How Expensive is The Villages Florida in 2024? (Our 1st Month Costs) Taxes, Insurance & THE BOND!

So How Expensive is to Live The Villages Florida in 2024? We share our actual 1 month costs vs. The Villages Current Homes & Villas Pricing & Cost of Living Spreadsheet Estimates (Monthly Amenity Fee, Average Trash, Water, Sewer, Irrigation, Gas, Electric, Insurance, Taxes and the CDD - Development District Assessment - THE BOND). We bought a new Patio Villa (Emerald Model) after our Lifestyle Visit to The Villages in late 2023. Subscribe & Smash the Thumbs Up 👍 Leave a Comment & Share this Video & our Channel with other Awesome People looking for Fun & Positive content! See description below for useful links.
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[@MichaelTiffanyTVE]

Link to our 6 Months Cost Video kzbin.info/www/bejne/f6nKiIpodr-Ejc0 Furniture Costs & Home Tour Video - kzbin.info/www/bejne/ppqzaaNnlLyDbtU

[@Zest4life890]

That’s why me and my husband retired in Arizona the homes here are practical prices and the weather is beautiful out here no humidity

[@louis20122]

I am so done with all wasteful fees: condo fees, HOAs, etc. I want a small piece of property in a safe and clean neighborhood and no fees whatsoever. Those fees include someone else's salaries that tell me what to do or not with my life which are crazy.

[@MichaelTiffanyTVE]

Thanks for watching!

[@bassdojo]

Amen!

[@nickpower-fj9bu]

There are always costs. From insurances to maintenance from petrol for the lawn mower to the pool chemicals. HOA’s cover most of these.

[@johnc4810]

No way! HOA fees are a joke.

[@bassdojo]

@johnc4810 Yes, you basically pay to live in a communist community. Learned my lesson, my wife and I will NEVER live in an HOA again.

[@noreenn6976]

Thanks for sharing. You may be shocked how high your electric bill will go in the summer if you keep it at 65 inside.

[@carolyngeiger3634]

The bottom line is always to do your own due diligence, no matter where you buy. At the Villages you are truly buying into a lifestyle. It sounds like a fun environment, thanks for keeping it real.

[@MichaelTiffanyTVE]

Absolutely! Thanks so much!

[@cookiemomma123]

Suggestion- check your air filters on your a/c. Some need to be cleaned every month! If not cleaned it will increase your electric bill and also get a dehumidifier to make it feel cooler. Dehumidifier in the summer makes a big difference

[@MichaelTiffanyTVE]

Thanks for the tip!

[@grannygoes7882]

You both look like you are really enjoying your "lifestyle." I could live there or someplace similar but my husband couldn't. I decided to duplicate the lifestyle as much as possible and found you can do it even in a rural town. I joined our small town recreational facility. It's less than $200 a year and offers about every kind of exercise you'd want. We joined a fraternal organization for social opportunities. That cost $26 a year. Between that and our church we have something to do everyday if we choose. We do have to do our own yard work which I'm sick of but with all the money we've saved living in our paid off house on 3 acres, we could hire a lawn service. The villages appeals to me because of the convenience but like I stated earlier, my husband would hate it. I think it is wise to have the conversation of what you want in retirement and then compromise so both are happy. My husband doesn't need the social stuff but I do so we stay in our home and drive to our activities.

[@MichaelTiffanyTVE]

Thanks so much! Yes we are really enjoying this next chapter of life here at The Villages! You bring up some really great points about communicating and compromising with your spouse to make sure you are on the same page at all chapters of life. Glad to hear that you are enjoying your community and activities and are blooming where God planted you.

[@GaryTJ]

Hi guys, my wife and I moved in about the same time as you did. We are down in Lake Denham. I find that your numbers are about in line with what we have found to be accurate. Our gas and electric are comparative to yours but we have a slightly bigger home. When we moved in we figured the numbers were low so we adjusted them up about 35% and that is pretty close to what we are actually paying. Anyway, we love your channel, keep up the good work

[@LGLRTV]

Tiiffany & Michael, you guys are awesome! My husband and I enjoy watching/listening to your videos. You provide great information, and we love your positive attitudes. Stay happy, stay true to you. God bless.

[@MichaelTiffanyTVE]

Thank you so much! Our pleasure! Glad you are enjoying the videos. More to come!

[@toy4bob]

Get a smart irrigation controller that monitors weather and doesn't water when it rains. Not a big deal when you live FT here, but for those that don't would be very beneficial

[@goofygirl1311]

Very helpful video! Your numbers are a bit higher than The Villages ballpark estimate but I suspect that would be the case with our numbers, too, if/when we bought there. You really broke things down nicely. Overall, I think you get a lot of bang for the buck living there.

