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Originally Posted by Denverdame
We are keeping our home in Denver and have purchased a home in TV. I am wondering if any part timers can tell me how to manage two homes. I am wondering specifically about cable, internet, mail forwarding etc....Would appreciate any advice. Thank you.
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This is a good thread with lots of info. Having two places is very doable. We purchased in the Villages in 2021 and also have a condo/apartment in northern Illinois. The main challenge for us has been outdoor maintenance in the Villages. We have a reliable grass cutter. Lawn care fertilizing, insecticide application, etc is thru a local firm - Massey. However, we have been unable to find anyone to do more mundane jobs - like weeding the landscape beds and trimming bushes ( and boy, do they grow in the summer).
Our home came with an Ecobee wifi thermostat. Ecobee also offers cameras and other security devices. We have used their cameras and can control everything thru our cell phone. We also use Community Watch when we are away. It is a service offered by Villages where someone does a "walk-around" on the outside of your home 3 times a week to look for any damage or disturbance. Costs $5 per week.
We might add wifi control to our irrigation system but have not done so yet.
There are lots of options for mail, but you will need to plan your mail forwarding and holding carefully. One of the best suggestions above is to do as much of the important stuff as you can on-line, so that any mail delays or problems do not cause serious issues. Our mail now is almost entirely junk.
The point of having only a Villages home was mentioned above. We have decided to keep our condo in Illinois for a number of reasons: (1) we have lived there for years, we are in a very nice town, and it feels like "home"; (2) two of our children live near there; (3) our long-time family medical professionals are in that area: (4) in northern Illinois we have easy access and lots of choices to some of the very best specialty medical care when needed (and the likelihood is that you will need it sooner or later) -- we have come to believe that there are very few places in or near the Villages where we can get any comparable medical care (this is simply our opinion, others believe differently); (5) we like the change of scenery from time-to-time, and when we are in the Villages it feels like vacation (You will love it); (6) it is easy to leave our condo when we come to the Villages - lock the door and drive away.
Good luck. I am sure all will be good, and you will love the time you spend in the Villages.