Independent buyer representation
The Villages, explained by the numbers.
109 villages. Three counties. A bond, an amenity fee, and a dozen home types nobody explains clearly before you fly down to look. This site fixes that, using current Stellar MLS data rather than brochure language.
Source: Stellar MLS closed sales, January 1 to September 21, 2026, for residential property inside The Villages across ZIPs 32159, 32162, 32163, 34762. Compiled by Cristian Gonzalez, eXp Realty. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
Start here
What does it actually cost to own a home in The Villages?
Your monthly cost is the mortgage plus four things buyers routinely underestimate: property tax, Florida insurance, the monthly amenity fee, and the annual bond payment on your tax bill. The bond alone can add thousands per year. Two identical homes on the same street can carry very different totals.
Most price-per-month estimates you will find online stop at principal, interest, tax, and insurance. In The Villages that is an incomplete number, because the bond and the amenity fee are structural, not optional, and they vary by address rather than by village.
The calculator below puts all five components in one place. Bring an address and it gets accurate. Bring a budget and it tells you what you can realistically shop for.
| Principal & interest Set by price, down payment, rate |
| Property tax Varies by county: Sumter, Marion, or Lake |
| Insurance Florida market, varies by roof age and construction |
| Amenity fee Monthly, set at purchase, CPI adjusted |
| Bond payment Annual, on the tax bill, per parcel, payable early |
Nothing here is tax or financial advice. Confirm figures with a licensed lender, your CPA, and the Community Development District for the specific address.
The map, decoded
Six regions, 109 villages
Villagers navigate by town square and by road: north of 466, between 466 and 44, south of 44. Where you buy decides your square, your rec centers, your golf, your build era, and how far you drive for a hospital.
Spanish Springs
The original community, Lady Lake and north Sumter. Oldest housing stock, mature landscaping, shortest walk to a square, and the lowest entry prices in the community.
Established Sumter
Villages of Sumter built through the 2000s. Settled neighborhoods, full-size executive golf, and central access to both Spanish Springs and Lake Sumter Landing.
Lake Sumter Landing
The middle of the community and the waterfront square. Bridgeport villages, Duval, Hemingway, and Tamarind Grove sit within a short cart ride.
Brownwood
Collier, Hillsborough, Lake Deaton, Fernandina and Pinellas. 2010s construction, modern floor plans, and Brownwood Paddock Square.
Southern Oaks & Fenney
The newest completed expansion. Fenney, DeSoto, Marsh Bend, Richmond, Hawkins and St. Catherine, plus Sawgrass Grove.
Newest construction
Lake Denham, Dabney, Newell, Waters Edge, Shady Brook and Moultrie Creek. The current edge of the community, closest to the Turnpike.
Source: village and district list from The Villages Community Development Districts, retrieved September 2026. Region groupings are a navigation aid used on this site, not an official District designation.
What the 2026 data shows
Is The Villages a buyer's market or a seller's market in 2026?
It is a market that punishes mispricing. Homes that sold in 2026 took a median of 45 days and closed at 97 percent of list. Over the same period, 180 Villages listings expired or were cancelled without selling, at a median of 106 days. Correctly priced homes move. Everything else sits.
| Outcome | Listings | Median price | Median days on market |
|---|---|---|---|
| Closed sale | 671 | $365,000 | 45 |
| Expired or cancelled | 180 | $427,450 | 106 |
What is on the market right now
| Status | Listings | Median asking price |
|---|---|---|
| Active | 492 | $394,450 |
| Under contract | 192 | — |
Read those two rows together. The listings that failed were asking about 17 percent more than the ones that closed, and they sat well over twice as long. Roughly 21 percent of Villages listings that left the market in 2026 left without a sale. This table covers the five areas with complete year-to-date sold data and excludes ZIP 32162, whose sold export starts in May; counting a full year of that area's expirations against a partial year of its sales would overstate the rate.