[@dionline88]

Great video! We're in a 2400+ sq ft designer and our average electric is $110/mo no gas here. We find it quite comfortable with the AC set at 78 degrees (74 in the winter) and the AC coming from the ceiling works better than it coming from vents in the floor. We've been here for 12 years and couldn't imagine living anywhere else!

[@MichaelTiffanyTVE]

That is awesome! Thanks for sharing! We have moved our thermostat setting up since we first moved in.

[@TheWoodsOnline]

FWIW....we live in a 1578 sq ft home in NC (central). Some of the things we cannot compare as we don't pay for: Amenities, Bond, Sewer (Septic), Water (Well) and Gas (total electric). But we pay $15/month for trash (once per week), $115 electric (budget amount based on usage), $125 for insurance and $140 for property taxes. I don't think your costs or even the costs the villages mentioned are bad at all. I was expecting much more to be honest. And the value of our home is about $100k more than the estimated sale price. And you are right about insurance. Our cars, rv.s and house insurance has increased significantly over the last couple of years.

[@MichaelTiffanyTVE]

Thanks for sharing all of your info. FYI… The Carolinas will always be home in our ❤️. We lived in SC for 10+ years and then Raleigh and Charlotte for 20 years before becoming full time RVers and making Florida our home base.

[@CarlasLovingWife]

Hi. You folks always make me smile. Appreciate ya!

[@tamieemmer2795]

Great information, I'm trying to do a spreadsheet myself to see if my husband and I can afford living there....I was budgeting much less than your bills and we are looking to purchase a new designer home, Yikes!! We may have to rethink our price point. I'm surprised your taxes were so high! Thanks for all the updates!

[@noreenn6976]

It's my understanding that Sumter County has a cheaper tax rate. Maybe buy a pre-owned designer home.

[@susanclark2756]

Yes, I can't believe they leave off the fact that we have 2 water bills, I'm in a designer house under1,600 sq ft, amenity, water, sewer & trash runs $330-335. Need to point out that you either pay off entirely or yearly on the bond, you can't make any extra payments on it because you have a little extra cash one year. I wish they included it in the price of the house so you could get credit for the interest on your taxes. Might need to include buying new furniture since a lot of us didn't bring our old stuff with us or they decide what looked good in Vermont doesn't cut it in Florida, and you need a golf cart because they are just plain fun to drive around! Other than that I think you guys did good - I went over the numbers a zillion times to make sure we could afford it, thankfully the new furniture will be paid off this summer. And eating out is a big thing here.

[@jay7621]

Enjoy seeing the costs/ month. You two make it very easy to understand. Doing a video on taxes would be very helpful as I can’t wrap my head around the homestead exemption. Also, it will be nice to see all expenses added in your 3 or 6 month video as this will give us an idea what is spent per month. Thanks for doing these videos Michael and Tiffany, Jay and Karen St. Louis, MO

[@MichaelTiffanyTVE]

Thanks! We will do a follow up video on just the Taxes and The Bond in next few weeks.

[@ginaroberts2964]

I'm here for this information! Update to my comment - it's still cheaper than living here in MA - I'll just consider adding a 35% buffer to my calculations as we move along in our process of purchasing in The Villages! Love all your content - and oh, I love the party clothes budget suggestion!

[@MichaelTiffanyTVE]

Awesome! Glad it was helpful. Cheaper and warmer than MA winters. Good luck with your move to TV. Do you have a goal date in mind?

[@ginaroberts2964]

@MichaelTiffanyTVE we are planning for a Lifestyle Visit in May, and our goal is before the Fall! 😎🌴🛺

[@jrecm4816]

Cheaper than California too!!!

[@bobbear4437]

@@ginaroberts2964 you need to visit in the middle of summer, late July or August to see if you can handle the humidity! When the humidity switch turns on in June, its hard to breath outside!

[@ginaroberts2964]

@bobbear4437 Yes, it really is hot and humid during those summer months! I actually moved to New England from South Florida, and I'm tired of dealing with the Winter and gloom here!

[@janetarnold6292]

Living near Phoenix AZ. Our monthly for taxes, insurance, trash, and budgeted monthly for gas, electricity, water, sewer, HOA on our 1500 sq ft single family is $625. We have a flat income tax of 3%. And our property taxes on a $400k property is just under $2000 per year.

[@seomastersdegree]

You should consider moving to the villages….

[@janetarnold6292]

@@seomastersdegree can’t afford it. Much cheaper for us here. It was a consideration when we moved from Illinois but the humidity is too much for me.

