On Top of the World Communities Reviews

Wow. Beautiful place. Nice amenities. Too pricey for some budgets. Great location fright by Ocala and the interstate.

My wife Connie and I took the On top of the world challenge and stayed two nights three days for $159.00 but ended up staying 3 nights and 4 days and buying a villa while we were there.

We're in the process of selling Our real estate sales and property management business in Rochester New York. We will be moving full-time to the On Top of the World Retirement Community in Nov 13, 2017.

We were going to buy a new Home but decided while we were staying in the community that we wanted to live in the older section of the Community. We decided to purchase older villa where we could be closer to other retirement aged people.

I'm currently a Keller Williams real estate broker in Rochester New York and now I'm going to get my Brokers license in Florida and join the Cornerstone Keller Williams Agency in Ocala.

I will be a buyer's agent for retirement age people to buy their Retirement Homes in the On Top of the World Resort Retirement Community.

The people that work in the On top of the world Community are so nice and so helpful I can't say enough good things about them.

I'm a very critical person when it comes to service and I can't say enough good about the staff and the owner of the On Top of the World Retirement Community.

My wife Connie and I cannot wait to move into our new-old home in January as full time Florida residents.

Thank you On top of the world for giving my wife and I the opportunity to retire in your community.

TJ Harrington. Real Estate Broker in
Rochester NY

This is an impressive community and has everything any active retiree could want. Our guide, Cathy, was honest and transparent in all our dealings. We confirm all of the positive comments shared by others and believe that the negative comments have been generated by disgruntled folks who simply can never be happy. Our main takeaway is that The Villages are similar, but just way too big and crowded. We looked at communities with 500 to 1,200 homes and the amenities are understandably limited compared to OTOW. This community is a great middle point for plenty of things to do while not so big as to be overwhelming. We visited in January 2021 but need to put off our purchase until later this year.

Awsome place very quiet unfortunely i cant live there because is for 55 i think up

Community center was beautifully set up for the wedding and reception. Was a fun group of people which made officiating the marriage ceremony even more enjoyable! I have also married couples in the gazebo and at private ceremonies in the neighborhood.

Had a great time....wonderful crowd....Happy 4th of july 2018

Always a fun crowd and town square to perform at. Enjoy the ice cream shop there too.

Worst realtors use outside realtor if considering buying there wish I would have

Think we may have found our next home. Loved the place loved the models. Found one we absolutely loved. Price and price on options where a little confusing honestly I think the sales person was new. We are looking to buy in the future so she wasn't all to enthusiastic and I get it. But we are definitely interested. This area is up and coming. Wife's parents are in the villages and I love the whole golf cart community but it's over built to crowded. Top of the world is much smaller no crowds. The Villages does look nicer with flowers and a maybe more thought on appearance. But the traffic is horrible. This place is worth the look. Just save a place for us

This is the nicest 55+ community in the USA! Beautiful, fantastic amenities, a fabulous RC Flying fields and RC car track, 3 recreation centers, 12 tennis courts, 3 pools, and 3 golf courses behind most houses. Very high on continuing education with Masters of Possibilities facility. The price of new homes range $150K to $300K, a real bargain for Florida or anywhere else.

Overwhelming dust due to massive construction and land erosion. Heavy golf cart traffic makes peaceful walks difficult.

The Senior's Insurance was great over there. My mother and I went to go see Richard for insurance questions. Good service.

This place is probably ok if you are retiring from the heartland of the US. However the area is lacking good restaurants, grocery stores and civilized medical facilities. Ocala is basically a small town that outgrew itself, amenities did not follow.
The same can be said about this development, we owned a home there for about 2 years and quickly realized this was not for us. It took about the same amount of time to resell our house at a small loss, so do not let the extremely low prices in the resale market fool you, there are good reasons why things are the way they are.

Meat factory of homes . Very crowded, no trees . Throwing homes up left and right.

Awesome place. People are so helpful. We liked it so much, We bought a house.

We are visiting from NC and are considering living here in a couple years when we retire.

Don't have any experience yet but I'll tell you my opinion as soon as my wife tells me what it is.

By far the nicest community in the entire area. It offers many things for residents to keep busy and have fun. It's safe and quiet, there's not a bad street anywhere. They are all beautifully lined with trees and charming homes.

We really enjoyed our tour. Great facilities and a wide variety of floor plans for new homes.

I work at on top of the world the lady at the front gate by Lowe s is so rude I had my vehicle in the shop for a couple weeks and my ride lost the pass but it seems there is no way to get this orange pass I ve asked my boss and he said he only gets a certain amount I ask her how and all I ever get is YOU NEED A PASS they are craming deadlines on us but refuse to let me work over a piece of paper

Very nice development, highly recommended in comparison to the villages

Visiting family has to pay $9 a day to use the gym.

