't work out. I ended up buying a home in Windermere and absolutely love it.

Another poster mentioned wildlife. Just the other day, I was driving through the area and had to stop to let a flock of 11 turkeys cross the road. It is hard to live anywhere in Florida and not see a lot of wildlife. It comes with the territory.