[@lauralampe1664]

Are you living in one of the 55+ communities near Phoenix? If so, which one? I'm in suburban Chicago for the next 16 months until retirement in April 2025 then I hope to relocate. 11 inches of snow in the past week and -10 temperature a few days ago. Plus my property taxes went up 45% in 2020 and 16% in 2023. My 2 bdrm townhouse, worth about $210K, taxes are $3,200. I have had enough.😒

[@joep.7123]

Awesome video! Please do a separate video on the Bond...So confusing and we are interested in moving down at some point. Thanks!

[@MichaelTiffanyTVE]

Thanks! We will do a separate video just on The Bond and Taxes in the next couple of weeks.

[@robertawitham1050]

Great data! I have a patio villa near Spanish Springs. Taxes in Lake County were 2x higher than what was expected per realator. I don't have gas -: all electric - summer bill to cool was $120; winter/now $90. All other fees were in line as posted per the villages. House was built in 2019, no bond.

[@DisMindy5767]

How can your bill be twice as high as expected? Was your home assesed by the tax assessor's office at higher than what you paid? The tax rate is fixed.

[@elizabethwitt2621]

​@@DisMindy5767property values/prices have gone through the roof in the last few years, that could be one factor. The other factor could be whether or not the commenter qualified for a Homestead Exemption.

[@bobbear4437]

$120 in the summer for AC, you must have your temp set high!

[@willschmahl1240]

Great videos. Thank you for documenting everything.. ( so I will not be surprised "negatively"). We have been spending our winter evening watching The Villages video & your has been the most beneficial. The last thing I want to do is fall short financially. We will do a lifestyle visit this summer. Thanks for all your time... Will

[@MichaelTiffanyTVE]

Thanks! Glad you are enjoying them. Hope you have a great time on your lifestyle visit this summer.

[@Zest4life890]

Go solar, solar, solar, my husband and I put up solar panels on our new home and we have not had an electric bill for nine months

[@carolapostolos8929]

I don't think you added lawn care or pest control to the list. Thank you for your time and efforts to do these videos!

[@MichaelTiffanyTVE]

Great point! Will add them to our budget spreadsheet. Thanks!

[@genieduso7438]

Houses are ridiculously close together for the price of these homes!

[@yvette968]

Thank you for sharing this information. You both look so happy in your beautiful new home. ❤

[@MichaelTiffanyTVE]

Our pleasure! We are very happy with our decision to move to TV. Thanks!

[@SawAteRated]

I was born & raised in Florida. We are not in a flood zone. We purchase flood insurance every year, anyway. Water is too unpredictable. All it takes is one time. Btw, I love your channel.😊

[@MichaelTiffanyTVE]

Thanks so much! Good advice. Will look into flood insurance.

[@niecek.6473]

I have a great friend from Michigan who moved there a few years ago & loves it! We retired to a Pulte 55+ and love it too!

[@MichaelTiffanyTVE]

That is awesome! Thanks!

[@terrisuleski2570]

I would love more videos, especially the bond thing. I really appreciate your honesty.

[@takersplace]

well done folks, thank you, my wife and I have considered a move there for about a year now. This has been more informative than most. Much appreciated, best of luck to you

[@MichaelTiffanyTVE]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks!

[@davidlippner7758]

Thankyou great info, my expenses on a new designer home will be about half of what I’m paying in New York, which is close to 14 K just for my taxes..

[@MichaelTiffanyTVE]

Glad it was helpful! Wow!!! $14K just for taxes in NY. Good luck on your move to TV.

[@lynnrenee8369]

interesting information, my brother and his wife are moving down there when they retire and they’ve already purchased their property home etc. but they’re you know totally getting prepared before retirement which is coming up quickly. I hope they enjoy it down there.

[@richardfederico9461]

FYI keeping your ac at 65 especially in the summer will cause it to run continuously and risk a freeze up

[@S_H9260]

So the bond sounds like it's the same as an assessment. When they do sewer work or put in new sidewalks they assess a portion of the projects cost to each homeowner. You can pay it off in a year or pay it when you pay your taxes just like you said.

[@TXCraig]

Please consider flood insurance! They have these things called 100 year floods and they impact lots of homes that don’t require it. If you anywhere in Florida, you need flood insurance.

[@MichaelTiffanyTVE]

Thanks for the suggestion. Looking in to flood insurance.

