Buying a Home in The Villages
Buying in The Villages follows standard Florida closing procedure with one major addition: every home carries a CDD infrastructure bond and ongoing maintenance assessment that a typical Florida closing does not include, plus a separate, mandatory monthly amenity fee. Confirming those numbers for your specific home matters as much as the purchase price itself.
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Learn moreStandard Florida closing costs apply on top of Villages-specific fees
Florida closing costs typically run about 2% to 5% of the purchase price. The state charges a documentary stamp tax on the deed of $0.70 per $100 of sale price (customarily seller-paid) plus a documentary stamp tax on the mortgage note of $0.35 per $100 financed and an intangible tax of $0.002 per $1 financed (customarily buyer-paid as financing costs). Florida does not require an attorney at closing, and title companies commonly handle the transaction -- get a written estimate early.
The CDD bond: pay it off or carry it
Each home's Community Development District infrastructure bond -- financing the roads, utilities, and recreation centers built for that section -- can typically be paid off in full at closing or carried and amortized over roughly 20-30 years, per local buyer guides (Robyn Cavallaro, Scout the Villages). Bond balances vary enormously by section and how much principal has already been retired by prior owners; a decades-old resale home may have a bond that's mostly or fully paid off, while a newer-construction home's bond can add meaningfully to the effective monthly cost. Ask your closing agent or the seller for the exact remaining bond balance and whether it transfers with the property or must be settled at closing -- this is specific to The Villages and not something a generic Florida closing checklist will flag for you.
CDD maintenance assessment and the amenity fee are ongoing, not one-time
Beyond the bond, an annual CDD maintenance assessment funds the ongoing upkeep of shared infrastructure, and a separate monthly amenity fee (about $204/month for new buyers as of early 2026, adjusted annually to CPI from the home's first-transfer date) grants access to the recreation centers, pools, and golf courses. Combined CDD bond-plus-maintenance costs commonly run $1,600-$6,000+/year depending on the section. These are deed-based covenants, not optional HOA add-ons -- they follow the property and are not something a buyer can decline.
Financing is typically well within conforming loan limits
The FHFA baseline conforming loan limit for 2026 is $832,750. At The Villages' median sale price range (roughly $353K-$393K depending on the source), most purchases fit comfortably within conforming limits, unlike some of Florida's higher-priced coastal Tier A markets -- a genuine financing advantage worth noting for buyers comparing markets.
File for homestead and understand the Save Our Homes cap
For a primary residence, file for Florida's homestead exemption promptly after closing -- $51,411 combined for 2026 (a fixed $25,000 slice applying to all levies including school taxes, plus a second, inflation-adjusted $26,411 slice applying to non-school levies). Homestead status also enrolls the property in the Save Our Homes assessment cap, limiting future annual assessed-value increases to the lesser of 3% or CPI (2.7% for 2026) -- a real long-term saving, though it doesn't reduce your first year's bill, which is based on the purchase-year assessment. See the property-taxes topic for how this interacts with the specific county your section sits in.
Confirm which county -- and which fire, school, and utility district -- your specific home falls in
Because The Villages spans Sumter, Marion, and Lake counties, the property appraiser, tax collector, millage rate, and some service providers differ depending on exactly where a given home sits. Confirm the county (and, within it, the specific CDD and any special taxing district) for any home you're seriously considering rather than assuming uniform costs or services across the whole community.
Key takeaways
- Standard Florida closing costs (2%-5% of price) apply, plus Villages-specific costs a generic closing checklist won't flag: the CDD bond and ongoing maintenance assessment.
- CDD bonds can be paid off at closing or carried over roughly 20-30 years -- get the exact remaining balance for your specific home; it varies widely between older resale and new-construction sections.
- The monthly amenity fee (~$204/month for new buyers, early 2026, CPI-adjusted annually) plus CDD maintenance assessments commonly add $1,600-$6,000+/year on top of the mortgage and property tax bill.
- At The Villages' typical price range (~$353K-$393K), most purchases fall well within the 2026 FHFA conforming loan limit of $832,750.
- The 2026 homestead exemption ($51,411 combined) and Save Our Homes cap (2.7% for 2026) apply, but confirm which of the three counties (Sumter, Marion, or Lake) governs your specific parcel.
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