[villagetinker]

OP, you have a good grasp of the situation. As I recall, TV is very strict on the closing date and will impose a penalty if you miss it. We went with Citizens First mortgage for ours, they had competitive rates and they guaranteed they would meet the closing date. Since you have some time, you can 'shop around', but (very important BUT) make sure your proposed lender has made loans in Florida, and especially in the villages, and is familiar with the villages ways of doing things. I would expect a guarantee from them with respect to the closing date. If you have not already asked, get a listing of the expected costs of the closing costs and all items included. Several people have mentioned items of significant cost that were not mentioned until the day of closing. Make sure you are aware of the "bond" issue, I am assuming that your location has a bond. We kept ours for around 4 years and then paid it off. Also, there was some confusion on the taxes, the initial tax bill is on an UNIMPROVED lot, the following tax bills will be on the IMPROVED lot with the value of the house included, a significant increase. We opted for an escrow account for the taxes, so we saw the estimated future taxes right away. Also, be prepared for possible insurance requirements on your loan depending on your specific requirements. We did not have this requirements, as we had around 25% down payment.
Hope this helps.
Welcome to TV (a little early)