[@MPerski]

The cost of a GOLF CART ☝🏻🤔 The Villages IS a golf cart community, which most people elsewhere don’t have. And does it offset equivalent cost of owning a car? (that is, do you SAVE money using a golf cart instead of the car?) 🤔 Also, speaking from experience, there are sizable startup expenses with a new home (as you know) 🙄 … furniture, art work on the walls, basic utensils and tools, etc. we have become quite proficient exploring estate sales and have become regulars of consignment stores and the many “Dollar stores” in Florida (which I never used up north) Lastly, besides clothes, any added expenses for the “active lifestyle”? … golf (greens fees here are quite pricey), cardio drumming (have to bring your own bucket, ball & sticks), etc Good stuff 👍🏻 … looking forward to future videos as the journey continues.

[@jayablejay]

From my understanding, the irrigation is the city water measured on a separate meter. The irrigation water percolators into the ground instead of entering the collection system and being treated at a wastewater treatment plant.

[@grgygantz6760]

She likes to keep the house at 65. My wife would have me dead and in the ground. My brother used to keep his thermostat at 65 cars. He used to work 35 hours a week overtime to pay for it. During the summer we keep our thermostat at 78. Plenty good enough. I have other things to spend my money on besides Duke energy. And they did go up in our area of Apopka. It’s insane what we’re paying for power over here

[@lhall9381]

Thanks, The wife just saw the numbers and said WAY TOO HIGH! All I can say is the jury is out. Hoping for a lottery hit. Till then, THANKS for the info. Take care.

[@tonyvomero8490]

Wife and I a looking to move to TV in two years. I tell the wife just pick 6 numbers LOL and we can do it.

[@brianmadigan3052]

These prices provided by the Villagers is definitely going to be on the low side we’ve been looking and have been to the Villages several times and have received these estimates and I knew right away better to always figure more than move in and then realize I bit off more than I can chew.When you budget for example 3k a month for bills and it’s more like 3,500 and us retiree’s are on a fixed income this is not something to take lightly.Thank you for the video.

[@jimshoe402]

Yes last year was $800 from SS+Pension-wasteful Bills I cut..This I bet $100 always Gross.Now IF u get SICK ??????

[@MichaelTiffanyTVE]

Good things to consider. Glad the video was helpful!

[@elizabethwitt2621]

Very, very true. You should be enjoying this time, not stressing every month about being house poor.

[@missinformed9550]

This lifestyle is out of reach for many people, although many would not enjoy it. HOA and condo fees add up and it's my preference to live without an HOA but this is getting harder to find, especially in new developments. I wish you much happiness in your new home, it sounds very nice and a perfect size for two people. 😊

[@MichaelTiffanyTVE]

Thanks!

[@grgygantz6760]

All and all, I would never even consider moving here based on all the extra fees. thank you for posting all the fees and the report.

[@Jenna08848]

This place is time share on steroids

[@bfn6ghh]

We looked at a 3 bedroom 2 bath brand new home last Aug the bond was 43k. If you think that your patio villa is not your forever home it’s better not to pay it off. It appears you all like south so you would most likely have a bond on a bigger house. We bought in the north 3 bedroom 2 bath and our insurance through the Villsges is 1900 a year. I thought that was high. We do have new roof, hot water heater and hvac. We will be shopping around in September at our first year anniversary.

[@nancysmall9793]

That insurance is very high to me.

[@MichaelTiffanyTVE]

Glad you found an awesome home in TV. Thanks for sharing some of your info so everyone can get a better idea of what it costs to live in TV. Good luck on searching for more affordable insurance. Keep us posted if you find a great company with great rates.

[@jimg1234]

Thanks for a very informative video, I appreciate the time you took to make this video.

[@lauralampe1664]

Thank you for going over your monthly expenses. Enjoy your new home & living in The Villages. If I do move to The Villages in 2025, it will most likely be a preowned home north of Lake Sumter Landing.

[@MichaelTiffanyTVE]

Thanks! Good luck with your upcoming move next year.

[@Satjr35031]

You may want to rethink that. The houses are a lot older. The roof may have been replaced 10 years ago You May have to replace it in 5 years . The AC may need replacing plus the home appliances. The last point you have an older demographic area up there.

[@flybirds2024]

I bought a courtyard villa that is 3 beds and 2 full baths and 1800sf and I really love my home that I bought 2 years ago!

[@flybirds2024]

Shop around my insurance last year was $1400 and I did a lot of calls and found the same insurance for $1066 this year!

[@flybirds2024]

The taxes is Sumter County are less than the taxes in Lake County, my taxes on a 1800SF Courtyard Villa are less than your taxes!

[@MichaelTiffanyTVE]

Awesome! Congrats! Glad you still love it after 2 years. It’s only been 3 months for us but we love ours too!

[@MichaelTiffanyTVE]

Will do! Thanks!

