dick betts realtor: Yalaha Bootlegging Company
- 06/10/26 01:34 PM
Just 7 miles from Meggison Road and CR 470 in The Villages is Yalaha Bootlegging company at Blue Bayou Farms. This more than just a distillery, how about a country store, fresh baked pies on weekends, craft cocktails and much more. I am sharing recently about place just outside The Villages, Florida to give you more options of things to see and experience. Central Florida has so much to offer and I have been fortunate to have in lived Ocala for three years and now The Villages for 15 years.
Back to Yalaha Bootlegging, they offer free tasting and I believe you … (4 comments)
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dick betts realtor: This Week in The Villages, Recap 6/3 to 6/9
- 06/09/26 02:25 PM
Fun week I was Best Man and Michelle was Matron of Honor at a wedding on Sunday. He is a friend, neighbor and past client and she I met her when I sold her home years ago and she became friends with Michelle. I will post a picture of the preservice event.
Time for the top three, coming in at number three “Watching Thunderstorms, Family Tradition.” I shared how my father and I sat under our covered porch in Pennsylvania. Number two was “Best Man Duties,” for those who don’t follow my Facebook Page I will post a picture in the video. … (1 comments)
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dick betts realtor: A Tour of Rose Plantation, Fruitland Park, FL
- 06/08/26 11:08 AM
I have shared about Rose Plantation in the past in articles but wanted to share even more with a video. My first time there was an invitation from a client that I had sold their home. There were very happy with the results of the sale, but there is more, this home had a 1,400-wine cellar and he was a collector. They picked Rose Plantation because they could bring their own wine and champagne and pay a small corking fee. I must admit I did sneak pictures of the wine and champagne bottle so I could look it up later.
Rose … (3 comments)
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dick betts realtor: Lake Griffin State Park, Just East of The Villages
- 06/03/26 02:09 PM
In case you haven’t noticed I am trying to get you outside the bubble. The bubble is what we call The Villages, Florida, it isn’t because we don’t love the bubble I want to share about short trips to see the real Florida! Lake Griffin State Park is located less than 4 miles east from Colony Plaza on 466a, many don’t even know it is there! The fee to enter the park is $5 per vehicle and $4 if by yourself, what a deal! So, what all is there?
According to their website:
www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/lake-griffin-state-park
Boat Tours, Geo-Seeking, Picnicking, Camping, Hiking, Wildlife Viewing, Fishing … (4 comments)
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dick betts realtor: This Week in The Villages, Recap 5/27 to 6/2
- 06/02/26 07:44 PM
Welcome to Hurricane Season 2026, let’s hope for an extremely quiet year like last year! The real estate market is still busy going into the summer, folks making the decision The Villages, Florida is where they want to be.
Time for the top three, coming in at number three “Little History of Real Estate, Part 1.” Wasn’t sure when I was writing this 5-part series how it would be received, 4 more to go so we will see! Finishing second was “This Week in The Villages, Recap 5/20 to 5/26,” my weekly recap video finished third last so moving on up! … (1 comments)
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dick betts realtor: The Goblin Market Restaurant & Lounge
- 06/01/26 01:07 PM
Occasionally I get contacted by someone looking for that very special place for dinner to celebrate maybe an event or anniversary. My first question is inside The Villages, Florida or outside, if outside I have a short list and The Goblin Market Restaurant & Lounge in Mount Dora is on my list. The restaurant is about 25 miles from the center of The Villages and well worth the drive.
I was surfing Facebook the other day and noticed Goblin Restaurant posted their 30th anniversary and decided to share about them. Been there done that and have enjoyed the experience! If you plan … (1 comments)
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dick betts realtor: Zumba Classes in The Villages, Florida
- 06/01/26 04:57 AM
I was looking something up on The Villages VCDD club contacts page and ended up on page 226, last page. Did you know there are 28 Zumba clubs in The Villages? I decided to ask AI about this and this is what I found:
Zumba classes in The Villages, FL, are widely available through resident-run clubs, regional recreation centers, and the community's outdoor town squares. Classes range from high-intensity Zumba to lower-intensity options like Zumba Gold. Most are free or low-cost with a Villages Resident ID.
