Hot Springs Village - Love it, but have concerns

[SusanG_O]

Originally Posted by nmnita

Susan, what a wonderful testimony; people should all have a chance to read it when deciding if HSV is right for them. I feel the same about Bella Vista. Both have so much to offer. We were lucky when moving here: our grandkids were almost grown, one had graduated from college, was married and had a little girl: the other had just graduated and was about to marry. Add to that, within a few years, not only were both ther granddaughters living here in NWA our daughter and hubby moved here as well. Now we have the best of both worlds: our family within 20 minutes and we live in the community we are proud of.

Interesting about you husband: we also have been told hubby had or has kidney failure and yet, he is fine, active and looking forward to several more good years. We realize his kidneys are not working perfectly, but heck, my step mom lived to be 95 with one kidney not working at all and the other at less than 40%..

Wow. so they're not pushing dialysis on your husband? That's what I DREAD happening. He only has one left as it is. Maybe God has a way to make one bad kidney sufficient. Who knows? Don't read
IHD - ihatedialysis.com if you want to remain positive!
Yes; I've read many times that Bella Vista , while having a lot of snow and industry close by, is a great place to retire.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by SusanG_O

Wow. so they're not pushing dialysis on your husband? That's what I DREAD happening. He only has one left as it is. Maybe God has a way to make one bad kidney sufficient. Who knows? Don't read
IHD - ihatedialysis.com if you want to remain positive!
Yes; I've read many times that Bella Vista , while having a lot of snow and industry close by, is a great place to retire.

actually, he is in the early stage of kidney failure as of 10 years ago and it appears to have not gotten any worse. One kidney pretty much doesn't but the other one is certainly functioning enough to keep him active. He does have gout flare up often. I think it is important for all of us to keep up with health trends and know what is happening with our bodies, but we also don't need to know all the negatives. Too many people stress the bad instead of the good.

As I mentioned, my step mom lived to be 95, never had dialysis, had triple by pass, a stroke and cancer, all before she was in her middle 70s. Go figure. Hubby has had so many bouts with so much, including cancer he should be long gone and yet keeps right on going. We try to keep to keep our faith strong, if that helps.

[KE Bump]

We moved to HSV in 2017 and are livin' the dream! For improved properties (with a home or condo), the assessment is currently $68.30 and unimproved properties is around $38. However, unlike Bella Vista and other common POA's, that assessment pays for upkeep of all roads, sewer system, water systems, 9 golf courses, many tennis courts, pickleball courts, playgrounds, Woodlands Auditorium, library, Coronado Community Center, Natatorium and fitness center, many restaurants' buildings, landscaping, 11 lakes, 26 miles of trails and much more - including our own police department, fire department and emergency ambulance service. We have over 500 employees that keep the village running. We do not receive any tax dollars but all property owners do pay into county and state taxes. Our assessments and user fees pay for all of this. Our assessment goes up according to Consumer Price Index for the southeast region.

We have excellent healthcare providers and specialists in the village, in Hot Springs (18 miles away) is the major hospitals and in Benton (30 minutes away). Property values have been going up since we bought our house in 2016 and still is at very affordable levels for the average retiree. Can we improve the management - yes and are working on that. But what town, city or suburb in America can say their city management is run perfectly and loved by all? Do we need to fix maintenance issues that have been kicked down the road - yes and are working on that in a very systemic, organized way.

I challenge anyone to find a more friendly, relaxed, and beautiful place to live than Hot Springs Village. Within 2 minutes of arriving to our new home to find the key would not work, we had neighbors literally running to our side to invite us in out of the heat while we called to get it fixed. We have nature and all its critters to watch in our beautiful forests of the Ouachita Mountains, fishing, boating, exercise and sports to participate in as we choose, one of the largest bridge clubs in the country, theater, arts, cultural events, entertainment, golf, and everything mentioned above. But we don't have traffic, crowded streets, or all the massive shopping centers of big cities. You can go to Benton or Hot Springs or Little Rock for that. We do have coffee shops, tapas bars, variety of restaurants with live entertainment venues of all genres and the usual political organizations and churches of every denomination here. Over 200 clubs and organizations to find something to do that interests you.

What you won't find are a bunch of old seniors sitting around waiting to die. It is a very active community of engaged citizens who are not afraid to speak their mind and do so when they feel the need to. Sometimes that is negative, most of the time positive but there is no doubt everything said and done is in the interest of always improving the village.