[@MichaelTiffanyTVE]

Good to know. Thanks!

[@jefflascano1289]

Great video. I think you should share what is included in the HOA. Its well worth the price for Live music every night, free golf, gym, swimming, Raquet sports, and all the event and classes available.

[@MichaelTiffanyTVE]

Absolutely! Great suggestion! Glad you enjoyed the video. Our 6 month budget video posting later this week. Thanks!

[@danacaro-herman3530]

How kind of you both to share your expenses, I wish God's blessings and great health in the upcoming year to you both!! 😊❤

[@MichaelTiffanyTVE]

Thank you so much!

[@terrylutke]

You will probably reach a compromise on AC setting, takes a bit to get used to the warmer/more humid climate. It's been awhile for us but we now set central AC @ mid/high seventies, higher when we 're going to leave home for awhile. Ceiling or box fans are a huge help as well.

[@charlottebarty6900]

This was incredibly informative! Thank you so much for your time and effort in putting this together!

[@tomfagnand2239]

For those who think a bond lowers the selling price of a house in the Villages or anywhere else, you are mistaken. That is salesman talk. It sounds logical, but it doesn't work that way. Check out prices of other communities and you will see what I mean. I never considered buying in a CDD community. I did buy in a 55+ community close to the Villages. TV has a lot to offer for sure, but there are 151,000 people there now and growing. Think about that for a while.

[@JonJughead]

Great idea on the spreadsheet, looking forward to it!

[@brockreynolds870]

My goodness, I can't imagine these prices. I acted as my own contractor, and built my home for 45,000$ in 1995. It's a custom designed (by me) MCM style home that is the size of one of the small patio villas. My montly bills (without food) are 550$ a month.

[@gailsgig]

Where do you live? That is unusually inexpensive! Even if you paid cash outright for your house…there are taxes, state and local and school. There is homeowners, heat, food, internet, auto insurance and car costs. How can you do it for 500 a month?

[@robskully3539]

between my house tax, electricity and cable they average $550 a month total

[@brockreynolds870]

@@jm100368 the truck I own right now, I purchased for 4,700$ cash in 2018. It was in perfect condition and had 92,000 miles on it.

[@ggmelful]

Great video! I'm definitely interested in the 6m and 1y videos, especially as it relates to your total cost of living (including eating out, entertainment, etc). I know that those costs will vary depending on people's tastes, but it is still really helpful for my wife and I to get data points to confirm whether our proposed costs down there are realistic. Oh, and I gotta say - you guys need to look at eventually getting a hot tub! My wife was a huge "long bath" person too, but during COVID she talked me into getting a hot tub installed....and she hasn't used the bath tub since! (But she does shower though LOL.) Very nice to just hop in there whenever, without waiting for the hot water for a bath and/or having to top it off periodically as it cools :-)

[@MichaelTiffanyTVE]

Thanks! Glad it was helpful. Will do a more thorough breakdown of all costs at the 6 month and 1 year milestones. Thanks for the suggestion about a hot tub. Great idea! 👍

[@putoluto5256]

We looked into hottubs (we used to have an in-ground one in CA) and opted for a Coleman inflatable. They run about $500 depending on the deal you find and the time of year. They are much better than I ever expected and for MUCH less money than a standalone hot tub. A much cheaper way to determine if it would work for you.@@MichaelTiffanyTVE

[@leilanihimmelmann9190]

Great info. Thanks so much for breaking this down. Look forward to other similar videos in the future. 👍

[@lisagardner4711]

Love the video. Very informative. First time watching your videos and just realized when you started talking about rv’s I watched those videos previously. Kept saying to myself these guys look so familiar. lol thanks

[@MichaelTiffanyTVE]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@suzannepierce2566]

Thank you for all the great information. We will not be moving to the Villages for a while, have to finish teaching but would love to meet you and looking forward to more videos and living in the Villages together in the future. Suzanne and Bobby Clark

[@michaelsd284]

Thanks for sharing. I've been in the retirement planning mode (5 yrs out) and I've been watching some of your Villagers KZbin mates (Jerry & Linda, Rusty Nelson, Gary Abbott, etc) and I believe they each have some recent vids with budget information. Great to see both the budget line item (always worried about missing something) as well as the actual costs. I've been building out my retirement plan in a spreadsheet as well. Not sure of your scope for your spreadsheet (basic monthly living expenses?) so mine might be way overkill as my plan is a year-by-year look incorporating inflation, potential IRMAA, Fed tax calculations, RMDs, etc. I'm happy to share if interested.

[@lorrainefrischolz5524]

I honestly can’t wait to move there!!!

