We rented both through TV and private owners. The advantages of going through a private owner are:
1.You know where you will live - TV won't tell you until you sign in for your month.
2.You can rent longer then a month - TV had limited your stay to 1 month, but most private owners are looking for a 3 month rental for Jan Feb March.
BTW Dec and April are nicer then Jan Feb and March we think and rent is cheaper.
3.With a private owner you can generally move in Day one of the month and leave the last day of the month. With TV you leave a day early and if the beginning day is Jan 1st for example you loose the day also.
Houses with TV may be in better condition but we had no problems at all with our 3 different rentals that were private and any problems were taken care of right away. I did hear of some people that did have problems with their private rental. We looked at ours before we rented private 2 of to 3 times.
You may be able to get a golf cart with private rental. I understand TV no longer will rent a house with a golf cart but thats 2nd hand info and our rental with TV did include a golf cart 4 yrs ago but TV wouldn't commit to one with a cart.
I think you will be happy in either a patio or courtyard villa. Courtyard villas may run a bit more in rental.
Rentals go fast for Jan Feb and March but there does tend to be some that the renter had to back out of for some reason and they come back on the rental market later in the year - but you can't count on it ~
Renting before you buy is the right way to go. That way you get to know The Villages, where you want to live and be near, what houses are going for etc.
Hope that helps.
Good luck
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