Dick Betts REALTOR® The Villages, Florida

Did you know many Villagers purchase three homes while living in The Villages, Florida?  That is amazing when you consider the average age of a Villager buying a home is somewhere in the 60’s. The reasons vary but let me share what I see the most.  You buy your first house maybe something around ...

Yes, we have a winter in The Villages, Florida and we are about to have it.  Normally we have 4 or 5 days a year where the temperatures hit 32 degrees or below freezing.  According to The Weather Channel we have one scheduled for Saturday the 20th with a low of 32 degrees the next 15 days.  We do...

The other day I watched an inspirational video about baseball mitts and I can’t stop thinking about it.  I decided to plug my life in to explain.  As a teenager, I bought a baseball glove, of course it needed broke in, it was clean, no wear but the leather was stiff.  That mitt has seen me playin...

Choosing the right neighborhood is one of the most important decisions a person makes in their adult life, because a house in not only a significant financial investment, it's a health investment.  Lifestyle Property is a phrase that you've perhaps heard lately. But what does it actually mean?A l...

I have shared about some of the 3,100+ clubs in The Villages, Florida well here is another one, The Villages Croquet Club!  The Villages Croquet Club is a member of the United States Croquet Association and has a certified instructor.  The dues are $20 a year per member and members must wear whit...

I was sitting in my house and I heard the cracking sound of a tree falling, oh no thankfully not mine but a neighbor’s tree.  A large limb did fall on my yard but no big deal as no damage.  My neighbor is one to get prices so she jumped online and Googled “Tree Cutters Nearby”, looked at the revi...

Not too long ago I was thrilled FMK Restaurants opened Coastal del Mar which is a great seafood restaurant at Spanish Springs Square, now we get another FMK restaurant Bella Vita Italian Steakhouse.  The new restaurant will have seating for 200 inside and an additional area outside with seating f...

Back in 2010 a friend asked if I wanted to go Gasparilla and I said sure, what is it?  I had so much fun I went back to Tampa again the following year.  What is Gasparilla?  Gasparilla is Tampa’s signature event, celebrated annually since 1904 and hosted by Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla.  Each ye...

Recently a friend said “How’s life in Blue Hair Land”, of course I jumped all over him and explained there isn’t such a thing in The Villages, Florida.  I told him come down here and let’s go to the squares, how about the pools or Pickleball courts, he knew he hit a nerve.  This inspired me to lo...

I love dining outside the bubble (what we call The Villages, FL), I also love eating at out of the way family owned restaurants not recently built so have character.  We found a new one.  Last Friday we were leaving Orlando about rush hour and decided to take US 441 rather than the turnpike home....