[@badideaman]

I guess it's depends on how comfortable you are in your situation. I have 3-acres homestead in S.E. Alaska with no regulations and zero property tax. The rare disagreement between neighbors is a small price for freedom.

[@antonygantt6459]

Really love the cost breakdown that’s some great info, thanks

[@MichaelTiffanyTVE]

Glad it was helpful!

[@fierceflyer5]

If you have Fla homestead your taxes can’t be raised more than 3% so Sumter would still be less than lake & continue to be. Lake county has one of the highest rates in Fla, with Port St Lucie being the highest in the state. When talking to out VLS agent she said “plan to budget 2% of the purchase price yearly to live in Lake county” Never got direct answers to closing costs & who pays the sales agent fees

[@sofiadougherty6430]

Thanks for the info. A little off topic, but another Villages blogger references the inordinate amount of short term renters in the patio villas. What are your observations and what is the Villages and/or the hoa policy on this?

[@MichaelTiffanyTVE]

Great question. So far that does not seem to be the case for our neighborhood. Will share more as we learn more in future videos. Thanks!

[@gonebyrv9748]

The Villages refuses to take a stand on short term renters. All of your neighbors could be renting out their homes on a short term basis if they so choose. Just one of many reasons we've chosen to look elsewhere.

[@tomd5178]

The farther south you go which is where the new construction is, the more short term rentals you'll find.

[@todddunn945]

Wow, that is expensive. I have a much higher end house here on the Maine coast and my monthly cost for the same items runs under $500. Taxes are our biggest single cost, followed by electricity/heating. We pay $0 for amenities, sewer, electric, "irrigation" and "bond". Our amenities are the local national Park (Acadia) and the ocean (5 minute walk from our house). Here in Maine the cost of building out the development (your bond) is built into the cost of the house. I am a bit surprised at how cheap it is to buy a house there. Right now the median price of homes for sale in our town is $945K with a range from $800K to 1.3 million. None of the expensive homes in town are currently for sale. The most expensive house currently for sale on the island is $17 million. The cheapest place for sale is a run down single wide in the woods with an asking rice of $359K. A vacant lot runs a bit over $200K. It would cost $100K+ to get water, sewer and electricity at a typical vacant lot. I will say that the minimum lot size here is one acre. We don't have AC in our house so that keeps our summer electric low. On last summer's single hot day (83F) we just opened the windows. I have heard a lot about home owner's insurance issues in Florida. Here in Maine our home owner's insurance has actually gone down for each of the last two years. My yacht insurance is up though by considerably more than my home owner's went down. Auto insurance has been flat at about $1,000 per year for two vehicles with full coverage. They don't charge us for hurricane coverage on the house. Our bad storms are in the winter and not named. In the last month we have has three storms with hurricane force winds including 85 mph winds yesterday.

[@DeborahLynnM]

When we first started looking in June 2022 at our Lifestyle visit we were given that sheet with projected expenses, and one thing it left off was the extra City of Wildwood tax that’s paid annually with our property taxes. It’s about $1300, which is a significant amount to not be mentioning to a potential buyer. Thankfully we found out about it via social media and could account for it in our pre-purchase calculations. We did buy in DeLuna in Dec 2022, and are paying that extra tax, but we wanted a brand new home and this is where they were located at that time.

[@DisMindy5767]

How was it that your taxes were higher than expected? Did the tax assessor assess the value of your home at higher than what you paid for it? Aside from the bond which is set and fixed, your taxes shouldn't be higher than the price you paid divided by 1000 times the milage rate.

[@irishinusa1615]

Omgosh, our new home is chilly ( in hot summer) at 72f.

[@jrecm4816]

Thank you so much for this helpful video. Depending on where you live, this seems "extremely reasonable" compared to all of our prices in Southern California.I would include the bond in the purchase price of the home, I guess. I would love to move but hubby is not a native Californian so he loves loves the weather here. California does have great weather and wonderful geography BUT.........

[@putoluto5256]

As lifelong natives, the Mrs and I got bored of the monotony of SoCal (South OC, Dana Pt!) weather. Plus the whole "BUT" you mentioned. We are blue-stripe and higher ed folk.

[@johnlabus7359]

As a 20+ year Florida resident in an HOA, just expect the costs to go up and up and up over time. Get homesteaded if you are a full time resident of Florida. It's just about the only thing you can do to control a part of your monthly costs. Insurance is the most tenuous cost item and the future might not be pretty at all.

[@MichaelTiffanyTVE]

Thanks! Will definitely apply for the homestead exemption.