[JeffAtkins]

Originally Posted by KE Bump

What you won't find are a bunch of old seniors sitting around waiting to die. It is a very active community of engaged citizens who are not afraid to speak their mind and do so when they feel the need to. Sometimes that is negative, most of the time positive but there is no doubt everything said and done is in the interest of always improving the village.

well said

[sky view trail]

Good morning all, great info here, some very positive posts and nice people....am headed to a visit in HSV in spring 2020, but can't really move til spring 2021...but I always do a lot of homework first, so plenty of time! Anybody here with a motor home? If so, where do you all store it when not traveling? Really concerned about security, top priority. Are there RV friendly groups around HSV? I haven't been there but have stayed in Bella Vista a few times, very nice but a bit too big for me, & destined to grow a lot in the next few years. I really like the "feel" of HSV, even from a distance! Seems more spread out, quieter, but with easy access to larger communities & of course lots of nature, love that. Anyway, cheers all, and hope to see y'all in spring!

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by sky view trail

Good morning all, great info here, some very positive posts and nice people....am headed to a visit in HSV in spring 2020, but can't really move til spring 2021...but I always do a lot of homework first, so plenty of time! Anybody here with a motor home? If so, where do you all store it when not traveling? Really concerned about security, top priority. Are there RV friendly groups around HSV? I haven't been there but have stayed in Bella Vista a few times, very nice but a bit too big for me, & destined to grow a lot in the next few years. I really like the "feel" of HSV, even from a distance! Seems more spread out, quieter, but with easy access to larger communities & of course lots of nature, love that. Anyway, cheers all, and hope to see y'all in spring!

Enjoy your visit: I am sure you will and will find it similar to BV, but a little more remote which can be a good or a bad thing, depending on your needs.

[sky view trail]

Thanks for that, yes, more remote appeals to me immensely, believe it or not, I lived in a town in MT that had a sign "entering and leaving Nye"....was 5 miles outside of town, in a gated community at the end of the road, a mile and a half off pavement....now a tad bit more seasoned, happy to be somewhat less remote, & yes trade-offs are everywhere but I sure like that little town feel...appreciate the feedback!

[btoverdrive]

Originally Posted by sky view trail

Good morning all, great info here, some very positive posts and nice people....am headed to a visit in HSV in spring 2020, but can't really move til spring 2021...but I always do a lot of homework first, so plenty of time! Anybody here with a motor home? If so, where do you all store it when not traveling? Really concerned about security, top priority. Are there RV friendly groups around HSV? I haven't been there but have stayed in Bella Vista a few times, very nice but a bit too big for me, & destined to grow a lot in the next few years. I really like the "feel" of HSV, even from a distance! Seems more spread out, quieter, but with easy access to larger communities & of course lots of nature, love that. Anyway, cheers all, and hope to see y'all in spring!

I do not own a motor home but many here do. There are several storage facilities in and around HSV that have storage units for RVs. Hope you enjoy your visit next year. I have been here almost 9 years and love it.

[KE Bump]

I do not own an RV but several neighbors do. There is a very active RV club in the village and it sounds like they have a lot of fun. We also just enlarged our RV park last year with full hook ups you can call ahead and rent a spot I think up to 10 days. The very beautiful state park at Lake Ouachita is only 7 miles away and is free to get in. Nice park sites (need reservations) and boat ramps and marina there.

Covid kept us clamped down in the spring, so if you have not made the trip yet, we have opened up to outsiders with appropriate escort (realtor or owner or registered as guest) - do come and call ahead to get a discovery package or golf package(on our website explorethevillage.com).

[BellaBodie2021]

Originally Posted by sky view trail

Good morning all, great info here, some very positive posts and nice people....am headed to a visit in HSV in spring 2020, but can't really move til spring 2021...but I always do a lot of homework first, so plenty of time! Anybody here with a motor home? If so, where do you all store it when not traveling? Really concerned about security, top priority. Are there RV friendly groups around HSV? I haven't been there but have stayed in Bella Vista a few times, very nice but a bit too big for me, & destined to grow a lot in the next few years. I really like the "feel" of HSV, even from a distance! Seems more spread out, quieter, but with easy access to larger communities & of course lots of nature, love that. Anyway, cheers all, and hope to see y'all in spring!

Wondering if you ever visited and decide to move to HSV!