Price per square foot by home type
| Home type | Closed | Median price | Median $/sq ft | Median days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single family | 605 | $389,000 | $237 | 42 |
| Villa | 242 | $294,250 | $237 | 42 |
| Manufactured (post 1977) | 20 | $180,750 | $143 | 42 |
Villas and single family homes trade at nearly the same price per square foot. The villa is cheaper because it is smaller, not because it is worth less per foot. That matters if you are deciding whether to trade square footage for a lower carrying cost.
Source: Stellar MLS, closed, active, pending, expired and cancelled residential listings inside The Villages, January 1 through September 21, 2026. Compiled by Cristian Gonzalez, eXp Realty. Known limit: this dataset does not include closed sales for ZIP 32162, so the Villages of Marion section is underrepresented in the sold figures. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Updated September 2026.
The question nobody asks early enough
Do I need my own agent to buy in The Villages?
You are not required to have one. But the sales representatives at the developer's sales offices work for the developer, not for you. An independent buyer's agent represents your interests, pulls the bond balance and amenity fee for the specific address, and can show you both new and resale homes.
This is the single most common thing buyers learn too late. You can walk into a preview center and buy a home the same week. What you will not get in that process is someone whose duty runs to you when it is time to talk about the bond balance, the resale history of the floor plan, or whether the unit you are standing in will hold value against the one two miles south.
Resale and new construction are both worth looking at. The point is having someone in the room who is paid to care which one is better for you.
Talk it through, no pressure
A 30 minute call covering budget, bond, which region fits how you want to live, and what your money buys in each. Nothing to sign.
Ready to look at actual homes?
Where do I search Villages listings?
Every active listing in The Villages is searchable on my eXp Realty site. Full MLS data, map search, saved searches, and alerts when something new hits a village you are watching. This guide explains the market; that is where you shop it.
Come back here when you find something and want to know what the bond balance is, what the unit actually sold for last time, or whether the asking price is in line with what closed nearby this year. That part is not on any search portal.
Guide vs search
| This site The bond, the fees, what each village is like, what actually closed and for how much |
| My eXp site Live listing search, photos, map, saved searches, new listing alerts |
| Me The numbers no portal publishes, and representation when you are ready |
Tools
Answer the expensive questions before you fly down
Village Finder
Budget, golf, home type, and which square you want to be near. Returns the villages that actually fit, with what is on the market in each.
True Monthly Cost
Mortgage, tax, insurance, amenity fee, and bond in one number. The estimate most online calculators leave incomplete.
What is my home worth?
A real comparative market analysis using 2026 closings in your section, not an automated guess from a national website.
Search every listing
Full MLS search on my eXp site: map view, saved searches, and alerts when a home hits a village you are watching.
Straight answers
Common questions
What is the bond in The Villages?
The bond is your home's share of the infrastructure debt the Community Development District issued to build the roads, water lines, and drainage in your unit. It is not a fee and not a tax. It is a fixed debt attached to the parcel, repaid annually on your property tax bill, and you can pay it off early.
Read the full bond explainer, including whether paying it off makes sense
Is The Villages amenity fee the same for every home?
No. The monthly amenity fee is set at the rate in effect when the home is purchased and then adjusts annually by the Consumer Price Index. Two neighbors on the same street can pay different amounts. Always confirm the exact amenity fee for the specific address before writing an offer.
How many villages are in The Villages?
The Villages Community Development Districts list 109 named villages across 16 residential districts plus the Lady Lake and Lake County district. The community spans Sumter, Marion, and Lake counties. New villages are added as the community expands southward.
See every village, grouped by region and district
What are the age requirements in The Villages?
The Villages operates as housing for older persons under the federal Housing for Older Persons Act. Occupancy requirements are set and administered by the community itself. Confirm the current requirements directly with the community before you buy, since they govern who may reside in the home.
Middleton, a separate community nearby in Wildwood, has no age restriction. See the Middleton guide.