[gijoe]

Your choice...buy immediately just to have a place to go, which will likely lead to you buying a couple more times, till you find your "ideal" home, which many Villagers do, OR, rent, and invest time evaluating your options and buy once.

I relocated to Florida with a truckload of furniture in the Summer of 2012. I rented a air conditioned storage unit, for what turned out to be 15 months before I found my "ideal" home. I rented, two different places (furnished), while evaluating my options. This was the best spent time and resulted in a great fit. Yes, there is a cost for renting a storage space but in my opinion it is less stressful and physically draining than having to move furniture again and again.

Some things I evaluated and you may want to consider, that may not be initially on your mind:
1) Resale value of the Villages home you purchase (even if you don't "plan" to sell it.
2) Type of home: Villa; Ranch; Designer; Premier - all have their strengths and shortcomings
3) Learn the "desirables" many/most people are looking for: such as Golf Car Garage; block/poured concrete construction; and NO ONE or NO house behind you....which is a HUGE deal. Minimal "noise pollution" is a VERY good thing.
4) Proximity to the things you most want to be near, such as The Squares or Village congregation points; Recreation Centers; shopping; medical facilities; and things you do NOT want to be right next to such as a Pickleball Court - great to be near when you want to play, Lousy when people are playing and the noise drives you crazy.
5) If you desire to go to more populated places such as Disney, Orlando, you should evaluate the proximity of your home and ease of access to Interstate....If this is the case, possibly the newly acquired Villages land expansion near Fenney (sp) and Southern Oaks in Leesburg could be a good option .... but these areas are a SIGNIFICANT distance from the Brownwood; Lake Sumter Landing and Spanish Springs.

Just a few things to consider.

Best wishes to you!