[villages07]

We bought in TV in July 2006, at the very end of the peak of the market frenzy. We bought before selling our primary house, but, crunched the numbers to make sure the financial burden and possibility of carrying two houses for an unpredictable period of time was do-able.

It ended up taking 18 months to sell our house and, in the end, a fairly significant financial difference between keeping both for 18 months vs selling up there first and buying here later. But, it was manageable. The upside was the 18 months of living here vs sitting North waiting to get here.

In hindsight, it would have made more financial sense to have bought a small villa back then and after the house sold buy the designer model we wanted and perhaps keep the villa as an investment. I have no regrets for taking the path that we did -- love the house, the location, and the neighbors and all the fun we had in those first 18 months here.

However, in today's market, if the numbers don't crunch, one is advised to sell first then come here to buy. There is always a good selection of new homes to pick from and between April and December plenty of rentals to camp out in until you find the right home.