Recreation Center Classes
Everglades Recreation Center: Hosts a resident-run Zumba club on Mondays at 9:30 AM.
Seabreeze Pool & … (1 comments)
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dick betts realtor: Pass Through Kitchen Window to Lanai
- 05/31/26 07:46 PM
I love remodels and flips; I have worked with flippers before to completely change a home and a few buyers who had a dream. Find a home with good bones at the right price and with a vision create your own space. This brings me to pass through kitchen windows to the lanai. Not room to hand stuff out rather a countertop with maybe four bar stools in the lanai. Most of the floor plans in The Villages, Florida do not have that option due to the design of the kitchen but what if?
When Michelle and I were redoing our home … (6 comments)
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dick betts realtor: Betty Our Next Door Neighbor Turns 104 Today
- 05/31/26 05:33 PM
Thirteen years ago, the end of this month we bought our home, quickly we met our neighbors including Betty who lives next door. Betty adopted us at the time she had no family close by, what an amazing woman! Golfing a few times a week, playing cards in the evening was a regular occurrence for her the first 10 years she was our neighbor. She is still going; I sit here and see her backing out of her driveway regularly in her Cadillac headed to cards and stores. She likes to grocery shop in the evenings so many times I see … (9 comments)
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dick betts realtor: Chop House Burger and DoorDash
- 05/31/26 03:52 PM
Before you start judging you must understand our life! Michelle is the primary care provider for an elderly family member in assisted living plus she is very active with other organizations. Me I am a Realtor and Team Leader, enough said! Many evenings it is about 6:00 or a little later and it’s what’s for dinner?
We had our first Chop House Burger delivered by DoorDash a few months ago, wow we were impressed, here is how it is described on the menu: Wagyu Beef, Aged Cheddar, house-made Bacon Jam, toasted Brioche. We had family here from Chicagoland and treated then … (4 comments)
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dick betts realtor: Beware of Facebook Marketplace Scams!
- 05/29/26 12:36 PM
On a Friday evening, I received the first phone call, somebody sitting in front of one of my listings looking for Barbara. The listing has my magnetic sign on the garage with my name and number. The caller explained he was looking for Barbara who was selling a car and gave the address of my listing. The listing is very close to our home and can see the home and cars sitting outside the home. For the next few days car after car showed up and sometimes, they called me looking for Barbara.
After numerous calls and speaking with people in person … (7 comments)
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dick betts realtor: Most Water Damage Claims in July, Really?
- 05/29/26 10:01 AM
I was reading an article the other day and was surprised that July leads the way for insurance claims for water damage, mostly from inside the home. My neighbor had a water leak and called somebody after he got a huge water bill, the friend unlocked the front door and water came out, not a good thing! Turns out a broken water pipe in the home cause major damage including drywall and of course floors. Heat can cause pipes to expand causing leaks and even pipes bursting, think about Florida heat in the garage or on outside walls so it can … (4 comments)
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dick betts realtor: Ladies Groups in The Villages, Florida
- 05/28/26 04:30 PM
I shared the other day about marital status of buyers which lead to a discussion about single female buyers. Out of curiosity I went to the VCDD website and did a search for ladies. Almost 70 clubs listed for ladies including: coffee, billiards, board games, book clubs, bridge cards, bunco, cards bakers dozen, canasta, ladies night out, crafts sewing bears, darts, fun ladies, Christian books, mah-jongg, golf, Sunday tea, Saturday social club, and support for Parkinson.
There was also maybe 25 to 30 neighborhood ladies groups which if you are interested visit the VCDD website for a complete list. Simply do a … (6 comments)
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dick betts realtor: Saharan Desert and Florida Sunsets
- 05/28/26 11:06 AM
Florida is known for our sunsets, they are particularly outstanding in the summer, there is a reason why. The connection between Sierra dust storms and Florida sunsets is rooted in the Saharan Air Layer (SAL)—a massive plume of dry, dusty air that travels over 5,000 miles from the Sahara Desert in North Africa across the Atlantic to Florida. While the term "Sierra dust storms" is usually associated with the Sierra Nevada in California or the Sierra Madre ranges, the famous desert dust arriving in Florida originates across the Atlantic.