[@elizabethwitt2621]

HOA's in Florida are notorious for large and frequent increases in monthly fees. I've lived here for 30 years. No way, never again for me.

[@jodyglorioso]

Your videos so far have been awesome! This one is super helpful and exactly what we are trying to learn about TV! Thanks for taking the time to give us this info! Feel free to do another video asap we are learning a lot from your channel!

[@MichaelTiffanyTVE]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks!

[@annagarza7299]

We REFUSED to buy a house with an HOA , we were born and raised in California 🌴 we don’t see a lot of HOA were we live but we purchased a house in the country and no one tells us what to do

[@Satjr35031]

Difference here with our amenity fee. Our fee covers free golf on our 41 executive golf courses 252 Pickleball courts 102 swimming pools tennis courts softball fields plus all the other free stuff.All the external maintenance in the Villages etc.

[@mjc63]

You seem to be your journey! Did you guys opt for a Tesla in lieu of the requisite golf cart?!!! We moved to Florida in 1969 from NYC! Marco Island was paradise! How things have changed! The Bond sounds like an impact fee or infrastructure charge of sorts. Nice job on helping people manage expectations. Cheers, Michael Albuquerque NM USA

[@careybrackett]

Hello! So glad I found your channel! I will spend some time watching your posted videos and catching up. Thank you so much for all the information you've provided and please keep up the good work! We currently live in Iowa and I am hoping (fingers crossed) we can retire in TV in about 10 years or so. Husband is still on the fence about it but I'm hopeful! Please keep providing as much info as you can, especially for those of us NOT from Florida. Thanks again!!

[@DawnHughes-tp3lf]

Hello!! Is your spreadsheet up or am I just technology challenged? 😂 Thanks so much! I enjoy your videos and am excited to see the full golfcart one. ❤

[@MichaelTiffanyTVE]

Not yet. We will do our 6 month budget video in a couple of weeks and then share our updated spreadsheet template. Thanks!

[@tron-nt4bi]

Appreciate you all providing the real cost. Did your taxes include a homestead exemption?

[@MichaelTiffanyTVE]

Glad it was helpful. Will do an update video just on The Bond and Taxes and homestead exemption in the next several weeks.

[@nathangrandmasterk9760]

You were very good apologists for the Villages. I love the Villages, but that estimate wasn't even close!

[@Rahmi1103]

As a long term Floridian and liking it 65 degrees leads me to say I will definitely be looking forward to your summer month reviews because it’s going to be some shocking bills for irrigation, (which has to run very frequently or grass dries right up) & electric.

[@bobbear4437]

65 temperature in summer where AC runs 24 hours will cost over $300. a month minimum!

[@geebrewer8186]

don't understand moving to a hot humid climate and having the AC set at 65 degrees. What's the point?

[@brianmadigan3052]

ps being from New York and property taxes around 10-12 k per year these numbers are obviously a lot less than here.

[@MichaelTiffanyTVE]

Wow! And I thought our taxes were high!

[@Anthony-ko3ep]

Thanks for sharing, are you certain your stated tax amount didn't include the yearly Bond & maintenance?

[@123jinty]

You folks are so informative about all these charges that residents have to pay, it is all so helpful. Thank you so much.

[@MichaelTiffanyTVE]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it and found it helpful.

[@alibarnes1136]

This was SO helpful for my mom!

[@MichaelTiffanyTVE]

Awesomeness! Glad it was helpful.

[@JasonTurner]

Get yourself a water circulation pump and that will fix your hot water issues 👍🏼

[@MichaelTiffanyTVE]

Thanks for the suggestion!

[@donatogonzalez1769]

Thanks for the information it is very helpful

[@OurPalawanExperience]

My wife and I moved to the Philippines over 10 years ago....I have to laugh and feel sorry for people living this kind of lifestyle. I grew up in middle Florida and sad to see how it has changed with these styles of developments. I am 70 years old now...don't regret it one bit. I owe nothing to anybody and live in a western style house, eat healthy and have a stress free life. Would not want to live anywhere else.

[@richardl6188]

Great video! Please add a fishing/outdoors costs category and a golf cart costs category! :-)

[@MichaelTiffanyTVE]

Great suggestion! Will do!

[@dixiejuchcinski3395]

Hi. Tom and I are considering moving there in a year. Love the info!!!!

[@MichaelTiffanyTVE]

Awesome! Best of luck in your move!

[@billdursa4976]

I would never own a place with an HOA especially The Villages that have HOA infraction Gestapo.

[@darisanshanger1616]

Sounds like a great option!

[@seomastersdegree]

I get you are not in a flood plain but the hurricanes is why you get flood insurance.