We have been in a new home built in the older section of Indio East for just over one year. If you plan to look or buy here, be aware of several issues:
1. Indigo East is not really gated. It has NON-attended gates that require no "sticker" or resident card to enter. Half the time, they are just open.
2. Even though we are across the street from the new construction, the dirt is plentiful as is the noise from 80th Avenue, which may become a 4-laned highway. There are very few areas that even have hedgerows as "noise buffers."
3. The construction of these homes may seem solid, but is not. OTOW is building homes as fast as they can; they are short on supervisors as well as workers; thus, you can expect continued issues with your home, such as the dozens and dozens (we've even heard reports of hundreds) of cracks that continually develop in the stucco (far more than basic settling). This is merely one issue you'll face.

We probably should have done our more research, but since we're here for now, we're enjoying the walking trails and workout facilities.

We live in Top of the World and love it here. The houses are very well made and there are many different designs available. There are many activities available including clubs, free music on the weekends, shows, health club and many more. Close to many shopping centers. New models available for your inspection.

Very impressed with the community and will probably end up moving there. Well built homes and nice facilities

Great amenities. Clean secure and guarded. Reasonable homes for every budget.

Very impressed with the homes, amenities and general appearance. Seriously considering a move to there within the next year or so.

DON'T BE FOOLED....Mr. Colen the developer owns and operates multiple for profit corporations in this community which charge us for inferior services....Parkway Mngmt is one ....this includes yard maintenance. ...just drive behind the older original main clubhouse not the newest areas maintained to impress you...why do so many residents have NO MAINTEACE signs posted in their yards? because of their poor work!....the nicer yards are maintained by the residents...my water bill is higher than my electric bill...why? The developer sold the infrastructure and we're paying for the bonds....here's an example of a yard 2 doors down from mine maintained by Parkway Mngmt

We are building a home here. A great place to live.

Been going there for 25 years! There are about 18 new models for you to view to build your own! Also resales available. Not a gum wrapper out of place! New shopping and restaurants on Highway 200! Within the budget of middle class Americans. New churches and Hospital just down the road! Gated community with very friendly people! Adult Education campus, Golf courses, Athletic facilities, and much more! Check it out! Check the weather in the past 100 years! No extremes to speak about to my knowledge! Horse and agriculture farms in Marion County! PL PHD

Yep. You go in the information center to find out about the community and resales. They have someone who comes out quickly. Before you know it you're looking at $300,000 houses. (After telling them you are looking for 200 grand so you can pay cash) But don't worry they can set you up with a mortgage specialist. And for only 30 grand more, why not get the 'premium' lot? What irked me was this 300,000 house had to be chosen by their 'standards'. Only quartz or granite countertops would be allowed. I get it they have to keep the standards low so perhaps more people will qualify. But it's going to be my house, why do I have to build it your way?
Really liked the community, the layout and amenities. All in all not a bad experience.
On the other hand if you're looking for 'bad' experience-its down the street. The Villages.

I live at Top of the World, very nice. There are 200 things to do.

I will not be buying here because of a major security issue. Bar code reading gates at all three entrances are NOT marked ONE CAR AT A TIME. The gates do not come down after each vehicle and allow several cars through. That's not security.

I love living here. My dogs think it's great. Nice upscale homes, villas , and incredible amenities.

Frank is a very caring salesperson. Homes are a littke close but beautiful.

Built a new home and toilet backed up with 3 breaks and 6' collapse of sewer. Replaced or repaired the following: garbage disposal , cabinet doors and drawers, kitchen outlets, closet doors, locks, separation crack between garage and wall, range hood, microwave, uneven floor, floor tiles, flooding in lanai due to poor design, ceiling nails and more. Hiring building inspector before the year is up. Not happy about eating the blowing sand and dust from the construction, was misinformed by salesperson. Neighbors are great.

Told this community "not for me" since I want to use VA financing

Snobby YANKEES. Think everyone owes them something. Majority of them RUDE.

They have a lot to offer as far as amenities. Conveniently located to shopping. I feel like this is the place we will be retiring to, within the next 6 months.

Neighbor is loud and inconsiderate to a point my wife gets headaches daily.....

This place seems to be really nice. Very nice people.

Don t be fooled. It may look nice but they have ridiculous rules. You need permission for everything and when you really need something it s impossible to get help. Application fees $118 for first two people. My husband, as the third) paid $118 plus $265 for 6 months. For one year it would have cost $430 plus $118. We just wanted to stay with my mother as new retirees to see if we wanted to live here. And as residents, we can t park the third car overnight!
Ridiculous fees and now this! No thank you.

Solidly built homes, great sales staff, friendly community and employees

I called for basic information and after being transferred 3 times, was told there was no available to give me basic information. I wanted to know there pet policy.

There are plenty of amenities here, however the value of your home if you decide to purchase does not increase in any appreciation, it actually depreciates in value. My dad purchased his home at OTOW in 2003 and purchased value at $152k, he put over $80k in improvements and then he passed in 2018. I was left with the home and although I could have continued to keep the home I decided to sell it and could only sell it for $165k and it was on the market for over 6 months. In the 15 years, plus tons of beautiful improvements, the value of the home decreased and my father would have been so disappointed. Definitely not a place to be invest your retirement funds, you lose money. Don t forget those amenities cost too, at a rate of $400+ a month, not including golf.