When these fine dust particles hang in the atmosphere over Florida, they scatter … (6 comments)
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dick betts realtor: Watching Thunderstorms, Family Tradition
- 05/28/26 08:55 AM
Growing up dad was a big fan of watching thunderstorms, him and I would sit on our under-roof porch and watch the storms approaching. To this day I still do but not in Pennsylvania but here in The Villages. This time of year, many of our thunderstorms are moving south to north which is perfect from our south facing lanai. Move a few pieces of furniture a few feet away from the screens, make sure all the lights are off, grab a beer and have a seat, the show is about to begin!
The first lightning you see is In Cloud and … (6 comments)
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dick betts realtor: This Week in The Villages, Orange Blossom Opry
- 05/27/26 02:54 PM
Just outside of The Villages, Florida is the Orange Blossom Opry, which many Villagers might not know about! From their website: www.obopry.com
Welcome to the Orange Blossom Opry (OBO), a state-of-the-art sound and lighting venue designed to deliver an exceptional live music experience. Located in Weirsdale, Florida, our intimate 522-seat theater provides a listening room environment, ensuring that every guest enjoys the highest quality sound and visuals. With acoustically tuned settings, water-based haze effects for select concerts, and adjustable stage lighting, OBO is the perfect place to experience live music in a truly immersive way.
The Orange Blossom Opry has been a cornerstone … (3 comments)
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dick betts realtor: Little History of Real Estate, Part 5
- 05/26/26 02:59 PM
If you didn’t read part 1, 2, 3, and 4 you need to go back and read them. This is the final chapter, need to share what happened at the beginning of Covid in February of 2020. My career was personal appearances all my bookings canceled. Already a real estate instructor in Florida, got my Florida real estate license and became a Realtor. That brings us to today, I shared about the change from brick-and-mortar franchises to cloud-based brokerages and the expected move by so many agents.
Today there are mergers, acquisitions weekly, big brand names including REMAX merged with Real Brokerage … (1 comments)
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dick betts realtor: Little History of Real Estate, Part 4
- 05/26/26 02:46 PM
If you didn’t read part 1, 2 and 3 you need to go back and read them. The year is 2009 I heard about a start up company called eXp Realty founded by Glenn Sanford as the first cloud-based, agent-centric real estate brokerage. What does that mean? Simple the business model of brick-and-mortar franchises are not needed in every town or city. The beginning of remote working agents with maybe one brokerage office per state. Oh, it had it doubters that is not the way we have done business the past 100 years. 17 years later it is still thriving growing … (1 comments)
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dick betts realtor: Little History of Real Estate, Part 3
- 05/26/26 02:33 PM
If you didn’t read part 1 and 2 you need to go back and read them. The year was 2001 I was teaching Realtor Palm and Tech classes all around the Mid Atlantic Region. The phone rings one day and it’s Supra calling from Salem, Oregon, they want me to come to Oregon and teach classes at the headquarters for Supra. Wait a minute, why? I soon learned why, they wanted to contract me to cover North America teaching Realtors. That was the beginning of 180 flights a year and 250+ nights in hotel, said goodbye to my previous career and … (2 comments)
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dick betts realtor: Little History of Real Estate, Part 2
- 05/26/26 02:24 PM
If you didn’t read part 1 you need to go back and read it. The year was 2000 I was a national sales manager based on the west coast living in Pennsylvania. I had bought my first computer in the late 1980’s and my first Palm Pilot vx in 1999. Reason I bought a Palm I could sync to my computer with my contacts, calendar, and other information when away from my computer.
This is when a Realtor friend of mine approached me about teaching Palm and tech classes at the local association of Realtors. Didn’t know anything about Realtor associations … (3 comments)
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