[@sherrymartus7204]

Thanks for the information! Did you move from a larger home into a smaller home?

[@marypaquette8705]

Electric For December $325.00, Oil $700.00, 2100sq ft home,vent closed in 3 rooms, here in Massachusetts the rest insurance, car etc, also water authority, makes me ill😢, nice house all up to date, and current, no mortgage , we are 75, built it for $38 k in 1975 now worth $825k

[@jjj32801]

Scary thing is the costs you stated, just over $1,000 a month, pales in comparison to my Property Insurance, Car insurance and Real Estate Taxes for my Orlando home/cars.

[@lynfl9814]

Wow! I hope you are not planning to run your AC in the summer at 65 degrees F. That HVAC is going to run non-stop. You will not only have astronomical electric bills; you will be replacing your HVAC (Compressor and Air Handler) way before its estimated life span. We live in Palm Coast, FL; in the summer, we run our Air at 77 degrees F. and, it still feels cold when we are outside and come back into our home. In the winter, we heat to 73 degrees F. Our home is 1670 sq. ft., cement block and we purchased it new in 2017. Our highest electric bill was this past Sept. at $178 (we don't have gas). We also have a heat pump hot water heater and when that quits; we plan on getting an electric Tankless Hot Water Heater. We are 3 miles from the ocean; even though we are in an "X" Zone (low risk) for flooding, we still decided to pay for flood insurance. We are not in a high risk area of Florida for sinkholes; so, we don't carry that insurance. Our HOA fee is only $70/month; we know we are lucky with that being low for now. Since the residents took over the HOA from the builder our fee has increased at the maximum amount that it can the past three years. Note: I was shocked at that Bond fee; some how we got lucky where we live and we didn't get charged a Bond Fee. We love Florida after the cold, dreary and sometimes snowy winters we experienced in NE Pennsylvania. Best wishes in your new home!

[@MichaelTiffanyTVE]

Thanks!

[@tinawiththelakeexchange2093]

Hope you are pleased with your decision, just not a setup that has any appeal to us. Life on the road certainly changed for many, with many returning to sticks and bricks homes.

[@lanalohman8202]

I hope to see you guys at the run on Saturday.

[@MichaelTiffanyTVE]

Picked up our packets and shirts today! Good luck and have fun tomorrow! Say hello if you see us.

[@joyciejd9673]

My property taxes here on Long Island in New York are outrageous. The HOA fee sounds like a bargain for what you get. Do you lease the land your home sits on or do you own it? Thanks! (This video is really helpful!)

[@MichaelTiffanyTVE]

Thanks! We own our land. Glad it was helpful.

[@brianhiggins8578]

“Bonds “ are called “Special Assessments” in Kansas and surrounding States.

[@TeacherTonya74]

That is super cheap for homeowner's insurance in Florida. I'm seeing 2-5 times that in most Florida homes. You are probably going to only get those prices by working through Villages! Aren't there activity fees? You also didn't include the golfing and golf cart fees, such as insurance for golf cart. I get that those are optional, but most people to pay those.

[@MichaelTiffanyTVE]

We will add all of the other optional costs and fees in our 6 month follow up video. Thanks!

[@ellenmoritz7583]

Please consider Flood ins, it’s very nominal. Your home ins/hurricane coverage will not cover you if there is flooding from a hurricane. We do not live in a flood plane, but we have it. We had a 100 year storm and there was a ton of flooding, we were stuck in our home for 4 days. Grateful for our flood ins.

[@MichaelTiffanyTVE]

Will do! Thanks for the suggestion.

[@Satjr35031]

We have no rivers here to flood .Very unlikely to flood here.

[@janetpartyka5968]

That doesn't include groceries, going out to eat, other entertainment, lawn, pest control, furniture, (unless you have your own) medical bills, don't know if you mentioned the purchase of a golf cart. One thing that concerns me is the increase in taxes and homeowners insurance with no end in sight. I don't know what the car insurance is there. Best of luck and thank you for the good work you do.

[@MichaelTiffanyTVE]

Thanks! Will do an update video with more detailed expenses (covering most of the things you mentioned) on our 6 month anniversary video.

[@isabellekatz2584]

We looked to buy at The Villages back in 2005. The prices were much lower on everything obviously. But when I hear what you paid for a small cookie cutter patio home, it makes me feel sorry for you. Home insurance is extremely high and I assume car insurance is worse. We don’t golf so we felt we’d be paying for amentities we will never use. And when we came to look, the sales staff tried not to explain about the added bond as if it was a secret. But it does add a lot to the purchase price. Enjoyed listening about your experience as newbies. Hope you enjoy living there.